Phil Hart heard two words. He heard them repeated.

 

“Help me” once. Followed, a second later, by “help me” again.

 

And with that, the Bridgeport Fire Department Chief, who was working that day in his role as the Belington Fire Chief, went into a structure filled with smoke and engulfed by flames.

 

The day, he said, he will remember the rest of his life. Life, here, is the key word. Not only did Hart manage to get out of the home that day with his own life intact, but so did the elderly woman who was trapped inside.

 

EARLIER THAT DAY

 

It was March 4, and it was a beautiful day, and a memorable day already for the Belington Fire Department that had nothing to do with the events that would shortly unfold. In the afternoon, the volunteer fire department, as nearly most do in West Virginia, was raising funds to help serve their community.

 

It was “Gun Bash” day at the Belington Fire Department. In other words, it was a big fundraiser that would allow those who volunteer and serve to do their jobs to the best of their ability. Hart said there was a full house on hand and a lot of volunteers in place at Belington Volunteer Fire Department – Station 3.

 

“We had just finished up with the gun bash, a little before 5:30 p.m., and I had cleaned up and went home,” said Hart. “I had walked in the door when my pager went off. I learned there was a structure fire with reported entrapment.”

 

The blaze was on Talbott Road. Hart knew it was a few minutes away by car. He also knew on most Saturdays, when the skies were clear and it was a weekend, volunteers would not necessarily be filling up the station.

This time, however, they were there.

 

“I knew even with me being close by we would have a really fast response,” said Hart.

 

Hart drove directly to the scene in his own car in just a couple of minutes. He was the first one there and as he drove to the house, he saw smoke.

 

“That’s when it’s alarming because you know it’s definitely a working fire and I also knew there was possible entrapment,” said Hart.

 

The initial plan was to get to the scene, join or wait for the Belington crew to show up, and do a quick rescue if someone was inside. Hart was the first there, and he encountered a man outside who he found out later was a resident of the house.

 

“He was standing by the porch, and it was obvious he had encountered smoke. He was covered in soot. I asked him if anyone was inside. He told me yes,” said Hart.

 

Hart gathered additional information from the man that the person entrapped was straight inside the door and on the couch. At this point, without protective gear or any kind, Hart reacted.

 

“The smoke was heavy and there was fire coming out the window so, if the man was correct, I knew every second was valuable. The smoke so heavy, it was about two feet off the ground, and if you’ve been in this business as long as I’ve been in it, you know to get below the smoke,” said Hart.

 

As he approached the front door, he yelled out asking if anyone was there. It was here he heard the muffled call for help. Hart’s decades of training with Belington and in his professional job with the City of Bridgeport kicked in.

 

“You are taught a large percentage of victims are within 10 feet of the exit door, which turned out to be the case,” said Hart. “Once I heard her calling for help, I immediately went in. You don’t think. You just do what you have to do when a life is on the line.”

 

Hart, still in his street clothes, crawled below the smoke. He eventually saw and found the couch under the smoke, and found the person entrapped on the couch, reaching up and feeling her legs. There was a problem – he could not get her off the couch.

 

At this point, Hart crawled out and the first fire crew from Belington had arrived with plenty more help on the way. The initial group had their gear and breathing apparatus on, and were ready to go in. Hart did his best to describe the location of the victim.

 

“They couldn’t find her, and, at this point, the fire was intense. I crawled back in, and two of us were able to pull her from the couch, onto the floor, and get her outside,” said Hart. “As soon as we had her out, they knocked the fire down extremely fast.”

 

Hart, still jacked on adrenaline, was helping one of the firefighters that went inside who had trouble with his mask making sure he had oxygen. The firefighters, along with Hart, were also working on the woman pulled from the fire.

 

“It was at this point one of the firefighters told me to sit down. He told me I didn’t look good so I sat down,” said Hart. “Right then, it hit me. I remember being lethargic and in a daze. I was having trouble breathing.”

 

FAMILY INTERVENTION

 

It should probably be noted Hart did not arrive on the scene alone. He had the company of his 14-year-old grandson with him. It turns out it was a good thing he did.

 

Like most small communities, including Bridgeport, they rely on their own emergency service resources and those of mutual aid. As the early part of the scenario was unfolding, the only ambulance to arrive was already in use. While fire staff have medical training, there were some additional medical professionals on hand who knew Hart more intimately than most.

 

As Hart and others were doing their heroics, his grandson was on the phone. He was letting Hart’s family know what was going on. They all would soon arrive at various intervals.

 

His wife showed up who happens to be a registered nurse. His daughter, also a registered nurse, arrived, as did his sister-in-law, a paramedic.

 

“Some of my family worked on me until another Belington ambulance arrived. I always said that I’m blessed with a great family. This just proved it to anyone else,” said Hart. “I remember them being there, but not much else other than hearing them talk. At this point, I was out of it.”

 

His grandson called others, including Bridgeport Deputy Chief Greg Pigg, whom Hart lauded for solid running of the Bridgeport Fire Department during his absence.

 

It was also at this point that mutual aid arrived in force. Fire departments from Junior, Philippi, and Coalton showed up. Among the group were plenty of familiar faces and friends, and one really familiar one.

 

Coalton Chief Justin George was there. Not only is he a long-time friend of Hart’s, but he is also a firefighter and paramedic for the City of Bridgeport as well.

 

“I actually remember hearing him respond on the radio,” said Hart, who has been with the Bridgeport Fire Department for 34 years.

 

In short order, Hart was loaded on to an ambulance. By this time, it was determined Hart would need the services of HealthNet to be taken to Ruby Memorial in Morgantown. He was taken by ambulance to a landing zone.

 

For the second time in his life, and for the first time as a firefighter, Hart was being flown by helicopter to Morgantown. The last time, in 1983, was following an automobile accident when the 22-year-old Hart was critically injured and spent three months at the West Virginia University hospital.

 

This was the first time, however, he was flying because of his job. Even though he has had other issues, including being shot in the arm during a blaze when the heat of the fire caused the gun to discharge, he had never had an overnight stay.

 

That was about to change as Hart was handed off to the flight team. Flight paramedic Jim Laird, flight nurse Matt Noss, flight nurse orientee Dale Quinlan, and pilot Ryan Brescher were now in charge of Hart. And once again, he saw a familiar face.

 

“I knew the flight medic (Laird),” said Hart. “I guess when you’re in that situation there is relief with family, people you know, and friends working on you. I had great confidence in all of them I would be taken care of. That’s my family and my work family.”

 

LEAVING THE SCENE

 

Hart remembers earmuffs being put on him. He remembers landing. He remembers family being at Ruby Memorial when he arrived including his son and his fiancé, a daughter, and his friend State Trooper B.S. Stout. After that, his memory is sparse until hours later and, particularly, the next day.

 

“The thought was to keep me overnight for observation, but that changed,” Hart said. “They saw damage to my lungs from the smoke, which was a pulmonary edema. They wanted to monitor me.”

 

The monitoring led to extensive testing on his respiratory system, lungs, and more. Initially, they thought there was a blockage in one of his coronary arteries.

 

“They did a catheter on me and did find some issues,” said Hart. “The good news is that it doesn’t require surgical intervention and can be treated with medicine.”

 

Four days later, Hart walked out of Ruby. On April 3, almost a month to the day after the incident, Hart was cleared and returned to work.

 

“I feel good, but still a little nervous to get really active and back into firefighting because I want to make sure everything is healed up and recovered. I believe I am, but you worry because if you are not good then you can become a hindrance to others during an emergency,” said Hart. “That is the last thing anyone in our line wants.”

 

AFTERMATH

 

Hart has stayed in touch with the male resident who lived in the home. Hart said the man has told him the woman in question has made a full recovery.

 

As for the house? It is gone.

 

“It was pretty bad. It’s already been torn down,” said Hart.

 

As for going in quickly? Hart said he did what all in his field would do.

 

“You hear help me, and the only decision is to go in,” said Hart.

 

As Hart answered questions, he sat back in his chair and smiled when asked if he had any words of thanks. And in particular, if he was more thankful as Easter neared.

 

“You know, the first thing that day I’m thankful for is everyone was okay because of the team effort from the members of the Belington Fire Department, my family, and everyone who responded,” said Hart. “The big thing I’m thankful for is the Good Lord. How things happened probably shouldn’t have happened.”

 

By that, Hart is talking about manpower. He is talking about being home at the right time. He is talking about the aforementioned full house at the Belington Volunteer Fire Department on Watkins Street.

 

“It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and there is no reason there are 12 guys at the fire department other than the gun bash had just ended,” said Hart. “Normally, you may have had four or five guys and you might add two to three minutes for a full response to everything. Two or three more minutes would possibly have changed everything.

 

“You know what that tells me? It tells me to give praise to the Lord. That situation let me know Someone greater than me is calling the shots,” he continued. “He is going to let me have what will be a very special Easter Sunday with my family. I’m thankful to Him for being here and I’m thankful to Him for the lady we were able to bring out of that fire to celebrate Easter as well.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Phil Hart wearing one of his two Fire Department hats, while he's shown in the second photo at a meeting at Bridgeport City Hall. In the third photo, he is shown with his grandson Griffin who made critical phone calls that day. In the fourth picture, Hart is removed from the Belington ambulance and into the hands of the HealthNet flight team, while he is shown with his friend and Coalton Fire Chief Justin George at a November 2022 fire in Belington. Bottom photo shows the home, now demolished, shortly after everyone was evacuated and the Belington Fire Department had put it down. All photos courtesy of Phil Hart.