True Heroes
On the morning of August 29, Plasterer Jerzy Skiba and Plasterer’s Helper Joseph Hunter were about to do some plastering work in a bathroom at Mitchel Houses in the Bronx, a routine repair, when a fire broke out in the apartment’s bedroom.
By acting fast, and heroically, they potentially saved many lives. Mr. Skiba and Mr. Hunter helped the residents of the apartment – a mother and her two young children – get out of the apartment and down to safety from the 20th floor via the stair hall. While doing so, they closed the bedroom door so the fire wouldn’t spread and knocked on the doors of other apartments on the floor so that those residents could make it out safely as well.
“It all happened so quickly, and it was the first time something like this has happened to me,” Mr. Skiba noted. “When I first saw the smoke and the fire, it was a little scary. But you don’t have time to think; you have to react quickly. I just wanted to get as many people to safety as possible.”
“I didn’t really think about what we did until after it happened,” added Mr. Hunter. “Instinct just kicked in.”
Both Mr. Skiba and Mr. Hunter have worked at NYCHA for about five years. Supervisor Plaster Launda Rollins praised their work ethic and their actions that fateful morning: “These guys show up for work every day prepared to work, and I am grateful to have them as part of my team. And their thoughtfulness saved lives – they are true heroes.”
