Hero saves 42 in group home
Published: October 24, 2004
Another word for Hero is Mensch - a true human being. Flawed, emotional, happy, enraged, sad, peaceful, hungry, in need for a shower, relaxing. “Just” human.
It’s the recognition by others which names us a hero. It’s the recognition by you which makes you a hero.
Look closely: you’re a hero in your own regards.
When she saw the smoke, Blossom Vallee didn’t hesitate, but waded right in to spread the alarm.
And, as a result, 42 residents of a group home for the mentally handicapped are alive today.
Among those rescued are two blind residents, led out by Vallee, and a man pulled out of the building by Toronto firefighters with vital signs absent, and brought back to life.
Now Vallee is being hailed as a hero by Toronto Fire Service officials.
The 34-year-old attendant was alone on the overnight shift at the three-storey home on Bloor St. W. near Runnymede Ave. early yesterday when the fire alarm went off. She ran from the basement to the ground floor to check the fire panel, which showed a blaze had broken out on the second floor.
She made her way upstairs expecting it to be a false alarm, but was confronted by thick smoke in the hallway.
“It was a fire,” said Vallee, 34. “I just make up my mind and say, `I don’t want anybody to get burned up. I am just going to try my best to get them out.’”
Yelling “Fire! Fire! Fire!” as she made her way along the smoke-filled corridor, Vallee banged on each door and encouraged residents to get out quickly.
“It’s a real fire,” she yelled as they made their way from units to the hallway. “This is real, you have to get out.”
Vallee said the residents co-operated and made their way down stairways to escape. Vallee also went door to door on the second and first floors to awaken residents and make sure they left the building.
When the first two police officers responded to the 3 a.m. fire alarm, Vallee told them she was missing one of the residents from the second floor, but by then the heavy smoke prevented anyone from getting inside.
“I told them I missed one,” she said. “I didn’t see (him) leaving the building.”
When the fire trucks showed up seconds later, two firefighters made their way into the building, emerging a few minutes later with the man Vallee feared was trapped in the building.
The firefighters began immediate life-saving efforts and revived the man before he was taken to hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. He’s currently listed in critical condition, but Vallee said she’s praying that he’s going to be all right.
“He was so close to the fire,” she said. “He’s the one I couldn’t get.”
Vallee said the residents are her friends and she just didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
“Many times the fire alarms go off,” she said, adding they are mostly false alarms. But this time it was real, and firefighters said she did everything right by immediately alerting residents and warning them to get out.
After going door to door on the upper floors, Vallee said, she realized two residents in basement units were blind, so she made her way to that area to lead them to safety.
“I had to lead them out,” she said.
Vallee has been working the overnight shift at the building for the past three months, but had worked there for a couple of years some time ago.
Vallee said she makes sure everyone is okay through the night and helps get them ready for breakfast before her shift ends at 9 a.m.
“I try to get on with them,” she said. “They are sick. Often you have to calm them down.”
But when she realized the building was on fire, Vallee knew she had to get everyone out.
“I tried to warn to get them out,” she said.
“Fire, fire, fire, come out, come on, it’s not a false alarm, it’s a fire. I do my best. I run to get them out. I didn’t want them to burn up in there.”
Vallee said everyone is telling her she’s a hero, including her stepmother, who called after seeing her on television.
Hours later she said she couldn’t sleep because of all the excitement.
“I’m just going to go and do my laundry now,” she said. “After that I will go to bed and try to get some rest.”
As firefighters battled to control flames that spread from a second-floor room to the third floor, volunteers from the Toronto police victim services unit made arrangements to find emergency accommodation at Seaton House and other downtown hostels for the residents.
Most of those who had escaped were dressed in nightclothes or light clothing. Arrangements were made to put them in ambulances, police cars and a TTC bus that was brought to the scene to shelter residents until arrangements were made for emergency accommodation.
Platoon Chief Robert Heeps said it was a “team effort” to make sure all the residents were looked after.
He had high praise for Vallee and said he’ll recommend presenting her with a civilian citation for her heroism.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation. Fire officials said they would not speculate on a cause at this point.
Scott Clark was transferred to Hamilton General Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation; he was reported in critical condition last night.
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