FDNY Father and Son Both Win Medals for Separate Rescues

For the first time ever, a father and son will stand together at New York's FDNY Medal Day ceremony, each receiving honors for saving lives in separate fires that happened weeks apart.

Lt. Patrick Donlon of Engine Company 75 will receive the department's highest honor, the Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci Medal, for crawling past uncontrolled flames to rescue an unconscious victim. His father, Firefighter Timothy Donlon of Ladder Company 175, will receive the Thomas F. Dougherty Medal for his own heroic save just one month later.

On October 8, Lt. Donlon was returning from a call when another fire broke out blocks from his Bronx station. Panicked civilians told him people were trapped on the third floor of a six-story building.

Racing inside alone before backup arrived, Donlon found flames shooting down a hallway. Using his thermal camera, he spotted what looked like legs on the floor past the fire.

"I didn't really think. I just went in," Donlon told the Daily News. He crawled under the venting flames, found an unconscious person, and used his own body as a shield to carry the victim to safety.

About a month later, his father faced similar danger in a Brooklyn blaze. Armed with only a portable fire extinguisher, Timothy Donlon pushed into the burning apartment while flames rolled overhead.

He knocked back the fire to buy time for his team, then found another unconscious victim. The elder Donlon carried the person out while continuing to operate his extinguisher with one hand, protecting his fellow firefighters as they searched for others.

Why This Inspires

The Donlon family's firefighting legacy stretches back three generations to Lt. James McCarthy, Patrick's grandfather, who also received an FDNY medal in 1972. Several uncles and cousins serve in the department too.

But this ceremony feels different. Patrick grew up visiting his dad's firehouse, dreaming of the day he'd wear the same uniform. Now they'll share something even rarer than the family tradition itself.

When asked about his own medal, the humble Timothy Donlon deflected. "I'm not the type of guy to talk about awards," he said. "I just couldn't be prouder of my son."

Both victims survived their rescues, and both firefighters returned to work the next day.