Millville Firefighters Receive April 2022 New Jersey’s Heartland Hero Award
Millville firefighters Kevin Hall and Sumner Bryan Lippincott each received New Jersey’s Heartland Hero Award in April 2022 for their courageous efforts to rescue a Cumberland County family that had been asleep when their apartment building caught fire.
On April 4, 2022, the two firefighters were called to High Street in Millville, NJ, after a fire had started in a hallway within the apartment complex. After the firefighters arrived at the scene, they noticed flames coming from apartments above a vacant business. Smoke was also entering the Hernandez family’s third-floor apartment, where Dominick Hernandez was living with his wife and their two young children, ages 3 and 6.
When the firefighters made initial contact with Dominick’s wife at a window of their apartment, she said that her husband and two children were trapped inside due to the flames in the hallway. Because the fire and smoke prevented the family from leaving through their apartment door, Hall and Lippincott were forced to evacuate the victims by fire ladder.
Hall and Lippincott evacuated the children first, followed by their parents. It was the first time the two firefighters had to make a rescue via the ladder of a firetruck. While they say the experience was nerve-wracking, they credit their training for helping them save the Hernandez family. The family members say that, although they lost their home in the fire, they are grateful nobody was seriously injured, including any firefighters.
Several area news outlets have since covered Hall and Lippincott being honored as April 2022 Heartland Heroes, including 6 ABC, CBS 3, FOX 29, and Follow South Jersey.
While New Jersey’s Heartland is filled with hidden gems, its biggest treasures are the people who make the region a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family. All Heartland Heroes receive a Heartland Heroes Certificate and Gift Basket in recognition of their award. To nominate your Heartland Hero, visit http://njheartland.org/live/heartland-heroes-nomination-form/.
