Hilltop Towers News
Woman recognized for
helping with fire
helping with fire
GeRoy assisted firefighters in making sure all residents were
safe
By Mishele Wright
Published: Friday, May 21, 2010 1:07 AM EDT Marion Chronicle Tribune
Firefighters honored a woman Thursday who they say helped
them tremendously during a structure fire at Hilltop Towers last week.
An electrical problem on the sixth floor caused a fire at the complex, 520 W. Nelson St., on May 11. During the emergency, resident Nancy GeRoy assisted firefighters in making sure all the tenants were accounted for, saving firefighters time and concern.
During the fire, GeRoy had a list of everyone who lived in the complex, and she was able to tell firefighters who was still in the building. Thursday, firefighters thanked GeRoy for her help by giving her a plaque.
“You will never understand how much you made our job easier,” Deputy Chief Jeff Cook told her.
GeRoy, who didn’t know she was going to be recognized, was humbled.
“I thought I was doing what I had to do,” she said.
As president of the tenant council, GeRoy was asked by the resident service coordinator to be in charge of making sure everyone was accountable in case of an emergency.
Vincent Smith, property manager at Hilltop, said officials put a list containing all the tenants ’ names in the kitchen just three weeks ago and asked GeRoy to be in charge of the list in case of an emergency. They decided to make the list after the apartment had several false alarms. The plan was well-executed during the fire last week, Smith said.
“It freed up the firefighters, but it also freed up some of my staff to work on other things, ” he said. “Nancy did an excellent job.”
GeRoy, who was living on the sixth floor at the time, said she and another tenant on the top floor were responsible for calling the fire department the day of the fire. They kept hearing the smoke detector go off, but didn’t realize there was actually a fire until they noticed smoke coming out from underneath a door.
Though GeRoy has multiple sclerosis and it was difficult for her to walk down the stairs to the first floor, another tenant grabbed the list for her. GeRoy said she began yelling at people to evacuate because many of them thought it was a false alarm.
“It was very nerve-racking,” she said.
She told firefighters that about four or five people were unaccounted for, and they were able to try to locate the residents. Though there were a couple residents she didn’t know, other tenants helped her find them.
Though firefighters kept thanking her during the fire, she said she didn’t think what she was doing was a big deal.
“This building means a lot to me, and the people do, too,” she said.
Fire Chief Deputy Paul David said GeRoy took a huge load of stress off firefighters.
“It’s good to see a plan come together when someone here actually takes hold and does something to help us out,” he said.
He hopes other apartment complexes and businesses look at the incident that occurred at Hilltop and realize how important it is to have a plan. David said many multifamily dwellings have an emergency plan in place, but he doesn’t think many realize how important the plans really are. Without the well-executed plan at Hilltop, there could have been mass casualties, he said.
The firefighters said they were grateful for not only GeRoy, but also the staff at Marion Housing Authority.
Cook said it was apparent that management had met with the tenants before the fire and discussed with them what to do in case of an emergency.
Frederick Hunt, executive director of the Marion Housing Authority, said it’s a HUD requirement that the apartment complexes have an emergency plan in place. The tenants go over the plan once a year, he said. Fire officials also have come to the complex to talk about what residents should do during a fire.
David said firefighters are willing to come to businesses and multifamily dwellings to talk about fire prevention if they are asked.
Hunt said all multifamily structures should have a plan in place.
“It can save you a lot of heartache and tension to know where your residents are in an emergency, ” he said.
Smith agreed that all apartment complexes should have a plan and officials should teach tenants what to do.
“It definitely made us realize the importance of having and practicing a plan,” he said.
An electrical problem on the sixth floor caused a fire at the complex, 520 W. Nelson St., on May 11. During the emergency, resident Nancy GeRoy assisted firefighters in making sure all the tenants were accounted for, saving firefighters time and concern.
During the fire, GeRoy had a list of everyone who lived in the complex, and she was able to tell firefighters who was still in the building. Thursday, firefighters thanked GeRoy for her help by giving her a plaque.
“You will never understand how much you made our job easier,” Deputy Chief Jeff Cook told her.
GeRoy, who didn’t know she was going to be recognized, was humbled.
“I thought I was doing what I had to do,” she said.
As president of the tenant council, GeRoy was asked by the resident service coordinator to be in charge of making sure everyone was accountable in case of an emergency.
Vincent Smith, property manager at Hilltop, said officials put a list containing all the tenants ’ names in the kitchen just three weeks ago and asked GeRoy to be in charge of the list in case of an emergency. They decided to make the list after the apartment had several false alarms. The plan was well-executed during the fire last week, Smith said.
“It freed up the firefighters, but it also freed up some of my staff to work on other things, ” he said. “Nancy did an excellent job.”
GeRoy, who was living on the sixth floor at the time, said she and another tenant on the top floor were responsible for calling the fire department the day of the fire. They kept hearing the smoke detector go off, but didn’t realize there was actually a fire until they noticed smoke coming out from underneath a door.
Though GeRoy has multiple sclerosis and it was difficult for her to walk down the stairs to the first floor, another tenant grabbed the list for her. GeRoy said she began yelling at people to evacuate because many of them thought it was a false alarm.
“It was very nerve-racking,” she said.
She told firefighters that about four or five people were unaccounted for, and they were able to try to locate the residents. Though there were a couple residents she didn’t know, other tenants helped her find them.
Though firefighters kept thanking her during the fire, she said she didn’t think what she was doing was a big deal.
“This building means a lot to me, and the people do, too,” she said.
Fire Chief Deputy Paul David said GeRoy took a huge load of stress off firefighters.
“It’s good to see a plan come together when someone here actually takes hold and does something to help us out,” he said.
He hopes other apartment complexes and businesses look at the incident that occurred at Hilltop and realize how important it is to have a plan. David said many multifamily dwellings have an emergency plan in place, but he doesn’t think many realize how important the plans really are. Without the well-executed plan at Hilltop, there could have been mass casualties, he said.
The firefighters said they were grateful for not only GeRoy, but also the staff at Marion Housing Authority.
Cook said it was apparent that management had met with the tenants before the fire and discussed with them what to do in case of an emergency.
Frederick Hunt, executive director of the Marion Housing Authority, said it’s a HUD requirement that the apartment complexes have an emergency plan in place. The tenants go over the plan once a year, he said. Fire officials also have come to the complex to talk about what residents should do during a fire.
David said firefighters are willing to come to businesses and multifamily dwellings to talk about fire prevention if they are asked.
Hunt said all multifamily structures should have a plan in place.
“It can save you a lot of heartache and tension to know where your residents are in an emergency, ” he said.
Smith agreed that all apartment complexes should have a plan and officials should teach tenants what to do.
“It definitely made us realize the importance of having and practicing a plan,” he said.