Danieto Ferguson gets bravery award for daring rescue from raging house fire
Published:Tuesday | October 22, 2024 | 12:08 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Danieto Ferguson, the man who rescued Adrianna ‘Pinky’ Laing from a raging house fire which claimed the lives of her three siblings in September 2022, was yesterday recognised with an award for bravery, presented by the Westmoreland Heritage Week Committee.
Ferguson’s award comes two years after the tragic incident which saw the catastrophic fire destroy Laing’s family home in Springfield, Westmoreland, leaving her with severe burns that had to be treated at a burn facility in the United States.
“I am feeling overwhelmed to be recognised for a good deed,” Ferguson told The Gleaner after collecting his award, which was a joint recognition for his bravery by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) and the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation.
Ferguson, who has been employed as a sewer man at the National Water Commission (NWC) since 2009, said that, with or without recognition, he is always prepared to do what it takes if it means saving the life of someone who is in danger.
“I would do it every day, as long as my services are required. I will be in action to help save lives,” said the man, who now enjoys hero status in his home parish.
Quizzed on his thought process at the time he made the decision to brave the fire in an attempt to save Adrianna and her siblings, who were trapped in the blaze that had engulfed their home, Ferguson, a past student of the Green Island High School, said he never once considered his own safety.
“My safety was not paramount at that particular moment. I was just trying to do whatever I could to save the lives of those who were trapped in the fire,” explained Ferguson. “I was not thinking about what could happen to me. I was just trying to help those who were in a dangerous situation and needed help.”
On Monday, he received a standing ovation as he walked across the stage to collect his award during the ceremony which took place in Norman Square in Savanna-la-Mar. He was among several local heroes and heroines who were recognised.
A citation read in Ferguson’s honour stated that he was highly revered by his colleagues, who see him as respectful, passionate and innovative, and view his approach as always being customer-friendly.
The citation further noted that it was his fine qualities that undoubtedly contributed to his courageous act of ignoring his own safety and rescuing Adrianna that September 4 night two years ago.
“When I arrived, I saw a crowd and some were saying the children were locked inside. However, when I tried the door, I found it was open. Looking inside, I spotted the little girl,” Ferguson was quoted in a section of his citation, which was prepared by the JCDC.
True to his passion of helping those in need, Ferguson recently intervened during a domestic emergency, rescuing a man who had allegedly ingested a toxic herbicide. He swiftly lifted the man into an NWC service van and rushed him to hospital where the man was treated and his life saved.
Adrianna, who survived because of Ferguson’s bravery, was lucky, as the fire claimed the lives of her three younger brothers – nine-year-old Adrianno Laing and seven-year-old twins Jorden and Jayden Laing.
She suffered third-degree burns and received initial treatment at The University Hospital of the West Indies before she was flown to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Atlanta, Georgia, where her care was overseen by lead doctor Zaheed Hassan.
After undergoing some 18 life-saving operations, Adrianna was transferred to Shriners Children’s Hospital for rehabilitation before returning to Jamaica.
Following her return to the island, Adrianna and her father, Adrian, who are now living in Slope, St Elizabeth, received a new two-bedroom house valued at J$9 million, under the government’s social housing programme.