Bangor Daily News
BANGOR, Maine — Almost a week after he was injured while battling a blaze at John Bapst Memorial High School, a longtime Bangor firefighter says he is recovering well and is grateful for the support he and his family have received from the community.
“As you can see, I’m clearly on the mend, and I am feeling pretty good, considering,” Bangor firefighter John York said during a news conference Tuesday at the Bangor Fire Department’s Central Station.
“I’m still under the care of a doctor and I am expected to make a full recovery,” York said, with his wife, Laura, sitting at his side and some of his fellow firefighters around him.
York, a 20-year Fire Department veteran who is about 40 years old, was hurt when a portion of ceiling fell on him as he worked to extinguish a fire inside the school on Feb. 18.
The fire was started accidentally by a longtime John Bapst employee trying to melt ice on the roof with a propane torch.
Efforts to extinguish the fire led to a waterlogged ceiling inside the Joseph W. Sekera Auditorium, which fell on and injured York. His fellow firefighters pulled him out of the building, and he was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center for treatment.
York’s wife said last week that his injuries included a sprained neck, sprained left wrist, multiple contusions and a concussion. The injured firefighter was released from the hospital Feb. 18.
“I am thankful to the crew who got me out safely, to the rest of the firefighters who continued to battle the blaze and get this under control,” York said Tuesday. “I’m thankful for all the support from my fellow firefighters, the community and my family.”
York declined Tuesday to get into the specifics of what took place at the time of his injury.
“There was so much going on at the time that it’s hard to pinpoint one thing,” he said. “I was kind of like the guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. But we were just trying to do our job, and that’s what we were doing.
“We’re a team here. It’s not one person. That’s why I have all of these guys behind me and some off to the side,” York said.
York said that his return to the job would be considered on a week-by-week basis.
“When the doctor says I’m ready to go back to work, that’s when I’ll go back to work,” he said, later adding, “This is not my forte, sitting on the sidelines.”
York and his wife said they are grateful for the support and kind words they’ve received since last week’s fire.
“It’s been overwhelming. My wife has been right beside me the whole time. Everybody’s been great. The community’s been unbelievable,” said York, who is president of the Professional Bangor Firefighters union, International Association of Firefighters Local 772.
His wife agreed.
“Well, obviously the support has been completely overwhelming,” she said. “It’s not an experience I ever want to go through again, obviously. The support from the guys and the wives, everything — it’s just been overwhelming and awesome.
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