By Annie Sweeney
Chicago Sun Times
Copyright 2006 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Jasmine Doss was passed out on the second floor of her home, overcome by smoke from a fire that was ignited by a Molotov cocktail.
Her mother, Nancy Wardlaw, was outside, watching in anguish as a Chicago firefighter moved — with lightning speed, she said — to rescue the grade-schooler from the burning residence in the 6100 block of South Throop.
“He ran up the ladder like he was running a race,” Wardlaw recently wrote to Chicago’s fire commissioner. “And came out with my little girl. . . . Thank you for saving her life and mine.”
Aside from praise, the letter also had a request: Wardlaw asked whether the firefighters who participated in the July 2005 rescue would surprise Jasmine by attending her eighth-grade pinning ceremony at Woods Elementary Math & Science Academy, and pin school ribbons of recognition on the girl.
That happened Wednesday, and the sight of firefighters Rich Rosado and John Patton — who were decked out in their dress blues — brought the 14-year-old to tears.
Patton, a 13-year veteran, said it was emotional for him also, a chance to catch up with a victim who was rescued in a rare and rather daring way.
When Patton and his Truck 51 arrived at the home that July morning, people were already jumping from the 2oe-story home onto the next-door roof, which was 1oe floors.
Jasmine did not make the jump, and firefighters could see her in the window.
Patton ascended a 20-foot ladder that he positioned in the gangway toward that window.
FOUND UNCONSCIOUS ON FLOOR
“The people were diving out of the windows. It was pretty crazy. But she wouldn’t jump,” Patton recalled. “I said I was going to get this girl. By the time I got the ladder up there she was” no longer visible.
Patton dove into the burning building and conducted a quick search. “It was loaded,’' he said, referring to the flames.
After Patton found Jasmine unconscious on the floor, he brought her to the window and called out to Rosado, a firefighter with Squad 5, and asked him to come up the ladder and get her. Rosado did, but he could not hold the girl and the ladder and climb down at the same time.
He then shocked Patton with his solution.
“He said ‘Push me,’” Patton said. “I was like ‘what?’”
So Patton pushed Rosado, who was clutching the girl, on the chest with all his strength and the two fell about 10 feet to the next-door roof.
“It was awesome,’' Patton said. “She and him landed on the [adjacent] roof. And I dove to the roof.”
Jasmine was resuscitated and hospitalized, and was able to return to her Woods class by mid-year, officials said.
At the time of the blaze, police said a quarrel between area residents was behind the arson fire. A detective said Wednesday that no arrests have been made.