Lt. Brian Moffitt, Driver/Engineer Christopher Richardson, Firefighter Nicholas Chapel and Firefighter Ryan Douglas of Colorado Springs (Colo.) Fire Department's C-shift won this year's International Benjamin Franklin Fire Service Award for Valor.

On Jan. 16, a call came in for a structure fire at the Castle West Apartments, which cover most of a two-block area. Within seconds, many more calls began pouring in from both occupants trapped by the fire and witnesses outside. The burning apartment building was a 3-story, wood-frame apartment with interior hallways and 135 units. It was built in 1968, prior to fire code upgrades, and did not have a sprinkler or general-alarm system.

The fire spread rapidly and escape stairways were very quickly fully involved in fire. When occupants tried to make their exits, they found the hallways and stairways blocked by heavy smoke and fire. The first firefighters were on scene within three minutes of being dispatched. When they arrived, they saw heavy black smoke pouring over the complex and many occupants already hanging off of balconies, with heavy fire engulfing their apartments and blowing over their heads.

According to Fire Chief Manuel Navarro, despite a rapid response, there was no chance of saving the building. All responding firefighters were ordered to focus on rescuing residents.

That night the temperature plummeted to just 5 degrees, and the firefighters had to work in dangerous ice conditions and had little or no relief for hours. Nine crews from Colorado Springs rescued 85 occupants from the building using ladders; most were rescued from balconies or upper-story windows. Truck 8 alone made 20 rescues off of ladders. Truck 8's crew was nominated for the valor award as the leading representative of all of the crews who worked that night.