Senator Rob Ortt Honors New York State Troopers for Heroic Actions

Today, New York State Senator Rob Ortt proudly presented proclamations to New York State Troopers for their heroic, lifesaving actions. On April 7th of this year, Troopers Martin Derkovitz, Benjamin Zaccagnino, and Matthew Wetzel arrived at the scene of a residential fire, with an attached garage fully engulfed in flames and quickly spreading to the home and neighboring properties.

The Troopers sprang into action, ensuring nobody was in the home and remained a safe distance from the burning structure as they awaited the arrival of firefighters. Troopers noticed the fire was spreading to a neighboring home and forced entry through the front door to conduct a primary search for life. They were able to rescue a dog and several pet birds as the flames quickly spread into the second home.

“These brave New York State Troopers truly exemplify heroism, they went far beyond the call of duty and put their own personal safety at risk in order to save lives and property during an extremely dangerous situation,” said Senator Ortt. “The proclamations presented today are just a small token of gratitude to these heroic men, and I hope their story can inspire others to go above and beyond for their communities.”

Once the Troopers confirmed all lives were safe, they did not hesitate to grab fire hoses from the first arriving fire trucks and assist in suppressing the flames from spreading further. They helped with these efforts for an additional 15 minutes until enough firefighters had arrived.