MILWAUKEE – Firefighter Ryan McMenamin can’t wait to get back to doing what he does best: fighting fires.
“Hopefully within the next two or three weeks I’ll be back in the field,” McMenamin told WTMJ’s Wis. Morning News on Wednesday. “I’m doing good.”
McMenamin’s return to work comes sevens months after he was severely injured in a deadly house fire.
“The room (my partner and I) were in started to flash-over and we got separated,” McMenamin explained. “I was able to make it upstairs (away from the fire).”
But the firefighter was stuck in the attic, and the only window was boarded up.
“My gloves were starting to shrink,” he recalled. “I had burns on my hands. I was trapped.”
As the fire grew, McMenamin would spend the next 9.5 minutes in the attic, while his fellow firefighters worked to rescue him.
“We were 30 seconds away from planning a firefighter funeral,” Chief Aaron Lipski would say later.
McMenamin suffered burns to more than 20% of his body. He’s had three surgeries and skin grafts.
He was rescued by members of the Rapid Intervention Team, which takes extensive training. The fire department is raising money in order to send more firefighters to this training. The House of Harley-Davidson is hosting a Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, Nov. 16th.
Another fundraising is being held at Carnevor Steakhouse on November 21st.
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