Indianapolis fire captain to be honored for saving woman from burning home
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis Fire Department captain will be honored this weekend at the NHRA U.S. Nationals for saving a woman from her burning home while he was off duty.
On Saturday, Fire Department Coffee (FDC) will make the presentation to IFD Captain Mark Baranko, a 15-year veteran of the department.
At around 8:30 a.m. on March 12, Baranko was returning home from a grocery store in Greenwood and noticed some police activity near a home in the Carefree subdivision. He then saw flames pushing from the second floor of a two-story house and stopped to help.
Firefighters say the homeowner, who was out front, told Baranko that his wife was still inside, upstairs in a back bedroom. Without regard for his own safety, Baranko ran through heavy smoke and into the home.
According to IFD, “Heavy toxic black smoke blanketed the entire upstairs leaving only 6 inches of visibility and barely breathable air at floor level. Mark was forced to the floor to conduct his search. Within a minute he located the unconscious woman in the doorway of a rear bedroom. Mark picked her up, and carried her out the front door.”
Once they were safely outside, emergency crews cared for the woman until she could be taken to a hospital.
The fire department says the woman has made a full recovery since the rescue.
After the fire, IFD Chief Ernest Malone praised Baranko’s heroic efforts.
“It is not every day that you are faced with a choice to risk your own life to save another and when faced with that choice today, Captain Baranko willingly took the risk. Mark is a consummate professional who excels in his duties as both an officer, a leader and instructor. We are proud to have him as a member of our firefighting family.”
Since the rescue, Baranko has been awarded the Indiana State Fire Marshal Medal of Valor, a DAV Department of Indiana honor, and a heroism award from the Indiana Sons of American Revolution.