Paramedic Who Saved Man Trapped Under Dumbwaiter at Gets FDNY Medal
For having helped rescue a 32-year-old worker during a confined-space operation inside the renowned Brook Club, Michael T. Ortiz, who is today a probationary firefighter but at the time was a paramedic, was given the Dr. Sheldon Jacobson Award at the FDNY Medal Day ceremony.
| 06 Jun 2026 | 07:33
Paramedic Mihael Ortiz (now a probie Firefighter) helped stabilize a victim when a dumbwaiter inside The Brook, an exclusive UES Club, fell on him. Firefigthers had to breach a wall to extract him. (
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Michael T. Ortiz (
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Michael Ortiz was part of FDNY’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Rescue 1 team on March 25, 2025, when he answered the call at the Brook Club, one of the city’s most exclusive private clubs at 111 E. 54th St. between Park Avenue and Lexington Avenues.
A dumbwaiter had fallen from the third floor to the street level trapping a worker underneath it.
Firefighters arrived within minutes and confirmed the device had become unstable so they were thwarted in their efforts to simply lift the heavy dumbwaiter cab off the victim, who suffered trauma injuries.
Crews shifted tactics and began breaching walls on both sides of the shaft to create access points. The method allowed responders to stabilize the structure while avoiding further movement of the heavy cab.
FDNY EMS personnel provided on-scene medical care in tight, hazardous conditions while firefighters coordinated the technical rescue. Once the shaft was secured and the device stabilized, responders were able to free the trapped worker and transport him to a hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the collapse.
The operation required coordination between fire suppression units and specialized rescue personnel trained in confined-space and structural emergencies, reflecting the risks posed by mechanical failures in older city infrastructure.
Ortiz, who jumped from the EMS to the FDNY earlier this year, is currently a probie firefighter undergoing training at the FDNY Academy on Randall’s Island.
At a ceremony at City Hall Park on June 3, Ortiz was awarded the Dr. Sheldon Jacobson Award, one of 50 firefighters and EMT personnel honored at the annual FDNY Medal Day.
“Rescue medic Ortiz’s skill, composure and and ability to operate in an extremely dangerous environment were critical to the successful outcome of this incident,” said Captain Andrew Brown, master of ceremonies at the annual awards presentation outside City Hall.