Brave dad recognised for his actions

CFO Steve McQuirk with Craig Berrisford and his wife Joanne, baby daughter Elsie-Jo, Annalise, aged 9 (holding the certificate), and Sienna, aged 6.

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A man who ran into a burning building to try and save a young boy and his family has been recognised for his bravery by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS).

Craig Berrisford risked his life when he entered the house in Olive Street, Heywood, during a fire in October 2011.

On Wednesday, (14 March), Mr Berrisford and his family visited Heywood Fire Station where CFO Steve McQuirk congratulated the father-of-three on his actions and presented him with a certificate.

Crews from Amber Watch at Heywood and Rochdale Fire Stations were also commended after fire-fighters saved a four-year-old boy’s life.

Mr Berrisford, 39, said: “It’s been a fantastic event and it’s been great for my children to come to the station and watch their dad getting a certificate.

“They were really traumatised after the fire so it’s been a good way of turning it around and helping them to get over that.”

In the early hours of Saturday 22 October, 2011, Mr Berrisford was awoken by the sound of a smoke alarm and cries for help coming from his neighbour’s house.

He got up and went outside where he found a petrol can on fire at the front door.

Mark Reeves and Michelle Butler were screaming from a front bedroom window and thick smoke was billowing from the window.

Mr Berrisford said: “Mark was there in the window shouting ‘help me help me, get my kids’. I tried to kick the front door down but I couldn’t do it. I threw the petrol can across the road so it didn’t explode in front of the house.”

With little time to think, Mr Berrisford climbed onto the windowsill of a ground-floor window and reached up to the bedroom window, convincing Mr Reeves to climb out.

Then, knowing that the family has two young boys that sleep in the back bedroom, Mr Berrisford rushed round to the back of the house, broke a gate and smashed a window to gain entry into the house.

He courageously made his way through the kitchen and lounge, battling thick smoke, but when he opened the door to the stairs he was faced with intense flames.

“I just thought about the children because I’m a family man and a class myself as a nice person,” he said. “Although you always hope nothing like this ever happens to your family, you do hope that if it does someone will help
you out.

“I tried to get into the house but the flames were too intense and there was thick black smoke. I thought I could feel my way around the house but it was a different layout to mine - I was in a totally different environment and couldn’t see a thing.”

Mr Berrisford quickly returned to the front of the house and helped down Michelle and the couple’s four-month-old baby from the bedroom window.

Miss Butler said: “What Craig did was just amazing. I think the worst would have happened he if didn’t do what he did.

“I didn’t really know what was going on at first - I thought it was something happening outside when Craig was banging on the windows. I sent Mark down to see what was going on, then the smoke alarms went off and Mark was shouting ‘fire’.

“I picked the baby up and I was panicking - the one thing I didn’t want to do was drop the baby out of the window.”

Crews from Rochdale and Heywood arrived on the scene and fire-fighters searched the house for the remaining children.

After fighting their way through the intense fire, crews entered the back bedroom and discovered a four-year-old boy who was not breathing.

They quickly rescued him and resuscitated him at the scene before the paramedics arrived.

Crews continued to search for a six-year-old boy but later discovered he was staying at his grandparents’ house that night.

Fire-fighter Michael Wilkinson, who rescued the boy, said: “It was a weird feeling because I was elated but I’d spent fifteen minutes searching for a child I thought we’d lost.

“It was mixed emotions and it took a while for me to fully comprehend what had happened.”

All the family members were taken to hospital and thankfully none were seriously injured.

Mr Berrisford got up and left for work at 5.15am that morning despite his terrifying ordeal just hours earlier.

CFO McQuirk said: “I’m very pleased to acknowledge the outstanding bravery of Craig Berrisford and the Heywood and Rochdale crews for their actions that night.

“It’s nice to bring people together and it’s nice for me to be able to recognise that bravery. And when the little ones are grown up they’ll be really proud of their dad and have this certificate of recognition to remember this event.”