Cudahy man, police officer recognized for saving woman from burning apartment building
Just after 2 a.m., March 21, smoke alarms started sounding in an apartment complex in the 2700 block of East Edgerton Avenue in Cudahy.
“Out of everybody in the building, I’m the only one that woke up to the smoke alarms,” said Jeffery Brodzik. “Everybody else was sleeping very hard.”
The smoke alarms in his unit were silent, but the apartment hallways were filled with the sound of the smoke sirens squealing. Brodzik went into the hall to see what was happening.
“I could smell smoke as I looked over the balcony and I could see a little bit of smoke coming up the stairway,” he said.
Brodzik woke his 21-year-old son and told him to get dressed, grab his car keys, the dog, go outside and call 911. Meanwhile Brodzik grabbed a box of important papers and made his way out.
Once they were safe, Brodzik tried to alert the other residents. He managed to wake one woman and her daughter, and they got out safely. However, the apartment where the fire was located was locked with no answer.
“We couldn’t get the attention of anybody in that burning apartment,” Brodzik said, saying his son was yelling to whoever was inside that help was on the way.
Help arrives to save the woman locked inside
Cudahy police arrived and Brodzik directed Officer Madeline Ohm to the locked unit. The officer rushed inside and was able to get the tenant, a woman, out of the burning apartment.
Ohm called the day of the fire “hectic,” and said it’s a reminder to her that being a first responder, there’s no such thing as routine.
“A seemingly typical alarm call quickly turned into a life-or-death situation in a matter of seconds,” she said. “Looking back, I knew I had to act quickly to preserve life without hesitation. I am thankful that a life was saved, and no other persons were hurt.”
The woman was badly burned. Brodzik stayed with her while Ohm tried to catch her breath, likely suffering from smoke inhalation.
Cudahy Police Chief Tom Poellot recounted what followed in a letter of commendation saying, “once she was evacuated, (Ohm) went back into the structure, without regard for (her) own safety, to make sure no one else was inside.”
The section of the apartment complex where the fire started had four units ― three had tenants, one was empty. Everyone made it out.
Rescuers recognized during Cudahy Common Council meeting
Brodzik said he kept in touch with the woman’s nephew and sister who came by the complex to clean things out as the woman had planned to move out at the end of March. He hadn’t seen her since that night ― until Aug. 15 at a Cudahy Common Council meeting where he, along with Ohm, were being recognized for their lifesaving efforts during the fire.
There, Brodzik was able to reunite with his former neighbor who he’d been told was doing well.
“You never want to see anybody go through something like that,” Brodzik said. “I’m glad she survived.”
He and Ohm were issued commendations for their actions and awarded special lifesaving pins by Poellot.
“I’m not the type of person to feel like a hero,” Brodzik said. “I’m glad I did what I did. If it wasn’t for the good Lord waking me up at two in the morning, it could’ve been a lot worse.”
Ohm called the recognition an honor, saying “it is rewarding to be able to help citizens, even on their worst days.”
Another commendation for lifesaving efforts in a separate incident
The two were not the only ones recognized for lifesaving efforts. Corporal Brandon Stecklein of the Cudahy Police Department also received a commendation Aug. 15 for his actions in a separate incident that saved the life of a 20-year-old Cudahy man.
Stecklein conducted a traffic stop on April 1 in the 5300 block of South Lake Drive for an equipment violation when he discovered the driver was having a medical emergency.
The man was losing consciousness and Stecklein called for emergency medical services and administered aid to the 20-year-old until they arrived, according to the commendation letter from Poellot. Cudahy fire personnel determined the man didn’t have a pulse and was in cardiac arrest. He was taken to a hospital and successfully revived. He was later diagnosed with a rare cardiac disorder.
“I am blessed to be recognized and receive this commendation,” Stecklein said. “So many of our officers at the Cudahy Police Department have done wonderful things and for me to be specifically recognized for my actions in this incident, I am grateful.”
He called the lifesaving work “a valiant team effort by us all.”
“I feel incredibly happy that this young man gets to continue to live his life and it shows that every day is a blessing,” he said.
In a commendation letter, Poellot highlighted how “(Stecklein) had no way of knowing that a stop for an equipment violation would provide him the opportunity to assist in saving a life.”
Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on Twitter @Redheadliner.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cudahy police officers, resident recognized for lifesaving efforts
