Heroic Washington Twp. firefighters never off duty

For a firefighter, the call of duty is never far away.

Four Washington Township firefighters quickly answered that call Aug. 30 when a camper at Scottyland Campground in Rockwood, Somerset County, caught fire.

David Wheatley, 27, Capt. Jonathan Hileman, 23, and Kevin Opat, 21, were celebrating the upcoming wedding of their 22-year-old fellow firefighter, Dustin Premoshis, with a night of camping when the long-time friends heard a life-changing cry for help.

"We were by the lake. I threw three poles in the water and they were getting the fire ready," Premoshis said of his friends. "We heard screaming, 'Help me.'"

At about 1:30 a.m., the four firefighters sprinted about 600 yards through the campsite to find a trailer partially in flames.

"We heard a camper was on fire and to call 911, then we kicked into high gear," Wheatley said.

Premoshis said he called 911 on his cell phone while running to the scene.

"I never thought I could run that fast, or as far," Premoshis said.

Gary Defrances, 34, of Masontown, was trapped inside and died of smoke inhalation after he fell asleep in the bedroom with a lit cigarette.

"It was too late when we got there, for him anyway," Hileman said.

Although they were unable to get to Defrances, the unequipped firefighters prevented the fire from becoming much worse and endangering others at the campsite.

The group instinctively began acting as a unit, handling different tasks without communicating the need.

The firefighters removed propane tanks from outside, cut the power and used garden hoses and more than a dozen fire extinguishers from other campers to fight the flames.

"It all goes through your mind what you've got to do from the training and your experience," Hileman said.

At one point, Wheatley was overcome with smoke inhalation and Premoshis had to rescue him from the trailer.

"I went back in, and Dustin came in after me as I was trying to get to Gary to get him outside. The next thing I knew I was laying outside," Wheatley said. "I remember it to a vague point, until I passed out and Dustin drug me out."

"I went back after him because you don't leave a brother behind," Premoshis said.

Premoshis also suffered from smoke inhalation. He was treated at a local hospital and released a few hours after the incident.

Defrances' wife and two children were outside of the trailer when Premoshis and his friends arrived.

Hileman said Defrances' wife tried to save her husband.

"She ended up burning her hands while her daughter was outside screaming," Hileman said.

A local fire department arrived after the group had fought the flames for about 20 minutes.

"The fire was coming from the roof, about 6 to 8 feet out," Hileman said.

"We saved the rest of the trailer. It was just that room," Wheatley said. "If it would have hit the propane tanks, it would have took probably a hillside out."

The four firefighters have been volunteers since they were 16.

Of the hundreds of fires and accidents they have witnessed, they said this one would stand out forever.

"It's one I'll never forget," Hileman said. "It's hard because you're there so quick and there was basically nothing really you could do.

"You're basically the first ones there. It would have turned out better if we would have saved him, but it was not meant to be. We did what we could."

"It's not bothering me now like it was before," Premoshis said. "We did the best we could. I've still got that 'what if' in the back on my head."

"That's the only thing that was on your mind the first couple days," Wheatley said of the lost life. "It's like a shadow. It will always be there."

Premoshis' wedding took place a week after the incident.

The bachelor party group attended Defrances' funeral before the wedding.

Washington Township Supervisor Jamie Miller said the firefighters' actions were a testament to their training and willingness to sacrifice their lives.

"When these young men become firemen, I think it's just in their blood," Miller said. "They're on and off the job and they just react, and they do what they're supposed to do, and it's amazing. They're amazing.

"I think their parents, their relatives and the community should be very proud of what they did."

Washington Township Fire Chief Rob Bennett said he was proud of how quickly the four responded and handled the situation without hesitation.

"I feel they have used their training and all that they've learned while being a firefighter, but I don't think they did any different than what any firefighter would have done," Bennett said. "It's the heart of a firefighter and those guys have it."