CBS 2

Bravest Makes Bold Saves On Last Day With Unit

Early Tuesday morning, high above 8th Avenue, 48 stories, in fact, there was a daring rescue by Firefighter Robert Roderka from FDNY Rescue 1 on his last day with the unit.

Using a high angle rope, he was carefully lowered down to a scaffold that malfunctioned with two window washers standing on it.

John Mirtinho described what happened as he was washing the windows.

"The motor on one side won't stop it worked by itself, it fell down," he said.

That's when Mirtinho says the scaffold tipped to one side. He's says this is not the first time it's happened to him after 20 years on the job.

Mirtinho explained, "It's not easy, I think something is going to happen."

But nothing bad happened thanks to Roderka and other members of Rescue 1, who managed to pull the two men off the scaffold to safety.

It happens to be Roderka's last day on the job with Rescue 1. He is being promoted to lieutenant.

Roderka says his trust in the men who were holding him made the rescue much easier.

"Before you go over the edge, you look back and see who is there, and that's when you look down the 48 stories and it's not that big of a deal anymore," Roderka said.

Was this a rewarding last day with Rescue 1? Roderka said, "It's not over yet! We still go nine hours here, so we'll see what else happens. So far it's going pretty well though."

Within moments of those words, another call came into Rescue 1 for another scaffolding rescue at a building on Amsterdam and West 75th Street.

The news conference that was being held at the firehouse was quickly ended, and Roderka was back to work.

At the scene of the second accident, the two workers were hanging by their safety belts and were quickly pulled to safety.

For firefighter Robert Roderka, it was just another day on the job with FDNY.

The window washers, who were on the scaffold in Midtown said they would be back to work as soon as the equipment is fixed.