THE day Wendy Fitzwilliam won the Miss Universe title in May 1998, David Thomas also accomplished a major feat – one which he regards as a highpoint of his career as a fireman.
Thomas single-handedly rescued a three-year-old boy from a burning house at Coral Gardens, Buccoo, Tobago – an experience, he said, has stuck with him over the years.
“He (the boy) is now 27, but I first saw him about 11 years after he was rescued. The scars from the fire were still on his face and chest, and I melted,” he told Sunday Newsday in a wide-ranging interview.
Thomas, who joined the Fire Service on November 1, 1982, retired on August 17 as the Assistant Fire Chief, Tobago. He assumed the position on November 24, 2021.
Thomas had served the Fire Service for 39 years, nine months and 17 days. He turned 60 on August 18.
Respected for his professionalism, work ethic and down-to-earth demeanour, Thomas was celebrated for his contribution to the Fire Service at several events over the past week, including a motorcade from his native Scarborough to Roxborough, where he served for many years.
He described his career as illustrious and gratifying, saying he has no regrets.
“Today, I am an extremely happy man.”
But he said saving that toddler's life some 24 years ago ranks as one of his proudest moments in the service.
[caption id="attachment_971949" align="alignnone" width="825"] Retired fireman David Thomas says he's most proud of his recuse of a three-year-old boy from a burning house in Buccoo, Tobago. The boy is now 27. -[/caption]
Thomas, who was an acting fire sub-station officer at the time, recalled he was at the Scarborough Fire Station for a meeting when he learnt about the burning house in Buccoo.
A sentry told him the first-strike appliance was out on a call and they were having difficulty reaching it.
Thomas pulled together a crew and headed to Coral Gardens. When he got there he was told there was a child in the house.
Noting that the crew was made up of auxiliary firefighters, Thomas said he quickly realised the responsibility for rescuing the child fell solely on him.
After breaking down doors to two rooms, Thomas said he found the child in a crouched position in a corner of the house. Parts of the boy’s skin, he recalled, had already turned white.
“My one chance was to dive over a table, take him and go through a window behind. I did that.
"When we fell outside, I was good and the child was good. I submerged him in a tub of water to immediately cool him down.”
The boy was then wrapped in a blanket and taken to hospital.
“Even now, I still feel a level of satisfaction that I saved a life. That one remains with me all the time.”
Reflecting on other pivotal moments in his career, Thomas said he was the first officer to have successfully trained a group of 63 young people in 2005-2006.
“I did not lose one trainee to injury or otherwise. Even those who found the training was hard and wanted to leave, I was able to surmount all of the challenges and after the training, I made sure that t
