Sean Patrick Kalletta

Sean Patrick Kalletta rescued Debra M. Baker and Robert J. Baker from burning, Selden, New York, January 2, 2021. Baker, 51, and Robert, 55, were in the smoke-filled kitchen of their house after a fire broke out in front of the garage door and spread to the garage and its roof and a recreational vehicle. The couple attempted to remove their two dogs through the kitchen door into the backyard, but the dogs were frightened and resisted. Kalletta, 26, police officer, responded to the scene and was told that there were people inside the house. By then, flames extended more than 10 feet above the roof of the garage. Kalletta ran through the front door and about 30 feet through smoke to the kitchen, where visibility was about 3 feet and smoke filled nearly the entire room. Kalletta told Baker and Robert that they needed to leave the house immediately. Baker took one dog and exited through the kitchen door into the backyard, which was filled with smoke, but Robert refused to leave without the other dog. Kalletta reached down to grasp the dog and it bit him on the hand. Smoke filled the entire kitchen, Kalletta had a hard time breathing, and flames spread into the house and moved toward the kitchen. Kalletta finally pushed Robert out through the kitchen door. Kalletta and another officer assisted Baker, Robert, and one of the dogs over the fence and to safety. The second dog was removed from the house; it survived. Baker and Robert inhaled smoke, and they recovered the next day. Kalletta was treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation and a dog bite; he recovered in a week.