returned to his hometown Saturday to a hero's welcome.
O'Toole, who was badly burned in a fire in February in Prince George's County, Md., is recovering from burns over half his body. His return to a Bethpage firehouse was complete with cheering firefighters and friends, hugs and tears and the the ear splitting wail of apparatus' sirens.
Firefighters brought their engines and trucks from all over the area, including Jericho, Sea Cliff, Hicksville and Plainview, among others.
O'Toole, a volunteer with the Bladensburg, Md., Fire Department, suffered third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body in a wind-fueled blaze in Prince George's County, Maryland. O'Toole has endured rigorous rehabilitation that included 10 surgeries to this point at the Medstar Washington Hospital Center's burn unit, in Washington, D.C.
And, in a form of wonderful irony, Bethpage firefighters awaiting O'Toole's arrival were called to assist at a fire in Hicksville that was reported just before the young man's appearance.
The video begins with the sound of a dispatcher requesting firefighters to the scene of a structure fire. Firefighters, awaiting a party, pulled on their turnout gear and raced to the scene. Plainview firefighters were also involved in the call.
This inspiring video, shot by fire buff Mike Villanova, captures the entire sequence. Villanova traveled from Hackensack, N.J. to be a part of the homecoming.
