Arlington police officers, firefighters recognized for response to crash and fire at Ireland’s Four Courts

On Aug. 12, 2022, Arlington police officers were among the first to respond to the  devastating crash and fire at Ireland’s Four Courts.

Three ACPD personnel — Officer Whisner, Corporal O’Daniel and Corporal Playford — were just recognized for their heroism.

“Without hesitation, the officers entered the building, assisted with removing patrons, carried the injured to safety and provided emergency medical assistance,” Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow.

Whisner has served with the department for 2.5 years and Playford for 5 years, while O’Daniel has more than 24 years of law enforcement experience in Arlington, across the Sheriff’s Office and police department. They were honored for their bravery, for saving the lives of four critically injured patients and for preventing additional injuries during an annual Arlington County Fire Department award ceremony on Sunday.

“Your prompt response, quick decision-making, and selfless act of courage undoubtedly made a meaningful difference during this complex incident,” Arlington County Fire Chief David Povlitz told the officers, reading from a letter of commendation later provided to ARLnow.

“The collaboration between our departments was seamless, and your efforts in evacuating the building and removing patients were essential to the rescue operations,” he continued.

Firefighters on-scene were also lauded for evacuating the building, triaging patients, quickly extinguishing the raging fire, treating patients on-scene and transporting patients with life-threatening injuries to trauma centers, ACFD spokesman Capt. Nate Hiner tells ARLnow.

“Seamless collaboration with ACPD played a significant role in saving the lives of the critically injured patients and preventing additional injuries,” Hiner said.

The pub-goers who suffered the most serious, potentially life-threatening injuries were released from the hospital after about a month. The Uber driver who slammed into the pub, after an apparent medical emergency, did not face criminal charges.

Four Courts, meanwhile, expects to reopen in August, after about a year of insurance claims, permitting, demolition and construction.

The units who responded to the crash and fire were not the only first responders honored last week for saving lives. Last summer, there were two other rescues for which fire crews received accolades.

On June 25, 2022, Hiner said, 10 units responded to a “challenging trench rescue incident” in which a worker was trapped up to his shoulders in heavy clay in a collapsed trench at the rear of a house near Wakefield High School.

“The worker was in distress and having trouble breathing,” Hiner said. “Personnel collaborated to develop patient care and extrication plans, which they efficiently executed despite the difficult conditions and extreme heat. Crews worked for 75 minutes to safely remove the patient from the trench while providing ongoing medical care.”

Once the man was freed from the clay, he was rushed to the hospital and later discharged, making a full recovery.

On Aug. 20, about a week after the Four Courts crash, three units responded to the Army Navy Country Club pool for a drowning incident.

Crews arrived to find a lethargic, “slightly cyanotic” 4-year-old boy who had been underwater for an unknown amount of time.

“The lifeguard had already removed the child from the water and recognized the child was unresponsive and potentially pulseless. CPR was initiated immediately and after four compressions, the child expelled water and showed some signs of improvement,” Hiner said.

Once EMS arrived, the boy, “still blue in color and lethargic, was moved to the medic unit,” Hiner said.

He was rushed to emergency department at Children’s National Medical Center in D.C., receiving advanced treatment along the way.

“The patient made a full recovery and was later discharged from the hospital,” Hiner said. “Without the prompt and efficient actions of the lifeguard staff, as well as the personnel [who responded] the outcome may have been much worse.”