Philadelphia's Firefighter of the Year earns distinction for heroic act

PHILADELPHIA -- On Wednesday at Fireman's Hall in Spring Garden, Paul Grugan accepted the Philadelphia Firefighter of the Year Award for 2015.

He was chosen for the honor, because of his incredibly brave actions on January 17th last year.

He went into a burning second floor apartment on Loretto Street, unable to see anything because of smoke and extremely messy conditions inside.

Despite getting tangled in the clutter, he kept searching until he found a woman who was trapped.

Using an improvised harness, he and another firefighter moved the victim to the top of the stairs, where a fresh crew met them to complete the rescue.

On Wednesday leaders called Grugan one of the most dedicated firefighters in the city.

But instead of taking credit, he put the focus back on his colleagues. He tells us, "It's very humbling. It's a group effort and I was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time, and I couldn't have done it without my company."

It's worth noting that Grugan joined the fire department with some big shoes to fill. He is the son and nephew of three deputy chiefs, and the grandson of an assistant engineer.