BERLIN– On April 17, two police officers heroically rescued a 6-year-old girl and her mother from a burning two-story home.
Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing, wearing a suit for the occasion, awarded Spo. Edward Carmean and Spo. Merle Bragg for their bravery during a Berlin Mayor and Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 11.
A packed house, including 6-year-old Mia McKenzie and 31-year-old Tocarra Derrickson, were on hand for the occasion, along with military personnel honoring both officers.
“This is one of those proud occasions when a chief of police gets to stand before a community to state the good deeds and works of their officers,” Downing said. “We all can use the word ‘hero’ in loose terms and loose ways, but today I can go ahead and say the Berlin Police Department has two heroes.”
Downing described the events on April 17, as a fire engulfed the home on 117 Branch Street. Police dispatched two officers, who arrived several minutes before fire personnel.
“When they made it to the house they saw the fire coming out of the front door,” he said. “The officers fiercely went around the house to go ahead and look and see any way to could get in, or to see if they could find anyone inside. What they found and what they saw was a small hand.”
The hand, Downing said, seen in a rear window of the house, belonged to McKenzie.
“Senior Officer Merle Bragg punched that glass; Senior Officer Eddie Carmean took his baton out and raked it and pulled that glass out of the way, and they pulled her from that structure,” Downing said. “If they weren’t there for that six minutes what could have happened? We could only imagine.”
After the officers rescued McKenzie, they brought her to a neighbor and began looking for her mother, presumably still trapped inside the home.
“Little Mia said, ‘my mom is still inside,’” Downing said. “They searched window-to-window until they saw mom in that top window. They made attempts to get ladders and things themselves before fire responders got there to go ahead and make entry into that house with negative results. But that commitment was there. The desire to go ahead and get to that person was there. And when the fire personnel got there they did their job – and they did it greatly.
Downing said the officers remained, bravely doing their duty and assisting fire fighters in the rescue.
“I was there watching them and their commitment the whole time,” he said. “Again, I’m so proud.”
Rescue personnel transported Derrickson to Atlantic General Hospital and flew her to Johns Hopkins. Bayview Burn Center admitted her the following day.
AGH treated officers Bragg and Carmean for smoke inhalation.
“They were okay, but Tocarra’s journey was a little bit longer,” Downing said. “But I’m proud to say that she is here also with us, by the grace of God, the power of prayer and our community – a community (that said) we’re not going to go ahead and wait another five minutes for someone to help us to get there – we’re going to get there and do what we can.
“There were neighbors that were pulling ladders and trying to assist,” Downing continued. “There was Tamika Brittingham who grabbed hold of Mia when she came out of that house, and she was with someone that she knew. And she cared for her all the way to the hospital and the family didn’t have to worry about her. That’s another hero. We’re going to have a whole lot of heroes when this is all said and done, but I’m proud to go ahead and say I had two of them.”
Downing presented Bragg and Carmean with the Life Saving Award medal, given to law enforcement, EMTS, fire fighters or citizens whose actions save the life of a fellow citizen in an emergency.
“I’m proud of you,” Downing said as the crowd, on their feet, erupted in applause.
“When you talk about heroics you have to have – often – a tragic event – there has to be a dilemma,” Downing said. “These guys were trained for that. Both of them have been active military and both are reservists. And I think you see that in their commitment in this actual situation. It wasn’t just what they did – it’s how they continued.”
Downing said he wanted to honor his officers on this evening because, “now the Derrickson family is whole.”
“They are now here, home,” he said. “The house is up, getting ready to be worked on, but the important thing is the life is on this side. Tocarra was in the hospital for a long time and now she is here.”
Her father, Gerald Derrickson, knocked on Downing’s door the moment she returned home.
“As Chief of Police getting that knock on the door at 10 o’clock at night is never good,” he said. “You never get that surprise and say, ‘oh, thank you for that good surprise.’ You want to know what’s going on and what problem do I have? And when I opened the door I had the biggest bear hug and the biggest thank you.”
Derrickson stood up and preceded to bear hug both officers.
“I just want to say thank you to these guys,” he said. “The whole town of Berlin came together for my family. I want to thank you. I love these guys.”
Tocarra Derrickson stood up from her seat in the back of the room, wiping away tears.
“I just want to say thank you so much,” she said. “When I was in the hospital I just kept thinking, ‘who are these angels that got my daughter out?’ I just thank you so, so much and may God bless you forever. Thank you. Thank you.”
Bragg gestured to McKenzie. “You thank her,” she said. “She told us where you were.”
“We definitely want to say that Mia McKenzie is a hero,” Downing said. “To be in the situation she was in and to go ahead and direct the police officers where they needed to be and to show that courage – I saw her after she got out, I saw her when she went to the hospital and I saw her when she walked out of the hospital. This is why we do the job. We’re not doing it for the accolades, but to go ahead and have an end result that says we have made a difference in a family’s life and in a community’s life – I am so proud of these guys. This is something we couldn’t wait for the Christmas party and drink beers and talk about. We had to share this with the community, and I say, ‘thank you’ to everyone.”
“Good job, daddy,” said a small child’s voice as the officers moved to the back of the room to embrace Derrickson and McKenzie.
Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing, wearing a suit for the occasion, awarded Spo. Edward Carmean and Spo. Merle Bragg for their bravery during a Berlin Mayor and Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 11.
A packed house, including 6-year-old Mia McKenzie and 31-year-old Tocarra Derrickson, were on hand for the occasion, along with military personnel honoring both officers.
“This is one of those proud occasions when a chief of police gets to stand before a community to state the good deeds and works of their officers,” Downing said. “We all can use the word ‘hero’ in loose terms and loose ways, but today I can go ahead and say the Berlin Police Department has two heroes.”
Downing described the events on April 17, as a fire engulfed the home on 117 Branch Street. Police dispatched two officers, who arrived several minutes before fire personnel.
“When they made it to the house they saw the fire coming out of the front door,” he said. “The officers fiercely went around the house to go ahead and look and see any way to could get in, or to see if they could find anyone inside. What they found and what they saw was a small hand.”
The hand, Downing said, seen in a rear window of the house, belonged to McKenzie.
“Senior Officer Merle Bragg punched that glass; Senior Officer Eddie Carmean took his baton out and raked it and pulled that glass out of the way, and they pulled her from that structure,” Downing said. “If they weren’t there for that six minutes what could have happened? We could only imagine.”
After the officers rescued McKenzie, they brought her to a neighbor and began looking for her mother, presumably still trapped inside the home.
“Little Mia said, ‘my mom is still inside,’” Downing said. “They searched window-to-window until they saw mom in that top window. They made attempts to get ladders and things themselves before fire responders got there to go ahead and make entry into that house with negative results. But that commitment was there. The desire to go ahead and get to that person was there. And when the fire personnel got there they did their job – and they did it greatly.
Downing said the officers remained, bravely doing their duty and assisting fire fighters in the rescue.
“I was there watching them and their commitment the whole time,” he said. “Again, I’m so proud.”
Rescue personnel transported Derrickson to Atlantic General Hospital and flew her to Johns Hopkins. Bayview Burn Center admitted her the following day.
AGH treated officers Bragg and Carmean for smoke inhalation.
“They were okay, but Tocarra’s journey was a little bit longer,” Downing said. “But I’m proud to say that she is here also with us, by the grace of God, the power of prayer and our community – a community (that said) we’re not going to go ahead and wait another five minutes for someone to help us to get there – we’re going to get there and do what we can.
“There were neighbors that were pulling ladders and trying to assist,” Downing continued. “There was Tamika Brittingham who grabbed hold of Mia when she came out of that house, and she was with someone that she knew. And she cared for her all the way to the hospital and the family didn’t have to worry about her. That’s another hero. We’re going to have a whole lot of heroes when this is all said and done, but I’m proud to go ahead and say I had two of them.”
Downing presented Bragg and Carmean with the Life Saving Award medal, given to law enforcement, EMTS, fire fighters or citizens whose actions save the life of a fellow citizen in an emergency.
“I’m proud of you,” Downing said as the crowd, on their feet, erupted in applause.
“When you talk about heroics you have to have – often – a tragic event – there has to be a dilemma,” Downing said. “These guys were trained for that. Both of them have been active military and both are reservists. And I think you see that in their commitment in this actual situation. It wasn’t just what they did – it’s how they continued.”
Downing said he wanted to honor his officers on this evening because, “now the Derrickson family is whole.”
“They are now here, home,” he said. “The house is up, getting ready to be worked on, but the important thing is the life is on this side. Tocarra was in the hospital for a long time and now she is here.”
Her father, Gerald Derrickson, knocked on Downing’s door the moment she returned home.
“As Chief of Police getting that knock on the door at 10 o’clock at night is never good,” he said. “You never get that surprise and say, ‘oh, thank you for that good surprise.’ You want to know what’s going on and what problem do I have? And when I opened the door I had the biggest bear hug and the biggest thank you.”
Derrickson stood up and preceded to bear hug both officers.
“I just want to say thank you to these guys,” he said. “The whole town of Berlin came together for my family. I want to thank you. I love these guys.”
Tocarra Derrickson stood up from her seat in the back of the room, wiping away tears.
“I just want to say thank you so much,” she said. “When I was in the hospital I just kept thinking, ‘who are these angels that got my daughter out?’ I just thank you so, so much and may God bless you forever. Thank you. Thank you.”
Bragg gestured to McKenzie. “You thank her,” she said. “She told us where you were.”
“We definitely want to say that Mia McKenzie is a hero,” Downing said. “To be in the situation she was in and to go ahead and direct the police officers where they needed to be and to show that courage – I saw her after she got out, I saw her when she went to the hospital and I saw her when she walked out of the hospital. This is why we do the job. We’re not doing it for the accolades, but to go ahead and have an end result that says we have made a difference in a family’s life and in a community’s life – I am so proud of these guys. This is something we couldn’t wait for the Christmas party and drink beers and talk about. We had to share this with the community, and I say, ‘thank you’ to everyone.”
“Good job, daddy,” said a small child’s voice as the officers moved to the back of the room to embrace Derrickson and McKenzie.