Post by admin on Nov 12, 2009 7:54:47 GMT -5
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Freehold honors letter carrier for heroic act
Resident of Kiawah Ave. was aided by former Marine when fire erupted in home
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
Letter carrier Jeffrey Vollmar is congratulated by Freehold Borough Councilwoman Sharon Shutzer and other municipal officials in recognition of his help in guiding a woman out of a Kiawah Avenue residence where a fire had broken out.
FREEHOLD — Sometimes the right person is in the right place at the right time.
And so it was with United States Postal Service letter carrier Jeffrey Vollmar, who was not only in the right place at the right time, but is someone who knows how to do the right thing — no matter what the consequences may be.
In a recent situation in Freehold Borough, the right thing Vollmar did was to guide a woman to safety from the second floor of her Kiawah Avenue home, which was on fire.
On Nov. 2 the Borough Council honored Vollmar for his "heroic act" and for "setting aside concern for his own safety to help others" during the incident that occurred on Oct 3.
The resolution that was read by Councilwoman Sharon Shutzer states that Vollmar "performed a heroic act while performing his daily duty of delivering the mail in Freehold Borough. Jeffrey Vollmar selflessly and without concern for his own safety entered the home and followed the trail of smoke to the second floor and found the lone occupant and heroically guided her down the stairs to safety."
Shutzer said that after leading the woman to safety, Vollmar went back into the house and extinguished the flames that had engulfed the kitchen area. He was subsequently treated for smoke inhalation.
The council's resolution states that Vollmar's bravery is "nothing less than a commendable random act of kindness and is just a shining example of the important and visible role that letter carriers serve in the Freehold Borough community."
After reading the resolution, Shutzer told Vollmar in an emotional voice and with tears in her eyes, "My husband Richard told me I was to turn to you and say, 'Semper Fi.' "
Semper Fi means "always faithful" and is the motto of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Vollmar, who lives in Bayville, Ocean County, thanked everyone and said he takes great pride in being a letter carrier for the postal service.
After thanking the mayor, the council and everyone who came to the meeting to support him, Vollmar said, "Words cannot express the feeling you get when you are helping someone like this in a time of need. When someone is in need of help you can either let someone else respond, or do the right thing. I know that no matter what the cost to me, I will always do the right thing."
Speaking in a voice that indicated how emotional the experience was for him, Vollmar, who served in the Marines, said "Semper Fi" at the end of his remarks.
By way of explaining why he acted as he did on Kiawah Avenue last month, Vollmar said that the oath he took upon joining the Marines in 1981 to protect and defend the people of the United States is an oath he will follow until he dies.
Freehold Borough officials received a letter from Bruce Stallworth, president of National Association of Letter Carriers 924, which called attention to Vollmar's effort on behalf of the woman and stated that his act was nothing less than commendable.
"This is just one example of the important and visible role the letter carriers serve in this and every community in this great nation of ours. We are the familiar face out there every day when the kids get off the bus. We are the community watch over homes when the residents are away, and we are the son or daughter that looks out for the elderly. The letter carriers are mainstays in the communities we serve," Stallworth wrote.
In a subsequent conversation, Shutzer said, "I am in awe of that man (Vollmar). He selflessly did what he did, putting himself at risk to help another person. He was sensitive enough to realize that something was very wrong here and with no hesitation he went into what I like to call parent mode and just reacted to the situation."
Shutzer said parent mode means "you get through it and then fall apart after it's all over."
"I don't like to say 'what if' and I try not to think about what could have happened if Jeffrey had not been there at that exact time and not realized what was happening," she said.
Borough officials have not identified the resident Vollmar assisted and fire officials did not return calls seeking comment.
Freehold honors letter carrier for heroic act
Resident of Kiawah Ave. was aided by former Marine when fire erupted in home
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
Letter carrier Jeffrey Vollmar is congratulated by Freehold Borough Councilwoman Sharon Shutzer and other municipal officials in recognition of his help in guiding a woman out of a Kiawah Avenue residence where a fire had broken out.
FREEHOLD — Sometimes the right person is in the right place at the right time.
And so it was with United States Postal Service letter carrier Jeffrey Vollmar, who was not only in the right place at the right time, but is someone who knows how to do the right thing — no matter what the consequences may be.
In a recent situation in Freehold Borough, the right thing Vollmar did was to guide a woman to safety from the second floor of her Kiawah Avenue home, which was on fire.
On Nov. 2 the Borough Council honored Vollmar for his "heroic act" and for "setting aside concern for his own safety to help others" during the incident that occurred on Oct 3.
The resolution that was read by Councilwoman Sharon Shutzer states that Vollmar "performed a heroic act while performing his daily duty of delivering the mail in Freehold Borough. Jeffrey Vollmar selflessly and without concern for his own safety entered the home and followed the trail of smoke to the second floor and found the lone occupant and heroically guided her down the stairs to safety."
Shutzer said that after leading the woman to safety, Vollmar went back into the house and extinguished the flames that had engulfed the kitchen area. He was subsequently treated for smoke inhalation.
The council's resolution states that Vollmar's bravery is "nothing less than a commendable random act of kindness and is just a shining example of the important and visible role that letter carriers serve in the Freehold Borough community."
After reading the resolution, Shutzer told Vollmar in an emotional voice and with tears in her eyes, "My husband Richard told me I was to turn to you and say, 'Semper Fi.' "
Semper Fi means "always faithful" and is the motto of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Vollmar, who lives in Bayville, Ocean County, thanked everyone and said he takes great pride in being a letter carrier for the postal service.
After thanking the mayor, the council and everyone who came to the meeting to support him, Vollmar said, "Words cannot express the feeling you get when you are helping someone like this in a time of need. When someone is in need of help you can either let someone else respond, or do the right thing. I know that no matter what the cost to me, I will always do the right thing."
Speaking in a voice that indicated how emotional the experience was for him, Vollmar, who served in the Marines, said "Semper Fi" at the end of his remarks.
By way of explaining why he acted as he did on Kiawah Avenue last month, Vollmar said that the oath he took upon joining the Marines in 1981 to protect and defend the people of the United States is an oath he will follow until he dies.
Freehold Borough officials received a letter from Bruce Stallworth, president of National Association of Letter Carriers 924, which called attention to Vollmar's effort on behalf of the woman and stated that his act was nothing less than commendable.
"This is just one example of the important and visible role the letter carriers serve in this and every community in this great nation of ours. We are the familiar face out there every day when the kids get off the bus. We are the community watch over homes when the residents are away, and we are the son or daughter that looks out for the elderly. The letter carriers are mainstays in the communities we serve," Stallworth wrote.
In a subsequent conversation, Shutzer said, "I am in awe of that man (Vollmar). He selflessly did what he did, putting himself at risk to help another person. He was sensitive enough to realize that something was very wrong here and with no hesitation he went into what I like to call parent mode and just reacted to the situation."
Shutzer said parent mode means "you get through it and then fall apart after it's all over."
"I don't like to say 'what if' and I try not to think about what could have happened if Jeffrey had not been there at that exact time and not realized what was happening," she said.
Borough officials have not identified the resident Vollmar assisted and fire officials did not return calls seeking comment.