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04/11/2018

MCTV employee wakes sleeping man in burning home

MCTV worker Rolly Skibicki was making a service call at a Navarre home when he likely saved a man’s life.

NAVARRE Rolly Skibicki was just doing his job.

Last month, the MCTV cable installer and repairman was scheduled to do maintenance at a village residence.

He knocked on the door of the home in the 300 block of Wooster Street but no one answered. He could have easily walked away but instead he knocked a little harder.

Skibicki could hear a dog barking back at him. He tried a third time — this time knocking even harder. A short time later, a groggy homeowner appeared at the door.

The homeowner was asleep in the house unaware that a fire was brewing inside. Skibicki’s persistence likely saved the man’s life.

Ryan Shanower, fire inspector for Erie Valley Fire and Rescue, believes if Skibicki wouldn’t have continued knocking on the door, the homeowner likely would have perished in a fire.

On Thursday, Skibicki will be honored by the fire department with a certificate of heroism. Shanower said the honor recognizes those who go above and beyond. It is the second time the fire district has given out the accolade, he said.

Firefighters believe the fire was sparked by an iron left on and unattended. It had been smoldering and burning for some time before it was discovered.The home, Shanower said, did not have working smoke detectors.“This guy beat a ton of odds,” he noted.

Skibicki had smelled smoke when he approached the house but it was faint and he figured it was in the air. It wasn’t until the homeowner opened the door that the smell became stronger and he could see the haze of smoke in the home.

The MCTV employee, who has been on the job for a little more than three months, ran back to his work vehicle and grabbed a fire extinguisher. The homeowner was able to put out the fire and call the fire department.

Skibicki never saw the fire and was stunned when Shanower contacted him.

“My pounding on the door and getting the dog to start going crazy ended up waking him up,” he said. “Ryan told me, ‘who knows what would have happened’ (if I didn’t show up).

When Skibicki realized that by doing his job he likely saved a man’s life and kept a house from burning to the ground, “I was at a loss for words. Is chokes me up slightly knowing that he is still here today possibly because of me.”

Paul Ream, MCTV installation and dispatch manager, couldn’t believe the story when Skibicki relayed what had happened.

“I’m really proud that he took the initiative to help out,” Ream said. “It sounds like the customer was really lucky that he was there and woke him up and they were able to contain the fire before it destroyed the home.”

 

http://www.cantonrep.com/news/20180410/mctv-employee-wakes-sleeping-man-in-burning-home

 

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