Colleagues of an Arizona firefighter who contracted COVID-19 on the job went above and beyond to surprise him — extending their ladder to greet him at his hospital window.
Dan Volcko, a 20-year veteran of the Phoenix Fire Department, was hospitalized in late December when his symptoms became severe, according to AZFamily.
“My lips were starting to get blue,” Volcko told the station. “I was very sweaty.”
On Jan. 2, his ninth day at the hospital, he heard a familiar noise by the window.
“I was in the bed, and there was this beeping sound,” he told the station. “There’s a very distinct beep when you back up the truck. I’m like, ‘That sounds a lot like a fire truck.’”
When he looked out the window, he saw that some of his crewmates had backed a truck up to the hospital and extended a ladder to reach his window.
“When the boots hit the ground and it’s time to get going, [Volcko is] the guy you want there with you and on your side,” firefighter Scott Razo told the outlet. “It was almost emotional seeing him going through that. You see your partner in crime at work that’s usually tying ropes and fighting fires and all these things that we do.”
“It was a little emotional, but it was really nice to see him and give him that ‘Hey, we’re here for you, buddy,’” he added.
Volcko has since been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
“I never expected to find myself in that situation needing the help, and I’ve never been in that position where they’ve had to come comfort and be supportive in that way, so that was an unbelievable experience,” he told the outlet.
