NELSON — In the blue hour of an early-May twilight, Vincent, 19, and Jake Heck, 16, stood beside a fire truck outside town hall for an interview. As they talked about their recent trip to New Jersey, a first responder approached them.
“Strong work,” he said to each of them, shaking their hands. “Thank you.”
It was an acknowledgment of the brothers’ brave actions in the early morning hours of April 15.
That morning, Vincent and Jake, of Hillsboro, rescued Jeffrey Voss, 50, of Alstead, from his burning vehicle after fire officials say Voss crashed into a vertical stone face on Route 9 in Nelson. Vincent sprung into action, telling his mother, Melissa, to pull over, and running to pull Voss — who was unconscious — from the vehicle. Jake was close behind, checking the rest of the burning pickup truck for other passengers, before helping Vincent carry Voss from the growing fire.
Jake, having recently completed a CPR course with the Hillsboro Fire Department, used a chin-lift technique to help ease Voss’ breathing, and Voss survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
“He’d follow me through to hell and back,” Vincent said of Jake with a smile Wednesday.
The pair had just been recognized by local officials in an event that drew about 30 people, including several first responders from area departments.
‘The world needs more Vincents and Jakes’
Honoring heroism
At Nelson Town Hall on Wednesday evening, Keene fire Lt. Aaron Cooper shakes hands with (pictured) Vincent, 19, and Jake Heck, 16, after congratulating them for saving a man from a burning vehicle in April.
Honoring heroism
Nelson selectboard member Al Guida thanks Jake, 16, far left, and Vincent Heck, 19, for saving a man from a burning vehicle in April. About 30 people, including first responders from area departments, gathered to honor the Heck brothers at a ceremony Wednesday evening at Nelson Town Hall.
Honoring heroism
Nelson selectboard member Al Guida gives, from left, Jake, 16, and Vincent Heck, 19, plaques and a laminated copy of the April 16 Sentinel article on how they’d saved a man from a burning vehicle the morning before. A ceremony was held to honor the brothers Wednesday evening at Nelson Town Hall.
Honoring heroism
Nelson selectboard member Al Guida gives Jake, 16, and Vincent Heck, 19, plaques and a laminated copy of the April 16 Sentinel article on how they’d saved a man from a burning vehicle the morning before. A ceremony was held to honor the brothers on Wednesday evening at Nelson Town Hall.
Honoring heroism
Nelson Fire Chief Joseph Sarcione gives Jake, 16, and Vincent Heck, 19, (not pictured) a plaque for rescuing a man from a burning vehicle in April.
“It takes a certain individual — or individuals — who act without hesitation to save another and not give any thought to their own safety,” Sarcione said during a ceremony to honor the brothers on Wednesday evening at Nelson Town Hall. “And these two young men did just that.”
Honoring heroism
After a congratulatory ceremony at Nelson Town Hall Wednesday evening, Jake, 16, and Vincent Heck, 19, smile for photos with their mother, Melissa, and the awards they received for saving a man from a burning vehicle in April.
Honoring heroism
After a congratulatory ceremony at Nelson Town Hall Wednesday evening, Jake, 16, and Vincent Heck, 19, pose for photos with their mother, Melissa, and the awards they received for saving a man from a burning vehicle in April.
Honoring heroism
Vincent, 19, and Jake Heck, 16, outside Nelson Town Hall after a ceremony Wednesday evening celebrated their actions to save a man from a burning vehicle in April.
Honoring heroism
“He’d follow me through to hell and back,” Vincent Heck, 19, left, said of his brother, Jake, 16. The two, shown outside Nelson Town Hall on Wednesday evening, rescued a man from a burning vehicle in April.
Nelson Fire Chief Joseph Sarcione led the evening with opening remarks.
“It takes a certain individual — or individuals — who act without hesitation to save another and not give any thought to their own safety,” Sarcione said. “And these two young men did just that.”
Over the course of the evening, several other people stepped up to the podium to laud the brothers.
Lt. Aaron Cooper of the Keene Fire Department noted that even professional first responders — who arrive at scenes with thousands of dollars of protective gear and years of training — get nervous. The brothers were able to save a life without any of that equipment or in-depth preparation, he said.
A firefighter for the past 25 years, Cooper said it’s hard to say how often first responders receive calls from people who report incidents without stopping to see if everyone’s OK or if there’s anything they can do to help.
“The world needs more Vincents and Jakes,” Cooper said.
Al Guida, a member of the Nelson selectboard, said that the story of the Hecks’ heroic actions is one that deserves to be told again and again.
“Today … is both an awards ceremony and an opportunity to celebrate,” Guida said. “To celebrate not just the life that was saved, but to celebrate the heroism of all first responders — these two in particular,” he continued, gesturing at the brothers.
By the end of the evening, the brothers had received certificates from the town of Nelson, plaques from the Nelson Fire Department and pins from Nelson Rescue.
One person who had quietly played a notable role in the April 15 rescue also sat in the audience.
Jared Beard, a full-time firefighter for Concord and an on-call firefighter in his hometown of Hillsboro, had been Jake’s CPR instructor just two weeks before the incident.
Beard said Jake had been an eager student, always wanting to practice compressions and CPR, even during the course’s breaks.
The Hillsboro Fire and Rescue team had been trying for years to get support for a CPR course, Beard said — and it came to fruition just in the nick of time.
“One of the things I say in the class is, ‘It’s not us in the ambulance that saves lives, it’s the people on scene, pulling over in a vehicle or initiating the CPR that can save lives,’ ” he said. “And [the brothers] proved it.”
But standing outside Nelson Town Hall Wednesday evening, Jake and Vincent were nonchalant. They said people sometimes recognize them from stories in the media, and strangers will congratulate them in places like the grocery store.
Both are considering careers as first responders, they said. Vincent thrived in nursing classes throughout high school and enjoys the feeling of helping others. Jake, meanwhile, is seeking the adrenaline of a firefighter’s line of work.
But they agreed that they believe their actions should be the norm, and they hope others would do the same.
“I just think it was something that should’ve been done, no matter who did it,” Vincent said. “… I just hope somebody would do it for me, if it were me.”