Freeport Firefighter Given State's Highest Civilian Honor

State. Sen. John Brooks recently honored Lieutenant Cory Cooke, a third-generation volunteer firefighter with the Freeport Fire Department with the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the New York State Senate – the Liberty Medal.

Brooks identified Cooke, a Freeport Police officer, as meriting The New York State Senate Liberty Medal — which is awarded to individuals as a special commendation for exceptional, heroic, or humanitarian acts on behalf of their fellow New Yorkers — due to his heroism in saving residents from a burning house on Roosevelt Avenue on Sept. 12, 2016.

Cooke, who was driving to work, saw and entered a burning house, where he found four occupants in the living room attempting to evacuate an elderly woman on the second floor. As the house filled with thick smoke, Cooke physically guided the four people on the first floor to safety. When he was told that the elderly woman had fallen from the second floor to the bottom of the staircase, Cooke ran back into the smoke-filled home and crawled toward the kitchen.

Guided by the terrified cries from the 90-year-old woman, Cooke finally located her lying on the floor, unable to move. He lifted her under her arms and swiftly dragged her towards the door, all the while breathing in noxious smoke. As he approached the front door, Cooke was met by an off-duty Nassau County Police officer who grabbed the victim's feet and assisted him in carrying her out the doorway and down the front steps to safety.

Brooks, a volunteer firefighter and ex-chief of department, said: "Lieutenant Corey Cooke is a true hero. He has continually devoted himself to public service, demonstrating great courage and diligence in providing for the care and welfare of the citizens of his community. Lieutenant Cooke demonstrated his true character and genuine compassion for the welfare of others while maintaining his composure and utilizing professional training and exemplary conduct to save the lives of strangers while risking his own."

Photo: Sen. John Brooks's Office