By Kevin Donovan


On Dec 7, 2002 about 100 Buffalo State College students were safely evacuated from Tower 3 when a fire broke out on the eight floor. Students were brought to safety and housed at a local Holiday Inn Hotel.

Responding to the call were BSC Police Officers Lt. Peter Carey and Daniel Harris were the first to arrive at the scene where the fire and explosion occurred. Both officers entered in the smoke-filled building to help the students. They assisted nearly 100 students to safety, and also removed one injured student who was taken to Erie County Medical Center and later released.

“Both offices suffered from smoke inhalation, but their actions saved hundreds of resident students, and limited the damage to the eight floor, and not the entire building” said University Police Chief Roger Wisniewski.

Carey also started a program called the Emergency Response Plan that established a command post and staging area for emergency responders, as well as a temporary place for displaced resident students.

As a result of their actions the two officers received the SUNY Police Awards for Heroism, which is the State University of New York’s highest award for heroism. Presented on April 15th the two offices accepted their awards at the Police Conference in Albany

The Buffalo State College Police reminds all students in the case of emergency to simply call 878-6333.