NEW HAVEN, Conn. — It's been nearly two years since a deadly house fire took the life of firefighter Ricardo Torres, Jr., and severely injured Lt. Samod Rankins. Now, after a long recovery, Lt. Rankins is back at work.
On Tuesday, he spent his first day back starting his recertification process at the New Haven Regional Fire Training Academy.
"I feel happy, I feel somewhat back to normal," Lt. Rankins said to FOX61 as he was leaving for the day. "I'm definitely happy to be here. I'm proud to serve my community. I'm thankful for the department and all the guys, you know they're behind me 100%."
But the memories of what Lt. Rankins went through two years ago are still painful. On May 12, 2021, he responded to a fire on Valley St. in New Haven, along with his coworker and friend, Firefighter Ricardo Torres Jr. The two made mayday calls, as they became trapped in the home. Torres Jr. lost his life. Somehow, Lt. Rankins was able to make it out alive. He spent some time in the hospital, before being released, and welcomed home by his community.
"He's something, which I call a miracle. They always say May is the month of miracles. So, he's a miracle, I mean he's come a long ways," said Sean Hardy, Rankins' first cousin.
Lt. Rankins said the support from his family and his community is what has helped him pull through.
"It helps me get through all the tough times that I've been through and that I'm still going through. And I don't know where I'd be without the community," Lt. Rankins said.
The journey, however, hasn't been easy. Back in March, Lt. Rankins and his attorney, Patrica Cofrancesco, filed a lawsuit against the City of New Haven and the New Haven Board of Fire Commissioners.
Among other things, the lawsuit claims Lt. Rankins had been passed over twice for a promotion to Captain, despite taking the Promotional Examination, and placing four on the promotional list. The lawsuit alleges they skipped "over him in favor of lower ranked candidates."
The lawsuit also alleges, "The defendant has discriminated against the plaintiff due to his filing of Workers' Compensation benefits."
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker couldn't comment on the specifics of the litigation, but he did say generally, the city has seen complaints like this in the past.
"I have confidence in Chief Alston and his ability to make sure that he's following the right process and in getting the right people in the right positions," Elicker said.
The lawsuit also states that Lt. Rankins was looking to come back to work earlier than he did, and the city disagreed.
In November of 2022, the lawsuit said Lt. Rankins "Provided medical notes and reports from all of his treaters for the work-related injuries to the defendant, its Counsel, as well as its Workers' Compensation and Risk Management Coordinator, Evanne J. Duzant, All such reports indicate that the plaintiff is 'cleared to return to work without restrictions.' However, in spite of said notes and reports from the plaintiff's treaters, clearing the plaintiff to return to work without restriction, the defendant, acting by and through its Fire Chief, John Alston, and its Assistant Fire Chief, Justin McCarthy, and the defendant Board of Fire Commissioners, have neglected and refused to return the plaintiff to work."
FOX61 reached out to Lt. Rankins' attorney twice on Tuesday but never heard back.
"I can say that, we always want people to come back to work. We very much want people that are part of the fire department to continue working in the fire department," said Mayor Justin Elicker. "We also need to make sure that people coming back to work are safe, and fully able to do the job. And there may be a disagreement between Lt. Rankins and his attorney and the city as to some details about when the appropriate time was, and the eligible time was to come back to work."
The city's policy states that in order to return after being on leave for longer than six months, folks must go through a certain process before getting back on the front lines. That includes but is not limited to:
- Reviewing all training bulletins since departure
- Completing all training exercises since departure
- Completing all prior administrative reports
- Completing mandatory mask fit and mask confidence requirements
- Completing job performance requirements of their position at the time of injury
Despite this, Mayor Elicker made it clear, he and the fire chief are happy to see Lt. Rankins back on the job.
"What's important today is, he is back at work. And I think that's something that we should be really excited about," Elicker said.
Fire Chief, John Alston Jr., also said, "After two years away, it’s good to see Lieutenant Rankins back on the job. It’s been a long process for him, and we wish him a speedy return to service."
Lt. Rankins said his first day back to work was a good day, and it's something he always knew he needed to do.
"It was very important to me, very personal. I feel that I had to prove something to myself," Lt. Rankins said. "Coming back is something that I know that I wanted, and I'm sure Ricardo would have wanted the same thing."
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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