Samantha House
Syracuse Media Group
APALACHIN, N.Y. — Sgt. Robert Bloom III was on his way to a police academy graduation in the Southern Tier on Friday when he spotted smoke in the distance.
Bloom was dressed in a kilt, the New York State Police said, and ready to play with the pipes and drums section at the graduation ceremony in Broome County. But when he realized a house was on fire, he stopped to see if anyone needed help.
The fire happened just after noon on Tioga Terrace in Apalachin, Tioga County.
When he got to the burning home, Bloom learned a bedridden man was trapped inside, troopers said. So Bloom ran into the home with the man’s father and neighbor to save the trapped man, troopers said.
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The trio got the man into a wheelchair, troopers said, and wheeled him out of the smoke-filled home. They suffered smoke inhalation and were transported to local hospitals.
“A man is lucky to be alive after the quick actions of a New York State Police sergeant and two civilians,” the state police said in a news release.
Bloom has served with the state police for seven years. He currently works out of the Sidney barracks.