“We teach EDITH — Exit Drills In The Home — and, from what I understand, he used all the knowledge he got from that and some his (firefighter) dad taught him,” said Anchor Point Fire Chief Joe Kent.
After smelling the smoke, Brendan first got his young brother to safety by exiting the home through a basement window. Then the 13-year-old tried to quench the flames using a fire extinguisher, but soon realized that was impossible.
“He recognized it wasn’t enough to put the fire out, so he went to the neighbors and had them call 911,” Kent said. “And he didn’t go back in the house. That was the thing I was proud of. He knew not to go back in the house.”
Within minutes after leaving the house, the ceiling collapsed where the two youngsters had been playing, according to Bob Craig, also with Anchor Point Volunteer Fire Department.
Robin Proctor, Brendan’s grandmother and also an EMT, heard the radio call summoning Anchor Point firefighters.
“I own the house and thought, geez, that’s the name of the street the house is on. Then I heard it was the second on the left (Proctor’s house) and called my son,” she said of alerting Brendan’s father, Brandon Rider. “When he got there, the flames were shooting out of the upper stories and he heard the TV and thought the children still were in there.”
Proctor also hurried to the scene.
“By the time I got there, my heart was beating double-time,” she said.
Jeni Rider, Brendon’s mother, was alerted by neighbors via telephone.
“The first thing out of their mouths was ‘your kids are OK, but your house is on fire,’” said Jeni Rider, who works in Homer. “It took me about 45 minutes to get home because of road construction and all that.”
By the time she arrived at the scene, the home was reduced to a shell, she said.
In spite of the excitement around him, Brendon remained calm.
“It was just like it wasn’t a big deal. He’s just always known what to do and that’s what he did — saved his little brother’s life,” Proctor said. “He was kind of embarrassed and didn’t really talk too much about it.”
Due to the 13-year-old’s fast response, neither Brandon nor his brother suffered from smoke inhalation or other injuries. They escaped with their good health, but with only the clothes they were wearing — Brendon in gym shorts and a T-shirt, Tanner in a diaper. Thanks to the Anchor Point community, emergency clothing and shelter was provided.
Shortly after the fire, Mark and Shana Roderick organized a pizza party to honor Brendon. Anchor Point firefighters attended and presented the young hero with a “You Did the Right Thing” certificate.
At an Oct. 31 awards assembly at 8:45 a.m. at Chapman School, where Brandon is in the seventh grade, the community’s young hero will be presented with a commendation from the Alaska Fire Marshall’s office.
“(Brendon’s) always pretty directed about what he’s supposed to do and he did it,” Proctor said. “It really does pay to listen and partake in fire department tours and training sessions like we’ve done for so many years.”
Two weeks after the fire and after his life-saving actions have been recognized by his family, friends and neighbors, Brendon is still low-key about his response. Sitting beside Craig in one of Anchor Point’s firetrucks, he said, “I learned from the best.”
Then, Brendan smelled smoke and knew that something was wrong. Years of training paid off, however, and what could have been a tragedy became a reason for thanksgiving.
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