Volunteers Recognized For Their Help During Phila. Train Derailment

By Kristen Johanson

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --  It's been almost six months since the Amtrak train derailment, which killed eight people and injured more than 200. There was a ceremony Monday honoring some of the volunteers who assisted at the scene.

Frank Bachmayer is with Philadelphia's Second Alarmers and rushed to Port Richmond last May, when he first heard about the accident.

"We have portable lights on our apparatus that we had to take from street level, all the way back to where the train derailment was," said Bachmayer.

Bachmayer and other second alarm volunteers carried jumbo lights and generators to the scene, enabling fire and police to rescue injured passengers from mangled train cars.

"It was dark, we had to go find our way safely to where the train was," he said.

The group provided food, water, EMT services and other necessaries to first responders at the scene.

Second Alarmers Chief Greg Masi says they worked 12 hours straight, missing their day jobs to continue helping.

"They are really priceless... if we didn't have volunteers here, or across the country, a lot of the services wouldn't get provided, so thank God we have volunteers."