Heroes honored who went above and beyond

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - What do a letter carrier, a nurse, police officers and firefighters all have in common?

100 Club of Buffalo Executive Director Frank Broderick said, "All went above and beyond the call of duty, or even, in the case of the civilians, went above and beyond just driving past an incident to save the life of another individual."

They're receiving 2012 "Hero Awards" from the 100 Club of Buffalo, in gratitude for their selflessness and quick thinking.

MORE | To see any of the original stories on these heroes, click the links in this story!

Trooper Christopher Sullivan gave CPR to a 23-month-old girl, found face-down in her family's in-ground pool in Boston last May. By the time paramedics arrived, Sullivan had the child breathing again.

"I don't feel like I'm a hero, but it is an honor that other people do see me as a hero," Trooper Sullivan said. "I'm just glad that everything worked out the way it did. I spoke to the family recently, and Lillian's doing quite well."

Jeff Kane was one of two off-duty Buffalo firefighters and a DEA agent who saw smoke and simply acted on instinct - rushing to save residents of a burning Amherst Street apartment building, with no protective gear of their own.

"As we came up to the building, there was a woman on the front lawn. She was right below the fire. I didn't realize, at the time, she had jumped," Kane remembered. "I didn't think I was going in at that point. I thought I was going to be working on her."

"[She] said her boyfriend was still inside, so that's when I made my way in, and another off-duty firefighter, Bob Carnevale found me in there, and we did our thing. Fortunately, he had gotten out. Because nobody could've survived the conditions that were going on there," Kane said. "We just alerted people that you need to come out, and get outside as quickly as possible."

Then, there's 26-year veteran Buffalo Police Officer Robert Yeates, who was patrolling Esser Avenue in Riverside August 1, when Charlene Fears repeatedly stabbed her 4-year-old grandson. Officer Yeates was with Officer John Michael Mulderig -- a rookie serving his very first day on the force.

Yeates and Mulderig were flagged down by the child's mother.

"I immediately entered the house, where I was met by a woman holding two large butcher knives," Yeates recalled. "I ordered her multiple times to drop the knives, and she refused to. And she charged at me with the two knives over her head."

Yeates said, "Unfortunately I was forced to use my service weapon, and shoot her."  He paused.

"...Basically, your training just kicks in. It's more reactive than anything. You just hope that everything that you've learned, and my 26 years on the job kicks in, and I act appropriately." Another pause. "I certainly feel it did. Probably saved multiple lives, as there were two women that were performing CPR on the little boy just inches behind me."

Also honored Friday night were North Tonawanda Police Officer Daryl Truty, who jumped into the Niagara River to rescue a swimmer being swept toward the Falls; and civilians Denise Piechowski, Barry Eleey and Mark Stevens, who worked together to keep bicyclist Curtis Senf breathing after he was struck by a minivan in rush-hour traffic.