Mather nurse anesthetist saw a fire and rushed to aid paramedics

A Nesconset man was recently recognized for his efforts last fall to save the life of a man in his neighborhood who was rescued from a house fire.

Steven Cortes, a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, was heading home after a 10-hour shift on Oct. 14 when he saw a house on fire on Highland Place. He was one of the first people at the scene and intubated the 62-year-old victim on his first try after paramedics unsuccessfully tried to do so, according to Mather’s parent company, Northwell Health.

Cortes remained at the man’s side in the ambulance on the way to Stony Brook University Hospital, according to Northwell. The patient, Thomas Walz, later died from his injuries.

Cortes was honored last month for his efforts with a Lifesaver Award from Northwell Health’s Anesthesia Service Line.

“I feel happy that my colleagues nominated me,” Cortes said. Of Walz’s passing, he said: “I often think if I could’ve broken down the door, those 30 or 60 seconds could’ve meant something. I don’t know.”

Cortes, 37, said he came upon the fire while taking an alternate route home after stopping at a sports trading card store in Holbrook to pick up a gift to give his father, Timmy, during an upcoming New York Giants game at MetLife Stadium. The gift was a card of former quarterback Eli Manning on which Cortes planned to attach an ultrasound image to reveal to his father that his wife, Katheryn, was pregnant with their first baby.

While driving the alternate route, Cortes noticed smoke billowing from the property of a two-story house less than a half-mile from his home, he said. First responders were able to get Walz, who used a walker, out of the burning home on a stretcher and the man remained alive through his arrival at the hospital largely due to Cortes’ efforts.

Walz’s neighbor, Thomas McClafferty, said that Cortes went “above and beyond.”

“He did his best to try to save him, but I’m kind of glad he didn’t get into the house because there may have been two fatalities that day,” McClafferty said. “[Walz] was still alive when they got him to the hospital . . . that was a miracle in itself.”

Mather’s nurse anesthesia manager, Michael Lampasona, also praised Cortes.

“Steven spent the entire evening and night displaying an extraordinary level of compassion and selflessness,” Lampasona said in a statement.

Nominate a Long Islander who goes above and beyond or serves as an inspiration to their community. Send details and photograph to Michael Ebert, michael.ebert@newsday.com (photos should be high-resolution). Photos may be used in other publications affiliated with Newsday

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.