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When Robin Dehaven saw a small plane heading for a building in Austin, he sprang to action. The Army veteran was on his way to replace windows on his job when he changed course and helped rescue five people from the burning building.
“I immediately drove my truck over there, got the ladder off, went up to the side of the building and I saw people up on the second floor with their heads out the window for air because the room was filled with smoke,” Dehaven said.
Dehaven extended his ladder up to the stranded workers and tried to instruct them on how to secure it, but they were unable to. So, rather than have them climb down an unsecure ladder, he climbed up.
“I climbed inside the broken-out window into the building with them,” said Dehaven, who has a 3-year-old son.
With the help of one of the men inside, he then broke another window near a ledge, and secured the ladder there so he could get five people out safely.
“I held onto their waists and their backs so they wouldn’t fall if they slipped,” he said.
The kicker? Dehaven is a proud member of IUPAT, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades; specifically, Local Union 1778/District Council 88. From IUPAT:
The men and women of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades praise IUPAT member Robin De Haven for putting aside all concerns for his personal safety and rescuing five people from that burning building in Austin. His actions were nothing short of heroic and we’re proud to have him in our ranks. A veteran who served in Iraq, the IUPAT was fortunate to bring him aboard through the Helmets to Hardhats program.
Robin’s courage and character are a shining inspiration in these hard times. I hope his actions remind us all of what is most dear in our lives, and how important it is to take care of each other. Robin De Haven is a prime example of what a good union man is made of.
Dehaven joins the ranks of other Union Member Heroes who answer the call of duty when disaster strikes, including Captain Sully, member of US Airline Pilots Association and the Searfarers International Union-affiliated crew of the Maersk Alabama against Somali pirates.
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About Work in Progress
nice work, Robin
nice
Seems like I read that he served in Iraq. Thank-you Mr. Dehaven for your service, at home and abroad.
All these hard workin’ folks are ruining America !
Elliott ! Raven ! RF !
PETRO!!
Book Salon up at the Mothership with Rich Benjamin’s Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America hosted by Rayne
Petro! My curly friend!
Re: Your final comment about the Maersk Alabama and the Somali pirates.
Not all members of the crew were members of the Seafarers International Union
The captain (and some of the other officers) were members of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (affiliated with the International Longshoremen’s Association). Other officers, including from the clip you liked to, were members of the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association.
Welcome good news.
I did hear about his action – extending the ladder to stranded people – but not that he had climbed up himself. And of course, there was no mention of his union membership.
In fairness, (and I can’t remember where I heard it – John Burnett on NPR?)it was earlyish, and his name was probably not available, let alone further details.
It also made me proud to be an adopted Texan (which is not always so); people here often do this sort of thing in situations where I suspect their equivalents in other places I have lived would not so extend themselves.
Congrats to Mr. DeHaven, and thanks from all of us for a fine example.
I’m hoping Mr. DeHaven gets an invite to the White House. What an incredible hero!!
Thanks, Michael.
Sometimes the right person is in the right place at the right time.
Well done, sir.
This guy truly is a hero and I commend him from the bottom of my heart. A true hero, and I hope he gets lots and lots of love and respect from the multitudes. He deserves it.
Gee. Comments not closed here? Why?
America works BEST when we say UNION YES! Union workers care about safety working conditions (for all) before wages and benefits. A dead worker is of no use to him/herself, or family or community. People, before profits. Wish corporate America felt the same way.
FYI — Depending on the path you take to arrive at the current post, sometimes when it has been crossposted to the FDL frontpage from another venue’s frontpage, there will be a message that comments are closed. In that event, a click on the linkable title of the post will almost always take the reader to the post where comments already reside.
Hope this helps. Tech crew is aware of this little bug.