Providence native Ed DiRocco, 46, didn’t think twice when he saw a man trapped on the third floor of a burning building near Chalkstone Avenue in March. He quickly sprang into action to save a life, earning him a Citizen Citation this week from Mayor David N. Cicilline and Fire Chief George S. Farrell for his selfless act of bravery.
“Each and every day our public safety professionals put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe,” said Mayor Cicilline. “For this, they deserve our profound and deep gratitude. It is rare, however, when the situation is so urgent that there is no time to wait for first responders to arrive.
“Mr. DiRocco demonstrated incredible courage by going out of his way to save a complete stranger from a life-threatening situation and on behalf of the residents of Providence I am profoundly thankful for his act of bravery,” the Mayor added. “The human spirit is an amazing force and when faced with a life and death situation, often compels and empowers average citizens, people like you and me, to accomplish extraordinary things.”
DiRocco was traveling down Chalkstone Avenue on March 29 when he noticed an apartment building on Zone Street engulfed in flames. When he pulled in front of the house, he said he heard glass breaking and noticed a man, Tao Yang, hanging out of a third floor window, trapped. As smoke and flames poured from the windows, DiRocco quickly pulled a ladder out of a van and helped Yang climb to safety.
“Ed DiRocco didn’t hesitate when he saw Mr. Yang trapped on the third floor of a burning building, and that takes enormous courage,” said Providence Fire Chief George S. Farrell.
City News caught up with our newest local hero on the day he was honored for his act of courage.
Tell us what happened that day of the fire in your own words.
That morning I was going down to fuel up one of my trucks heading down Chalkstone. I own a construction business, DiRocco & Sons Landscaping Corporation. I see heavy smoke so I backed my truck up and saw that either the second or third house in was on fire. There was heavy, heavy black smoke. Oh my god! So I started knocking on some doors to see if anyone’s coming out. To make a long story short, I hear glass breaking from upstairs in the eves of the house. This man was on the roof! I look around and lo-and-behold this van drives by with a ladder on it. I pulled the driver over, I took the ladder off his truck, and he came over to give me a hand.
Halfway up the ladder, the guy trapped in the house was gonna’ jump and so I yell, ‘No! Don’t jump!’ By now the second floor was engulfed and the flames were coming up so I encouraged the man to come to the front peak of the house and then had him come down on the ladder with me. Poor guy was gonna’ jump he was so scared. After that, I called 9-1-1 but someone else had already placed a call, which was good. So as soon as the gentleman came down, he was shaking like a leaf and the paramedics came and took him. The rest is history. I hope he’s okay.
What was going through your mind as you saw the man hanging from the window?
To be honest with you, I didn’t want the guy to jump. Not on my watch.
Was he saying anything to you or crying out for help?
No. The house was sandwiched in between a couple other houses. God-forbid if he did jump, it wouldn’t have been good.
Did he look like he was in distress?
Yes. He had a t-shirt on, shorts, and no shoes nor socks. He was covered in smoke and just black all over from the soot. He was a young gentleman. So it worked out pretty good.
What were the chances that a van would pass by with a ladder on it?
I mean, yeah, what are the chances of that? It was a lucky day.
Do you live in Providence?
Yes, born on Pembroke Avenue and I own a house near La Salle Academy.
Have you ever done anything like this before?
No. I’m a ground type of guy, I don’t ever go in the air!
What inspired you to help your neighbors that day?
It’s just instinct. I don’t mind helping out. That’s just the way I am. Going through my mind was, please, let’s just get this guy off the roof and hopefully he doesn’t jump. That’s all I was concerned about.
If you had to do this again, would you and why?
Absolutely. You don’t want to see anyone lose his or her life or get hurt – or something like that. I would have done it for anyone.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
No, I’d do the same thing. Whatever goes through my mind first, that’s what I do. I don’t plan and think things out, I just do. Just thank god everything worked out good in the end.
What do you want to say to anyone who might be reading or hearing about your act of courage?
I felt great afterwards. I really did. I didn’t think it would’ve gotten this far but I was very grateful that no one was hurt in the house and that fortunately everybody made it out okay. I happen to be blocked in by the fire crews so I was at the scene most of the time until the fire trucks dispersed. They did a great job – the fire department and the police – it was amazing just watching them.
Do you have children?
I have two sons, Eddie Jr. and Jeffrey, and a beautiful wife, Maureen.
What was your family’s reaction when they heard about what you did?
They were excited. My sons said, ‘Wow, dad, you did that?’ My wife was excited also but she actually didn’t believe me when I first called her while I was at the scene. I’m trying to talk to her about it on the cel phone and she actually came to the scene of the fire to come over to see me and make sure everything was okay, of course the road was blocked, but she kept saying ‘Oh my god, I hope everything’s okay.’ I told her not to worry about me and that I’m fine.
How do they feel about the new hero in their family?
They’re happy. They’re very happy.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns launched a nationwide effort in 2006 to protect their communities by holding gun offenders and irresponsible gun dealers accountable. The coalition also lobbied Congress to reform the Tiahrt Amendment, which imposes harmful restrictions that seriously impede law enforcement officials’ ability to access ATF gun trace data. Access to that data is an important investigative tool in combating and prosecuting illegal gun trafficking. 
Those who have died in the line of duty: William T. Pullan, John F. Brennan, James P. Cavanaugh, William A. Flynn, James H. O’Brien, Thomas A. Mulvey, Steven M. Shaw, Cornel Young Jr., James L. Allen
