Fortunately for him, he had more than two years to digest what he did to earn the honor of being named the American Legion Northern Region Firefighter of the Year.

Weiskerger is a hero, and the whole fire hall of the department he leads was filled earlier this week to recognize that fact.

Weiskerger stood in front of a crowd at the Sunset Bay Fire Hall and accepted the American Legion’s national award he earned for remarkable bravery on the morning of Oct. 1, 2023. His family proudly looked on, as did the family of a fellow fire chief and friend, Kyle Barthel, whose life he saved that morning.

“I firmly believe that what I did on that Sunday in October is something that anyone in my shoes should do,” Weiskerger said.

Fire Chiefs Rob Weiskerger, left, and Kyle Barthel, right, embrace after Barthel spoke at an award ceremony honoring Weiskerger earlier this week.

Jeff Levandoski, Chautauqua County American Legion Commander and Chair of the Public Safety Committee, and John Miga, American Legion Commander, honored Weiskerger for his actions that Sunday morning just over two years ago.

There were also prepared statements read aloud on behalf of U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy, state Sen. George Borrello, Assemblyman Andrew Molitor, and County Executive P.J. Wendel.

Weiskerger spoke, reluctantly, after he was presented with a plaque to recognize his heroism. He said, “I am extremely humbled and beyond honored to be standing here today in front of all of you.”

Weiskerger thanked the American Legion, from the local to state and national levels, for the support he received over the past two years, with awards at every stage leading up to the latest honor. Weiskerger said of the recent ceremony, “Today is a day I will never forget.”

Shortly afterward, Barthel detailed the events of the morning of Oct. 1, 2023. His harrowing account brought tears to the audience as it became clear just how close he came that Sunday morning to not making it out of the building alive.

Pictured is the gear Chief Rob Weiskerger wore during a 2023 fire when he saved the life of his fellow fire captain, Kyle Barthel. Weiskerger suffered first and second degree burns in the blaze while he helped Barthel to safety.

“Without him, I wouldn’t be here right now talking to you,” Barthel said. “It was the scariest moment of my life. If it wasn’t for him … that would’ve been a different day for everybody.”

Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, was supposed to be any other fall Sunday morning in Western New York. Barthel and his friends were planning to head to Orchard Park to tailgate for the Buffalo Bills football game against the Miami Dolphins that afternoon. But first, Barthel and his fellow Forestville firefighters were called into action.

Barthel responded to the call of a fire at the Tri-County Country Club in Forestville, around 6 that morning. As a veteran firefighter of more than two decades at the time, Barthel did not think much of the call. He prepared to enter the structure like any other fire.

Before Barthel entered the building, Weiskerger showed up to join him. The Forestville and Sunset Bay fire departments provide mutual aid to each other at nearly all major events in the region, so even early on a Sunday morning, Barthel was not surprised to see Weiskerger by his side. Still, it provided him comfort.

“It felt really good knowing that he was going with me,” Barthel said. “There’s always been that special bond with Rob and I, and Brandyn Griewisch of Silver Creek, that whenever we go to a fire, we always look for each other.”

OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Pictured from left to right: Jeff Levandoski, Chautauqua County American Legion Commander and Chair of the Public Safety Committee; Rob Weiskerger, Sunset Bay Fire Chief; Kyle Barthel, Forestville Fire Chief; and John Miga, American Legion Commander.

Barthel didn’t truly know then just how important it was that Weiskerger was there by his side, but he soon found out.

As flames engulfed the kitchen of the Country Club, Weiskerger and Barthel entered the structure, not only to put out the flames, but also to search for any potential occupants of the building. A vehicle was parked in the parking lot of the Country Club, following an event the night before. While it turned out the vehicle was just parked in the lot overnight and no one was inside the building, Weiskerger and Barthel did not know that as they prepared to enter to battle the fire.

Upon entry, visibility was not severely impacted, and they began to fight the fire. They calmly walked into the building together, and believed they had things under control.

“It was a normal fire,” Barthel said. “There was a heavy fire in the kitchen, but we thought we had a really good chance to stop it, so we went in and we started hitting it.”

Then, suddenly, the ceiling above the bar collapsed. The fire spread to the attic above where the firefighters stood to battle the blaze, and they were unable to see it had spread above them when they entered the room. Without any warning, two of the most experienced firefighters in all of western New York were quickly in over their heads.

“When everything came down on top of us, we were in trouble,” Barthel said.

The extreme heat of the fire caused the roof to collapse with Weiskerger and Barthel still inside. It was later determined that the temperature of the blaze was well over 1,000 degrees when the two were inside the building.

Rather than darting to safety on his own, Weiskerger remained in the burning building to guide Barthel to safety. Both men exited the building with their gear on fire. The crews on site extinguished the flames from their gear, but not before both firefighters sustained first and second degree burns.

Weiskerger got the worst of the burns, with second-degree burns to his back, his right shoulder and his right arm. He was advised to keep the burned areas away from sunlight for two years. He returned to firefighting after six months.

“Those events on Oct. 1, 2023, and the days, weeks, months, and now years that followed, were a very trying time for me,” Weiskerger said, as he thanked his family, friends, and fellow firefighters for their support. “The emotional toll it took, honestly, hurt just as much as the physical pain did. Without all of your support, I wouldn’t have gotten back to the job that I love so much, so I thank you for that.”

Barthel sustained first-degree burns to his right arm and second-degree burns to his right hand. Barthel said his burns felt similar to a sunburn and did not notably impact his day-to-day life. He was back to fighting fires roughly a month later, but after the experience of that morning, he is even more cognizant of the risks he faces each time he fights a fire.

“It’s still something that you constantly think about. We almost died that day, so it’s something that we live with every day. We wake up every morning and it’s there,” Barthel said.

Weiskerger said only a few times in his three decades of firefighting did he ever remember a fire worsening as quickly as the fire did that morning.

“I don’t know that it could have gone differently, I really don’t. Between the two of us, we’ve been in hundreds of fires, and that was the first time that one got us the way it did,” Weiskerger said.

Weiskerger has served his community as a firefighter for 32 years. He has been Chief of the Sunset Bay Fire Department for 25 years. While Weiskerger calls it “the best job in the world”, he is a volunteer firefighter, just like the rest of his department, and Barthel’s department in Forestville, as well. Barthel has been a firefighter for 30 years and served as Chief of the Forestville Fire Department for 10 of the last 11 years. Both men volunteered their time that Sunday morning, and their lives were at risk for doing so.

Weiskerger credits his training for getting himself and Barthel out of the building alive that morning. They each got down low to the ground and followed the hose line out of the structure to safety. Weiskerger said, “It’s one of those cheesy drills we do on a regular basis, but for the first time in 32 years, I needed it. That was the only way we got out that day. Training, it’s a big deal.”

In the two years since the fire, on the first day of October each year, Weiskerger and Barthel have met to share a moment together in remembrance of the fire that nearly claimed their lives. They plan to continue the tradition in the coming years as a way to recognize the significance of the experience they shared.

Just before concluding his speech at the recent ceremony, Barthel turned to Weiskerger, and as tears fell in the audience, he said, “Brother, I cannot thank you enough. There are not enough words in this world to give you for what you’ve done for me and my family. I love you, and I owe you everything.”