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Letter to the editor

Sub shop's 'hero cup' features firefighter

Pulling a family from a flaming car qualified his picture and story to appear on Firehouse Subs' drink cups.

By SHERYL KAY
Published June 22, 2007

	Firefighter Sean Van Atter, 36, is featured on Firehouse Subs' "Hero Cups" for pulling a family out of a burning car five years ago. He also was presented a medal by Vice President Cheney.
[Ken Helle | Times]

Five years ago, Sean Van Atter pulled a family of five from a car that was engulfed in flames.

With eight years under his belt as a Hillsborough County firefighter, it may not have seemed like such an unusual action, except that Van Atter came upon the scene while riding in a taxi, and with none of his usual protective gear.

Now Van Atter's deed has been captured for all to see on a new series of "Hero Cups" available at Firehouse Subs across the country. The cup, which features his image and story, is served with the restaurant chain's beverages.

"Sean exemplifies the spirit, commitment, and bravery that is firefighting, " said Robin Sorensen, founder of Firehouse Subs, which has its headquarters in Jacksonville. "Our family has centuries of service in firefighting, so we understand the risks involved with the job."

That summer day in 2002 started off with a typical call to Van Atter's home base, Station House No. 14 in North Tampa, for an ambulance to respond to a person who had passed out. When an ambulance and fire truck arrived it was clear that the individual needed transport to the hospital, and because Van Atter is also a trained EMT, he went with the ambulance and then caught a taxi at the hospital to return to his fire station.

As he headed north on Interstate 275, the traffic came to a complete standstill just before the Busch Boulevard exit. Van Atter could see smoke up ahead, and told the taxi driver he was going to walk up and have a look.

Moments later he was standing before an older Honda that had careened into a gas tanker, and was fully consumed by flames. The truck driver, unscathed, had pulled the tanker away, and the two looked into the car and saw bodies.

The trucker kicked in the window, and Van Atter, dressed in only a T-shirt and slacks, reached in. He then proceeded to pull out each family member one at a time, four of whom were unconscious, and one who had died upon impact, all while the car was still ablaze.

"I couldn't just sit back and watch people burn to death, " he said. "If anything, I was thinking that I couldn't believe all of these people were sitting on the highway and only the trucker stopped to help, but I can understand the burning car thing probably scared them."

Hollywood has falsely portrayed cars as automatically blowing up the moment they catch fire. Van Atter noted that a car fire is still exceedingly hot, and there can be a quick flash from gas vapors, which is usually deadly. Yet somehow, Van Atter was uninjured.

"God must have been looking after me that day, " he said. "I didn't even singe one hair on my arm."

Two years later, Van Atter received a call from the Department of Justice and was informed that he would be awarded the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor.

He flew up to Washington and got the award from Vice President Dick Cheney.

The deed just became part of his work history until a year ago, when a Firehouse Subs opened near Station No. 14 and store owner Sarju Patel heard about Van Atter's feat.

When the restaurant's headquarters began looking for nominees for its "Hero Cups" campaign, Patel immediately nominated Van Atter.

Out of dozens of nominees from across the country, Van Atter was chosen along with four others, including Brendan Duncan Jr., of Fairhope, Ala., a 4-year-old who woke up his family of seven and saved them from a house fire in 2006. These images will remain on the cups throughout the year, and nominations are already being accepted for the next series.

Van Atter, a gregarious but humble man, takes the attention in stride - even the constant ribbing from his fellow firefighters.

Just days ago at a training session, when going over certain methods and tools for holding up heavy objects like automobiles, one of his station mates shouted out, "Van Atter can just use a stack of his cups."

"Yeah, they bust my chops all the time, " Van Atter said, "but it's the firehouse, so it's all in good fun."

Contact reporter Sheryl Kay at skreporter@hotmail.com or call 813 230-8788.

[Last modified June 21, 2007, 08:28:59]