Haitian-American firefighter honored for quake heroics

Haitian-American firefighter honored for quake heroics

By BRIAN HAMACHER NBC Miami Already a member of the elite Fire Rescue team that sifted through the destructive aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, a Miami-Dade firefighter joined even more elite company yesterday when he was named one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People of 2010." Karls Paul-Noel, 53, was listed under the category "Heroes" in the magazine's annual list, released Thursday, right alongside folks like Bill Clinton and South Florida resident Serena Williams. Paul-Noel, an assistant fire chief, is the highest ranking Haitian-American firefighter in the U.S., according to the magazine. He and the rest of the Fire Rescue's Urban Search and Rescue team was in Haiti less than 24 hours after the 7.0 magnitude quake hit Haiti on January 12. They helped pull 11 survivors out of the rubble of collapsed buildings in Port-au-Prince. WATCH NBC MIAMI COVERAGE OF MIAMI-DADE FIREFIGHTERS For his heroics, Paul-Noel earned a spot on the list and a glowing bio by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. "Even within his remarkable profession, he's extraordinary," Giuliani wrote. "His résumé reads like Superman's: trained as a paramedic, service instructor and marine firefighter, he's taught life support to adults and children. It's been said that he who saves a single life saves the world. Karls Paul-Noel has saved the world too many times to count." Paul-Noel has been a firefighter for 26 years, joining the Urban Search and Rescue Team in 1987. For more NBC Miami coverage, click here.