Helmets to Hardhats Hero Rescues 5 People From a Burning Building in Austin
Robin DeHaven
On February 19, Robin DeHaven, an apprentice glazier for the International Union of Painters and
Allied Trades Local 1778 in Texas, made national news after rescuing five people from the burning
IRS building in Austin after a single-engine plane crashed into it, causing massive damage and
igniting fires throughout the structure in an anti-government suicide attack.
After witnessing the plane flying low and then seeing black smoke billowing from the
building, DeHaven, an Army veteran who served two tours in Iraq and joined the union as an
apprentice glazier through the Helmets to Hardhats program, grabbed an extension ladder from his
truck, positioned it under a shattered second-story window, entered the building and led five
people to safety.
In an interview on CNN, DeHaven said that his 6 and a half years in the Army is the reason
why he instantly reacted by rushing to help those trapped inside the building, citing that he
believed he was more used to dealing with traumatic situations. "Robin is an outstanding example of
today's military veteran and the community we serve," comments Darrell Roberts, Executive Director
of Helmets to Hardhats, "Veterans have a strength of character they don't leave at the door when
they exit the military. It's a part of who they are and one of the many reasons why our program
exists and why we strive everyday to connect servicemembers to quality career opportunities in the
civilian construction industry."
Helmets to Hardhats is a free program administered by the Center for Military Recruitment,
Assessment and Veterans Employment to work with military veterans, trade organizations and
construction industry employers. The program has helped place more than 3,000 veterans in
construction industry careers in the last two years alone, 140 of which were Wounded Warriors. The
majority of these placements utilized federally-approved joint apprenticeship training programs,
which are collaborations between construction industry employers and trade unions to offer
entry-level employees a combination of classroom instruction and paid on-the-job training as they
learn their craft.
In response to our current economic conditions, employers are encouraged to support Veteran
Service Organizations like Helmets to Hardhats. Particularly in light of the U.S. Labor
Department's report earlier this month showing that the unemployment rate for young Iraq and
Afghanistan veterans hit 21.1 percent last year, it us up to all of us to help address this issue
by opening the doors to job satisfaction, economic security and the American Dream for our
returning sons and daughters.
