James Plourde will be long remembered as the iconic image of the Boston Marathon bombing on Patriots’ Day, April 15, 2013, carrying a wounded victim in his arms from the bloody scene near the finish line of the 26.2-mile road race. When people ran from the explosion, Plourde, a four-year member of the Boston Fire Department, went toward the smoke. Moments later a photographer captured an image of Plourde carrying a girl away from the bomb scene on Boylston Street.

The picture quickly went viral on social media. “I crawled through the scaffolding … it was an absolutely horrid scene,” Plourde said. “There were so many people hurt, I was thinking, ‘Who can I help first?’” Three people died and 264 were injured as a result of two homemade pressure cooker bombs allegedly planted among marathon spectators by two Chechen brothers described as “extremists.” The bombs exploded 13 seconds and 200 yards apart.

In his rescue efforts, Plourde came across a 20-year-old Northeastern University student with a large leg wound. She was being tended to by a civilian who tied a tourniquet to stem the bleeding. Plourde scooped her up and dashed her to a waiting ambulance. She was whisked to the hospital and survived. The former Boston EMS Paramedic rushed back in and helped more victims before heading to the medical tent to triage severely injured victims. Plourde’s long-time emergency medical training came in handy.

Before moving to Boston he was an Explorer in the Shaker Road Loudonville Fire Department and a long-time volunteer with the Midway Fire Department.

In his free time he also helped raise more than $70,000 for the Lupus Foundation of America and the Lupus Foundation of New England towards the research and development of a cure for Lupus – an autoimmune disease. He is also a member of the Capital District Scottish Games planning committee.