(Providence, RI) -- A retired Providence firefighter who nearly died fighting a fire in 2016 was promoted to the rank of battalion chief on Thursday. Joseph Fontaine had been placed in a medically induced coma after suffering cyanide poisoning, one of nearly two-dozen firefighters who were injured from the triple-decker fire in Providence. Fontaine took the battalion chief test last year, but despite performing well on the test, did not get the position because of a city rule affecting promotions for firefighters who are on disability. Fontaine challenged that decision in court and won a 12-thousand-dollar severance package earlier this year.