The Michael O. McNamee Award of Valor reflects a larger mission about what it means to be brave in the face of danger, as the award is named after Worcester, MA, Fire Department District Chief (ret.) Mike McNamee, who displayed great courage at the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse Fire in December 1999, when he made the bold decision to stop additional Worcester firefighters from entering the building when there already were six lost inside.
We would like to thank the following people for their assistance in selecting this year’s recipients:
Frank Becerra, firefighter, Fort Worth, TX, Fire Department
Anne Carr, widow of Fire Chief Thomas Carr
Michael O. McNamee, district chief (ret.), Worcester, MA, Fire Department
Russell Merrick, deputy chief (ret.), Rochester, NY, Fire Department
Brian Schaeffer, fire chief, Spokane, WA, Fire Department
John B. Tippett Jr., director of fire programs, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
![Raymond Chiozza 10 7 20 Memphis Sr Apt Comm Pic 1[22]](https://img.firehouse.com/files/base/cygnus/fhc/image/2022/09/Raymond_Chiozza_10_7_20_Memphis_sr_apt_comm_pic_1_22_.631e983b5666a.png?auto=format,compress&fit=crop&q=45&h=139&height=139&w=250&width=250 "Raymond Chiozza 10 7 20 Memphis Sr Apt Comm Pic 1[22]")