NASHVILLE—Worcester, MA, Fire Department District Chief (ret.) Mike McNamee was honored during this morning’s opening ceremonies at Firehouse Expo in Nashville as the new namesake of Firehouse’s top award, now named the Michael O. McNamee Award of Valor.
Formerly known as the Heroism Award, the award has been renamed as part of a larger mission to change firefighters’ perspectives about what it means to be brave in the face of danger. Firehouse Editor-in-Chief Tim Sendelbach explained that McNamee was the perfect namesake for the award because of the bravery he displayed at the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire in December 1999, when he made the bold decision to stop additional Worcester firefighters from entering the building when there were already six lost inside.
“It is important for us to acknowledge that in some cases, the critical decisions and/or preventative actions taken by an individual are equally deserving of recognition,” Sendelbach said.
When presenting the award, Sendelbach noted, “I have been waiting a long time to do this,” bringing Chief McNamee to the stage to be honored for the courage he displayed under extraordinary circumstances. Sendelbach presented McNamee with a custom bronze trumpet provided by Liberty Art Works.
Chief McNamee said of the recognition, “I am honored, humbled and surprised.” He spoke of the events of that tragic Dec. 3, 1999, fire that claimed the lives of six Worcester firefighters, and how the incident brought a national focus on change and safety change in the fire service. He referenced the renewed attention on best practices and learning from close calls so that everyone goes home, and spoke of the work of the Worcester Safety and Survival Seminars that brought in firefighters from all over the country for training.
The first recipient of the newly named Michael O. McNamee Award of Valor is Lt. Brian J. Colleluori, FDNY Ladder Co. 174, who was presented the award shortly after McNamee’s recognition. Read more about Lt. Colleluori here.
To read more about the Valor Award honorees, visit firehouse.com/valor-awards.
