As Firehouse Sees It: That Is Why You Are the Bravest
Growing up on New York’s Long Island, the local media would publish the word “bravest” in headlines, and TV anchors would say, “Last night, New York City’s bravest … ” before telling the story of another jaw-dropping feat that was carried out by tri-state area firefighters: pulling people from blazing buildings, ripping apart cars or trucks that have people trapped inside or digging out a worker who was buried neck deep in a trench collapse. Each of those reports included the phrase “the bravest.”
When I started working at Firehouse, the annual awards program was one of my favorite projects. Envelope after envelope revealed one act that was even more amazing than the last: one rescued, two rescued, a family of five rescued …
During downtime, I’d go back and review the old (then-called) Firehouse Heroism Award winners and sometimes see the same name more than once. I stumbled upon some people who I met when riding along in various cities and even found that my mentor from my high school internship, Rochester, NY, Lt. Pete Rizzo, was a recipient a few years before we first met. I saw photos from the incident, but Pete downplayed the rescue that he made that eventually would be highlighted in Firehouse.
Sometimes, I meet people at a conference or during a station visit and their name rings a bell. If I recall them being a recipient, I always ask to learn more about the incident directly from them. There’s no way to take the verbal story of zero visibility, blistering heat and people calling for help and translate that to the written word. Of course, others who were in the station would chime in and add their take on the situation—perhaps including a good ribbing. But I am glad Firehouse was able to share their story, their actions and their bravery with firefighters across the country. These stories need to be told should someone encounter a situation that has similarities.
As I pored over this year’s nominations, a few of them finished with a line or two that summarized the reasoning for the submission, including: “That is true bravery” and “The speed, efficiency and bravery … ” One nomination proudly ended with: “ … actions epitomize the highest traditions of the American Fire Service.” This year’s recipients serve in career, combination and volunteer departments across the country.
We do hear about incidents that would be worthy nominations for the Michael O. McNamee Award of Valor or nonsuppression/rescue efforts that are fitting of the Thomas Carr Community Service awards, but they aren’t submitted. This is where I would like to encourage you today to connect with your chief to nominate a member(s) deserving of the awards. Visit firehouse.com/valor and take a few minutes to make the submission to honor your peer(s) through our program.
Congratulations to all of the winners, and thank you for your extraordinary acts of bravery at emergency scenes or long hours of dedicated efforts to keep communities safe, educated and focused on preventing the next fire, crash, injury or fatality in the community. No matter where you are located, you are the bravest. Thank you, also, to those who saw these efforts as worthwhile to submit.
Firehouse Expo goes virtual
With the original July Firehouse Expo event being postponed to later this month, we were looking forward to seeing many of you in person. With COVID-19 numbers staying high in certain areas and a growing list of travel restrictions, we decided to postpone this year’s event. We are going to offer a virtual event, Firehouse Expo Direct, later this year, and as this issue heads to press, we are finalizing the details. Visit FirehouseExpo.com to find out who is speaking and to register.
Call for Papers for Firehouse Expo 2021 Now Open
Firehouse is looking for your presentations to be considered for Firehouse Expo 2021’s hands-on and conference program. The event takes place in Columbus, OH, Sept. 13–18, 2021. Find out how you can submit your presentation ideas at FirehouseExpo.com. If you have any questions, please contact me: [email protected].
Peter Matthews | Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director
Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department.
