Marblehead Firefighters Awarded Medals of Valor

Governor Charlie Baker today joined Public Safety Secretary Daniel Bennett and State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan to honor firefighters from 22 Massachusetts fire departments for heroic acts of bravery at the 26th annual “Firefighter of the Year” Awards ceremony, held at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium.

Marblehead Lt. Grant Glavin and firefighters Eric Ridge and Mark Borowski were among the 22 statewide Medal of Valor honorees.

“This year’s award recipients are each fine examples of the instinct that all firefighters possess to help others,” said Governor Baker. “We honor these heroic men and women of the Massachusetts fire service who deployed their training and experience to protect those in need – often at great risk to themselves.”

“The firefighters we honor today showed tremendous skill and bravery in the face of fires, technical rescues, emergency medical services, on land and on water, on duty and off,” said Public Safety Secretary Bennett. “This ceremony allows us to express our appreciation for these hometown heroes and their families,” he added.

“Everyone knows that firefighting is a dangerous job, but sometimes the dangers are hidden,” said State Fire Marshal Coan. “Witnessing the suffering of others takes its toll and sometimes we need someone to be there for our firefighters to ensure they keep their physical, mental and emotional health, and can continue to serve.”

Governor Baker and Secretary Bennett presented 43 awards in total:

· Two Norman Knight Awards for Excellence in Community Service to a Lawrence firefighter for his youth firesetting intervention program and to two Worcester firefighters for their public education and community risk reduction efforts;

· An Excellence in Leadership Award to a Saugus firefighter for his work to help public safety officers who are also veterans heal the emotional scars of war;

· Ten Individual Awards for Meritorious Conduct to firefighters from Boston, Bourne, Chelsea, Falmouth, Framingham, Massport, and Melrose;

· Eight Group Awards for Meritorious Conduct to teams of firefighters from Boston, Bourne, Framingham, Greenfield, Nantucket, Norwood, Palmer, Three Rivers, Turners Falls, Westwood; and

· Twenty-two Medals of Valor to individual firefighters from Bourne, Brookline, Chelsea, Lowell, Marblehead, Revere, Taunton, Turners Falls, and Westwood.

The State Fire Marshal’s Award for Critical Incident Stress Management was presented to three groups who help firefighters manage the stress and emotional tolls resulting from the performance of their duties. The Massachusetts Corps of Fire Chaplains, the On-Site Academy, and the Massachusetts Peer Support Network created and manage a system that promotes the health, fitness and well-being of Massachusetts firefighters.