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At the 2002 Visioning Sessions, local youth decide what is important to their future.They do not receive a salary. They must complete hundreds of hours of intense training and examinations. They are called from their safe and cozy homes at all times of the day and night in all weather conditions. And they risk their lives every time they respond to an emergency call. They are volunteer fire fighters.
Last week, the Mastic Fire Department, on Mastic Road in Mastic, hosted the annual Suffolk County Fire Academy's Medal of Valor ceremony which honored 22 volunteer firefighters from throughout the county.
Awards for valiant service above and beyond the normal expectations of a firefighter were presented to recipients who were cited for heroism and categorized into Gold, Silver and Bronze medal category classifications.
This years' medal winners included:
Gold Medal winners: Richard Prudente of the Huntington Manor Fire Department, Daniel Coffey of the Farmingville Fire Department; William Nichols of the St. James Fire Department; and Andrew Brofman, Chief Fire Marshal, Village of Lake Grove, Civilian Gold.
Silver Medal Winners: Frederick Steenson, Jr. and John C. Glidden III of the Huntington Manor Fire Department; Robert F. Hulse, Jason Craddock, Robin Miller, Edward Smith and Brian Butler of the Bay Shore Fire Department.
Bronze Medal Winners: Donald Gleason, Erich Gehm, Jr., Thomas O'Keefe and Joseph Losquadro of the Centereach Fire Department; Brian Ward, Matthew Cordaro, John Sohl and Kenneth Newman of the Patchogue Fire Department; Joel Moreira and Robert Highland of the Bay Shore Fire Department; and Nicholas Olenczuk of the Nesconset Fire Department.
