2010 Medal Awards

A hellish house fire 14 months ago at 713 Marcellus St. produced the dramatic rescues of a man and his grandson — and eight of the medals and citations given this morning to 19 Syracuse Fire Fighters. 

Medal of Honor winner Kevin Cox and Arthur Jenkins Award winner Eric Szentmiklosi, both Fire Fighters, and the Francis Hendricks Medal winner, Lt. Frank Somers, all were cited during the Medal Awards Ceremony at the Palace Theatre for their actions that night.

Lt. Richard Talbot and Lt. Richard Buck received individual citations, Fire Fighters Rodney Mattison and Joseph Skardinski won a team citation and Fire Fighter Joseph Difabio earned an EMS Level 1 award for their work at the  April 20, 2009, blaze. 

Fire Fighter Joseph Gonzalski III, who won the Fire Chief’s Medal for his dedication to the profession and his fellow fire fighters. 

Fire Fighter Adam Smith, who won the Mayor’s Medal for his attempt to save the life of a motorcyclist injured in an accident that he encountered while traveling in Guilderland.

Lt. Lee Eckl, who won the Syracuse Officers Association Medal of Valor for his rescue Oct. 1. of a fire fighter whose air supply had run out while searching a smoky attic at 3009 S. Salina St.

Eckl also won an EMS Level One Award with Fire Fighter Erin McLaughlin, Lt. Richard Buck and Fire Fighter Paul Haynes for their work on March 18, 2009, to save the life of a 52-year-old man who was in full cardiac arrest.

Lt. Kelvin Chambers and Fire Fighter Timothy Visser, who won an EMS Level One Award for saving a man found lying on the street without a heartbeat or pulse on Sept. 10. The duo used CPR and a defibrillator on the patient.

Lt. Paul Cousins and Fire Fighters Michael Monds, Sara Errington and John Burns for saving a man found without breath or pulse after he fell out of his wheelchair on a busy downtown street.