Two firefighters from Summit County will be among those honored May 12 at the Ohio Fire Service Hall of Fame & Awards in Columbus.
James Paulett of Richfield will receive the Ohio Fire Service Distinguished Service Award for more than 50 years of service, leadership and innovation in the fire service, according to a news release from the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s office. He has held every rank from trainee to chief and worked to modernize operations, strengthen response systems, and mentor generations of firefighters.
Paulett was with the Bath Township Fire Department for 37 years, retiring in 2011 as chief, according to Beacon Journal files.
Rodger Sansom of Mogadore will also receive the Distinguished Service Award. He has nearly 50 years of service and leadership in the Ohio fire service and the Mogadore community. He has served as a firefighter, EMT, state and county association president and longtime secretary-treasurer of the Ohio State Firefighters’ Association.
Sansom was a Mogadore firefighter for 38 years and served in Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.’s fire department for 13 years, according to a Record-Courier story. He was awarded the American Red Cross Hero of the Year award after he and fellow Goodyear firefighters saved a worker who was buried by 40 tons of coal, the report said, adding: “It took six hours to remove the injured worker, who survived the ordeal.”
The State Fire Marshal and the Ohio Department of Public Safety Division of EMS will recognize 10 people from Northeast Ohio at the 45th annual awards at COSI in Columbus.
Among those being honored are Keven Falvey, Gary Reed, Matt Watson, Christopher Young, Ryan Jeric and Kyle Friebertshauser, from the Painesville Township and Painesville City fire departments. They will receive the Fire Service Valor Award for their actions in rescuing a 20-year-old woman who was trapped inside a burning home.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Two Summit County firefighters to be honored with state awards
Reporting by Alisson Toro-Lagos, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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