But on March 29, he got a taste of that job when he raced into a burning Ridge Avenue home and pulled a critically injured man to safety.

For his courage, he was awarded the Medal of Valor, the department's highest honor, at a Thursday City Hall ceremony honoring about 225 officers.

While responding to the early morning fire, Jones, an officer for about four years, heard a man screaming and calling for help.

He saw Javis Holliday, his body burning, lying on the ground in a rear doorway.

"The fire was blazing out of the door with the intensity of a blowtorch," said Jones, who dragged Holliday outside.

"I never thought I would experience anything like that" as an officer, he said.

Because Holliday's daughter and 1-year-old granddaughter remained trapped inside and died, Jones tried to enter the house, but the fire was too intense.

Holliday died April 16 in at Bridgeport Hospital's burn unit.

While saddened at the deaths, Jones appreciated the honor. "I feel very grateful," he said.

The awards covered events from 2003, the last time department held an awards ceremony.

Officers Jason Amato, Damien Csech and Sean Lynch, who were given Medals of Merit for "courage in performing their duties in a stressful situation."

The three officers shot and killed a baseball bat-wielding man charging at them in an apartment hallway last September, said Lt. James Viadero, the master of ceremonies. They were cleared of wrongdoing in that shooting. Several other officers involved in that incident were also honored.

Amato and Officer James Borrico were also involved the fatal shooting of a man May 3. Meanwhile, a new honor, the Purple Shield for officers seriously wounded in the line of duty, was unveiled at Thursday's ceremony.

Officers Jessi Pizarro and Hugh Tobin were the first to receive the award.

Pizarro, who was shot in the shin in March 2004, took nearly a year to return to duty. He said he still has physical problems from the injury.

But after receiving his award, Pizarro said, "I'm feeling good." He added that the awards boost morale.

The shooter is serving a 20-year prison term.

Pizarro's partner, Officer Brian Pisanelli, was awarded the Combat Cross for helping arrest the shooter.

"I think it's a great award," Pisanelli said. "It's great to be recognized by the department for that horrific incident."

"My partner is lucky to be alive," he added.

The ceremony also honored six civilians, several FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency agents, U.S. marshals and several state and federal prosecutors for work in different Bridgeport cases.

In his opening remarks, Thomas Kanasky Jr., chairman of the Board of Police Commissioners, called for an annual awards ceremony. "Unfortunately, we have been remiss," he said of the three-year gap between ceremonies. "This should not be repeated."

Having too little recognition of officers "ranks close to dereliction of duty," he said.

"An annual ceremony should be the rule," he added. "Our men in uniform deserve no less."

The ceremony drew a four-person protest at City Hall.

One of the protestors, community activist Lyle Hassan Jones, said they came when they heard that John Biehn, a former officer acquitted of attempted murder charges Thursday, was receiving awards. Biehn, a decorated officer, resigned in late 2004 after he was accused of drunkenly rampaging through the Marina Village public housing complex and firing his weapon, while off-duty. No one was hit.

Viadero said Biehn's three awards were based on work he performed as an officer.

Biehn did not attend the ceremony.

The demonstrators also protested the awards given to Amato, Csech and Lynch in the shooting of the man with the baseball bat.

Aaron Leo, who covers regional issues, can be reached at 330-6222.