5 East Haven firefighters win Rotary honors

06/26/2007

5 E. Haven firefighters win Rotary honors

Mark Zaretsky , Register Staff

EAST HAVEN — The five firefighters didn't go dashing into the burning, smoky apartment building at 500 Main St. in March 30 in hopes of someday winning an award or being honored for their bravery. Yet there they were at Bella Notte Monday night, accepting plaques and proclamations in front of 160 people at the Rotary Club's annual Officer Installation and Awards Dinner because of the reason they did dash into the Trolley Park Apartments while firefighter Joseph Ciscone operated the pumper truck: to save a woman's life.

Save her life, they did.

The honorees are: Battalion Chief Robert Celentano and firefighters Frederick Parlato, Brian Wilonski and Wayne Palmer.

Parlato, searching through smoke so thick he couldn't see his hand in front of his face, found her leaning up against a door inside the bathroom and with Wilonski operating a hose to keep the flames at bay, the others all helped carry her outside, where Palmer, a paramedic, worked to stabilize her until an ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital.

For that, the five firefighters — who saved the woman's life while the rest of the Fire Department was still en route — were awarded the Rotary Club's ninth annual Public Safety Award. The Rotary Club also presented a Public Safety Award to police Detective Troy Raccuia, who recently retired after 20 years on the job and was honored for his contribution over the years.

"It's with deep honor that I'm graced" with the task to honor the five, said Fire Department Assistant Chief Paul Cahill, pointing out that "they'd say they were just doing their job."

Nevertheless, "Today, a young woman is alive because of the courageous work that they've done," Cahill said.

At the meeting, presided over by outgoing Rotary Club President Jack Leary, the club also installed its new slate of officers for the coming year: President Robert Parente, President-elect Dan McCann, Treasurer Ben J. Mazzucco Jr., Secretary Mary Ann Ambrosio and Sergeant-at-Arms Joseph Buonome.

The awards followed.

The five firefighters were nominated by Fire Chief Douglas Jackson and Assistant Chief/Training Officer Chuck Licata.

State Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, presented proclamations on behalf of himself and state Sen. Leonard Fasano, R-North Haven. Leary presented them with plaques on behalf of the Rotary Club.

Celentano, chosen to speak on behalf of the five, admitted being a little nervious, saying, "I'd rather be running into a burning building with these guys than reading this to you right now."

But he thanked the Rotary Club for the honor and said that the incident "just seemed to us like any other day on the job."

He told the story about how they arrived, were told someone was inside the burning apartment and immediately turned the mission into a search rather just an extinguishing operation even though the rest of the Fire Department had yet to arrive.

Mark Zaretsky can be reached at mzaretsky@nhregister.com or 789-5722.