For Immediate Release

Friday, April 13, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-9003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Shrewsbury Fire Department Holds Annual Awards Ceremony

SHREWSBURY – Chief James Vuona is pleased to announce that the Shrewsbury Fire Department held its third annual awards ceremony this week.

Chief Vuona honored six firefighters during the ceremony, which was held at Shrewsbury Fire Headquarters, 11 Church Road, on Wednesday, April 11.

Firefighters Michael Bowles and Kevin Weigold each received a Commendation Award for their quick response when a woman in labor arrived at Station 2 last October. The woman was on her way to the hospital when she realized she wouldn’t make it and pulled into the fire station parking lot. Firefighters Bowles and Weigold were able to quickly get the woman into the ambulance where she almost immediately delivered a baby girl.

Capt. Sean Lawlor was honored with the department’s Firefighter Achievement Award for his efforts as the director of Shrewsbury’s Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) program, teaching fire prevention, participating in school reading programs, and volunteering his time to help build a fire department themed play area for preschoolers at Parker Road Preschool.

Firefighters Jim Zach and Mike Guarino were presented with the Life Saver Award for reviving an 85-year-old Shrewsbury man who was suffering from cardiac arrest at his home last November. The man survived and several of his family members sent handwritten letters to the fire department, thanking the two firefighters for saving his life.

Firefighter Joe Milosz was given the Outstanding Firefighter Award for his endless contributions to the fire department. In addition to his traditional duties, Firefighter Milosz also serves as the department’s mechanic, fixes phones and computers, and even cut the cost of repairs to the department’s rescue truck in half by fabricating the metal himself.

As part of the awards ceremony, Shrewsbury resident Barbara Donahue was appointed as the department’s first honorary firefighter for her longtime support of Shrewsbury Fire. Over the years, the Donahue family has made several generous donations to the department, including weight room equipment, a rescue boat, and a new hovercraft to replace one that Donahue and her husband donated several years ago.

Chief Vuona presented Donahue with a Shrewsbury Fire Department jacket, T-shirt, hat and a badge.

“I am so incredibly proud of all the achievements our firefighters have made over the past year, and they should be recognized for their hard work and dedication,” Chief Vuona said. “It was also very nice to honor Mrs. Donahue for her and her husband’s continuous generosity to our department for many, many years. We can’t thank them enough for giving us such tremendous resources for Shrewsbury and our surrounding communities.”

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