Awards for Monroe's Bravest at Holiday Dinner

Members of the , , and volunteer fire departments gathered for their annual holiday dinner held at on Dec. 17. The fire chiefs of the three departments, Mike Klemish, Bill Davin, and Bob Galbraith acknowledged the efforts of all volunteer firefighters serving the town of Monroe during 2011 and the sacrifices and support given by their families.

Chief Klemish then presented unit citation awards to two crews of volunteer firefighters for their efforts in rescuing three trapped occupants who were seriously injured when their vehicle left the road and crashed into a tree. The accident, which occurred on Stanley Rd. around 2:30 am on June 26, 2011, caused significant damage to the car, forcing firefighters to remove all of the vehicle’s doors and its roof to gain access to the trapped occupants. With the nearest ambulance coming from Bridgeport, firefighters and police officers rendered medical aid to the three badly injured victims and helped package them for transport to area hospitals.

"These firefighters' training, skills, and experience led to all three young occupants surviving the crash, and their actions during this stressful incident are to be commended,” said Klemish, who oversaw the emergency operations that night.

Receiving the unit citation awards were Stepney volunteer firefighters Ken Benedict, Jim Mace, Scott Rose Sr., Scott Rose Jr., and Steven Rose along with Monroe volunteer firefighters Jonathan Brown, Kevin Catalano, Jon Krchnavy, and Dan Syzmanski. Klemish also recognized volunteer fire-police members Ray Luvara and Ron Zimmer for their prolonged role in redirecting traffic while police investigated the accident.