Local firefighters honored for lifesaving acts
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKBN) – The 44th Annual Hall of Fame and Fire Awards ceremony took place Wednesday in Columbus, honoring heroes across Ohio's fire service.
Out of 50,000 firefighters statewide, 22 were recognized this year, including three from Youngstown.
Scott Thomas, Tommy Gibbs and Joseph Koziel were honored for their bravery during the Realty building explosion last May. They risked their lives to save others inside the crumbling structure and received the Fire Service Valor Award for their courage.
'I think some divine intervention definitely played a key role in that,' Thomas said.
'Especially with the time of day and the occupancy of the building. We figured there were going to be a lot more people in there. Thankfully, you know a fire alarm got pulled and people got out,' Koziel added.
'It's changed the way I look at training and how I go about things… you can't train for every call, but we can train for how we're going to act on these calls,' Gibbs said.
In Trumbull County, Fowler firefighter and EMT Travis Birch was also recognized.
In July 2024, he rushed to a house fire in Vienna Township. Birch wasn't on duty, but that didn't stop him. He jumped into action and rescued a woman trapped inside.
'I was cooking dinner for my kids when they got off of school. We got called for an occupied house fire, so I responded from home in my personal vehicle. I had to pass the residence to get to the station, so I ended up stopping,' Birch said.
Birch didn't hesitate. Without any protective gear, he broke through a glass door and pulled the woman to safety.
He also received the Fire Service Valor Award.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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