Watertown Firefighters Honored for Their Work During the Shootout with the Bombing Suspects

Five members of the Watertown Fire Department received Medals of Valor for their actions during the shootout in Watertown with the Boston Marathon Bombing suspects. The whole Fire Department was also honored for its work from April 15-19.

Governor Deval Patrick joined Public Safety Secretary Andrea Cabral and State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan Thursday to honor firefighters from 18 Massachusetts communities for heroic acts of bravery during the 24th annual “Firefighter of the Year” Awards ceremony. The ceremony was held at Kresge Auditorium at MIT.

“Firefighters across the Commonwealth responded to the horrific casualties in Boston, Cambridge and Watertown, instinctively using their training to save lives,” Coan said. “A firefighter never turns away. It is their very nature to run into the fray and help whenever they can.” 

The Watertown Fire Department's Lt. Arthur Geswell and Firefighters Patrick Menton, James Caruso, Douglas Wood and Timothy Donovan received the medals of valor for their efforts on April 19.

The Tsarnaev brothers entered Watertown after allegedly killing MIT Police Officer Sean Collier and car-jacking a vehicle in Cambridge. They got into a shootout with Watertown Police in which they used handguns and homemade bombs. 

One of the suspects received multiple wounds and was hit by a car driven by the second suspect. Three members of the WFD went in without protection and not knowing where the second suspect was, to help the injured suspect.

"Watertown Fire and Rescue responded to the call for medical assistance. Lt. Geswell, Firefighters Wood and Donovan were unable to access the scene by ambulance, so gathered their EMS gear and walked to the patient, some 100 yards away. In order to reach the downed suspect, these EMTs had to pass unexploded IEDs," according to the Fire Marshall's office.

In the shootout MBTA Police Officer Dic Donohue was critically wounded. Firefighters Menton and Caruso went in unprotected and got Donohue to Mt. Auburn Hospital, performing CPR along the way. 

"The fast actions and quick thinking of Firefighters Menton and Caruso were paramount in the survival of Officer Donohue," according to the Fire Mareshall's office.

Also Thursday, Watertown Fire Chief Mario Orangio accepted a Fire Marshal's Award for the Watertown Fire Department, which was honored along with Boston and Cambridge fire departments for their work from April 15-19.