LONDONDERRY — Not every hero wears a badge, but in Londonderry, every hero gets the recognition they deserve.
Civilians were recognized alongside firefighters at the Londonderry pinning ceremony on Thursday evening.
The traditional ceremony of pinning badges to firefighters getting promoted took place in the main engine house of the Londonderry Central Fire Department. Friends and family gathered to see firefighters receive their pins, while community members were honored for various acts of heroism.
Nine community members were recognized for being citizen heroes, while 25 firefighters received promotions, including Chief Bo Butler who was appointed last year to his new position.
“Thank you for supporting the men and women of this department,” said Butler. “Thank you for supporting my firefighters. It is rare and unique and we cherish it.”
The first group of public citizens to be recognized was Katherine O’Brien, Erica Lussier, and Patrick Hills, who intervened at the Hannaford supermarket when an employee went into cardiac arrest in September 2023. O’Brien was a shopper, while Lussier and Hills were both employees.
LeBlanc said they were able to perform CPR until the Fire Department could arrive to take over care.
“They played a key role in saving this woman’s life,” LeBlanc said.
The second group of individuals who were recognized were four high school girls and a civilian who helped a parent and young child at the West Road soccer fields on Sept. 16, 2023.
The high schoolers, Steph Gervais, Abby Jones, Lyndi McKinnon, and Kate Sloper, had been coaching younger soccer players when one of the players noticed something was wrong with her father. The girls recognized the symptoms of cardiac arrest.
They called for help and Tim Porter, a passerby, helped remove the man from his car, and began administering CPR while the teens called 911.
“These young ladies also understood the necessity to remove the little girl from the situation and stay with her, providing comfort through this event,” LeBlanc said. “Kate, Abby, Lydia, and Steph also remained on the scene as a comforting presence.”
Nearly every firefighter in Londonderry was recognized at the ceremony for what they have done for the town. Town Manager Michael Malaguti said during his speech that this was the first pinning ceremony to take place in Londonderry since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Town Council Chair John Farrell said he was honored to be a part of the ceremony, and he wanted to recognize the firefighters and civilian heroes, but also pointed out the sacrifices made by the families and loved ones of those in the Fire Department. He said while firefighters are off making life-saving decisions, the people at home waiting and hoping they come home are just as amazing to him.
“I stand in a room of amazing people; I stand in a room of heroes,” Farrell said. “What’s more amazing than the things I see these heroes around me do every day, is their families. All of you who support these people who protect this community, you’re at home taking care of them, worrying about them, waiting for them to come through the door and rejoin your family.”