Firefighters, officers will be honored

By ELISE FRANCO

Six members of the Canfield police and fire departments are honored for saving lives.

CANFIELD — Because of their quick action in saving the lives of residents during an apartment fire, members of the police and fire departments are being awarded the Medal of Gallantry.

Chief Robert Tieche and Capt. Bill Jones, both of the Cardinal Joint Fire District, will honor four Canfield firefighters and two Canfield police officers Thursday.

They’re being recognized for the rescue of six people from a second-story window after The Villager apartment complex caught fire in July.

“They were instrumental in saving lives, and they showed initiative and capability in what they did,” Tieche said. “They did a lot in a short period of time to save those lives. We are very proud.”

The four firefighters being honored are Mark D’Angelo, who’s been with the department for five years; Bill Wilkenson, eight years; Jason Gilsta, two years; and Ralph McMahan Jr., one year. The two police officers are Lance Malone, on the force for two years, and 14-year-veteran Mark Meshula.

The awards ceremony will be at 4:45 p.m. in the city council room at Canfield City Hall, Lisbon Street. The Cardinal Joint Fire District’s regular board of trustees meeting will immediately follow the ceremony.

Tieche said the men, who arrived on the scene first, saw that the residents had broken a window to get out, but were trapped inside the building.

“These guys pulled ladders up to the window and got those six people out of there before they even got started on the fire,” he said. “This shows that what firefighters are hired to do is protect lives and property, and that’s exactly what they did.”

Canfield Police Chief David Blystone said he is excited for his officers.

“Obviously it’s a very dangerous event, and things happen fast, especially in an apartment fire,” he said. “For both the fire and police to go in like that with the smoke the way it was, it’s pretty impressive.”