Glen Cove honors first responders

The City of Glen Cove has created its first public service medallion and the City Council on Tuesday awarded it for the first time to nine first-reponders who saved a 19-year-old woman in a February house fire.

“It takes a special kind of individual to place themselves in harm’s way in service to others,” Mayor Ralph Suozzi said as he presented the medallions featuring the city seal.

In the early morning fire Feb. 15, the woman was found at the foot of her bed unconscious and taken out through a window in heavy smoke. She went into cardiac arrest and EMTs performed CPR before she was taken to Glen Cove Hospital and later the Nassau University Medical Center burn unit.

“This was just another example of the Glen Cove emergency services — police, fire and EMS — working together to save life and property in Glen Cove,” Suozzi said.

The award recipients were Glen Cove Volunteer Fire Department former chief Patrick Peet, Second Lt. Justin Valeo and former Captain Alexander Shakal; Glen Cove Police Officers Eddy Linares and Francis Pallone; and Glen Cove Volunteer EMS second assistant chief Matt Venturino, former chief Tom Kenary and paramedic and Capt. James Jones and EMT Jake Jacobson.