Firefighters Honored at Monthly Meeting

Four firefighters from Allegheny County were recognized for their efforts at Friday’s monthly meeting of the ACVFFA, held at HVFD.  Those honored include Anthony T. Fabrize, Charles W. Guthrie, George Lantzy, Jr., and Nick Vay.  Thank you, not only to those four men, but to all of the fire fighters in and around Allegheny County who volunteer their time to keep us safe.

Check after the break for information about the honorees and photographs.

Anthony T. Fabrizi and Charles W. Guthrie were honored with one of two 2009 Heroism awards.  On October 5, 2009, Duquesne Annex VFC responded to a residential structure fire in the city of Duquesne, at 1018 Sherman Avenue.  The above two firefighters encountered deteriorating and dangerous conditions upon entering the structure.  An unconscious civilian was located by them under debris in the basement area.  The civilian was carried from the basement to the backyard and was given care by the two firefighters until EMS personnel arrived.  The civilian is alive and well, to this day, as a direct result of these two firefighters courageous action.  One other civilian jumped from a second story window and suffered injuries; one additional civilian died as a result of injuries sustained by the fire.

George Lantzy, Jr. was honored with the second 2009 Heroism award.  A woman had a heart attack while driving on the highway, and a quick-thinking truck driver, George Lantzy, Jr., a Turtle Creek Volunteer Fire Fighter, who knew he needed to stop her car, may have saved her life and the lives of others.  On March 4, 2009, a female was driving on U.S. Route 22 in Weirton, WV, when she suddenly became ill and decided to pull off the road, but she didn’t make it off before falling unconscious behind the wheel.  That’s when George pulled up beside her, drove in front of her, and slowed his vehicle down to allow her vehicle to tap his truck, bringing her vehicle to a stop.  The sequence was caught on Weiton Police Officer Tony Apesos’ dash cam video.  ”When we got the vehicle stopped, we ran to the driver’s side door and she was completely unconscious.  She started to come around, but had no idea what was going on,” Apesos said.

Nick Vay was honored to recieve the Firefighter of the Year award for 2009.  Nick Vay joined the Lincoln Boro Fire Department in 1961.  During the time from 1965 until 1989, Nick held every line position of the department, Fire Fighter, Engineer, Lietenant, Captain and Assistant Chief.

From 1976 until 1989, Nick held the position of President in Lincoln.  In 1989, Nick was elected Fire Chief and held that position until his retirement in 2008.  During his years, Nick volunteered to haul water to residents with Lincoln’s tanker, surpassing 1 million gallons of water hauled in 2008.  In 2009, after his retirement as Fire Chief, Nick remains on as Safety Officer for the department.

Nick is a life long resident of Lincoln Borough and a graduate from Glassport High School.  He is married to Dorothy Vay, life member and paramedic.  They have two children.  He is retired from USX Clairton Works after more than 30 years of service.  Nick began his career with the Lincoln Borough Police Department in 1961 as a patrolman.  In 1962, he was promoted to Lieutenant.  He held that position until 1964 when he was appointed Police Chief, a position he held until his retirement from the force in 1988.  In 1989, Nick was elected to council of Lincoln Borough, a position he held until 1993, when he became Mayor.