Five Salisbury firefighters were honored Oct. 18 at the Valley Preferred Spirit of Courage award celebration hosted by the Lehigh Valley Burn Prevention Network.

Some 700 people, mostly first responders from throughout the region, gathered under a large tent set up on the campus of Lehigh Valley Hospital - Muhlenberg, along Schoenersville Road, Bethlehem, to honor the people in northeastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey who have risked their lives to save others from a burn or death by fire.

This is the 17th year for the awards, although the COVID pandemic interrupted the in-person gathering in 2020 and 2021.

Four of the five Salisbury firefighters were honored for their efforts at a residential fire along Byfield Street, in the eastern portion of the township, in February.

The citation for the award ceremony was written by Eastern Salisbury Fire Chief Ian Dodson who nominated the four.

It read: When firefighters arrived at a home on Byfield Street around 11 p.m. on Feb. 1, they immediately knew they needed to act quickly. Flames and smoke billowed from the home, and the resident’s car was in the driveway. Assistant Chief Ryan Chu, Safety Officer Dennis Takacs Jr., firefighter Richard Rolen and Western Salisbury Chief Joshua Wells immediately forced entry into the home and began a search. Working through high heat and smoke from floor to ceiling, they located the victim and his dog in the bathroom. The door was wedged closed. After removing the door, they got the man and his dog out of the house and began CPR. The fire was so hot that the doorbell, cabinets and copper piping were melted. Despite their best efforts, there was too much smoke and fire, and the man did not survive.

The four were featured in a video chat projected on a large screen behind the stage podium, as they talked about their rescue efforts at the fire. They were then called to the stage where they were presented with glass plaque awards to commemorate their rescue efforts.

The fifth honoree was Dev Kannan, a longtime Western Salisbury Volunteer Fire Company crew member and a professional firefighter with the Reading Fire Department.

The citation for Kannan and three other Reading Fire Department crew members was written by Michael Glore, deputy chief, City of Reading Department of Fire/Rescue Services, who nominated the crew for the award.

It read: Around 9 a.m. on an April (2021) morning, a Reading man called 911 when he smelled smoke coming from his neighbor’s row home. When he saw the owner’s car, he realized she was inside the home. He kicked in the door and tried to enter the home, but the smoke was too thick. When firefighters arrived, they were met with heavy smoke and flames from a fire in the basement. Firefighters Thomas English, Andrew Getka, Dev Kannan, Corbin Keiser and Kenneth Licwinko entered the home to search for occupants, in zero visibility. They were able to locate the stairs and began searching the second floor. When Keiser entered a bedroom, he was able to make out the corner of the bed and discovered an unconscious woman in the bed gasping for breath. He was joined by the other firefighters, who had to carefully maneuver within the tight space of the row home to bring her out. They knew speed was paramount when her gasping stopped. They were able to safely carry her out to waiting EMS. She survived, thanks to their efforts.

Kannan was recognized at this year’s ceremony because last year’s ceremony was curtailed by the COVID pandemic.