Six Firefighters Receive Medals of Valor at White House

Six firefighters were among fifteen Medal of Valor recipients who were honored by President Joseph Biden on Monday.

Nine police officers were also awarded for efforts that took place between 2019 and 2021.

2019-2020 Recipient

East Wayne, OH, Fire District Assistant Chief Ryan Sprunger was off duty when he responded to a call about several individuals who fell into a frozen pond.

Without any thermal protection, and equipped with nothing but a throw rope, Sprunger jumped into the freezing water to rescue the victims – a grandfather and his two grandchildren.

He pulled the grandfather and one child out, and guided medics who arrived to the second child – demonstrating extraordinary courage to save lives.

2020-2021 Recipients 

FDNY Firefighter Abraham Miller rappelled down from the roof of a burning residential building – without a solid anchor for his rope – to rescue a five-year-old girl being held out a window by her grandmother. 

He smashed the glass, reached through heavy smoke, and saved the little girl before they were lowered six floors to safety.

Jared Lloyd, a 2nd Lieutenant with the Spring Valley, NY, Fire Department, repeatedly rushed into a burning nursing home to carry out elderly residents who couldn’t escape in their wheelchairs and walkers.

As flames engulfed the building, Lloyd ran back in one more time to make sure no residents were trapped, ultimately sacrificing his life as the building collapsed – and demonstrating heroic actions to protect innocent civilians.

Lloyd, along with other Rockland County firefighters, rescued all 112 residents. 

Three Stamford, CT, firefighters were honored for their rescues during a blizzard.

Firefighters John Colandro, Michael Rosero, and Chad Titus dove into freezing water to rescue two trapped occupants of a truck that was rapidly sinking below the waterline.

After rescuing one victim, the truck fully submerged and facing strong offshore winds, the rescuers then broke a glass window – while underwater – and successfully pulled the remaining passenger out to safety.