From Rookie Firefighter to Veteran Volunteer, 2014 Award Winners Convey a Commitment that Begins Early and Lasts a Lifetime
April 27, 2015 - Celebrating America’s firefighters for their bravery and commitment to fire safety, Liberty Mutual Insurance today announced recipients of its 2014 National Firemark Award. Firefighter Jordan Sullivan of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), Brooklyn Ladder Company 105, is being honored with the Liberty Mutual National Firemark Award for Heroism, and Lyle Dorschied longtime firefighter and current president of the La Farge Volunteer Fire Department in Vernon County, Wis., has earned the Liberty Mutual National Firemark Award for Community Service.
In recognition of these exemplary firefighters, Liberty Mutual Insurance will present grants of $10,000 each to the New York City and La Farge Fire Departments. The FDNY will use the funds for training purposes while the La Farge grant will enable the department to purchase new helmets for its firefighters.
Sullivan and Dorschied were among 130 firefighters to receive a local Firemark Award from a Liberty Mutual Insurance office throughout 2014. These local honorees were eligible for the national award, and the winners were selected by a committee comprised of fire safety organizations; including the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the National Volunteer Fire Council, the National Fire Protection Association and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have firefighters like Jordan Sullivan and Lyle Dorschied serving in our communities,” said Anthony Storm, executive vice president and Chief Marketing Officer, Liberty Mutual Personal Insurance. “We thank and honor them with the Liberty Mutual National Firemark Award for their invaluable efforts, spanning from a lifelong commitment to fire safety education in rural Wisconsin to life-saving rescues in New York City.”
Liberty Mutual National Firemark Award for Heroism
Firefighter Jordan Sullivan of the New York City Fire Department
Firefighter Jordan Sullivan was among the first responders to a fire in a residential building in Brooklyn after 2 a.m. on March 16, 2014. Sullivan was a rookie just three months in as a member of the New York City Fire Department. Soon after he arrived, he learned children were trapped inside.
Joined by fellow firefighters from Ladder Company 105, Sullivan moved expertly from room to room, staying low and without the benefit of visibility, since the building had been quickly overtaken by smoke and flames. Time was of the essence. Within minutes, Firefighter Sullivan located a baby, unconscious in a crib, and carried him to safety. Handing the five-month-old boy to another firefighter who placed a mask on the baby then returned to the building to assist his fellow firefighters. Days later, all children had fully recovered.
“Children are a gift- they’re our responsibility. I knew when I went into the home what I had to do. It’s what we train for every day,” said Sullivan. “I’m truly humbled by this award and share it with my fellow firefighters who demonstrate this courage day after day.”
The FDNY will allocate the funds from the Firemark Award to support the initiatives of the FDNY Foundation which promotes awareness and outreach to the public, training and support of members of the FDNY to better protect all who live, work and visit New York City every year.
Liberty Mutual National Firemark Award for Community Service
Firefighter and Department President Lyle Dorschied of La Farge (Wis.) Volunteer Fire Department
In rural communities across the U.S., volunteer fire departments, like the one Lyle Dorschied is part of, are truly the lifeblood of the community. Since joining the La Farge Volunteer Fire Department in 1973, Dorschied has seen and done it all – and, all that while, with an unwavering respect for the community.
Today, Dorschied wears two hats, serving as president of the La Farge Volunteer Fire Department and continuing in his longtime role as a firefighter with the department. Whether he’s helping to raise $70,000 for a fellow firefighter fighting cancer to battling a fire for nearly twenty hours, Doschied’s commitment is always on display on both the front lines and in the community. Among Dorschied’s favorite duties is lending his time and talents to the La Farge Volunteer Fire Department’s Fire Prevention program. Each year, he volunteers for the Pre-K through 2nd grade program at the fire station during Fire Prevention Week.
“After 41 years, Lyle still has the youthful enthusiasm he brought to the department back in 1973. His commitment is unmatched. He is still the first one in the fire station for emergency calls. As much as any one person can define a department, Lyle defines the La Farge Volunteer Fire Department,” said Fire Chief Philip Stittleburg. “We are also so appreciative of the donation from this award which will help fund an important priority for the department – purchasing new helmets for our 30 members.
About the Liberty Mutual Firemark Award
The Liberty Mutual Firemark Award is presented annually to U.S. firefighters who best represent their communities through courageous valor and who best demonstrate the firefighter’s selfless spirit. The award takes its name from the firemark, a leaden plate in the form of a Phoenix rising from the ashes, which American fire offices in the 18th and 19th centuries used to mark all the houses they insured. The firemark stood as a guarantee to all fire brigades that the insurance company that insured the house in question would reward them for extinguishing a fire on the premises.
The stories of Firefighters Sullivan and Dorschied, as well as past Liberty Mutual National Firemark Award nominees, are celebrated in video vignettes on the Liberty Mutual YouTube channel and on https://www.libertymutual.com/firemark-award. The website is also the destination for fire departments and the public to nominate firefighters in their community for a future Liberty Mutual Firemark Award. In addition, nominations can be made by contacting a sales representative within your local Liberty Mutual sales office.
About Liberty Mutual Insurance
Liberty Mutual Insurance helps people preserve and protect what they earn, build, own and cherish. Keeping this promise means we are there when our policyholders throughout the world need us most.
In business since 1912, and headquartered in Boston, Mass., today Liberty Mutual is a diversified insurer with operations in 30 countries and economies around the world. The company is the third largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2013 direct premium written as reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Liberty Mutual also is ranked 76th on the Fortune 100 list of largest corporations in the U.S. based on 2013 revenue. The company employs over 50,000 people in more than 900 offices throughout the world.
The fifth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual (libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance. The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 14,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.
Press Contact:
Glenn Greenberg
Liberty Mutual Insurance
617-574-5874
glenn.greenberg@libertymutual.com
