WORCESTER, Mass. — The men and women of fire departments across the commonwealth go beyond the call of duty every day.
Their work includes truly remarkable rescues and acts of heroism.
On Tuesday, their valor and excellence was recognized in Worcester at the Firefighter of the Year Awards.
It is rare to see an emergency the way firefighters see it.
FOX25 covered a Weymouth fire in May and witnessed just how intense the rescue was. Firefighter Gary Walsh called the circumstances a "close call."
“The smoke was down to my feet,” Walsh said. “We couldn't see a hand in front of our face and we heard a woman say ‘help me, help me.’"
You could see just how violent the fire was from outside the building. It was a rescue that proved to be the most extreme circumstance of Walsh's career.
“I reached out and I felt her shoulder and her arm and I pulled her close to me and I realized she had a baby with her," Walsh explained.
He took off his own mask to put it on their faces as he brought them to safety.
He was honored Tuesday for his heroics and he wasn't alone. More than 50 firefighters from Boston to Bourne and from Scituate to Swansea were recognized for their bravery.
Some were nominated for Firefighter of the Year.
FOX25 has had a firsthand view of some of these very close calls.
In Lynn, firefighters risked their lives to save dozens of people in a December fire that claimed four victims.
In January, flames trapped a Saugus firefighter who was barely able to escape. So too was the family, who were given back a family heirloom, pulled from the ashes by the department.
At the ceremony, governor Baker said firefighters are cut from a different cloth.
“If there's one thing I know about this community; it is a calling. Certainly it’s a profession and a well-trained one, but it is a calling,” Baker said.
They were sentiments echoed by Walsh.
“You sign up for this job, because, when someone calls for help, you want to be that person that can be there to help them out,” he said.