Late firefighter honored with Distinguished Service Award

The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal along with the Ohio Department of Public Safety Division of EMS recognized 14 Ohio firefighters for their dedication in going above and beyond the line of duty.

The state held its 37th annual Ohio Fire Service Hall of Fame and Fire Awards ceremony, Sept. 21 at the Division of the State Fire Marshal in Columbus.

Fire Services highest honors were awarded to firefighters and fire officers during the ceremony where four fallen firefighters were included in 16 awards.

“The Ohio Fire Service Hall of Fame and Fire Awards ceremony exemplifies the bravery, commitment and the sacrifice that Ohio’s fire personnel make on behalf of the communities they serve each and every day,” a news release from the Ohio Department of Commerce states.

Among those honored was the late Michael L. Palumbo Jr., whose career in firefighting spanned almost 25 years. During that time, he served as a fire captain in his hometown with the Willowick Fire Department while also serving as SWAT medic, a member of hazmat team, honor guard and fire captain with Beachwood Fire Department.

Palumbo, who lost his battle with occupational brain cancer May 24, was awarded the Ohio Fire Service Distinguished Service Award, which was presented to his wife Chrissy by Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor while his two youngest sons looked on.

Despite going through seven hospitalizations, three brain surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, Palumbo — knowing his family probably wouldn’t benefit from it — still worked to get the Senate to pass the stalled S.B. 27, the bill which would allow firefighters to file a claim with Worker’s Compensation for presumptive occupational cancer.

He succeeded, and with his family present, watched as Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed S.B. 27 into law as the Michael Louis Palumbo Jr. Act on Jan. 4, just a little more than four months prior to his death.

The bill passed almost unanimously through the Senate after Palumbo used his own story of his 22-month battle with cancer as part of the testimony before the Senate, according to the his profile as a Hall of Fame recipient.

“I was overwhelmed with emotions today,” Chrissy Palumbo said of the ceremony.

“It was very nice to see Michael get an award for his distinguished career.”

For longtime friend and fellow firefighter Lt. Bill Mastroianni, of the Euclid Fire Department, it was more than just the getting the bill passed.

“It was nice to see a man honored today for the many lives he touched throughout his career,” he said.

It is noted in his Hall of Fame profile that Palumbo was a husband, father, brother, firefighter and friend to all who passed from this earth too soon.

Palumbo “is a great credit to himself, the Willowick and Beachwood Fire Departments, Ohio’s fire service and the State of Ohio,” it states.

Palumbo