By O’Ryan Johnson
BOSTON — Even people whose job it is to save lives every day can go further and impress people with extraordinary acts of courage and kindness.
Some of them were recognized last night at the Boston EMS annual awards banquet at the Marriott Copley Hotel.
Among those singled out this year was EMT Michael Vojak,who traveled to Haiti with three other EMTs in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck there in January. He went back in July with his wife, who is an emergency room nurse. The couple stayed for two weeks and paid all of their own expenses during the stay. Vojak was given the David Lashman Humanitarian Award.
Given the Medal of Valor were EMT Robert Stearns and Lt. Denis O’Keefe, who were the first to arrive at a burning building on River Street in Mattapan. Despite heavy smoke conditions, the two men raced inside several times and pulled 14 people safely from the building, including one man on crutches.
Copyright 2010 Boston Herald Inc.