3 Youngstown firefighters receiving state honor for downtown explosion response
During the Northeast Ohio Fire Service Hall of Fame and Fire Awards Ceremony, three local first responders will be honored for their bravery during the building explosion in downtown Youngstown in 2024.
On May 14, the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of State Fire Marshal and the Ohio Department of Public Safety Division of EMS will honor 10 northeast Ohio firefighters in Columbus.
Almost a year after the explosion at the Realty Tower Building in Youngstown, firefighters Scott Thomas, Tommy Gibbs and Joseph Koziel have been selected to receive the Fire Service Valor Award.
Akil Drake, 27, was killed and several people injured in the natural gas-fueled explosion that started in the basement of the Realty Building at 47 E. Federal St. in downtown Youngstown.
Drake was working at the Chase Bank inside the Realty Tower at the time of the explosion.
Amid the significant destruction, the three firefighters “risked their lives to initiate daring rescue efforts and save the lives of others,” according to the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s office.
First responders and local non-profit organizations also helped displaced residents who lived in apartments in the top floors of the building.
Fire Service Valor Award recipient Travis Birch will also be recognized at the ceremony for rescuing a woman from her burning Vienna Township home in July 2024.
Birch was at home when he overheard an emergency call about a house fire located just two miles away.
Despite having no protective equipment, he took immediate action, breaking through a glass door of the burning home and pulling the injured woman to safety where she could be treated.
The forty-fourth annual Ohio Fire Service Hall of Fame and Fire Awards ceremony is at 2 p.m. on May 14 inside Gallery I at COSI, located at 333 W. Broad St. in downtown Columbus.
They’ll be honoring the following 10 individuals from across the state in the following categories:
2025 Ohio Fire Service Hall of Fame & Fire AwardsCitizen’s Award:
- Justin Thompson, Ford Amsbaugh, Kevin Jarvis, and Ronnie Smith (Ontario, Richland County)
- Bill Hershberger and Karl Mounts (Wayne County)
- John Ehrsam and William Serries (Fulton County)
Fire Service Valor Award
- Travis Birch (Trumbull County)
- Larry Walters (Medina County)
- Schott Thomas, Tommy Gibbs, and Joseph Koziel (Mahoning County)
Ohio Fire Service Distinguished Service Award
- Brian Peterman (Holmes County)
- Paul Wright (Montgomery, Hamilton County)
- David Michael Young (Highland County)
- Jim Newland (Ridgeway, Hardin County)
- David Gaffney (Bloomingdale, Jefferson County)
Ohio Fire Prevention Educator of the Year: Melissa Gammell (Summit County)
Ohio Fire Service Instructor of the Year: Douglas Robinson (Cuyahoga County)
Ohio Fire Officer of the Year: Kevin Joseph Watts (Franklin County)
Ohio Fire Department of the Year: Colerain Township Fire and EMS (Hamilton County)
