Last Thursday, Citizens Appreciate Public Safety (CAPS) held its annual fire department awards ceremony at Mesón Sabika. Over a dozen first responders were recognized for their outstanding efforts.
A hurricane water rescue, an outreach initiative, and the department’s 150th celebration were all honored as part of the program.
“All of the wonderful things that the last 150 years have brought the Naperville Fire Department aren’t possible without the people that actually are the ones that carry that out. One of the most important reasons we’re here tonight is to honor those people,” said Deputy Chief Phil Giannattasio.
Naperville firefighter who participated in Hurricane Helene relief efforts recognized
To kick off the awards ceremony, the Naperville Fire Department was honored with the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Humanitarian Award for its role in the statewide mutual aid support system.
Lieutenant Chuck Gros was also awarded by MABAS for his recent relief efforts in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene. Gros was part of MABAS’ specialized water rescue team, Illinois Task Force 1 (IL-TF1), where he searched for and rescued storm victims in flooded areas.
“It’s my honor, every time to go out the door. It’s just an honor to go out there and represent Naperville, represent the state of Illinois. It was absolute devastation in North Carolina. Far worse than anything that you saw on the TVs. Far worse than any story you probably heard and they’re still living that. So my heart is still there with them,” said Gros.
Following the MABAS awards, the Naperville Fire Department Cadet of the Year Award was given to Aiden Pufundt, and the Naperville Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Coordinator’s Award was presented to Riccardo Pressiani.
CAPS Fire Department Awards
The CAPS awards were given out by its board members. Eleven firefighters, paramedics, and lieutenants were honored by the group.
“This year’s award recipients run the gamut, from responding to emergencies to exhibiting great compassion to building new programs to meet the constantly evolving needs of our residents. They are well deserving of recognition,” said CAPS Chairman, Wes Wernette.
The Board of Fire and Police Commissioners’ Award was presented to Captain Mike Ryan for his outstanding leadership.
“Mike played a pivotal role in implementing and organizing the payroll system, ensuring that all his colleagues received their paychecks on time. This was not a small feat given the complexity of our fire department schedule,” said CAPS Commissioner Shafeek Abubaker. “He is known as one of the best mentors in the department with a career spanning 24 years in the Naperville Fire Department.”
George Winckler Award
The ceremony concluded with its top honor, the George Winckler Award.
Taking home his third honor of the night was Lieutenant Bill Kostelny, this year’s recipient for his role in developing the Community Advocate Response Team (CART), launched to respond to non-emergent calls for mental health, senior care issues, and other support services.
“The teams that I’ve been part of, they all relate back to the Naperville Fire Department patch, and all the people that were way before that I never had an opportunity to meet. I do not take it lightly to walk around with that patch on my shoulder, it means a lot,” said Kostelny. “To my family that has always supported me, thank you so much. They’re my team, my rocks, and I love those three women more than anyone will ever know.”
Full coverage of the award ceremony will be posted later on the NCTV17 website.
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