2 Tewksbury Firefighters Will Be Honored For Their Heroism And Bravery

TEWKSBURY, MA — Two Tewksbury firefighters will be honored for their outstanding acts of heroism and bravery, the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services announced last week.

Lt. Robert Keddie and Capt. David Carney will receive Heroic Awards at the 33rd annual Firefighter of the Year Awards Ceremony, which will take place at 10 a.m. on Nov. 18 at Mechanics Hall in Worcester.

The acts of bravery for which Keddie and Hall will be honored took place on Sept. 18, 2021, when the pair were among the Tewksbury FD personnel who responded to an automatic fire alarm activation at an address on Saunders Circle.

According to the Tewksbury FD, there was no sign of fire when the firefighters arrived. However, upon investigation, Carney found heavy smoke coming from an end unit.

At that point, Keddie entered the unit to search for the resident despite not having the protection of a hose line, the Tewksbury FD said.

Keddie located the resident, who was semi-conscious and unresponsive in the bathroom and was suffering from burns on his body and airway, the department said.

Keddie began to extricate the victim from the smoke-filled unit. He was met by Carney, who assisted in bringing the victim outside. Carney then rendered medical care, authorities said.

The TFD said a Boston Med-Flight was requested, and the flight arrived and air-lifted the patient to a Boston hospital.

Tewksbury Fire Chief Joseph Kearns said the victim recovered, which Kearns said was due to the quick and decisive action of Keddie and Carney.

"It is my opinion that if these actions did not take place as quickly there would have been a tragedy that day," Kearns said.

At the Nov. 18 awards ceremony, firefighters from several Massachusetts departments will be honored for their heroism and bravery, including from: Ashby, Bellingham, Berlin, Bolton, Eastham, Fall River, Hopkinton, Lawrence, Lynn, Nahant, Natick, New Bedford, North Attleborough, Springfield and Stoughton.