Left to right: State Senator George Logan, EMT Cameron Hunt, ARMS Chief Jared Heon, Firefighter Eileen Krugel, Fire Chief Ed Adamowski, Firefighter Eileen Ehman, Police Chief Kevin Hale, Detective Brian Harte, Mayor David Cassetti, Rotary Club President Lori Veillette.
Four outstanding first responders in the City of Ansonia were celebrated Tuesday evening at the Ansonia High School cafetorium.
The 19th Annual Service Awards dinner was organized by the Ansonia Rotary Club to recognize outstanding service in the community. The four honorees were: Eileen Ehman and Eileen Krugel, Ansonia Fire Department; Detective Brian Harte, Ansonia Police Department; and Cameron Hunt, Ansonia Rescue Medical Service (ARMS).
On hand to recognize the achievement of the outstanding servicemen and women were State Senator George Logan — who brought citations from the General Assembly — and Mayor David Cassetti, as well as several regional Rotary leaders in RI District 7980.
Eileen Ehman was the second female firefighter in the City when she joined Hilltop Hose Co. #5 over twenty five years ago. Since then she has obtained certification as Firefighter Level 1, served on the Hilltop Executive Board and been captain of the Ansonia Fire Police. A graduate of SCSU, Eileen is an integral member of the Ansonia Public schools administration — when not volunteering — assisting the school system to garner and manage grants, among other duties.
Eileen Krugel was the first female firefighter in the City and is certified at Firefighter level I and II. She served previously as Lieutenant, as well as on the Hilltop Executive Board and captain of the Fire Police. Her relationship to her avocation reaches throughout her family — her husband, Jerome Fainer, is a past fire commissioner and captain of the Fountain Hose Co., while her stepson, Jay, is a past captain of Charters Hose Co. Her past work as City grants writer has led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to the City and its fire companies. She is currently employed by the City of West Haven in a similar capacity.
Detective Harte has served 21 years on the City’s police force. A veteran of the Marines, he was promoted to detective two years ago. He has distinguished himself by his calm professionalism, level of competence, and training of fellow officers in several specialty areas.
Cameron Hunt earned an emergency medical responder certification at the age of 14 in order to volunteer for the Oxford EMS junior program. He joined ARMS in 2016 as a volunteer observer, and came on to paid staff in 2017 after receiving his EMT certification. Cameron is known for his dedication to service and has already assisted in a childbirth and several largescale emergencies. His dad, Ryan, is an assistant chief and his role model.
Sponsors of the event included the Valley Community Foundation, Liberty Bank and Crave Restaurant. The Ansonia Rotary Club meets at Crave Restaurant, each Tuesday, at 12:15PM. The public is invited.
