By Michael V. Crismali, Correspondent
Every October, East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov and town council take time to publicly acknowledge the Firefighter of the Year for both East Windsor Volunteer Fire Companies.
At the Oct. 4 meeting, two individuals received their proclamations from the mayor, with members of their families and respective departments standing by to congratulate them.
From East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, the 2015 Firefighter of the Year is Robert Pycior. Mayor Mironov spoke about Mr. Pycior impressive reputation with the fire company and listed his accomplishments in the five years since he has been a member of the department.
Mr. Pycior was described by the mayor as being a role model for many of the newer firefighters coming into the company. He served as recording secretary in 2013, as engineer in 2014 and a lieutenant in 2015, where he currently still serves. He is also the chairman of the business and fund drive.
His work with the fire prevention committee has taken him to daycare centers and schools where he works to provide valuable education on fire prevention to the youth in the community. Mr. Pycior is highly regarded by his peers and is known as the “go-to guy” in his department.
When asked to say a few words, he responded by letting all in attendance know that it was the support of his fire company that helped him achieve this honor, reminding all that “there is no I in team.”
From East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company No. 2, the 2015 Firefighter of the Year is Bruce Cowper. Mr. Cowper joined the fire company in January 2015 as a probationary firefighter, having no previous firefighting experience. Shortly thereafter, he attended Burlington Fire Academy, and graduated in June 2015. He was later recognized at the Burlington County Chiefs dinner for having the highest GPA of all the Firefighter I attendees in the county for the year. After only one year in the department, Mr. Cowper took on the role of vice president of the company, where he continues to serve today.
During his time with the fire company, he has also sought to become even more valuable to his organization by proactively seeking out training classes to help improve his knowledge and abilities. Mr. Cowper has been able to accomplish this, despite the fact that he travels out of the country one to two weeks a month for work.
When Mr. Cowper was given the floor, he chose to take the time to praise the chief of his department, Steve Genthe, for his hard work and dedication stating that if he could give this award to him, he would.
