Rice and 5 Others to Receive Firefighter of the Year Awards

Six veteran Peabody firefighters will receive a special honor next week at a ceremony out in Worcester -- they will be named Firefighters of the Year.

Those six firefighters are Deputy Chief Eric Harrison, Capt. Dale Kimball and Paul Rheaume, Paul LaPlante, Stephen Pellegrini and posthumously James Rice.

Peabody Fire Chief Steven Pasdon says he nominated Kimball, Rheaume, LaPlante and Pellegrini this summer for their heroic save of a Peabody teen from a fiery car wreck last December.

Rice, of course, is honored for making the ultimate sacrifice at a three-alarm house fire two days before Christmas, and it was Harrison who actually pulled Rice from the building and tried to save his life.

The award is bestowed by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security's Heroic Awards Committee. Gov. Deval Patrick, state Fire Marshal Stephen Coan and Public Safety and Security Secretary Mary Elizabeth Heffernan will make the presentations on Dec. 18 to the Peabody contingent and other firefighters being honored that day.

The 23rd annual ceremony is 10:30 a.m. at Mechanic Hall in Worcester.

Pasdon says he has encouraged all off-duty Peabody department members to attend.