September 19, 2023

On Sept. 15, seven employees received FirstEnergy Hero Awards for their acts of courage and compassion by coming to the assistance of an injured or at-risk person. President and CEO Brian Tierney hosted an awards ceremony for the recipients – as well as their guests, nominators and members of our leadership team.

“It’s a privilege to honor those who made a tremendous difference in another person’s life and it’s important to celebrate their selfless acts of courage and caring. Thank you for exemplifying FirstEnergy’s core values and for your ongoing commitment to the safety and welfare of community members and the FirstEnergy family. You are an inspiration to us all,” Brian said.

Here are our 2022 Hero Award winners in the gold, silver, bronze and honorable mention categories:

Steve McLaughlin, Line Serviceman, Ohio Edison Warren Line Dept.

Steve saved the life of his neighbors, an airplane pilot and son who crashed in the front yard of his home. He used fire extinguishers from his truck to hold back the flames and pulled the pilot and his son from the wreckage before the plane was completely consumed with fire.

Nominator: Matthew P. McAleer, Supervisor, Regional Operations Line & Sub West, Ohio Edison “Steve’s actions were unmistakably heroic. Without question, the pilot and his son would have perished if Steve had not acted as a first responder. Steve put his own life at risk by holding off the flames with a fire extinguisher. He unbuckled the son who was burned but conscious and helped him out of the plane. He then helped the unconscious and injured pilot by pulling him out of the wreckage before the entire plane was consumed by flames. As others were coming to aid, Steve continued to suppress the fire with his extinguisher and took command by instructing others to call 911 and the fire department. I’m so proud of Steve and his selfless actions, risking his life to save the pilot and his son.”

Thane Wolford, Regional Dist. Systems Operator West, Ohio Edison

Thane was reading a meter located in a fenced area in the back of an Akron residence. Two teenagers were near a pool. One of the teenagers jumped in, thinking he could swim. He was bobbing up and down in approximately nine feet of water. An elderly woman who was there with the teens asked Thane to help. While she called 911, Thane jumped in the pool and saved the boy from drowning. The customers at the property thanked Thane for his efforts.

Nominator: Tyler R. Pifer, Supervisor Regional Meter Reading, Ohio Edison

“Thane could easily have read the meter and continued a long his route, ignoring the commotion. Instead, he stopped to help save the teenager.” 

Bryan Blankenship, Underground Electrician, The Illuminating Company

While working an overtime assignment, Bryan and his partner stopped to take their meal break. While eating, another guest started choking. Bryan jumped up and performed the Heimlich maneuver and dislodged the piece of food stuck in the diner’s throat.

Nominator: Craig A Montagner, Underground Electrician A, The Illuminating Company

“Bryan acted without hesitation and put into practice what he learned in our annual FirstEnergy training. He saved the other diner’s life.”

Zach Piper, Lineworker A, Penelec

During a December church service, an elderly woman sitting next to Zach fell unconscious. Zach reacted immediately by laying her down in the aisle and performing CPR. With the help of another church attendee, Zach managed to bring her back to consciousness. She was then taken to the hospital for further evaluation. Without Zach’s quick thinking and selfless actions, the woman may have died or sustained permanent damage from a lack of oxygen. That outcome would have been a grim variation to what happened.

Nominator: Ty Carter, Supervisor, Regional Operations, Line & Sub West, Penelec

“Zach took the initiative to lead the situation because he knew what was at stake and he knew the right thing to do. He performed CPR on a stranger because he understands and cherishes the value of human life and is willing to protect it.”

Gerard Weis, Distribution Technician Substation IV, JCP&L

Last December, Gerard (Gerry) Weis received a phone call from relay tech Alek Stulic because he was running late. Gerry spoke with Alek almost daily, so immediately he knew there was a serious problem. Alek wasn’t making sense. He couldn’t recall his assignment that day, the substation name, location, or the names of his coworkers. He was using one-to-two-word phrases instead of complete sentences and some of his words were incoherent. Gerry’s former EMT experience kicked in. He knew Alek was experiencing a medical emergency, so he remained on the phone with him while quickly enlisting the help of the JCP&L Distribution Control Center in Morristown, New Jersey, to locate Alek and call EMS to the scene. Alek was rushed to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery. Gerry’s intuition and quick action made all the difference. Alek had experienced a stroke and because he received prompt medical attention, his outcome was much different than it could have been.

Nominator: Abe Amawi, Director of operations, JCP&L

“Gerard saved Alek’s life because he has a passion for people. He stuck to his intuition and his training to get the employee the help he needed.” 

Billie Minninger, HR Representative III Akron/Fairlawn

When Billie discovered that a coworker was homeless, living in their car, with one outfit to wear and no way to shower, Billie took this person into her home. She laundered her coworker’s clothes and purchased several new outfits. In addition, she found affordable housing for this person to rent and worked with a local auto dealership to replace the muffler of their car at no charge. Billie also spoke to her dentist who agreed to give this person a free cleaning and checkup. She took her coworker under her wing and guided them to get new car tags and car insurance. She basically gave this person a new start.

Nominator: Ann Rosa, retired Administrative Tech III, Akron/ Fairlawn

“Billie is deserving of a hero award because she did this out of so much compassion and without expecting anything in return. She is amazing.”

Sue Peffley, Senior Business Analyst

While driving her daughter to horse-riding lessons, Suzi was traveling behind a bicyclist heading toward a set of railroad tracks. The cyclist turned his head to glance back, he hit a dip in the road, lost control of the bike and crashed. Suzi immediately stopped, activating her hazard lights to slow advancing traffic, and got out of her vehicle to see if the cyclist was okay. She helped him up, gathering his bike and water bottle, to get them off the road. He was covered with road rash and the front wheel of his bike was broken beyond repair. The man did not want an ambulance called, so Suzi offered to drive him to the hospital. He wanted to go home because he was concerned that his wife would be too upset to drive safely if he called from the hospital. When they got him home, Suzi and her daughter waited while his wife called an ambulance, then drove her to the hospital. Suzi’s daughter missed her riding lesson that day, but she got to witness her mom being the cyclist’s hero.

Nominator: Maggie Myers, Manager, FEU Process Improvement

“Suzi should be recognized for her actions that day, not just because of what she did to ensure this man’s safety and well-being, but because it’s her mode of operation in all instances. She is always looking out for others and in a year of tragedy for her and her family, she continued putting others first.”

Honoring Heroes Since 2015 The FirstEnergy Hero Awards program was introduced in early 2015 and to date, 53 employee heroes have been recognized. A selection committee representing business units across the company reviews nominations and recommends a slate of nominees to President and CEO Brian Tierney for final approval of Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honorable Mention award recipients. Selection Committee: Shane Bauman, business manager, IBEW Local 245; John Hawkins, vice president, Operations Support & Distribution Engineering; Nikki Price, vice president, Talent Management; John Rea, retired, vice president, Safety and Human Performance; and Sherry Scheeler, director, Labor/Emp Relations & Corp Safety.