Council Vice President Earl Persip III, left, President Peter White and Mayor Marchetti present outgoing Councilors Brittany Noto and Rhonda Serre plaques in recognition of their service. The two women did not run for re-election.

Pittsfield firefighters Matthew Mazzeo and Clarence Gunn with Gov. Maura Healey and state Fire Marshal Jon Davine at the annual Firefighter of the Year Awards in Worcester last month. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Two members of the Pittsfield Fire Department were recognized as Firefighters of the Year for rescuing a man from the ice in early 2025. 

At the end of November, Matthew Mazzeo and Clarence Gunn traveled to Worcester for the 36th annual Firefighter of the Year Awards held by the state Department of Fire Services. The two were honored for their Jan. 21 response to a fisherman who had fallen into the icy waters of Onota Lake. 

The Fire Department responded to the report of a fisherman falling through the ice about 7:45 a.m.  The person had gotten out of the water but had fallen back in, and the ice broke again while Mazzeo and Gunn were making the rescue. 

Mayor Peter Marchetti presented the two with certificates of recognition at the beginning of Tuesday's City Council meeting. 

Fire Chief Thomas Sammons explained that the two firefighters had to be tethered in cold water suits, and Gunn's suit failed, filling with freezing water. He and the fisherman were transported to Berkshire Medical Center for hypothermia and made a full recovery. 

"They were 300 feet offshore, so it was really hard to have communications, and everything happened all at once. They did a great job," he said. 

"We started pulling them in, and there was a layer of slush on top. It was really slow. Pittsfield Police responded. They donned life preservers and jumped right in. Everybody worked together for a very positive outcome." 

Sammons explained that the ice sled used for rescues also plunged into the water, and the two firefighters had to untangle the tethers to get the man and themselves to safety.  

"It was absolutely crazy, absolutely worthwhile of Firefighter of the Year," he said. 

Being the last council meeting of the year before the new term, outgoing Ward 2 Councilor Brittany Noto and former Ward 7 Councilor Rhonda Serre were given plaques in recognition and appreciation of their leadership in the 2024-2025 term. 

Noto did not seek a second term, and Cameron Cunningham will fill the seat after his victory in the Nov. 4 municipal election. 

Serre stepped down in October when she began teaching for the Pittsfield Public Schools. Katherine Nagy Moody will represent Ward 7 in the next term after she secured the seat over former councilor Anthony Maffuccio. 

Pittsfield's inauguration ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 5, at City Hall. City Clerk Michele Benjamin, ward and at-large councilors, and the School Committee will be sworn into two-year terms, and the council president and vice president will be elected. 

All four at-large councilors will return, and there will be new representation in Wards 2 and 7.  The School Committee is largely newcomers, with one incumbent, Daniel Elias, and former chair Katherine Yon. 

Kathleen Amuso, Alisa Costa, Earl Persip, III, and Peter White will be sworn in as at-large councilors; Kenneth Warren, Jr., Cameron Cunningham, Matthew Wrinn, James Conant, Patrick Kavey, Dina Lampiasi, and Katherine Moody will be sworn in as ward councilors; and Carolyn Barry, Ciara Batory, Daniel Elias, Heather McNeice, Sarah Muil, and Katherine Yon will be sworn into School Committee. 

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