13th of 31 NYC DOC Medal Day 2011 NYCHS image pages | xx |
The first two-officer joint presentation of the proceedings took place when Meritorious Duty Awards began being bestowed. ADW Hazel Jennings and Captain Francis Walsh were honored for their leadership in responding to the July 11th roof fire at GMDC. |
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To NYC
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The following citation with the NYC DOC Meritorious Duty award to ADW Hazel Jennings and Captain Francis Walsh is taken from the Medal Day 2011 booklet.
ADW HAZEL JENNINGS & CAPTAIN FRANCIS WALSH, G.M.D.C. & CUSTODY MANAGEMENT
When a three-alarm fire erupted at
approximately 10 PM on July 11th on the
roof of G.M.D.C. Housing Modules 13 and
14, all staff on duty sprung into action to
ensure the safety of all inmates and staff. But
two of the most critical functions that night
belonged to Assistant Deputy Warden Hazel
Jennings, the on-duty Tour Commander at
G.M.D.C. and Capt. Francis Walsh, assigned
to the New Admission Monitoring Control
Unit.
ADW Jennings, a 22-year veteran,
immediately began implementing an
emergency response to ensure the safety
of all staff and inmates. She methodically
coordinated the actions of staff under her
charge, directed all appropriate notifications
and displayed true leadership by making
sure all staff and 241 inmates were quickly
and safely evacuated.
Captain Walsh, a 21-
year veteran, coordinated and supervised
the transfers of 60 inmates to other locations
within G.M.D.C. as well as 175 transfers
out of G.M.D.C. to various commands. He
also arranged for approximately 275 beds
in 5 other facilities as a back up plan.
The
leadership and professionalism displayed
by both Assistant Deputy Warden Jennings
and Captain Walsh, led to an efficient and
safe handling of what could have been a
disastrous incident. In a message to staff
the next day, Commissioner Schriro noted
there were no injuries to staff or inmates,
and commended staff on duty, stating:
“You performed your duties with absolute
precision and the utmost professionalism.. .A
job well done.
WEBMASTER NOTE: At Medal Day 2011 ceremonies in the George Motchan Detention Center (GMDC) on Rikers Island Nov. 15th, the NYC Department of Correction honored staff for heroic acts on and off the job, as well as for distinguished and exceptional on-the-job performance and community service. This New York Correction History Society (NYCHS) presentation features images derived from photos taken by NYCHS at the event as well as texts and images scanned by NYCHS from NYC DOC's Medal Day 2011 booklet distributed at the ceremonies. |
Preliminaries, 0 -- 8; DOC medals, 9 -- 15; Mayor's awards, 16 -- 18; Unit Citations, 19 -- 21; union awards, 22 -- 28; benediction, 29; booklet lists, 30 & 31. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||