One of the Bryan firemen who died in last year’s Knights of Columbus Hall fire is being recognized next month at an international conference. Family members of Lieutenant Greg Pickard will be accepting the Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award during the Fire Department Instructors Conference in Indianapolis. Downey lost his life on 9-11 while commanding rescue operations following the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center.
Click HERE to read more about the Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award.
News release and photo courtesy of the city of Bryan:
Lieutenant Gregory Pickard has been honored with the 2014 Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award by Fire Engineering magazine. This prestigious award is given each year to one person who demonstrated an extraordinary act of courage and valor. Lt. Pickard was chosen for his heroic actions in the rescue attempt of Lt. Eric Wallace, ultimately sacrificing his life.
Lt. Pickard was a member of the rapid intervention team (RIT) at a fire in the Knights of Columbus hall on February 15, 2013. Without hesitation, he led a crew into the hall to rescue Lt. Wallace. Lt. Pickard chose to remain inside the burning building until other members of the team had been removed.
Lt. Greg Pickard had been a Bryan firefighter for 32 years. Pickard, 54, was an original member of the Bryan Fire Department technical rescue team and was the rescue team commander for many years. He was the Rescue Division Commander during the Texas A&M University Bonfire Collapse, was a former member of Texas Task Force 1, and was instrumental in establishing many of the firefighting operations used by the Bryan Fire Department today. Pickard was a resident of College Station and was a 1977 graduate of Italy High School. A loving husband, father and grandfather, he is survived by his wife Susie; his son Jacob, “Jake,” who is a firefighter for the City of College Station; his daughter Robin Carpenter, and her husband Michael; and three grandchildren. He loved Texas A&M, Aggie Football and playing golf.
This award will be presented posthumously to his family at the Fire Department Instructors’ Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis on April 9, 2014. Last year, more than 30,000 attendees traveling from 55 countries attended FDIC.
The Ray Downey Courage and Valor Award commemorates the life and career achievements of Deputy Chief Ray Downey, who lost his life while commanding rescue operations at the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. In the spirit of the heroism displayed on September 11, this award recognizes extraordinarily courageous American firefighters each year. The award is named in honor of Deputy Chief Ray Downey, who as part of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue program, helped Governor Frank Keating after the Murrah Building Bombing in Oklahoma City in 1995, and a 39-year veteran of the Fire Department of New York. Downey lost his life when he elected to remain in the World Trade Center to save others on September 11. He was the most highly decorated firefighter in the history of New York.