Honors for two Rockville Centre heroes

Rockville Centre heroes Sal Giallombardo and RVCFD Assistant Chief John Busching were honored on April 21 by the Nassau Fire Commission for their respective acts of bravery.

Giallombardo was stopped at a red light on Lakeview Avenue on March 31, 2009, when he saw flames coming from the third floor of a house. He told his wife to call 911 and ran over to the building. He pounded on the door to alert the residents to the danger and then, when informed that there was still a young man on the second floor, went into the building and got him out.

Busching was one of the first to respond to a fire on North Village Avenue on June 28, 2009. He suited up and went into the building. Upon entering, he met a fellow fire fighter who lived in the building and a RVCPD officer who informed him that there was an elderly couple on the third floor, but the heat and smoke stopped the officer and fire fighter from being able to get to them. Busching made his way to the third-floor apartment of the couple and helped them escape from the building, even carrying one of them out to the street.

For their heroism, both men were honored by the Nassau Fire Commission. Giallombardo was awarded the Fire Commission's Civilian Award and Busching received the Silver Medal of Valor.