Fifty brave members of the FDNY were honored for their heroic live-saving actions during the annual FDNY Medal Day Wednesday.

“Today, we celebrate the best of the best. The incidents that truly are hair-raising, truly our remarkable and truly our heroic,” said FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker.

The ceremony was held at City Hall. Mayor Eric Adams was in attendance.

“The fullness and the full scope of what you do go far beyond putting out fires. Your ability to be trained and always ready and always prepared – it is amazing to see displayed,” said Adams.

Among the top medal recipients: firefighter Michael D. Kotzo, who received the Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci Jr. Medal and New York State Fire Chiefs Association Medal.

Back in February of 2024, Kotzo helped with two rope rescues from the rooftop of a burning Harlem apartment building at 149th Street and St. Nicholas Place to save three people dangling from the window of the top floor.

“I was thinking of getting in position, trying to get my roof guy to the roof because we knew we had people trapped, hanging out windows,” Kotzo said.

Drone video shows Kotzo dropping firefighter Jason Lopez down the building with the rope. At one point, Kotzo had to support the weight of one victim with only his arms as he was lowered to the ground.

“I’m just grateful to be where I am and I’m just happy everything worked out,” Kotzo said.

In all, three rope rescues were performed during the fire, which left one person dead and 17 injured. A total of six FDNY members received awards for their actions during the fire.

EMTs Mitchell Tarnapolsky and Amber Black received the Christopher J. Prescott Medal for rescuing two children from the waters off Coney Island on July 6 of last year.

Tarnapolsky, who was a lifeguard prior to joining EMS, swam to the teens, grabbed one who was going under and told the other to grab hold of the fist teen’s legs before leading them back to shore.

“As I’m going to the first victim and as I get him he’s telling me his brother is in the water as well,” Tarnapolsky said. “While we’re swimming back, I tell him to grab his brother and we’re all swimming back together.”

Meanwhile, Black monitored from the coastline while radioing the FDNY and Parks Department about the rescue operations.

“I think it’s just always stressful, but I feel like there’s a point in this job where your adrenaline kicks in and you just kind of go into action and you don’t think about it,” Black said.

The rescue Tarnapolsky and Black performed was a relief for first responders after recent drownings, including the previous day when two teen sisters drowned off the waters of Coney Island Beach.

And the month prior, two teen boys drowned after going into the water at Jacob Riis Park.

Since 1869, the FDNY has awarded a medal for the highest act of bravery by a firefighter or fire officer annually.

The Chief of Department Peter J. Ganci Jr. Medal, which firefighter Kotzo received, is the department’s highest award for a meritorious act for members of fire operations.