Rotarians honor first responders with Al Filipov Awards
“Our motto is ‘Service above self,’ and Al Filipov exemplified that motto,” said Rotary Club President Jeanne Armocida.
On a ski trip in Japan, Acton firefighter Tim Lilley suddenly found himself in rescue mode.
As a first responder, Lilley was prepared. The emergency gear he brought proved necessary when he encountered a group trying to rescue someone who had plunged into a 20-foot snowpack-covered hole. Lilley organized his friends, used the gear they had carried, and helped pull the person to safety. His quick thinking skills, honed on the job, turned panic into relief on the mountainside.
That instinct to help earned Lilley one of three 2025 Al Filipov Awards from the Rotary Club of Acton, along with police Inspector Ron Holsinger and dispatcher Ryan Farrell. The award, named for the Acton resident killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks, honors first responders who go above and beyond their duties.
“Our motto is ‘Service above self,’ and Al Filipov exemplified that motto,” Acton Rotary Club President Jeanne Armocida told the crowd.
“As we honor the Acton Police Department, Fire Department, and public safety communications — who are our first responders sacrificing each day for the protection and safety of our community — they also exemplify the Rotarian motto of ‘Service above self.’ I believe that makes you all honorary Rotarians.”
‘The best call taker’
Lilley’s actions took place halfway across the world; dispatcher Ryan Farrell was recognized for his lifesaving work behind a console in Acton.
In one case, Farrell received a call from a mental health provider who had gotten a cryptic email containing only minimal identifying information and a vague threat of self-harm. Instead of dismissing it as too little to act on, Farrell dug deeper. He used persistence and investigative skill to uncover key details enabling him to identify the individual in danger. His work helped police carry out a timely welfare check, resolving the situation safely.
In another case, Emergency Communications Center Manager Stephen Johnson said in presenting the award, a hospital nurse praised Farrell as “the best call taker in 29 years as a nurse.”
“His contributions to our operations have brought credit to the entire public safety team and contribute to the overall safety of the town of Acton,” Johnson said.
On-site response
Police Chief Thomas Mulcahy presented Holsinger with his award, saying the inspector’s leadership was crucial during two incidents this year.
In one, he was first on scene at a serious motor vehicle crash on Route 2, where a person was trapped in a car. In another, he responded to a report of a pedestrian struck by an MBTA commuter train at West Acton Station. Recognizing the urgency, Holsinger applied tourniquets with the help of EMS and provided vital first aid, helping stabilize the man until additional medical support arrived.
“These are not just examples of professional excellence,” Mulcahy said to the crowd. “They are reflections of character. Ron Holsinger demonstrates the embodiment of Al Filipov daily: courage, compassion, and unwavering service to others.”
Filipov, a father of three, was an electrical engineer, a Boy Scout leader, a Little League coach, and a Trinitarian Congregational Church deacon. He was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 11 when terrorists crashed it into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Support amid grief
Rotarian Rick Copland highlighted a more somber reason to celebrate first responders during the event. He spoke of the tragedy in April when three Acton-Carlisle High School seniors, Jimmy McIntosh, Maisey O’Donnell, and Hannah Wasserman, died in a car crash in Florida.
Copland, a neighbor of the Wassermans, praised local police and fire departments for supporting the families, saying, “Their thoughtfulness, putting everything else aside to help these families in our community deal with unimaginable loss, was extraordinary. These families never had to think about the logistics; it was all taken care of.”
Each awardee also designated a charity to receive a donation. Lilley chose Good Sports, a non-profit that provides new sports equipment and apparel to children in high-need communities. Holsinger selected Team Sharing Inc., which supports families grieving the loss of a child to substance use disorder, and Farrell chose the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which helps injured veterans, Gold Star families, and first responders by supplying housing and other services.
