Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Fire Commissioner BJ Calvi, SPS Superintendent Dr. Dinnall, the Gerena School Community and Springfield Fire Department joined at Gerena on Tuesday to recognize, thank, and celebrate a fifth grade Gerena student, who has been hailed as a hero, because of his quick-thinking, bravery and swift actions, which alerted twelve other occupants to a fire, along with dialing 911.
Gerena fifth grader Israel Payne’s prompt actions prevented loss of life and injury due to the fire on May 19th, 2026 on Longview St., Springfield, MA.
Mayor Sarno stated, “It was a great day to celebrate Gerena fifth grader Israel Payne, who took heroic steps to save not only structure, but lives on May 19th. Israel was very humble, and not only is his school community, but the entire Springfield community appreciative for his actions that day. Today, we recognized Israel with several different accolades, including a special proclamation, that declares today, June 2nd, 2026, as “Israel Payne Day’ in the city of Springfield. I hope this is a lesson to all of our youth, if you see something, say something. Israel, you are the definition of a hero, and on behalf of the city of Springfield- thank you.”
