The Spokane Fire Department held their second annual meritorious awards ceremony on Friday night. The event honors Spokane Fire Department employees and citizens who have made a difference in the community in 2007. Here is a list of honorees.
Fire Comm. Center Manager –Jay Atwood
Heavy Equipment Mechanic – Charles Marshall
Fire Equipment Operator – Jeremy Morasch
Fire Equipment Operator – Paul Peterson
Administrative Secretary – Sue Raymon
Fire Equipment Operator – Carl Raymond
Fire Lieutenant – Terry Smith
Fire Equipment Operator – Donald Waller
Deputy Fire Marshal - Tom Heckler
Fire Dispatcher - Gay Jenkins
Administrative Secretary – Charlene Walt
Fire Comm. Center Manager – Erv Williams
Fire Captain – Mike Zambryski
On July 6th 2007 PL 13 was called to treat a gentleman suffering from heat exhaustion. The patient was a contractor working for the homeowner and was in the process of building a detached garage and setting up for a central AC unit to be installed when he collapsed. A cement truck was also on site and had just finished pouring the footings for the garage and the slab for the AC unit. As the patient was being loaded into the ambulance he had asked PL13 to spray the concrete with water since it could be up to 2-hrs before another contractor could arrive to finish the job. PL13 did try to help with keeping the concrete wet, however we had a simultaneous multi-alarm apartment fire and other incidents which took priority. While enroute to other incidents, PL13 had dispatch call off-duty Firefighter Dan Wilson which was able to coordinate with a citizen Tony Hatcher which had concrete tools. By the time PL13 was able to return to the scene, Captain Wilson and Tony Hatcher were able to save the footings for the garage and made the slab useable. This tremendous gift of community service has made for a huge positive boost to the homeowner and also definitely added value to the neighborhood.
In December 1974, a faulty wall heater started a fire in Carolyn’s small home in Cheney that nearly took her life. Burned over 65% of her body, Carolyn was injured too seriously to risk transport to the nearest Burn Center in Texas. Her life path, changed in a moment from her anticipated career as a model, was marked by a year in the hospital where she endured excruciating treatments. In the following years, she had 30 surgeries in an effort to reconstruct her body and correct problems created by the burns and scar tissue.
Throughout these years of reconstruction, Carolyn saw too many young patients die from the effects of burns. She was determined to do everything in her power to prevent another child from the agony of burn recovery and to save a parent the pain of losing child and home to fire.
In October 1990, Carolyn saw a TV feature on a Children’s Fire Safety House in Texas and recognized the tool that she dreamed could be made available for children in Spokane as well. She set to work linking the Spokane Fire Department with business and civic groups as she shared her own story as well as her hopes for a mobile Children’s House. The 10 area Rotary Clubs inspired by her vision pledged to help build the Children’s Fire Safety House.
Since its first day on the road in November 1992, the two-story Children’s Fire Safety House has provided over 30,000 persons (mostly 3rd and 4th graders) with a hands-on experience in preventing and surviving fire. Carolyn not only helped coordinate the construction and curriculum details, she even helped paint the exterior of the House as funding for workers ran low.
Carolyn spoke about Fire Safety for the SFD whenever and wherever requested. She never turned down a request, no matter the personal toll it sometimes took to be vulnerable to an audience so that the message of burn and fire prevention could be heard clearly enough to affect change in their home safety practices.
The Spokane Fire Department has dearly missed Carolyn’s presence since she left in September 2006 to help with ill family members. Her boots will not be filled, but her message continues in the Children’s Fire Safety House and in the hearts and minds of those she taught.
Criteria: The Special Unit Citation is awarded to any unit, within the Department which has worked together toward a common goal. The Citation is awarded for a specific performance of exceptional quality
On November 24, 2007 LT Mark Vietzke, FEO Groe, FEO McNamee, FF Chad Shaw responded as the crew of Ladder 4 to a fire in a three story wood frame apartment building with heavy fire showing on arrival. The company located three tenants and their dog seeking refuge from the flames on the roof of the structure. Ladder 4 quickly deployed their aerial device to the roof, ascended the ladder and escorted the tenants to the ground into awaiting ambulances. Ladder 4’s crew exemplifies the finest traditions of the fire service in the preservation of life.
Criteria: The Meritorious Service Award may be presented to any member of the Department who performs one or more of the following:
- An act of intelligence and valuable service, demonstrating special dedication or perseverance.
-Highly credible acts of fire service over an extended period of time.
-Continuous professionalism
- Submission of a device or method designed to increase efficiency in an administrative or tactical procedure, which is subsequently adopted by the Fire Chief.
LT. Brian Faulkner and Captain Dave Haworth – Both officers are members of the SFD’s Technical Rescue Team. Over the past two-years, they have spent countless hours of their own time researching, designing and building our Urban Search/Rescue props which allow our personnel to train on life-saving procedures in a safe and realistic environment. The props are of such good quality that National USAR instructors commented that the props were the best they have ever scene. These two members collaborated together with a vision and have seen it through completion
Retired Deputy Fire Marshal Tom Heckler – Tom Heckler has demonstrated a long career marked by special dedication and commitment to the preservation of the SFD’s history. His vision for a SFD museum continues to emerge as demonstrated by the room in this facility and his continued dreams for a stand alone building.
LT. Dale Treichel -- Over the past 10+ years Dale has distinguished himself in all aspects of his duties as the EMS Quality Improvement Officer. He is attentive to detail and he works well with the field personnel and external customers. Of special note are two of his recent endeavors. The first is the County protocol committee. Dale identified that there are ongoing issues with the protocols. He formed a protocol review committee for the County Council and chairs that committee. Monthly the committee reviews issues with our protocols and the group has made major improvements in those that have been reviewed. Secondly, the recruit class needed help to get through the EMS/EMT requirements. Dale committed himself fully to managing and performing the required EMT written and skills evaluation tasks for the recruits. He authored the EMT test, he prepared all of the equipment and scenarios for the practical exams and he spent countless hours evaluating the recruits. In fact as I write this he is just finishing the last of the recruit evaluations.
Firefighter Dan Wilson – As explained on the Citizen’s Community Service Award previously; on July 6th 2007 FF Wilson received a phone call from PL 13 requesting help. The help wasn’t a debit day, trade time or any other type of emergency staffing problem—it was simply a call from his coworkers because they knew he was dependable. FF Wilson and Tony Hatcher worked together to finish the concrete work at the previously mentioned scene. For this tremendous example of leadership and community service, Dan Wilson’s peers nominated and approved the Meritorious Service Award.
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