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Firefighters name officers for '06
By REBECCA CRUSE
Capital
Journal Staff
Friday,
December 09, 2005
In
every town there exists a group of people who put their lives on the line to
protect the community and its citizens.
In Pierre and Fort Pierre one of those groups is made up of volunteers. On
Wednesday night, the Pierre Volunteer Fire Department honored those men and
women at its annual awards banquet.
Three major awards were presented to firefighters who spent the last year
diligently working above and beyond the call of duty for the city of Pierre and
rural areas.
Nominations for Rookie Firefighter of the Year included Leon Ellis from Engine
1, Heath Harter from Engine 2, Nathaniel Gough from Engine 3, Brandon Fleagle
from Engine 4 and Theron Hawley from Ladder Company No. 1.
Firefighter of the Year nominees included Curt Hasart from Engine 1, Ken Marks
from Engine 2, Ryan Collins from Engine 3, Chuck Kevghas from Engine 4 and Bob
Coolidge from Ladder Company No. 1.
The nominees are selected from each firehouse based on their overall service and
contributions to the department at emergency response, meetings, training and
community activities.
Leon Ellis was awarded the Rookie of the Year, and Firefighter of the Year went
to Ryan Collins.
The Marso Award is a special honor given each year based on the recipient’s
service, participation, responsibility, motivation, cooperation and positive
attitude.
Bruce McIntire received the Marso Award.
The rest of the evening offered humorous anecdotes from Greg Baker, volunteer
fire chief and master of ceremonies.
Baker recognized and thanked special guests at the event including law
enforcement, city and state officials, members of the Fort Pierre Fire
Department and Rescue Squad, emergency response units, dispatchers, media and
the families of the firefighters.
A slide show documenting the work provided by the department was shown, followed
by a presentation from firefighter Curt Hasart, who recently returned from
Louisiana after working with FEMA on disaster relief.
The evening even included a proposal from one of the rookie firefighters to his
girlfriend, who was celebrating her birthday.
Tom Dravland, South Dakota’s secretary of public safety delivered the keynote
address, telling the department members that he has always been proud of the
Pierre Fire Department.
“People know that they can count on you, no matter what,” Dravland said. “It’s
important to recognize the sacrifices that you make and your families make.”
Dravland also told the award recipients to remember that their awards mean just
as much to the rest of the department as they do to them.
Part of Dravland’s address focused on disaster conditions in South Dakota. He
again commended volunteer emergency response teams for all of their efforts
following the recent blizzards and warned the department that the next emergency
may be centered around pandemic flu.
“Everyone needs to be ready to battle it,” Dravland said. “You will. I think
it’s incredible what you do. This is one of the three ISO certified departments
in South Dakota. You meet the resourcing commands of the community whenever we
call day or night.”
Story by:
REBECCA
CRUSE
Capital Journal, Pierre, SD
www.capitaljournal.com
For more information about the Pierre Fire
Department, e-mail the PFD
webmaster.
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