West Valley City Fire Department
Meritorious Cross: Awarded to
a member who has performed an act of bravery or heroism to aid another while
not on duty.
Captain Brett Russell
Sr. Firefighter Scott Pearson
On Easter Sunday morning at
approximately 0715 hrs, Captain Paramedic Brett Russell and Firefighter
Paramedic Scott Pearson had left work after a 48 hour shift. I-215 had reports
of 20-30 traffic accidents and slide off’s because of severe weather conditions
so they both went a different route home. Driving in Salt Lake City they
encountered a vehicle that slid off the off ramp near Bangerter and I-80 and
rolled over. The driver of the vehicle was ejected and had several life
threatening injuries including bi-lateral femur fractures, and a collapsed
lung. Captain Russell and FF Pearson stopped to render first aid. The patient
was unconscious and in critical condition. They opened her airway, took c-spine
precautions and rolled her over and treated her as best they could with no
medical equipment.
Captain Clay Coles of the
Salt Lake City Fire Department and his crew arrived on scene and continued care
of this patient. He stated that he truly believed these two off duty firefighters
saved the life of this woman with their actions.
For 7 month after the incident
we were not aware of the actions taken by these two individuals. I was on a fatal
rollover on I 215 and Captain Coles assisted our crews. After the incident he
approached me and proceeded to tell me how appreciative he was to these two men
for the help they rendered on that Easter morning and wanted to know who they
were. Nothing was ever mentioned about this incident by the firefighters. I am
sure they felt like it was just another day at work. They have been good
employees and excellent paramedics. Their contributions to West Valley City go
unrecognized every day. I believe that their humble attitudes and actions on
that cold morning should be recognized as heroic and honorable.
Rookie of the Year: Awarded
to a first year suppression employee who has shown excellent learning skills,
superior performance, and a desire to gain skills, knowledge, and education to
be successful and valuable to the WVCFD.
Firefighter Luke Williams
Not very often in this field
of labor does an individual come along who is naturally cut out for all aspects
of the position of FF. FF Luke Williams is
one of those rare few. These kids come out of boot school wound a little tight
and afraid to make mistakes. Not Luke. He is always first in line to try and
learn something new, a hard charging, self starter who has obviously put in his
book time and practical hands on time. He is a great communicator, very polite,
and goes out of his way to help everyone. It has been a pleasure having Luke in
the station, on the crew, and in the classroom. His insatiable hunger for
knowledge and experience has challenged those on his crew and in the classroom
to keep up with him. He is well liked and respected by everyone in the
department and he understands how important it is to treat every citizen with
respect and uphold our public image. Luke is currently in paramedic school
which shows his motivation and desire to serve.
Outstanding Service to the
department: Given in recognition to the individual who puts forth the extra
work from day to day that enhances the quality of service that our department
can provide to the community.
Deputy Fire Marshal Carl
Andreasen
Deputy Fire Marshall Carl
Andreasen is a valuable asset to the West Valley City Fire Department. On several
occasions I have witnessed Carl’s willingness to go above and beyond the call
of duty. When Carl is off, he is never off. Even when he had knee surgery he
answered his phone and was always willing to help the crews with problems,
answering questions from concerned business owners and citizens. I have also
seen Carl while conducting business inspections, discuss issues with business
owners and remain calm and kind throughout the conversation, which is extremely
hard to do sometimes, and by the end, they have given Carl a pat on the back
and thanked him with a smile. Carl has an amazing work ethic and a knowledge of
the fire codes that is second to none. Carl is truly one of those silent heroes
behind the scenes who truly deserves recognition for his work. He is a humble man
and wears his badge with pride.
Outstanding Service to the
Department:
Sr Firefighter Bill Miano
Sr. Firefighter Bill Miano in
the past several years has written numerous grants for the West Valley City
Fire Department that has directly benefited the firefighters in their work and
helps keep us safer. Our department has been awarded just under 2 million
dollars in federal funding. Because of these grants we have been able to
purchase SCBA communications equipment, and upgraded SCBA’s which is valuable
for our firefighters while working in hazardous conditions. We were also able
to acquire a new Thermal Imaging Camera which helps us in or firefighting
efforts to provide a better service for the citizens and keeps us safer while
performing our job. We have also been able to increase our staffing by receiving
a SAFER grant which helped increase our minimum manning and our ability to
function as fully staffed crews in emergency situations. These funds have directly
impacted our ability to fulfill our goals as a department.
Outstanding Service to the
Department:
Sr. Firefighter Mary Lindsay Vonk
Sr. Firefighter Mary Lindsay Vonk
has been working in the Fire Prevention Division this past year and in that
time has consistently demonstrated her ability to help the citizens feel that
they are an important part of our community and are contributing to make our
future better. Mary spends countless hours with the elderly population to make
their lives better and safer, which contributes to their quality of life and
longevity. Mary also does an incredible job with the schools in the community
by teaching the students how to be safe in their homes and schools. She is
truly a good person who will do everything she can to make our lives better.
Mary spends countless hours of her own time and I am sure at times, her own
money, to complete assignments and responsibilities that directly benefit
others. When Mary sees a need, she goes full speed, 100% of the time until it’s
done. Mary is the best example I know of service, to the citizens and the members
of the West Valley City Fire Department.
Instructor of the Year: Given
to recognize the extraordinary efforts of a member to share their practical
knowledge or innovations by providing training to other firefighters, their company,
battalion or the department.
Captain Chuck Cruz
To Captain Chuck Cruz every
call is a chance to learn. I don’t believe anyone that has worked with chuck
has not come away a better EMT or Paramedic. Chuck regularly gives up his time
in an effort to teach and train all those who are around him. Chuck takes a
special interest in the probationary firefighters and newly trained paramedics
that he comes in contact with. Quoting from a new paramedic that Chuck spent
time with, much if it off duty, stated; “I recently completed my probation as a
FF and Paramedic and had many mentors that helped me put into practice what I
learned in paramedic school, but Captain Cruz went above and beyond as a
mentor, instructor, and professional coach. He would come in on his days off to
teach me in great detail about the ins and outs of a particular drug or EKG
rhythm, or how a drug works, or intervention is applied. He openly shared his
philosophies about what makes a great FF/Paramedic and provide advice on the
non-clinical aspects of the job. From EMT school, to the Fire Academy, to
paramedic school, Captain Cruz is by far the best instructor I have ever had.”
While others choose to sit around and maintain the status quo, Chuck takes the
time to teach whenever he can. He has an unselfish desire to help those he
works with.
Firefighter of the Year:
Awarded to a firefighter that has shown superior performance, compassion, and
motivation.
Sr. Firefighter Mike Reardon
Sr. FF Mike Reardon is an
extremely dedicated FF and he loves his job. He truly enjoys helping the
citizens of our city and he always treats them with true respect. He always
shows his professionalism regardless of how insignificant the call. To Mike every
call is important. He is an excellent paramedic and takes advantage of every
opportunity to learn. Last year Mike flew back East to participate in a new
test bank for the National Paramedic Test.
Mike is very well liked by everyone in the department. He is an
excellent mentor for the young firefighters that work with hm. He is currently
one of the instructors for our new recruits and they struggle to keep up with
him. They all admire his work ethic and look up to him as a great example of
what a firefighter should be. A couple years ago a young boy was severely
burned here in West Valley City. He sustained 3rd degree burns to
his face and upper body. After his release from the hospital, this young boy
was having a difficult time in school. Many of his classmates made fun of him
and he struggled to fit in because he obviously looked different. Mike found
out about his problem through a family friend and went out of his way to help
this young boy adjust to his new life. On his own time and with his own funds,
Mike had a West valley City Fire Department sweatshirt made and visited his
class and presented it to him and made him feel like he was a very special
young man. This is just one example of Mike’s willingness to serve others and
does so with a great attitude.
Caduceus Award: Awarded in
recognition of a members critical judgments and actions in performing life
preserving or life resuscitative efforts for severely injured or ill patients.
Sr. FF Zach Hatch
FF Cody Fisher
On June 30, 2012 Medic
Ambulance 74 was dispatched to a Cardiac Arrest/ Possible Choking, as all other
West Valley units were at an apartment fire. Paramedic Zach Hatch and Paramedic
Cody Fisher arrived and found an elderly female outside on the patio,
unconscious, cyanotic, with a respiratory rate of 4. Upon visualizing the patient’s
airway, there was a large mass of food in the patient’s trachea. They were able
to remove some of the obstruction but the large mass was difficult to reach.
The patient was loaded in the ambulance for a rapid transport to the emergency
room. In route to the hospital, several attempts were made to remove the
obstruction but were unsuccessful. The decision was made to perform a Surgical
Cricothyrotomy to remove the obstruction as the patient’s condition continued
to deteriorate. Prior to arrival at the hospital, these two paramedics
successfully removed a large piece of steak from their patient’s airway. The ER
staff was surprised that this procedure had been done prior to their arrival
but noted that the patient most likely survived because of the actions taken by
Zack and Cody. The patient was recovering quickly from the surgery and gave the
family a smile and a thumbs up. These men performed a very difficult procedure
under very difficult and stressful conditions. They are to be commended for
their professionalism and incredible success serving the citizens of West
Valley City.
Officer of the Year: Awarded
to an officer who has shown superior performance, guidance and motivation.
Retired Battalion Chief Dean
Williams
Battalion Chief Dean Williams has the ability to set
the bar of expectation to an attainable height for himself and all those who
work for him and sets a great example of what a fire officer is and should be.
Chief Williams is usually the first to take advantage of a training opportunity
and is always strongly suggesting to his guys to take classes to better
themselves and be prepared for anything and everything. Dean always provided
training opportunities for his crews and demanded quality performance and
continued participation and was so persistent that the department now
recognizes Dean training as the norm. Dean’s philosophy that he demanded was
that everyone goes home when their tour was over, healthy and hopefully better
than they were before. Dean was always willing to show that he cared about his
crews, but didn’t stop there. He was also concerned about our families, so much
so that he set up a training session with the wives and families of the new and
veteran firefighters, to help them understand and manage the different dynamics
that this job brings to the otherwise normal lives that they were used to. As a
fire ground commander, Dean was always cool and calm even when things did not
go as planned. He was very knowledgeable and had a great command presence. Dean
was an excellent instructor and made his classes fun to learn. Chief Williams
gave over 30 years of dedicated service to the West Valley City F
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