125 Area First Responders and 4 Civilians Recognized for Distinguished Service
View photos from the event here.
BRADENTON, Fla. — Friday night, Congressman Vern Buchanan announced the recipients of the 16th Congressional District Fire and Rescue and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Awards. Buchanan established the awards to give special recognition to fire and rescue and EMS personnel who have provided distinguished service to his constituents in 2012.
“As first responders, fire departments and EMS teams are summoned on short notice to serve their communities,” said Buchanan. “Oftentimes, they arrive at scenes of great adversity and trauma, to which they reliably bring strength and composure. I believe these awards are a fitting tribute to our first responders and a reminder of the important role they play in our communities.”
This year’s award recipients were selected by an independent committee comprised of a cross section of current and retired fire and rescue personnel living in the district.
Buchanan presented awards to the following outstanding fire and rescue and EMS personnel:
Associate Service Award:
- Manatee County Department of Public Safety: Adam Nover
Dedication and Professionalism Award:
- East Manatee Fire Rescue: Firefighter Rob Day
- Hillsborough County Fire Rescue: Company Fire Captain Ralph Mascaro
- Sun City Center Emergency Squad
Preservation of Life Award:
- Hillsborough County Fire Rescue: Firefighter/Paramedic Jacob Campbell, Fire Captain Clifford Davis, Firefighter/Paramedic Anna Inman, and Firefighter Maurice Swan
- Manatee County EMS: Charge Paramedic Peterson Gustave, District Chief William Thayer, and District Chief Beth Tucciarone
Unit Citation:
- Bradenton Fire Department: Engineer Joshua Eriksen, Engineer Zachary Gilbert, Firefighter Bo Gurskis, Lieutenant Jared Manning, Engineer Louis Chiocchio, George Norris, Captain Jonathan Turpin, Battalion Chief Barry Cornelison, Lieutenant Matthew McCabe, Engineer Brandon Beals, Firefighter Ricardo Rivera, Firefighter Luke Marvin, Lieutenant Scott Viehman, Lieutenant Thomas Ferrett, Lieutenant Robert Hinton, Firefighter Shawn Heinlein, Engineer Michael King, Firefighter Christopher Mundell, Firefighter Isaiah Cress, Lieutenant Lionel Harrison, Firefighter Jordan DeSear, Firefighter Brendan Lewellen, and Firefighter Aaron Wright
- East Manatee Fire Rescue: Firefighter Jacob Dillard, Lieutenant Daniel Dunkum, Battalion Chief Craig Madsen, Captain Steven Baker, Engineer Ben Stasurak, Engineer Bret Kanapaux, Firefighter Chad Strauser, Firefighter Maciej Borawski, Deputy Chief Paul Wren, Battalion Chief Casey Lambert, Lieutenant Mike Hamilton, Engineer Derek Parker, Firefighter Jared Hoopingarner, Lieutenant Timothy Bedell, Firefighter Tony Mroz, Firefighter Nicholas Miller, Lieutenant Steve Ryckman, Firefighter Kyle Lamson, Firefighter Jason Burnside, and Engineer Jesse Reasoner
- Manatee County Beach Patrol: Captain Marshall Greene, Lieutenant David Snyder, Lieutenant Luke Hitchins, Lieutenant JC Rapier, Lieutenant Jose Garcia Santos, Lieutenant Michael Patterson, Lifeguard Jack Bratcher, Lifeguard Josh McCarthy, Lifeguard Nate Hilbrands, Lifeguard Shannon Cielinski, Lifeguard Marek Drastich, Lifeguard Mark Mol, Lifeguard Patrick Curran, Lifeguard Kaylin Weiskopf, Lifeguard Allie Updike, Lifeguard Owen Munday, Lifeguard AJ Nelson, and Lifeguard Isabelle Pellegrin
- Manatee County Emergency Communications Center: Telecommunicator Derek Turner, Telecommunicator Adam Bruner, Telecommunicator Brady Trott, and ECC Supervisor Tracey Haas
- Manatee County EMS: District Chief Beth Tucciarone, Paramedic James Bryant, EMT Rachel Swim, Charge Paramedic Peterson Gustave, District Chief William Thayer, Charge Paramedic Michael Gorman, EMT Zachary Tocco, Specialty Charge Paramedic Sasha DeAngelis, Charge Paramedic Caitlyn Roskovich, EMT Simon Klimov, Specialty Charge Paramedic Kevin Guido, Charge Paramedic Anthony Tino, EMT Germaine Bolanos, EMT Robert Anderson, District Chief Troy Dufrane, and District Chief Keith Lock
- North River Fire Rescue District: Captain Andrew Clark, Firefighter Charlie Childress, and Engineer Justin White
- Parrish Fire District: Lieutenant Casey Schue, Engineer Wade Hoopingarner, Engineer Joe Jago, and Firefighter Anzzonni Hause
- Tampa General Hospital Aeromed: Pilot Stu O'Shannon, Flight Nurse Alisha Burnett, Flight Paramedic Chuck Nelson, Flight Paramedic Orientee Luis Vazquez, Pilot Mark Boudreau, Flight Nurse Rob Freas, and Flight Paramedic Kelly Curren
- West Manatee Fire District: Firefighter Jerrod Apple, Firefighter Tyler Snyder, Captain James Leigh, Firefighter Dane Miller, Firefighter Christopher O'Kelly, Fire Marshall Rodney Kwiatkowski, Training Chief Mark Tuttle, Battalion Chief Ryan Moore, Battalion Chief Derek Bill, Captain Tyler MacDonald, Firefighter William Bowen, Firefighter Clayton Lease, Firefighter David Miller, Firefighter Zack Misiura, Firefighter Aaron Reese, Lieutenant Inspector Keith Miller, Inspector Josh Adkins, Inspector Lisa Sedillo, and Inspector Nicholas Riffe
Career Service Award:
- Hillsborough County Fire Rescue: Battalion Chief Jeff Martin
View photos from the event here.
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