Seward Firefighters Earn 3 of 5 Awards at Alaska Fire Conference
October 3, 2016
Seward firefighters Lt. Jilian Chapman, Chief Eddie Athey, and Lt. Austin Chapman were presented with awards at the Alaska Fire Conference on September 24, 2016 in Fairbanks, AK. Each year a total of five awards are given at the statewide conference; this year Seward took home an unprecendented three of them.
These awards represent the first time a single department has taken home so many state awards, and the first time the Firefighter of the Year has been awarded to the same department two years in a row. Last year Asst. Chief Sean Corrigan took home the 2015 Firefighter of the Year award.
2016 Firefighter of the Year: Lt. Austin Chapman, Seward Fire Department
2016 Del Moffitt Firefighter of the Year: Lt. Jilian Chapman, Seward Fire Department
2016 Fire Service Leadership Award: Chief Eddie Athey, Seward Fire Department
2016 Fire Service Instructor of the Year: Chief Dan Kuhnert, North Star Fire Department
2016 Fire Education Award: American Red Cross of Alaska
Criteria for Firefighter of the Year
The firefighter is the foundation of the fire service. Firefighters serve their communities in many different ways; responding to emergencies, organizing safety events and being role models of community responsibility. The Firefighter of the Year award was first presented in 1987. The candidate must demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to firefighting. This can be evidenced by outstanding actions on the fireground or at other functions in their community during the year. This can be demonstrated in many ways. A few examples are:
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Extraordinary rescue following operational policies and training.
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Development of a wellness program that dramatically improves the health of the members of the department.
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Outstanding effort to improve the departments standing in the community.
Criteria for Ken Akerley Fire Service Leadership Award
Candidate must exhibit an extraordinary commitment to leading their Fire Department and has earned the trust of their subordinates and peers. This can be evidenced by outstanding actions on the fire ground or at other functions within their community during the year. Leadership can occur at any level, candidates may be any member of the fire service from firefighter to Chief. A few examples are:
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Implementing, supporting and enforcing safety policies to improve firefighter safety for their department
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Monitoring new and current personnel to improve their education and skills, preparing them for a long career in the fire service
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Dramatically improve the operational effectiveness of their department by increasing communication between department members.
Criteria for Del Moffitt Firefighter of the Year Award
Visit http://alaskastatefirefighters.org/Members/DelMoffitt.aspx for more information.