Wednesday, November 21, 2001
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Wednesday, November 21, 2001 |
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FCDFES awards given at Thanksgiving dinner By JANET
McGREGOR
The Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services enjoyed its annual Thanksgiving Dinner just a little differently this year. Thanks to the efforts of the Fayette County Homeschoolers Association, FCDFES personnel didn't have to cook their own meal this year. Usually the department has a "bring a covered dish" meal and volunteers pitch in to clean up. This year, not only did the homeschoolers provide the meal, they decorated, served, cleaned up and furnished numerous door prizes for the fire and emergency workers and their families. The food and fellowship was non-stop as those on duty stopped in for a bite before going back on duty. An unknowing visitor stopping in might have assumed he or she had stepped into a large family reunion, the closeness and friendliness of the group was so strongly evident. The homeschool children didn't do all of the cooking. They reached out to community businesses for a little help. City Cafe, Blanchard's Bakery, Mrs. Winner's, Cookies-to-You, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Kroger, The Grand Buffet, Formosa Chinese Cafe, International Friends Cafe, Piccadilly and Publix all pitched in with donations. Attendees from the department won a number of prizes from stores including Friedman's Jewelers, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Fayette Collectibles, Rene Victor Bidez, Rhodes, The Trading Post, Valet's Choice Cleaners, Hair Kutters, Merlin Muffler and Brakes, State Farm Insurance, New Hope South, Crumpton's, Southern Crescent Mortgage and Smith & Davis Clothing. The department gave out annual employee awards as the attendees worked on their desserts. Firefighter/EMT Richard Rumbaugh received two awards, the Award of Valor and the EMT of the Year. While on vacation in Florida, Rumbaugh was leaving for dinner one evening when he heard cries for help. A father and daughter were caught in the undertow and were in distress. Without hesitating, Rumbaugh swam out to help. He and another rescuer were able to bring the family back to shore where he treated one of the victims. Thanks to Rumbaugh and the other rescuer, both the father and daughter recovered without complications. "In typical fashion, Richard downplays his role in this event," said firefighter Pat Patrick. "However, there is a happy and healthy family here today due to his actions." Lt. Robert Haydon received the Officer of the Year award, because "he has taken an active part in the Employee Relations Committee, organized boot drives, is eager to participate in special assignments, has organized a large part of the department's Thanksgiving dinner in the past and is always willing to help others in need." Consistent with the attitude of all the firefighters receiving awards, Haydon said when receiving the award, "I like what I do, and I do it for you." Station 3's A Shift received the award for Company of the Year. Capt. Jeff Hill and firefighters Steve McGovern, Mark Johnson, Phil Howard and Mike Hadden were commended for a variety of reasons. Capt. Hill was praised as an outstanding leader, others were congratulated for their help in building a new bunk house, helping with food and clothing drives on their days off, helping a paramedic with his studies and their attitudes. Their ability to work together as a team was also noted. Firefighter/EMT Mark Johnson was honored with the Distinguished Service Award. According to Capt. Pete Nelms, "Mark has been instrumental in the development of a community program that coordinates donations of food, clothes, furniture and other needed items and distributes them among various charitable organizations in the community." He continued, "Mark has distributed more than $30,000 of donated goods to organizations." Some of the organizations include The Good Samaritans, Fayette County Council on Domestic Violence, Braelinn Community Services and others. A presentation was also made by Capt. Steve MacFall with Firefighter/EMT Jason Crenshaw, Firefighter/EMT Joel Upchurch, and Firefighter/Paramedic Randy Sisk regarding the drug Retavase. They were the first to administer the new clot buster in the state of Georgia. Their intervention and use of the drug was instrumental in saving the life of heart attack victim Moinuddin Kahn in March.
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