Scott Swanson
Of The New Era
It was an evening of cheers – and tears – as Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District personnel recognized members Saturday night who have performed exceptionally well over the last year.
Devon Bowen was named Firefighter of the Year, the department’s highest honor.
“He’s a relatively young man,” said Chief Mike Beaver, who presented the award, noting that Bowen and 21 other firefighters and medics present for the event were born during the time 35-year service award winner Dave Trask has been in the department.
“He’s a tireless worker and a good person,” Beaver said, calling Bowen an “excellent paramedic” who just finished probation despite injuring his leg two days before his year-long department probation was up.
The theme of remembering those who have gone before ran strong during the awards ceremony and an accompanying slide show that followed a prime rib dinner catered by Denim and Pearls at the Community Center. At times with tears, district officials reminded the crowd of 100 gathered for the event, one of the largest ever, how current personnel are standing on the shoulders of past generations of firefighters, many of whom had to battle for equipment and funding.
“We’re so blessed in Sweet Home to have all we have,” said SHFAD Board President Dave Redden. He reminded attendees that the “good” facilities and equipment the department has now didn’t always exist.
“We’ve gotten such great support from the community,” Redden said. “Every time we’ve asked for something, they’ve said yes.”
The latest vote of confidence came last November when district voters approved a $1.8 million equipment bond for new fire engines.
During a challenge to department members, Battalion Chief Guy Smith emotionally read off the names of past personnel and asked those in the audience who had known and been influenced by those people to stand. With nearly half the crowd on its feet, including all of retirees and veterans in the department, Smith urged current members to remember those who built what they have now.
“I know some of you will recognize these names as somebody’s friend, somebody’s grandfather,” he said. “But that’s how this department was built.”
Battalion Chief Doug Emmert recognized board members Redden, Elmer Riemer and the recently retired Don Hopkins, who together have served a total of 75 years on the SHFAD board and its predecessors.
“It’s a thankless job and they don’t get a lot of recognition,” he said.
The three saw Engine 23, which is now located in Crawfordsville and regarded as an antique by most of the department today, purchased brand new, he observed.
“It was nice then,” Emmert said.
They have seen construction of stations in Sweet Home, Crawfordsville and Cascadia, the coming of FireMed insurance and the 9-1-1 system, and have “lived through four different chiefs,” he said.
Emmert noted that calls have gone up from about 400 a year when the three first started serving on the board, 20 years ago or more, to more than 2,300 now.
Beaver presented service awards to personnel who reached milestones in their service to the department. Five-year awards went to firefighters Ken Turner, Dennis Williamson and Rod Holman, Paramedic Nick Tyler, and Lt. Shannon Pettner.
Firefighter Greg Mahler, Lt. Jeff Mather and Smith received 20-year awards; Lt. Bob Maynard and Capt. Larry Maynard received 30-year awards and Capt. Dave Trask received a 35-year award.
Beaver also recognized Shannon Pettner for the extracurricular work she has done for the department, arranging meals for injured personnel, organizing the Sharing Tree and cooking meals on drill nights.
He also presented intern medics Josh Marvin and Ryan Paul with certificates of appreciation after they covered shifts for colleague Sam Posthuma, who severely injured his ankle in a car crash. The two volunteered to cover Posthuma’s shifts, in addition to their own, and gave him the money.
Other award winners were:
– Mike Severns, named Rookie of the Year.
“He’s a great addition to the department,” said Battalion Chief Dave Barringer, adding that Severns is hungry to learn and “expects to know everything” even though he has been with the department less than a year.
– Jared Richey, named Rescue Technician of the Year for the second year in a row.
“He’s a dedicated person,” said Smith, who presented the award. He related how Richie recently went to drill on a Thursday night, then worked most of the night, then headed off to his regular job early in the morning.
“He’s faithful and proud of the department,” Smith said. “He’s done a great job.”
– Kevin Pettner, named Officer of the Year. Pettner, who has been with the department for 8 1/2 years, contributes “experience and knowledge of fire services” that enables him to make safe decisions for his fire crew, said Battalion Chief Ken Weld.
– Eli Harris, named Medic of the Year. Shannon Pettner, who presented the award, said she thought about who she would want sitting in the ambulance next to her on the way to a “bad call,” or who she would like to see come through the door if she or one of her children needed medical help.
“He has an air of confidence without being arrogant,” she said, noting that Harris is a decorated war veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
– Robert Whitfield, who received the Keith Gabriel Humanitarian Award.
Whitfield moved to Sweet Home in 1937 and attended local schools and playing three sports at Sweet Home Union High School. Beaver, who tearfully presented the award along with Whitfield’s son Randy, a current volunteer, said Robert Whitfield battled for department funding and other needs as a member of the City Council and as mayor in the 1980s.
– Dianne Shank, named Employee of the Year. Shank, the department’s administrative assistant who has served as a volunteer firefighter and medic in the past, was one of 12 people who got votes from department personnel, Beaver said. She was the only one who got “every vote,” he added. Shank calmly manages situations that are often “frenzied” from her desk by the front entrance to the department.
“She’s the first smiling face you see – sometimes the only smiling face you see – as you enter the front door,” Beaver said.