American Legion honors 2 firefighters
Two Katy area firefighters shared honors recently as they were named recipients of the first Gary Tilton Firefighter of the Year Award by Katy’s American Legion Post 164.
Sharing the podium at a formal holiday dinner on Dec. 23 were Katy Fire Department Battalion Chief Dana Massey and Lt. Simon VanDyk of the combined Harris County Emergency Services District No. 48 and Fort Bend County ESD #1.
“We sent out our criteria to (Katy Fire Department interim) Chief Rufus Summers and (Harris County ESD #48 and Fort Bend County #1) Chief Jeffrey Hevey,” said American Legion Post 164 Commander Sheryll Jones. “We were looking for superior firefighters who showed outstanding service to our community as well as to their fire departments.”
Massey, 40, has been a firefighter for 22 years, beginning with the Galena Park Fire Department when she was 18 and “just out of high school,” she said. She also served with Baytown Fire Department before moving to the Katy Fire Department 16 years ago, she added.
“That was about the time Katy was moving from an all-volunteer fire department to a paid department,” she remembered.
Massey has one daughter, Kara, an 18-year-old Blinn Junior College student; they recently moved from Katy to Cypress.
“I’m very grateful to be nominated,” Massey said. “I’m very honored Chief Summers thought of me.”
“Dana is a really good team leader,” Summers said. “On July 4 we had a bad chemical fire in Waller County and she handled that really well.
“We generally honor firefighters who save lives, or something like that,” Summers noted. “I think we should also honor firefighters who are just really good at what they do.
“A battalion chief is like a general in the Army. The Army’s only as good as its general. Dana is a born leader; she’s comfortable in the role and she makes really good decisions. It takes a team; she has a great team and runs a great team.”
According to Hevey (who noted Massey has also been a part-time firefighter with his department for 12 years), VanDyk earned his nomination by his commitment to his position.
“In Simon, you can see his involvement and his interest,” Hevey said. “He’s always taking younger firefighters under his wing and acting as a mentor. When we changed from West I-10 Fire Department, almost everyone at the station came with us, Simon came in to help the captain make the change.”
Hevey said VanDyk, 36, attended the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland, in 2014, and is formulating an education initiative involving all the fire departments in the area.
“I want to do more on fire prevention, planning for disasters like hurricanes, things we can be proactive about,” VanDyk said, “and I’d like it to involve every fire department in the area.”
The son of an Air Force dad, VanDyk said he grew up “everywhere, really,” but claims Denver, Colorado, as home.
“We’ve really enjoyed getting to know this community since we moved here in 2007,” VanDyk said. He and his wife, Laura, are parents to son Stephen, 11; daughter Shannon, 9; son Johnathon, 8, and daughter Jessica, 6.
“I’m excited about the award,” VanDyk said. “More for what it means. It means I can talk more about the education initiative.”
On hand to see VanDyk receive his award were his wife and her parents, Van Dyk said.
Jones said the award is named for former Katy Fire Chief, the late Gary Tilton, who was also a charter member of American Legion Post 164, a Katy City Council member and a firefighter in Katy for 31 years before his death at 58 in October 2004.
Presenting the awards was Tilton’s widow, JoAnn, who attended the dinner with their daughter, Lauran T. Anderson.