FIRE DEPARTMENT HONORS TOP PERSONNEL
Prior to Thursday, it had been three years since the Vacaville Fire Department honored its top firefighters and other employees in an in-person ceremony. As anyone can attest, it has been an eventful three years with a global pandemic, social unrest and a fire that scorched 50,000 acres just outside Vacaville's city limits.
Thursday was catch-up time, a chance to honor not only the top fire personnel of last year but the entire three-year period the awards ceremony was absent. The top firefighters, administrative employees, dispatchers and explorer were all celebrated Thursday evening in a ceremony at Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre.
Following a bagpipe and honor guard procession led by firefighter Dave Wonnell, Chief Kris Concepcion pledged to recognize “three years' worth of people.”
City Manager Aaron Busch recalled starting his position the same year that the last awards ceremony was held, in 2020, and being told by the City Council that there would be challenges ahead but it would be a fun job.
Those challenges ended up being the COVID-19 pandemic, the protests stemming from national police brutality incidents and the LNU Lightning Complex fires, which provided the Vacaville Fire Department with its biggest challenge that year.
Busch reflected on following Concepcion as he went out to observe the fires.
“It looked like we were driving up into Hell,” he said.
There, Busch got to witness firefighters firsthand battling flames of up to 50 feet high along a ravine. Eventually, even he and Concepcion knew they had to get out of there.
“It was there that I got to see the tenacity, the true grit of you all and your commitment to keeping our community safe,” he said.
Matt Moreno, president of Vacaville Firefighters Local 3501, said he felt gratitude toward those he worked with and the LNU fire was proof of that.
“Sometimes it's when we are faced with the greatest risks that our true mettle is tested,” he said. “It was on that night that the members of this Fire Department proved every bit of their worth.”
Moreno said it was because of the firefighters that the devastation did not extend into
Vacaville's city limits and also praised the fire union for raising $200,000 for the victims. He also lauded the work of paramedics throughout the pandemic.
“While the rest of the world sheltered in their homes and stayed home from work, it was you paramedics who placed yourself inches from that deadly virus in a small, enclosed space with only paper-thin protection and you did this day-in and day-out,” he said.
Moreno said the department was presented with another challenge in the form of a staffing crisis, but he said fire employees were still able to put in hard work throughout it.
“You all had repeatedly been asked to do more with less,” he said. “You all are tired, you are breaking, you're away from your families for days at a time while our injuries add up and out mental health declines, but you keep showing up and doing the work. You all have shown a tremendous amount of resilience and sacrifice in these trying times.”
Concepcion said last year alone was an eventful one for the department, which saw 13,181 responses to incidents, 9,565 medical emergencies, 8,004 patients transported to hospitals and 296 responses to fires, among other statistics.
“What do all these numbers mean?” he said. “It means the Vacaville Fire Department is a busy little department, and it shows that we're in constant contact with the people of Vacaville.”
Deputy Fire Chief Alex Nourot took over emceeing duties, which also included acknowledging fire staff who have retired joined the department or been promoted in the last three years. New employees included administrative technician Amanda Lee, code compliance technician Bryden Nadasdy, office assistant Mary Sanner and management analyst Tiffany Giguere. Retirements included Tracy Cossu, Perry Smith, Eric Ceremony, Louis Jones, Dave Martinelli, Steve LePera, Al Cornejo and Chuck Morse.
Promoted during this period were Tim Franks to senior code compliance technician, Terri Sanner to fire prevention specialist, Jackie Potmesil, Jeff Ordonez to engineer; Drew Battaglia, Joe Shorum, Mike Leonhardt and Shaun Jimenez to engineer/paramedic; and AJ Cavagnaro, Clarke Guglielmoni and Mindy Simpson to captain. Those who were present had their badges pinned by family members.
One standout recipient was the 2020 awardee for Dispatcher of the Year. Because of the tumultuous year that was, all dispatchers were honored with this title.
“These professionals were tested time and time again throughout 2020,”
Nourot said. “During all these emergencies the community faced, the dispatchers were the first to answer the call for help and kept all the other first-responders informed and safe.”
Communications Center Manager Melissa Costigan accepted a plaque depicting a Thin Yellow Line flag with “Vacaville Dispatch” written on it on behalf of the department.
The respective Firefighters of the Year for 2020, 2021 and 2022 were Jose Bolanos, Mike Leonhardt and Jerry DiFilippi. Both Leonhardt and DiFilippi accepted their awards in person and gave short speeches.
Leonhardt said that when he could not be honored in person, his colleagues started a group text thread, purchased a helmet and presented it to him one day. He had the helmet displayed on the lectern as he delivered his speech.
“It's an honor for me to be able to wear this helmet every single day,” he said.
DiFilippi said he was proud to be a Vacaville firefighter.
“Every day, someone steps into work and 911 is called, no one knows how tired we are,” he said. “No one knows how hurt or broken we are because we come every day to superior service. We wore an oath to serve and protect to the highest degree possible.”
Also honored were:
• Tim Franks, 2020 Fire Admin Employee of the Year • Sarah Dahl, 2021 Dispatcher of the Year • Tateyana Hendricks and Jackie Potmesil, 2021Fire Admin Employees of the Year • Tiffany Giguere, 2022Fire Admin Employee of the Year • Bailey Erbland, 2022 Explorer of the Year