Fire department honors four with top awards
The city of Vandalia Division of Fire honored four individuals and several crews at the 2023 awards ceremony held in January. The event is designed to recognize excellence in customer service.
The Firefighter of the Year was Chris Willoughby. His supervisors and co-workers nominated Willoughby for his outstanding attitude and willingness to mentor.
“Chris is always willing to mentor the personnel around him, his work ethic is stellar, he works well independently without supervision, makes good decisions and is accountable to the decisions he makes,” said one nominator.
“Chris is always willing to help out, he strives to provide the best customer care/ service that he can and is fully committed to the Division of Fire’s mission, values, and customer service philosophies,” said another nominator.
Jacob Walters received the award for EMS Person of the Year.
“Jake is an asset to any shift and he has become a mentor to younger personnel,” said Vandalia Fire Chief Chad Follick. “Jake is level-headed, and despite his youth, has a calm command presence when he is working on-scene.”
Follick said Walters is fully committed to the Division of Fire’s mission, values and customer service philosophy. He continues to work to deliver the “top-tier, value-added” service and care that we strive to achieve.
The Division of Fire Command Staff of the Year is Lt. Derek Copp.
“Lt. Copp was nominated by several members of his crew, who appreciate his efforts to reinforce the expectations on several occasions,” Follick said. “Lt. Copp has made training and preparation a priority on the shift, he expects everyone to know what to do and when to do it, he always conducts himself in a professional and friendly manner and is always willing to go the extra distance for his crew and the customer.”
Ben Cavanaugh was the recipient of the Rookie of the Year Award.
His supervisor’s nomination letter indicated that “throughout his first year, Ben has consistently demonstrated the Division of Fire’s mission and values throughout his work. He maintains a positive attitude, a willingness to learn and improve, and a drive to advance his abilities.”