The Henderson Fire Department recognized several of its own during a recent awards and commendation ceremony at Clearview Church.
Interim Fire Chief Curtis Tyndall said Justin Crowder, an engineer with the fire department received the firefighter of the year award and fellow engineer Justin Simmons received the Chief’s award.
Tyndall spoke with John C. Rose Wednesday, and his interview aired on Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!
The banquet was held on Feb. 16, and Tyndall said all the award or commendation recipients are the direct result of the leadership of this department under Chief Steve Cordell. Cordell died last month after a battle with cancer.
“He made sure that everybody trained regularly,” Tyndall said of Cordell’s leadership style. “Safety was always at the top of his mind.”
Both Crowder and Simmons have accepted leadership roles within the department; Crowder fills in for the company officer as needed and Simmons participates in the department’s honor guard.
“He goes quietly about his business doing the job,” Tyndall said of Simmons.
Firefighters are constantly training and practicing the techniques that their job requires, and whether they’re getting time behind the wheel of a ladder truck or pulling hose to practice pumping operations, Tyndall said the firefighters are up to the task.
They must know their roles well in advance of arriving on the scene of an accident, fire or other emergency.
“Chain of command in the fire service is extremely important,” Tyndall noted. The battalion chief functions as the incident commander on a scene, and he’s got three company officers that report to him – two engines and a ladder truck. Each person must know his or her role to effectively work the scene.
Fire trucks are dispatched to emergencies that don’t always involve a fire, but firefighters often find themselves as first responders. Several newer firefighters were recognized for being good first responders and EMT personnel: Grayson Talbot, Jack Wilkinson and William Breedlove.
Tyndall said numerous lifesaving awards were given out as well to firefighters who provided a serious intervention to a victim to preserve life and health.
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