FDL Fire And Rescue Annual Awards Ceremony

Fond du Lac, WI: Each year, Fond du Lac Fire Rescue awards members of the agency for their exceptional effort, commitment, and outstanding service to the department and community. This year FDL Fire Rescue presented Officer of the Year, Firefighter of the Year, Paramedic of the Year, Unit Citation/Commendation Awards, and multiple Awards of Merit.   FDL Fire Rescue appreciates these members’ bravery and courage, exceptional service, and achievement to the agency. (Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue photos)

Officer of the Year:  This award is given to a single recipient who has best exemplified the standards of excellence and service to the community and the Fire Department. This individual must exhibit an extraordinary commitment to leading the Fire Department and has earned the trust and respect of their subordinate and peers.  This can be evidenced by outstanding actions on the fire ground, daily operations and/or shown through other functions within the community we serve.

For his revealed leadership, fortitude, and dedication to the citizens for Fond du Lac and to the members of Fond du Lac Fire Rescue, Captain James Wamser was presented with the 2017 Officer of the Year Award.

Firefighter of the Year:  This award was presented to a member who has best exemplified the standards of excellence and service to the community subscribed to by FDL Fire Rescue. This individual is a team player who supports others’ efforts to achieve the goals of the agency, supports the agency by embracing its policy and procedures, and by engaging only in constructive criticism that will lead to improvements in the service.

For his commitment and exemplary performance in carrying out his assigned duties, FDL Fire Rescue presented Engineer Keith Wendt the 2017 Firefighter of the Year Award.

Paramedic of the Year:  This award was presented to a member who has best exemplified the standards of excellence and service to the community subscribed to by FDL Fire Rescue. This individual is a team player who supports others’ efforts to achieve the goals of the agency, supports the agency by embracing its policy and procedures, and by engaging only in constructive criticism that will lead to improvements in the service.

For his high level of commitment and selfless dedication to the department and its membership, Firefighter Paramedic Matt Simon was presented with the 2017 Paramedic of the Year Award.

The Unit Citation/Commendation:  This award was presented to a group of FDL Fire Rescue members who made up a company, which performed in an outstanding manner for service to the community. 

On Sunday October 22^nd 2017 Fond du Lac Fire Rescue units were dispatched to Hwy 23 and Whispering Springs Drive for a motor vehicle crash involving multiple vehicles, an unknown number of patients and a possible child trapped in a vehicle.  All fire/rescue units worked on patient assessment, extrication, treatment and transport.  One pediatric patient was transported to Theda Care Medical and seven other patients were treated and/or transported via ambulance to St. Agnes Hospital. The successful management of this incident was an example of excellent patient care, appropriate incident command structure, and effective communication both on the incident scene and with the base hospital.

For their excellent management and patient care on this incident, FDL Fire Rescue presented Chief Peter O’Leary, Captain Garth Schumacher, Lieutenants Ben Stephany, Curt Smits and John Hicken, Engineers Paul Loderhose, Rick Gerritson, and Dwight Fisher, Firefighter Paramedics Taylor Huenink, Nick Czaja, Adam King, Sean White, Sam Tennessen, Edgar Ramirez and Brett Hefty a Unit Citation.

The Unit Citation/Commendation:  This award was presented to a group of FDL Fire Rescue members who made up a company, which performed in an outstanding manner for service to the community. 

On the evening of October 9, 2017, the Town of Calumet Fire Department was called for an individual that was trapped at the top of a farm silo.  The individual was not injured, but was unable to self-extricate. Knowing the challenges with safely rescuing this individual from his position inside the silo, the request was made by the Town of Calumet Fire Department for immediate assistance from the Fond du Lac Fire Rescue Technical Rescue Team. The Technical Rescue crews worked diligently to create a rope system to safely maneuver the individual out from his position inside the silo and to the ground.

For their efficient and effective management of this complex rescue, FDL Fire Rescue presented Assistant Chief James Knowles, Captain Joe Maramonte, Lieutenants Todd Shippee and Jon Hartzheim, Engineers Mitch Petersen, Chris Behnke and Brian Munson, Firefighter Paramedics Phil Seibel, Paul Wilson and Brian Winter a Unit Citation.                

Award of Merit: This award was presented to a member(s) based on the execution of assigned duties where said duties have been carried out in an outstanding, superior manner such as to merit recognition for service to the community.

During Fire Prevention Week 2017, Shift 1 Station 1’s crew went above and beyond assisting with live fire safety demonstrations, 4K safety presentations and Youth Leadership events, all the while preparing for and presenting at the Fire Prevention Open House. For their outstanding effort and selflessness to prepare and provide the support needed to present fire safety information, FDL Fire Rescue presented Captain James Wamser, Lieutenants Jason Roberts and Brian Vahsholtz, Engineer Keith Wendt and Firefighter Paramedics Greg Stilp and Andrew Behnke the Award of Merit.

Award of Merit:

On December 23, 2017 Engineer/Paramedic Chris Behnke and his family were on vacation, flying over the Gulf of Mexico, when a flight attendant asked the passengers if there were any doctors on board. Chris and a physician offered their help, but after a short conversation with the doctor they came to the conclusion Chris was the right person to assist with a sick passenger. Chris assessed the patient and began to provide lifesaving care to this individual.  Chris continued to monitor and treat the patient throughout the flight until they were able to land and make contact with the local paramedics at the airport.

For Engineer Paramedic Chris Behnke’s care, compassion, and dedication to selfless duty, FDL Fire Rescue presented Chris Behnke an Award of Merit.

Award of Merit:

In 2017 Fond du Lac Fire Rescue had adopted and implemented a new program for all incident reporting and inspection recording.  This new program has many moving parts that needed to be aligned with the current system of reporting.  Fire Records Clerk Pinnow has been instrumental in the implementation of this program.  Deb has shown a great deal of patience as she has regularly helped personnel with her expertise.  Due to her efforts, Fond du Lac Fire Rescue’s preplanning; business information and overall safety have improved.  She has also improved our overall ability to compile and track data which is vital for the continued Accreditation process. 

Deb’s efforts, patience and great attitude have been invaluable to the department and to the overall Mission of Fond du Lac Fire Rescue.  For these reasons FDLFR presented Deb Pinnow with the 2017 Award of Merit.

The awards ceremony was held at the Knights of Columbus Hall Thursday night.