Members of the Noblesville Fire Department, Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear, members of the Common Council, Fire Department Merit Commission and other guests recently gathered for the seventh annual Noblesville Fire Fighters Awards and Recognition Banquet at Embassy Suites.
Several members of the department were recognized for their service to the community and promotions within the department:
Emergency Medical Technician of the Year
Paramedic Robbie Larrata shows great compassion and ensures that every patient he interacts with gets the best care. He is always at the leading edge of anything current in EMS and is constantly learning to better himself and others. Larrata, who received multiple nominations for this award, is an individual that many members of the department look up to due to his attitude, professionalism and pride in the job. His dedication to the department and the citizens of Noblesville is second to none.
Firefighters of the Year
For the second time, the award went to two individuals, Engineers Brian Marks and Ryan Emmerson. Each puts in countless hours working on NFD equipment and vehicles – new and old.
Marks has done a multitude of repairs to apparatus and equipment that would have otherwise needed to be sent out to be fixed. When things break or don’t work properly, everyone calls Marks.
Emmerson was one of the founding members of the Tactical Rescue Team and serves on multiple truck specification committees. He oversaw the purchase and design for the new tactical rescue trailer as well as new Ladder 371. In addition, he helped test, evaluate, purchase and organize all the new tools and equipment that these new rigs are equipped with.
“Both of these firefighters, along with their wives, Christy and Jessie, are always willing to volunteer for fire department functions and have given countless hours of their time to the department and Local 4416,” Noblesville Professional Fire Fighters IAFF Local 4416 President Tony Murray said.
Kenneth L. Gilliam Leadership Award
As the commander of an incident, Battalion Chief John Snethen is often described as having a calming presence, no matter how stressful it may be. Snethen was given the responsibility of Unified Command with the Noblesville Police Department during the incident at Noblesville West Middle School on May 25. Relying on his training and experience, he was able to command multiple fire and EMS units from several different agencies.
“His command presence at the incident brought an overwhelming calmness that everyone involved was sure to need at that time,” Murray said. “He leads with a selfless nature that ensures the safety of his crew.”
Letters of Commendation
Letters of Commendation were awarded for commendable performance of duties while on a run or at, or away from, the station. This are acts of outstanding performance of skills while on the job and/or demonstrating an exceptional attitude while performing required duties in an exceptional manner that contribute directly to the accomplishment of the department’s mission. Recipients included: Kevin Coyner, Murray Dixon, Mike Durall, Zack Flowers, Chad Hatfield, Seth Jones, Robbie Larrata, Tony Murray, John O’Neal, Josh Small and Jerry Titus.
Unit Citations
This award is given to a crew of fire fighters who are nominated from within the department to a team that has performed in an outstanding manner worthy of recognition including exemplary performance of duties by the group in overwhelming difficulties or obstacles under unusual or adverse conditions in the completion of a task or duties.
Recipients included: L374 crew of Capt. Scott Newby, Engineer Ben Bender and Ben Asbury; L374 crew of Engineer Spencer Morris, Ben Patchett and Ben Asbury; and TAC371 crew of Engineer Josh Small, Capt. Josh Brumbaugh and Lt. Jim Butts.
Citizen Certificate of Recognition
NWMS teacher Jason Seaman was presented this award for his acts of heroism on May 25.
“Jason went above and beyond what any teacher should ever be expected to do,” said Murray. “Without hesitation, Jason did whatever he could to stop the threat and protect his students. Sacrificing himself, for others. We can all agree that had Mr. Seaman not done what he did that day, it would have been a very different outcome.”
Photos provided by Noblesville Fire Department