Duvall Fire Department holds annual awards banquet

L to R: Chief John Lambert, Kelly Gattone, HR/Finance (Recipient of Member of the Year award) and Deputy David Burke. On January 16th, Duvall Fire (King County Fire District 45) held its Annual Awards Banquet at the Redmond Town Center Marriott. Each year the event honors department members who display excellence in their craft, and make it a priority to go above the call of duty.

Fire District Chaplain Martin Redman retired this past year after twenty seven years of service. The job of Chaplain is hands down the most difficult in the fire service. They attend only the grimmest of calls, counsel and assist family members of victims of tragedy, help firefightersto deal with the emotional aspects of difficult calls, and often are involved in funerals and memorial services. Occasionally, they have the joyous opportunity to officiate at a firefighter’s wedding. Chaplain Redman did all this and much more many times over. His extraordinary service will always be appreciated and remembered. Chaplain Martin will definitely be missed.

L to R: Firefighter – FF Sean Ansell, Company Officer – Lt. Ryan Dhoore, Driver/Operator –FF Jared Shoop, EMT – EMT Kurt Borm As one great Chaplain leaves the department; another joins them. Chaplain Christy Dunn was recognized for her challenging first year as Duvall Fire’s new Chaplain. Christy is a former paramedic and she is currently training a dog to assist her in de-escalating stressful and traumatic situations.

The first award for the night was Fire Company of the Year. The recipients were:

Lieutenant Ryan Dhoore - Officer of the Year. Ryan’s hard work, tenacity, and passion for the Fire Service make him easy to follow. His subordinates enjoy working around him, and are challenged by him to be their best at ‘the job.’ He has been honored with this award each year since being promoted to Lieutenant in 2004.

Driver/Operator Jared Shoop - Driver of the Year. Jared’s passion is providing excellent customer service. He teaches public CPR classes, writes articles for the local papers, and coordinates several public outreach programs.

Sean Ansell - Firefighter of the Year. Sean is the newest member of the career force and graduated from the state fire academy in 2009. He is a quiet, skilled, and motivated professional. Our community will be lucky to enjoy his service for the next 25+ years.

Kurt Borm - E.M.T. of the Year. Kurt joined Duvall Fire after many years with Snohomish County Fire District 7. His experience and great bed side manner are appreciated by his patients and coworkers alike.

If you’ve noticed your fire department’s sharp-new uniforms, it’s thanks to the hard work of Rosa Fuquay who was honored with the ‘Dressed for Success Award’. She worked tirelessly to rejuvenate the department’s uniform program.

Rob Lee was awarded the “Mr. Smiley” award for his positive attitude, and willingness to assist others; always, of course, with a smile.

Chris Harrott won Rookie of the Year. He aspires to become a career Firefighter/Paramedic, and has applied to Central Washington University’s School of Paramedicine. He is well on his way, and learning quickly what it will take to become successful in the field.

Member of the Year was awarded to Kelly Gattone, the Departments HR/ Finance head. Kelly has a dynamic role in the Duvall Fire Department that requires her to wear many different “hats”. Her hard work and dedication to her profession make life easier for all.

The Commissioner’s Award was given to the department’s stair climbing team. Annually, the team participates in the Scott Firefighter Stair Climb, hosted by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Washington. This year the event will be held on March 7th. Each team member will climb to the top of the Columbia Center in full combat clothing, breathing compressed air. For more information on the event please visit http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org.

Duvall Fire is proud to serve the communities of Duvall, Lake Margaret, Lake Marcel and the surrounding areas, and appreciate the support granted to them by these fantastic communities.