The San Juan Bautista Volunteer Fire Department recognized three
of its members for their dedication and service at the
”
thank you
”
dinner-dance Saturday.
The San Juan Bautista Volunteer Fire Department recognized three of its members for their dedication and service at the “thank you” dinner-dance Saturday.
Chris Shearer was chosen Firefighter of the Year for a number of reasons. Last year Shearer responded to a majority of the calls that came in to the station and also ran a toy drive during Christmas.
“He started out as an Explorer,” said Fire Chief Rick Cokley. “When he turned 18 he rolled over into regular firefighter status because he was already fully trained.”
Cokley said Shearer not only put himself through the firefighter training program but also through Emergency Medical Technician school and was first in his class at the Gavilan Fire Academy.
“He has also helped immensely with the training program in our department,” Cokley said.
Capt. Jason Larsen, who joined the department when he was 19, was named Fire Officer of the year. Larsen, a five-year veteran of the department, was chosen for his overall contributions and dedication, and particularly for his leadership abilities and his ability to get along well with other people.
“He took over the training department last year and has helped to develop the new policies and procedures for the department,” Cokley said.
Fire Explorer of the Year was 17-year-old Evan Ferreira, who joined the Explorers last fall and is the most active of all the Explorers.
“He doesn’t have a car, but whenever a call goes out he hot-foots it to the station,” Cokley said. “He has shown a lot of interest and went through the training. He has now been cleared to respond on engine calls if there is available space for him to go.”
Explorers go through the same training as the firefighters but are limited in what they can do at the scene of an emergency and must be supervised at all times.
