The Pitt Meadows Fire and Rescue Service held its annual awards banquet, and recognized some of the most outstanding members of the volunteer department.
The Firefighter of the Year award went to Mark Kingston. He has been with the Pitt Meadows hall for four years, but was selected for the honour by the department's officers because of his dedication to excellence.
"He's very skilled, and he works very hard at doing things the right way," said fire chief Don Jolley. "The officers see real potential with him."
The Special Recognition Award was given to firefighter Sean Staples, who notably constructed "Tiny Town," which is a scale replica of Pitt Meadows used for incident command and other types of training. It has working street lights, and lights inside the model buildings simulate fires. Staples is also the president of the members association, does driver training and films professional quality video presentations.
"He does a lot of things for the department that really help out," said Jolley.
The Officer of the Year award, as voted by the firefighters, went to assistant chief Mike Larsson.
He became a new assistant chief last year, and has been a member for 16 years. Larsson his improved training programs, and over the past year has recruited and trained three separate classes.
"That keeps him extremely busy," said Jolley
The Heart in My City Award was presented to Shawn Danyk by the Pitt Meadows Fire Rescue Members Association, which includes both past and present members, for his continuous hard work and dedication to the community.
Dave Biggin was named an honourary lifetime member. He departed after 10 years, and was recognized as a builder of the department. He has moved on to the City of North Vancouver Fire Service.
Dave Saddler received the Governor General of Canada Fire Services Exemplary Service 30-year bar.
Firefighters receiving city long service recognition pins were Marv Magnison and Danyk for five years and Sean de Jersey 15 years.
The awards were handed out on on behalf of the city on March 4, at the Pitt Meadows Golf Club, in a presentation that was also attended by Chief Susan Miller and Coun. Peter James from the Katzie First Nation.