City of Kannapolis Fire Department Presents Awards > City of Kannapolis | City of Kannapolis

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Members of the Kannapolis Fire Department were recently recognized during an awards reception. The awards were given to firefighters and staff who went above and beyond expectations, not only while dealing with emergency incidents, but also in administrative roles and in their assistance to the community.

 

“It is always a privilege for the administration to honor each of our members who stand out in their efforts to provide exceptional service to our community members. The fact that the majority of these recipients were nominated by peers and supervisors makes it much more special. This is only a snapshot of what our personnel do on a daily basis and for that, I could not be prouder,” stated Kannapolis Fire Chief Tracy Winecoff.

 

Awardees included:

 

Firefighter Red Heart Award- Steven Tilley- While operating on a hose line at a multi-alarm fire, Firefighter Tilley was injured, requiring months of rehabilitation. After a year away, Tilley has returned to his full firefighter duties.

  

Firefighter Red Heart Award- Joe Simmons, Jeremy Brown, Hugh Barnes, Jeremy Abernethy- While battling a fire in a two-story house, an explosion erupted injuring the four members. All four have returned to active duty.

 

Chief’s Meritorious Citation- Josh Clay, Cody McSwain, Daniel Jenkins, Tyler O’Brien, Josh Clay, John McIntosh, Chris Eagle, Matt Pethel, Josh Funderburke, Hunter Brantley, Benjamin Preddy, Ryan Cochran - For their action while operating at a multiple patient accident with extrication, involving pediatric patients, the members above are awarded the Chief’s Meritorious Citation. Their strategy, tactics and calm demeanor led to a successful outcome in an incident that could have easily resulted in multiple fatalities.

 

Distinguished Service Award- Presented to Captain Randy Carter for his selfless acts, while off-duty. In one instance, he assisted a homeowner, who was displaced and hospitalized by a house fire, with clothing and comfort, and on a second occasion he assisted an autistic child in need of treatment due to traumatic injuries. In both instances, Carter went above and beyond in the performance of his duties.

 

Chief’s Meritorious Citation- Ashley Rigdon, Travis Rector, Tyler Karriker, Ronald Sloop, Chris Morris, Jake Chambers, Cody Clark, Clay Sellers, Colby Taylor, Tyler Bradley, Brad Jordan- Calm coordination by these fire department members resulted in successfully locating a person in cardiac arrest in a wooded area. At the direction of Captain Ashley Rigdon, crews were deployed in such a manner as to cover a large area, which led first responders to the patient. CPR was performed and the patient regained a pulse. He was subsequently transported to the hospital where he has made a full recovery.

 

Chief’s Meritorious Citation- Jerry Morgan, Daniel Jenkins, Tyler Karriker, Jonathan Corriher, Jon Jenkins, Travis Rector, Shane Pethel - For calm and coordinated actions which led to the successful saving of a drowning victim who they rescued from a pool.

 

Chief’s Meritorious Award- Joe Simmons, Jordan Guilliams, Cody Harrison, Duncan O'Sullivan, Craig Miller, Tyler O'Brien, Corey Barnes Travis Barnhardt, Danny Anderson- For actions taken during a land/water rescue that resulted in an extensive search for a missing person, that required crews who had reached the victim by land to subsequently remove the person by boat to an awaiting ambulance.

 

Distinguished Service Award- Scott Smith, Jarrett Caskey, Dan Brown- After a resident became ill while mowing his yard and was transported to the hospital, this company, led by Captain Scott Smith, returned to the residence and finished the landscaping work for the gentleman, prior to him returning home.

 

Chief’s Meritorious Award- Rebekah Smith, Ana Contreras, Maria Bostian and Lee Goodman. These individuals went above and beyond expectations in the performance of their duties to provide administrative, educational, and departmental outreach to adhere to the mission of the fire department by providing significant support to our members and to our community during the COVID pandemic.

 

Steven TIlley

Steven Tilley

Firefighters with awards

Captain Randy Carter, Captain Scott Smith and Engineer Hunter Brantley

Firefighters with awards

Engineer Benjamin Preddy, Battalion Chief Brad Jordan, Battalion Chief Tim Smith and Captain Randy Carter

Firefighters with awards

Engineer Jonathan Corriher, Battalion Chief Brad Jordan, Captain Daniel Jenkins and Battalion Chief Shane Pethel