Scottsdale Fire Department recently recognized outstanding employee and volunteer achievements at its annual ceremony in December at the Fieldhouse at Scottsdale Stadium.
“Our motto is ‘We Care for You.’ That is our baseline,” says Fire Chief Tom Shannon. “These individuals go above and beyond to exceed this expectation to meet the needs of our community.”
Those celebrated for being outstanding members or friends of the fire department were:
- Volunteer of the Year – Kathy Chicaferro for her many hours researching, sorting alphabetizing the cards representing those fallen in the attacks of 9/11. She also is dedicated to the car seat inspection program serving as admin, scribe and is now at certified technician.
- Civilian Employee of the Year – Carla Scully for her work as the prevention administrative assistant managing customer phone calls, improving efficiency in the department, and improving the Records Management System within the division.
- Firefighter of the Year – Firefighter Brandon Crowther for his dedication to the EMS and medic precepting program. He is also active in the Training and Wellness teams working with new recruits to give them the best opportunity for success.
- Officer of the Year – Captain Brian Dutcher for his untiring commitment to the physical and mental wellness of the department.
- Chief’s Award for Outstanding Service – Victor Ledo, Facilities Management Coordinator, for his consistent work ensuring SFD facilities are maintained and is the driver behind the building of new fire stations and the new training facility.
- Meritorious Service –
- Engineer Joseph Jesatko for jumping into action to respond to a housefire off-duty, rescuing a woman in a wheelchair trapped inside.
- Captain Kelly Cavner for identifying high-risk facilities and providing onsite review with crews to ensure their safety if emergencies arise.
- Doug Wilson, Senior Plan Reviewer, for taking on the heavy load of updating our fire code to the newest edition. It took many hours of research and editing our amendments, and communicating with other City departments, including Legal and Development Services in order to get this project accomplished.
- Eddie Loggins Career Achievement Award –
- Captain Jeff Abts will be concluding his 44-year career of serving the public in Scottsdale at the end of this month. In that time, he has been a Dispatcher, Communication Center Manager, Firefighter, Engineer, and Captain. Regardless of what title he has had, his biggest impact has been in the coaching and mentoring of others.
- Engineer Chris Ouzounis has contributed so much to this organization from his time as an Engineer, as a major contributor to the Training and Development Team, and his most well-known role on the Apparatus Team – where his impact is felt every day by the men and women of this department when they respond to and from calls.
“Our award winners are an example of the dedication all of our staff have to the residents and visitors of Scottsdale,” Shannon said. “We are pleased to highlight the great work and honor the best of the best.”
