Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Firefighter of the Year chosen by peers
Roger Jorgensen, left, received recognition for 50 years of service to the Sidney Fire Department Saturday. Presenting him with a plated fire axe was Fire Chief Keith Stone, who said this was the first 50 year award within the department.
Firefighter of the Year Tim Bassett, center, is flanked by award finalists Ron Leal, left and Glenn Morrison. Bassett was chosen top firefighter through a peer process based on his service over the past year.
A total of 195 years of service was recognized at the Sidney Fire Department Awards Program Saturday, including a first of its kind award within the Sidney ranks.
Roger Jorgensen received a standing ovation when he was recognized for 50 years of service, the first time any Sidney volunteer fireman has reached that pinnacle. After the ceremony, Jorgensen said he has seen a lot through the years, and has been through six chiefs.
Current chief Keith Stone is one of those, and was also recognized for his extended service of 45 years.
Each year department members gather to recognize years of service, topped with the Firefighter of the Year.
Firefighter of the Year honors are chosen by a peer process where nominations outlining firefighters' accomplishments, then trimmed to three finalists by the awards committee, comprised of chosen commanders and members. The entire membership then selects the Firefighter of the Year through a secret ballot. This year, finalists were Ron Leal, Glenn Morrison, and Tim Bassett.
Bassett was the final name called and also accepted his award to a standing ovation.
In addition to Jorgensen and Stone, six other firefighters were recognized for years of service. Bassett and Chris Gabis received five year pins, which are the first given to any Sidney member. Two members, Brandon Chaon and Jason Teters, received 20-year plaques; and 25 year plaques were presented to Doug Sick and Dave Hotes.
Following the awards presentations, Alan Michaels, the State Fire Marshall's Office training coordinator, outlined the value of Sidney's volunteer fire department.
Michaels said the department answered 108 calls for service over the year, an average of one call every 3.4 days. Using averages for time on call, then adding time for time training and special meetings, Michaels said the department provides approximately 3,346 hours of service, averaging just more than 83 hours per department member.
Extrapolating those numbers into average paid department figures from across the state, Michaels said using very conservative figures, if Sidney's fire department was a paid service it would spend $1.1 million in salaries alone. That, Michaels said, shows the great value of Sidney's volunteer force, which has a total annual budget (including man hours and equipment) of $190,000.
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