Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year

Description

Fire and Life Safety educators are dedicated to teaching community members to be active participants in the safety of their families and friends. It is through fire and life safety programs that the fire service can most efficiently save lives and property. The Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year award was first presented in 2003.

Criteria

The candidate must exhibit an extraordinary commitment to educating their community about fire prevention and fire safety during the year. This can be demonstrated in many ways. A few examples are:

1. The Fire and Life Safety Educator developed and implemented a new fire prevention or fire safety program that improved the fire safety of members of their community.
2. The Fire and Life Safety Educator displayed an extreme commitment to the members of their community to ensure the fire prevention message was received.

List of Recipients:

Firefighter of the Year

Description

The firefighter is the foundation of the fire service. Firefighters serve their communities in many different ways; responding to emergencies, organizing safety events and being role models of community responsibility. The Firefighter of the Year award was first presented in 1987.

Criteria

The candidate must demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to firefighting. This can be evidenced by outstanding actions on the fireground or at other functions in their community during the year. This can be demonstrated in many ways. A few examples are:

1. Extraordinary rescue following operational policies and training.
2. Development of a wellness program that dramatically improves the health of the members of the department.
3. Outstanding effort to improve the departments standing in the community.

List of Recipients:

William A. Hagevig Fire Service Instructor of the Year

Description

In 1969, at the request of the Alaska State Firefighters Association, the Fire Service Training Program was established in the State Department of Education, and William Bill Hagevig was the first Supervisor. Bill was a captain in the Ketchikan Fire Department when he agreed to move to Juneau to take on the daunting challenge of developing a program of fire training for the entire state.

For many years Bill was fire training in Alaska. With nothing to use as a model he proceeded to use his experience and his intuition to develop a program unique to Alaska. He had a number of beliefs that he strongly adhered to over the years. One was that the volunteer firefighter must be trained on the same basis as the paid firefighter. He believed that professionalism did not lie in whether one was paid or volunteer, but in the abilities of the individual. The training coming out of his office reflected this belief. There was no distinction drawn between paid firefighter and volunteer firefighter.

He developed the Itinerant Instructor program, whereby well trained fire instructors from all over Alaska were sent to many remote and not-so-remote areas delivering training designed specifically for those areas. Bill himself did most of the travel at first, establishing trust and a reputation for delivering quality training.

Bill believed that it was important to provide hands-on live fire training, which was not always available in smaller communities. He had a dream of regional fire training centers, all of which would be able to provide appropriate training to any fire department that wanted it for their people. Bill worked with the Alaska State Firefighters Association and the Alaska Fire Chiefs Association to realize this dream, and saw the construction of five regional fire training centers completed during his tenure at Fire Service Training.

Bill Hagevig was Alaskas fire service training role model for over 16 years. He was creative and resourceful, as well as a fine instructor. Above all, Bills dedication to and belief in THE professionalism of both volunteer and paid personnel was boundless.

The William A. Hagevig Fire Service Instructor of the Year award was first presented in 1990.

Criteria

The candidate must exhibit an extraordinary commitment to training and education of members of the fire service during the year. This can be demonstrated in many ways. A few examples are:

1. The instructor sets a leadership example for students during training programs.
2. The instructor developed a training program or course that improves the safety of firefighters.
3. The instructor goes above and beyond to ensure their students are prepared to function on the fireground.

List of Recipients:

Ken Akerley Fire Service Leadership Award

Description

Assistant Chief Ken Akerleys dedication and passion for the fire service, safety, instruction and rural Alaska communities exemplified fire service leadership. He worked through out his life to promote teamwork among the fire service in Alaska in order to improve firefighter and community safety. Ken instilled an enthusiasm for fire service leadership in everyone with whom he worked or taught.

The Ken Akerley Leadership Award was initially awarded as the Fire Officer of the Year award and was first presented in 2006.

Criteria

The candidate must exhibit an extraordinary commitment to leading their Fire Department and has earned the trust and respect of their subordinates and peers. This can be evidenced by outstanding actions on the fireground or at other functions within their community during the year. A few examples are:

1. Implementing, supporting and enforcing safety policies to improve firefighter safety for their department.
2. Mentoring new and current personnel to improve their education and skills preparing them for a long career in the fire service.
3. Dramatically improve the operational effectiveness of their department by increasing communication between department members.

Leadership can occur at any level, candidates may be any member of the fire service from firefighter to Chief.

List of Recipients: