The White River Township Fire Department (WRTFD) recently honored several of its officers and crew members for their outstanding service to the community and the department. The awards were presented during the WRTFD Awards Banquet held on Feb. 15. The 2018 award winners were nominated and voted by their peers and officers of the Department.
Awards were presented to Officer of the Year: Lieutenant Ryan Cox; Firefighter of the Year: Firefighter/EMT Sasha Davis; Paramedic of the Year: Civilian Paramedic Anne Peege; EMT of the Year: Firefighter/EMT Logan Bowman; and Employee of the Year: Firefighter/EMT Mitchell Combs.
Firefighter of the Year: Firefighter/EMT Sasha Davis.“What makes this special is that we have some of our most seasoned veterans being nominated and recognized by their peers alongside some relative newcomers,” explained WRTFD Fire Chief Jeremy A. Pell. “To me that clearly demonstrates the strength of this department and the crew’s commitment and belief in one another. This is vital for a healthy department in a community that is growing like ours.”
Firefighter Sasha Davis is the first female career firefighter at WRTFD and the first woman to receive the department’s Firefighter of the Year award. “Sasha has the heart of a true firefighter. It certainly shines a light on her quiet leadership that her peers would nominate her as the best of our department,” Pell said.
In addition, a pinning ceremony was conducted for the recent promotions of three staff members. Firefighter Corey McGaha was promoted to Chief of Training and Safety. Lieutenant David Scholl was promoted to Deputy Fire Marshal and Joshua Justice was promoted to Lieutenant.
The Department’s newest employees, which included three full-time and one part-time hires in 2018, were also honored during an official pinning ceremony. WRTFD protects an area of approximately 26 square miles in the Center Grove area. This includes the State Road 135 corridor, State Road 37 and approximately 36,000 residents.
