This month, I would like to take the opportunity to spotlight the men and women of our Public Safety Department, who sacrifice their time and talents in the protection and preservation of our community.
These dedicated individuals literally put their lives on the line for us each and every day. They deserve our appreciation and support.
On January 18th, 2012, Public Safety Director and Police Chief Dennis Howard presented the annual public safety awards before the Santaquin City Council. The awards were as follows:
Firefighter of the Year: Jason Calloway
Emergency Medical Technician of the Year: Taylor Sutherland
Police Officer of the Year: Matt Drussell
In addition, a special Life Saving Award was given to Officer Jake Stika to honor his actions of December 31, 2011, where his involvement directly saved the life of a small infant in our community. The dedication, training, and commitment of our Fire, EMS, and Police personnel is truly inspiring to me. I personally believe we have the best public safety department of any city our size in the State of Utah. Furthermore, I believe the leadership provided by our Public Safety Director Dennis Howard, EMS Director Paul Terry, and Fire Chief Shayne Bott, along with their supervising staff members, is second to none.
A special award was presented to Martin Green in appreciation of former Council Member Green’s eight years of dedication and support of the Public Safety Department, as well as his previous volunteer service as a firefighter. Mr. Green was named an Honorary Police Officer of the Santaquin City Police Department. He received a plaque with a badge and an official call number. When presenting the award, Chief Howard said, “For all of these men and women, I express the appreciation of a grateful citizenry. Thank you and keep up the great work”.
Again, I want you to know that I am available to discuss your questions and concerns on the second Tuesday of every month. Visits are made “by appointment only” from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in our new building located at 275 West Main Street. Appointments can be scheduled through the City Recorder, Susan Farnsworth, at (801) 754-3211, extension 204. If unable to visit with me during the set times, please call the Recorder and I will try to accommodate your time schedule.
Mayor James E. DeGraffenried
jdegraffenried@santaquin.org
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