Award banquet honors firefighters

The Worland Volunteer Fire Department held their annual awards banquet on March 25, where volunteers were celebrated for their achievements in service to the community.

Three main awards were given to firefighters who went above and beyond last year: Rookie of the Year, Spirit of Service and Firefighter of the Year. The awardees were nominated by their fellow firefighters.

Shelly Colvin received the Rookie of the Year award, given to an individual working through their first year with the department who has met and exceeded expectations. She said, "I was surprised and honored to receive this award. I guess all the hard work and dedication to the department paid off."

Jeff Neal, a volunteer at the department for five years, received the Spirit of Service award. This is given to a firefighter who shows dedication and determination, and continuously looks for opportunities to help their community. He said, "I'm grateful that the group selected me. It's easy to come in with a good attitude when you are surrounded by people that are dedicated and have a sincere desire to help others. In addition to that, it's also great to be living in a community that's so supportive. Those things make it very easy to have a positive attitude and a desire to help others, and be as good as you can be at what you're doing."

Troy Nelsen, who has served as a firefighter for 13 years, was awarded the title of Firefighter of the Year. This award honors an individual that exemplifies what it means to be a firefighter and shows dedication to all the facets that it entails, such as leadership, time management and the ability to grow, learn and mentor other firefighters. He said, "It was truly an honor that I was awarded this award. I really have to give most of the credit to my crew and to my fellow firefighters because they made me as successful as what I am."

OTHER AWARDS

Years of service

Fire Chief Chris Kocher was recognized for 25 years of service during the ceremony. He said "Certainly it's not about me, it's about the department. I still enjoy being a firefighter very much, and it doesn't seem like it's been 25 years. It goes by pretty quick."

15 years of service: Mike Orona and Brandon Yule.

10 years of service: Chris Merritt.

5 years of service (delayed last year due to COVID): Amber Tibbits, Caitlyn Youngquist, Holly Getzfried, Jeff Neal and Rick Yeske.

5 years of service: Mike McHorse.

Brad Horath was also honored for serving 12 years as a District Board Member.

Rookie firefighters

Shelly Colvin, Neko Skretteberg and Tyler Lindley received their badges and became official firefighters during the ceremony.

Fire Chief Kocher congratulated all award recipients, and encourages new volunteers to join the fire department.

He said, "It's important that we have volunteers willing to answer the call in our community."