The Churubusco / Smith Twp. fire department held their annual elections and awards ceremony Monday night at their regular monthly business meeting.

Firefighter of the Year

Every year a firefighter is chosen for this award because of their dedication, time spent, attitude and overall performance in the department. Joe Small is a fairly new member of the department and has remained very dedicated to serving the department. “He listens very well and is willing to do whatever is asked of him”, said Kris Bair who presented Small with the award.

Years of Dedication

Chad Fulkerson was given a ‘thank you’ plaque for his years of service to the department and the community. From June 1990 to December of 2007 Fulkerson was an integral part in the department. He served on the Board of Directors several times, was a captain and a dedicated professional for over 17 years.

Forever Grateful

That was the title of an award that several members received for saving the life of downed firefighter Chris Tomlinson. In February of this year, Tomlinson was inside a house fire when a ceiling collapsed on him and two others without warning.

Firefighters rushed in to uncover Tomlinson from the debris to find him unresponsive and immediately requested EMT’s to enter and assist with patient care. After being extricated from the debris he was rushed to Parkview Memorial Hospital’s trauma unit and after several tests were conducted, it was discovered his vertebrae had collapsed and the disc was pressing against his spinal cord. It was decided that emergency surgery to replace the disc and fuse the two vertebrae together was the only option for Tomlinson at that time.

“Heroes, every last one of you”, said Tomlinson holding back tears. “I can never thank each of you enough for your outstanding skills, compassion and abilities that saved my life. I am eternally grateful to each and every one of you”

Officer Elections

For the second year in a row Roger Bennett will be the fire chief for 2009 and Wayne Krider will be Assistant Chief. Several board members were re-elected to their previous positions and at least one new member will join the board of directors this year.