On June 1 of this year, local resident Chad Tucker was having some trouble breathing and was being driven to the hospital by his wife when they decided to stop by the fire station to have him checked out.

Within minutes of their arrival Tucker had a heart attack and had to be resuscitated not once, but twice by firefighters and paramedics in the parking lot.

Tucker and his family joined the department at their meeting and thanked the department for all that they do.

“You are very special people and I cannot thank you enough for all that you did”, said Tucker with tears in his eyes.

The second award of the evening was for firefighter of the year, which is voted on by department members.

Only two years into his membership on the department Erich Smith received the award for his dedication to the department no matter the day, time or type of incident.

“He always has a good attitude and is smiling when he’s around”, said Kris Bair as he presented Smith with the award.

Election of Officers

Roger Bennett will be serving his 3^rd consecutive year as fire chief and Chris Tomlinson will be the assistant chief in 2011.

The board of directors for 2011 will include Darrell Resler, Chris Holloway, Wayne Krider, Ben Rinker, Kris Bair, Bruce Shanabarger & Justin Snyder.

For 6 years now, the department has been handing out awards for amazing rescues, life saving skills and of course, firefighter of the year. Each year, the committee bases their decision on things such as dedication, personality, attitude and the drive for the person(s) to go the extra mile.
This year Justin Snyder walked away with the award and more for his dedication to the department and community.

As part of his dedication to the department, he was given the Chief’s Award for being very proactive in obtaining grants for equipment purchases for the department.

Because his attitude was positive all year long, he worked hard for the grants on his own and stayed involved in the department, Snyder was more than deserving of the award.

Life Saving Awards

The fire department is not a part of the actual EMS system, but do assist on a multitude of runs all year long. From the simple fall to critical medical emergencies, Churubusco Firefighters are called to action. And each year a few people are lucky enough to have saved a life.

Some of these men and women have received these awards before and for some it’s their very first time. By applying their knowledge, skills and abilities, a few Churubusco community members are alive today.

One incident took place at the Churubusco P.D. where a woman was found unconscious in a vehicle and the other took place at a residence.

These men and women deserve great recognition for the work that they do day in and day out assisting the Whitley County EMS system.