As we embark on 2021, we are genuinely enthused to be the volunteers of WRES! We are very glad to have 2020 behind us and look forward to a much better year for all.
Once a year, our board of directors holds a banquet in December, and we recognize our volunteers for their best efforts for the year. As stated in our last column, we were not able to hold our banquet but were finally able to give out awards in January.
While all of our volunteers are important and valuable, there are certain efforts on calls and around the station that merit a special call-out by the officers. In 2018, we lost one of our best leaders at WRES and created an award in his honor - the Sib Evans Leadership Award. Sib Evans’ presence can still be felt around the new station, and when you pass by on Taft Highway, notice a small granite bench next to the flag pole that is dedicated to Sib. The Sib Evan’s Leadership Award for 2020 recipient is Robert Clark.
The Rock of Gibraltar Award is given to the member you can always call at any time and know he or she is never too tired to too busy to help. Our Rock of Gibraltar for 2020 is Patrick Halstead. The Chief’s Award is for the member who stands out to the chief and deputy chief as having made an over-and-above contribution to the team at WRES. For 2020, Jaykob Hawkins is the recipient of the Chief’s Award. When we get new volunteers, there always seems to be one new member who quickly rises to the top and demonstrates value, promising a great future in the department. Our Rookie of the Year for 2020 is Omar Morales.
However, the most prestigious award we give is not one that is decided by the leadership at WRES. Every member has an opportunity to vote on who they think is the Volunteer of the Year. To be recognized by your fellow brothers and sisters in the department as the Volunteer of the Year is the highest recognition one can receive as a member of the emergency service. Our 2020 Volunteer of the Year award goes to Patrick Stoker. If you know of any of these mountain residents, please congratulate them on their awards and thank them for their service and dedication to the community.
The year 2020 ended with a bang for WRES. The upper part of Roberts Mill Road is in our district, and the lower part of Roberts Mill is the responsibility of Dallas Bay Volunteer Fire Department. On the evening of December 31, we were called to the scene of an accident on Roberts Mill Road by Dallas Bay. A dump truck left the road and fell down the side of the embankment, and a ropes team was needed to help rescuers reach the vehicle. We were on the scene, along with Mowbray Volunteer Fire Department and Hamilton County EMS. This type of mutual aid call is very common to WRES, and just as much as we appreciate our neighboring departments and the assistance they provide to us, we are also very glad to answer a call for help and assist them as needed.
While the weather is bouncing around between warm and sunny and cold and dreary, we are seeing lots of people out in Prentiss Cooper State Forest enjoying the park. Please remember to take a fully charged phone with you when you go out into the woods and have some snacks and water with you, also. The phone will help us locate you if you get lost and a small snack and some water will keep you hydrated as you enjoy the outdoors.
COVID-19 is still an issue for us, and we look forward to this virus disappearing. Many of our members, as first responders, were offered the first round of vaccines in December, and many have received their follow-up shot. This is good, since, despite all of our efforts to keep ourselves safe during emergency calls, it is not always practical. Numerous WRES members have had to quarantine after an exposure, and we are glad to say we have not lost any members to the illness. But we still have to recognize COVID-19 is an additional threat to the safety of our volunteers as they respond to any emergency that comes our way on the mountain.
If you would like to consider being a volunteer at WRES, please reach out to us. There are more ways you can help besides running into a burning building with a firehose. You can always contact us at our Station One phone number at (423) 886-5974 and leave a message, or direct message us on our Facebook page at Waldens Ridge Emergency Service. However, if you have an emergency - or even think you may need some help - do not hesitate to call 911 for immediate assistance and the fastest response. Have a safe and happy 2021.
by Jay Heavilon
Once a year, our board of directors holds a banquet in December, and we recognize our volunteers for their best efforts for the year. As stated in our last column, we were not able to hold our banquet but were finally able to give out awards in January.
While all of our volunteers are important and valuable, there are certain efforts on calls and around the station that merit a special call-out by the officers. In 2018, we lost one of our best leaders at WRES and created an award in his honor - the Sib Evans Leadership Award. Sib Evans’ presence can still be felt around the new station, and when you pass by on Taft Highway, notice a small granite bench next to the flag pole that is dedicated to Sib. The Sib Evan’s Leadership Award for 2020 recipient is Robert Clark.
The Rock of Gibraltar Award is given to the member you can always call at any time and know he or she is never too tired to too busy to help. Our Rock of Gibraltar for 2020 is Patrick Halstead. The Chief’s Award is for the member who stands out to the chief and deputy chief as having made an over-and-above contribution to the team at WRES. For 2020, Jaykob Hawkins is the recipient of the Chief’s Award. When we get new volunteers, there always seems to be one new member who quickly rises to the top and demonstrates value, promising a great future in the department. Our Rookie of the Year for 2020 is Omar Morales.
However, the most prestigious award we give is not one that is decided by the leadership at WRES. Every member has an opportunity to vote on who they think is the Volunteer of the Year. To be recognized by your fellow brothers and sisters in the department as the Volunteer of the Year is the highest recognition one can receive as a member of the emergency service. Our 2020 Volunteer of the Year award goes to Patrick Stoker. If you know of any of these mountain residents, please congratulate them on their awards and thank them for their service and dedication to the community.
The year 2020 ended with a bang for WRES. The upper part of Roberts Mill Road is in our district, and the lower part of Roberts Mill is the responsibility of Dallas Bay Volunteer Fire Department. On the evening of December 31, we were called to the scene of an accident on Roberts Mill Road by Dallas Bay. A dump truck left the road and fell down the side of the embankment, and a ropes team was needed to help rescuers reach the vehicle. We were on the scene, along with Mowbray Volunteer Fire Department and Hamilton County EMS. This type of mutual aid call is very common to WRES, and just as much as we appreciate our neighboring departments and the assistance they provide to us, we are also very glad to answer a call for help and assist them as needed.
While the weather is bouncing around between warm and sunny and cold and dreary, we are seeing lots of people out in Prentiss Cooper State Forest enjoying the park. Please remember to take a fully charged phone with you when you go out into the woods and have some snacks and water with you, also. The phone will help us locate you if you get lost and a small snack and some water will keep you hydrated as you enjoy the outdoors.
COVID-19 is still an issue for us, and we look forward to this virus disappearing. Many of our members, as first responders, were offered the first round of vaccines in December, and many have received their follow-up shot. This is good, since, despite all of our efforts to keep ourselves safe during emergency calls, it is not always practical. Numerous WRES members have had to quarantine after an exposure, and we are glad to say we have not lost any members to the illness. But we still have to recognize COVID-19 is an additional threat to the safety of our volunteers as they respond to any emergency that comes our way on the mountain.
If you would like to consider being a volunteer at WRES, please reach out to us. There are more ways you can help besides running into a burning building with a firehose. You can always contact us at our Station One phone number at (423) 886-5974 and leave a message, or direct message us on our Facebook page at Waldens Ridge Emergency Service. However, if you have an emergency - or even think you may need some help - do not hesitate to call 911 for immediate assistance and the fastest response. Have a safe and happy 2021.
by Jay Heavilon
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