January 19, 2021
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb County Volunteer Firefighter Jordan Lader of the Johnson’s Chapel Station received the DeKalb Telephone Cooperative (DTC) Rookie of the Year Award Saturday night during the annual department awards program.
The award was presented by Captain/Training Officer Brian Williams. Training is the sole criteria used in the Rookie of the Year selection
“ During Firefighter Lader’s 12-month rookie period, he completed 185 hours of training which includes completion of the 64-hour Basic Firefighter Training and the 22-hour Live Burn Training at the Fire Academy. In addition, he has completed a long list of extra training courses to improve his firefighting skills. “We certainly want to recognize recruits who demonstrate an outstanding level of commitment to training. Our department is fortunate to have an excellent group of recruits who have contributed to our department being recognized with elite training awards for 12 consecutive years. We are proud of all of them and are honored to present this award to Firefighter Jordan Lader,” said Captain Williams.
Meanwhile, the Liberty Station was honored with the First Bank Station of the Year Award.
Lieutenant Kristie Johnson presented the award.
“This award is selected from among the 12 stations of the DeKalb County Fire Department based upon community service and work sessions provided by the station. In 2020, the Liberty Station excelled in both these criteria by demonstrating commitment to training through station drills, participating in the response team deployment to the Putnam County tornado event in March, volunteering to help remove a large tree from an elderly couple’s lawn in Dowelltown, participating in the DeKalb West School “Welcome Back to School” in August, hosting a community Halloween Give-Back Event in Liberty, and several members assisted with the preparation and delivery of the Thanksgiving meal program hosted by the DeKalb Emergency Services Association. In December, the station selected 3 needy families in the Liberty/Dowelltown communities for which they provided Christmas dinner and gifts for the children. “Based upon the excellent community service and display of station pride, the Liberty Station was awarded this recognition by our panel of sponsorship judges,” said Lt. Johnson.