Whitesboro Fire Department awards banquet recognizes community accomplishments

The Whitesboro Fire Department (WFD) gathered on Feb. 15 to fellowship around a meal to thank community partners and recognize some of their own for accomplishments over the last year. The banquet was held at Mustang Creek Event Center and catered by Joe Luis Knock-Out Catering, and the event was made possible in part from a generous donation from Holiday Auto Group. Cooke County Medic 6 and Collinsville Engine 74 both stood-by in the Whitesboro Fire Department station so that the on-duty shifts could also attend the banquet.
WFD members and their guests enjoyed an evening that started with an Invocation from Brother Mike Flanagan from First Baptist Church (FBC) in Whitesboro, followed by the meal. After dinner, attendees enjoyed the much-anticipated 2024 Year in Review video put together by Jamie Jo Patterson. The compilation video includes photos, videos and audio from throughout the year’s operations, and can be viewed on the department’s YouTube page “Whitesboro Fire.”

The keynote address was delivered by retired Houston Fire Department District Chief Clyde Gordon. He gave a very heartfelt talk on how the fire service is a calling, and how important it is to connect with the community beyond simply responding to emergencies. He was impressed with the direction Whitesboro Fire Department was headed as it faces growth in many areas, and reiterated the importance of department members taking care of each other and the community as the department continues to grow.

Certificates of recognition were handed out to several of the department’s community partners. New Whitesboro Police Chief Kevin Dockery and new Communication Supervisor Curlen Barger were recognized for the continual partnership they share with the WFD. These two organizations work with the fire department on a nearly constant basis, and their contribution to the safety and success of the firefighters is crucial to daily operations.

With safety in mind, the local tow companies were also recognized. Assistant Chief Jeff Patterson stated during the presentation to Happy Dave’s Wrecker Service and Frank’s Towing Plus that the highway is the most dangerous scene a firefighter will operate in. Having good partnerships with the wrecker services helps speed up activities on the scene and makes it generally safer for all involved. Chief Patterson also recognized Frank’s Towing Plus for all their work on the annual Christmas Toy Drive and the distribution of collected toys to needy families.

Holiday Auto Group and Ronny Gregory were also recognized for their contribution to the annual Christmas Toy Drive, and for all their support throughout the year for other community events through the fire department. For years, Holiday Auto Group has generously supported community outreach and fire department events, and the department recognized them for their generosity.

Texoma Area Solid Waste Authority (TASWA) was recognized for their continual support of the department. Their donations to the department go a long way in helping the department provide services such as fire prevention and community education programs.

Brother Mike Flanagan was once again brought up, but this time to receive an appreciation certificate for the services that he and FBC Whitesboro provide to the fire department and community. Brother Mike is the Chaplain for the department, and FBC serves as an evacuation center and gathering location in times of need as well as a designated resource in many of the city events involving the downtown area.

The awards to members were handed out next, beginning with unit citations. These are distributed to members of the department for contributions they made to particularly difficult or unique emergencies.  Unit citations are nominated by department members with the department chiefs deciding which incidents and responses are worthy of recognition.  

The department recognized four incidents this year. These were a head-on accident on Highway 82 which saw multiple victims and air evacuations, a vehicle accident on Highway 82 with multiple occupant ejections and air evacuations, an injured cyclist on the Cross Timbers Trail system that saw hours of remote operation in the summer heat, and a structure fire on Yowell Road that saw quick response and aggressive fire attack resulting in minimal fire loss.

Top responders were awarded next. Each of these three individuals recorded hundreds of responses to incidents last year. Firefighter/ECA Shane Pirtle finished in third place this year while second and first place remained unchanged from last year, with Captain Alan Meek in second place and Lieutenant Josh Velten finishing in first place.

The First Responder of the Year went to Lieutenant Michael Parish for his dedication to patient care while in the field responding to emergencies. This award is nominated by department members and then selected from among the nominees by the chief officers.

Paramedic/EMT of the Year was shared by paramedics Taylor Jeffrey and Karsten Whyte. This award is chosen by the chief officers and was awarded to these two paramedics because of their continued dedication to improving the EMS program at WFD and desire to continually raise the standards for the EMS providers in the department.

The Firefighter of the Year went to Firefighter Robert Magar. Magar has filled many roles during his time in the department and has always been dependable and reliable when assigned tasks and duties on and off the fireground. This award is especially meaningful because it is the only award selected by the membership of the department. Candidates for the award are anonymously nominated by a member of the department, and then the nominees go to a vote by the membership.  

Phoenix Awards are handed out to members who participated in saving a life. The opportunity does not occur very often, but training and aggressive actions by the crews help with positive outcomes when the opportunities do arise. This year there were two calls in which resuscitative efforts resulted in the saving of a life.  

Paramedics Duran Ferguson, Cody Keller and EMTs Seth Knight and Josh Velten were awarded the Phoenix for successfully resuscitating a patient early last year. Paramedics Nathan Jolly, Jeff Patterson and EMT Jonathon Sheffield were awarded the Phoenix for resuscitating an infant delivered prematurely at home.  

The final award presented that night was the Fire Chief’s Award. This award is chosen specifically by Fire Chief Steve Pinkston and goes to an individual he feels has made a positive impact on the community through dedicated response and other contributions to the operations of the department. Captain Alan Meek was presented the award for his commitment to shift coverage and ensuring open shifts were staffed whenever possible. His leadership presence on incident scenes was also noted by Chief Pinkston during the presentation.

Mayor Dave Blaylock said a few words on behalf of the city. Besides the mayor, the City of Whitesboro was represented well with the attendance of members of the City Council and City Administrator Phil Harris. Mayor Blaylock shared his praise for all the members of the department for the job they do. He also spoke directly to the spouses and family members present and thanked them for the understanding and willingness they have to let their family’s firefighter be a part of the Whitesboro Fire Department.

The evening wrapped up in a banquet tradition as each WFD member came forward to collect a rose and deliver it to their spouse/guest with a word of thanks and appreciation.