North Lenoir Fire & Rescue Annual Awards Banquet
"L to R: Leadership & Guidance Award - Captain Ryan Dawson, Junior Firefighter of the Year - Junior Firefighter Ashton Dawson, Partners in Protection Award - Chaplain Chris Truett, Firefighter of the Year - Past Chief Danny Smith, Sr., Engineer of the Year Award - Chief Brian Wade, Training Award - Battalion Chief Jordan Craven, Rookie of the Year - Firefighter Tony Gautier, Chief's Award - Captain Chris Decker"
The North Lenoir Fire & Rescue Annual Banquet was held at Falling Creek Country Club in Kinston, NC on Saturday, January 28, 2023. Members and their families gathered for a night of fellowship, celebration and recognition.
In 2022, members of North Lenoir Fire & Rescue answered more than 440 calls for service and acquired more than 7,971 hours of training as a department with approximately 50 volunteers.
Annual awards were presented to the following:
Junior Firefighter of the Year Award - Ashton Dawson
Rookie of the Year Award - Tony Gautier
Wright Nobles, Jr. Engineer of the Year Award - Brian Wade
Aaron "Broom" Wade, Jr. Training Award - Jordan Craven
Leadership & Guidance Award - Ryan Dawson
Partners in Protection Award - Chris Truett
Chief's Award - Chris Decker
President's Award - All 2022 Line Officers (Chief Brian Wade, Deputy Chief Danny Smith, Jr., Assistant Chief Brandon Ward, Battalion Chief Lynn Wiley, Battalion Chief Jordan Craven, Captain Garrett Jones, Captain Clay Dunn, Captain, Billy Youssef, Captain, Ryan Dawson, Captain William Langley, Captain Chris Decker, Lieutenant Josh Jarman, Safety Officer Danny Smith, Sr.)
Firefighter of the Year - Danny Smith, Sr.
Several members were recognized for completing North Carolina State Certifications in various disciplines over the past year:
NC Firefighter Certification
Ryan Dawson
Andrew Fair
Landon Moore
NC Rapid Intervention Crew Certification
Steven Miller
NC Driver Operator Pumps Certification
Trey Barnes
Nick Bishop
Brandon Ward
NC Driver Operator Mobile Water Supply Certification
Trey Barnes
Nick Bishop
NC Driver Operator Aerials Certification
Nick Bishop
Ryan Dawson
Clay Dunn
Franklin Floyd
Garrett Jones
Danny Smith, Jr.
Danny Smith, Sr.
Brandon Ward
Basic Wildland Fire Suppression Certification
Chris Decker
Brian Wade
Brandon Ward
NC Fire Instructor II Certification
Chris Decker
NC Fire Officer II Certification
Chris Decker
In addition, two members completed Instructor Qualifications:
Jordan Craven, Driver Operator Pumps and Driver Operator Aerials Instructor
Brandon Ward, Firefighter Instructor
The following members were recognized as the top 10 for call response:
Brandon Ward - 404 calls
Danny Smith Sr. - 315 calls
Brian Wade - 313 calls
Danny Smith Jr. - 277 calls
Zack Jenkins - 258 calls
Ryan Dawson - 226 calls
Clay Dunn - 195 calls
Andrew Fair - 194 calls
Billy Youssef - 185 calls
Tony Gautier - 172 calls
The following members were recognized as the top 10 for number of training hours:
Ryan Dawson - 624
Andrew Fair - 545
Brian Wade - 532
Brandon Ward - 478.5
Landon Moore - 465.5
Greg Knowles - 307.5
Nathan Howell - 298
Tyler Moore - 294.5
Ashton Dawson - 260
Chris Decker - 252.5
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