Every year, the Sky Valley Community Awards Celebration honors first responders from Snohomish County Fire Districts 5 and 26 for their exemplary effort.
District 26 in Gold Bar is an all-volunteer department that serves 36 square miles of rural area, including the city of Gold Bar. Through the department's residency program, a number of volunteer firefighters live at the station, gaining experience as they work to further their education or test for career firefighting positions. In 2015, six Gold Bar firefighters went on to obtain career positions, and the department brought on 12 new volunteers.
District 26 recognized James Ingalls and Mike Percopo for five years of service; Jeff Larsen, Brian Schleicher, Scott Dorsey and Matt Abers for 10 years of service; Captain Bill Tubbs for 25 years and Linda Larsen for 30 years of service to the department.
An award was given to former Fire Commissioner Glenrose Williams for her 12 years of service on the board of commissioners. The Firefighter of the Year award went to Andy Lauer for his dedication to the craft of firefighting.
"He's dedicated to becoming a better firefighter,GÇ¥ said Snohomish County Fire District 26 Lt. Rob Thurston. "He loves it so much he's actually a member of two different departments.GÇ¥
Snohomish County Fire District 5 in Sultan serves about a 70-mile area that includes the city of Sultan. The district is staffed by a combination of full- and part-time firefighters, who responded to roughly 1,186 calls in 2015. The District 5 Firefighter of the Year award went to Hever Gil for his outstanding service to the department, including more than 100 hours of training and responding to more than 238 calls. He is also trained to drive all District 5 vehicles.
Snohomish County Fire District 5 Commissioner Steve Fox presented the award.
"His team considers him to be very reliable, very considerate, very empathetic,GÇ¥ Fox said. "And Hever wants to be a full-time firefighter.GÇ¥
Next, Fox presented firefighter Steve Tonkin with a Distinguished Service award. Tonkin has been with the department since 2008, and is extremely involved in the community. He volunteers with Snohomish County Critical Incident Stress Management, trains new firefighters and EMTs, is the backup chaplain and volunteers at numerous community events.
"He was key in helping Elizabeth Emmons organize the Battle of the Badge baseball game last year that was a fundraiser for the Sultan Education Foundation,GÇ¥ said Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce Director Debbie Copple.-á -á
Photo by Chris Hendrickson Snohomish County Fire District 26 firefighter Andy Lauer was honored as Firefighter of the Year by Lt. Rob Thurston. Lauer said that the honor caught him totally by surprise and that he was grateful to his co-workers for inspiring him.
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