First Responders Honored with Outstanding Service Awards

First responders work tirelessly and risk their lives every day for our health and security. On Sept. 20, the Greater Raleigh Chamber/CPI Security First Responders Appreciation Breakfast convened local business, community, and elected leaders to express gratitude to the men and women who keep our families, friends, and communities safe.
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The breakfast honored members of the City of Raleigh Fire Department, the City of Raleigh Police Department, the Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications Center, Wake County EMS, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Carolina Highway Patrol – Troop C, District III. 

Special recognition was given to members of each agency who went above and beyond the call of duty. Congratulations to the recipients of the 2017 Outstanding Service Awards.

City of Raleigh Fire Department

Captain Grant Williams
Lieutenant Steven Nipper
Senior Firefighter Jeffrey Warren
Firefighter Christopher Patterson

On Jan. 10, Engine 1 responded to a structure fire call at a home on Marble Street. When they arrived, they found that the outside meter base was shorting out and had to be disconnected. As a result, the house had no power or heat—on a day when temperatures dipped into the 20s. Three adults and three children—two under the age of two—living in the home were displaced. Emergency assistance organizations were unable to respond to help the family because of weather and road conditions. 

Captain Grant Williams and his crew—Lieutenant Steven Nipper, Senior Firefighter Jeffrey Warren, and Firefighter Christopher Patterson—took it upon themselves to take the family to the Comfort Inn and get them a room for the night.

The crew of Engine 1 was willing to go outside the normal parameters to insure a family was taken care of. They truly displayed a deep understanding of the department’s core mission: Unselfish, Dedicated, and Service.

City of Raleigh Police Department

Master Officer E.E. Tansey

​The City of Raleigh Police Department, which is internationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, employs over 800 personnel including more than 700 sworn officers. The teamwork these men and women employ daily as well as the respect and trust they have for one another has led to exceptional service within our community.
 
On Feb. 16, officers responded to a call related to a suicidal subject threatening to jump off the Rock Quarry Road overpass. On the scene, officers learned that the subject, a 16-year-old female, was deaf. Officer E.E. Tansey was one of the responding officers and was fluent in American Sign Language.
 
When Tansey arrived and first approached the subject, she climbed onto the wall separating the overpass from the interstate below. After 20 minutes of signing, Officer Tansey was able to convince her to step down from the wall onto the shoulder of the overpass. She stayed very close to the wall, refusing to allow officers closer. Officer Tansey continued to sign to the subject, working with negotiators to both gather information from and relay information to her. This encounter lasted another hour before the subject voluntarily walked with Officer Tansey from the overpass into a safe area.
 
Officer Tansey showed excellent judgement, compassion, and exceptional skills and abilities in preventing a suicide. 

Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications Center

(Pictured: Director Dominick Nutter)
Laura Alvarez
Guanica Collazo
Jason Compton
John Franks
Karlton Genwright
Danielle Gregg
David Gonzalez
Jonathon Leal
Latasha McGirt
Rodney Melvins
Paul Nicholson
Camara Pruett
Tieneisha Robinson
Stephen Ryan
Melissa Teen
Kristyna Ward
Heather Whitaker
Marcus Wells

Raleigh-Wake County Emergency Communications Center provides 9-1-1 service to over 868,000 people, provides safety communications to seven municipalities in Wake County, and dispatches for five EMS agencies, eight law enforcement agencies, and 21 fire departments. They truly add the “public” in public safety by providing the interface between citizens and first responders.  

On March 16, at 10:02 p.m., a call came into the Raleigh Wake 911 Communications center. Little did the center know that this call would be a national news breaking media event. The caller reported that there was a fire on the roof of 214 North Harrington Street in downtown Raleigh. Other calls began pouring in—118 within 45 minutes, to be exact.

More than 100 pieces of apparatus from local agencies were sent to the scene of what turned out to be a 5-alarm fire. The center was responsible for getting the help needed, including finding surrounding agencies to fill-in for the Raleigh Fire stations left vacant due to this event. The center employs a diverse staff, including a full-time fireman who was able to provide inside knowledge and help.

As we all know the business of 911 doesn’t stop just because there is a 5-alarm fire. The center still fielded calls ranging from the routine to the not-so-routine. There were 19 staff members on duty at the center at this time, including three employees in training. Every now and then a call comes through where Communications Center employees are allowed to show what they are made of—and that night was one of those times.

Wake County EMS

Avery Brown
Shawn Noyes
John Porter
Robert Walters

Last year Wake County Emergency Services responded to over 78,000 requests for service and transported more than 65,000 patients. EMS teams are often forced to make quick critical decisions that could mean the difference between life and death.
 
In addition to first responders, others also put themselves in high risk situations for the greater good of our community—including construction professionals. 
 
The dangers they face were reinforced late one morning this past spring. As a load of steel beams was delivered to a construction site in Raleigh, some fell, trapping a map underneath. Co-workers acted quickly and were able to free him, but the injuries to his arms and legs were severe.
 
EMS 3 with Shawn Noyes and Robert Walters arrived quickly. The Raleigh Fire Department was on scene too, and were followed by EMS 5 with Avery Brown and John Porter.  
 
The victim was critical, and his life was in immediate danger. In recent years, EMS continuing education has included a focus on the use of tourniquets to control severe bleeding. Shawn placed a tourniquet immediately and begin controlling the bleeding. Avery and John worked to stabilize the other injuries, and together with crews from the Raleigh Fire Department, they were able to prepare the victim and move through the large construction area and out to the ambulance. 
 
Shawn placed a secondary tourniquet which, was effective in getting the dangerous bleeding stopped. As Robert navigated them to the trauma center, Shawn and Avery worked to get other treatments started in the back of the ambulance.
 
Shawn, Robert, Avery, and John, along with the Raleigh Fire crews, demonstrated strong teamwork in a critical situation to help save the victim’s life. He and his family continue to work with rehabilitation professionals toward the best outcome.

Wake County Sheriff's Office

Justin Hastings
Steven O’Byrne

The Sheriff’s Office includes five divisions including Patrol, Investigation, Judicial Services, Detention, and Administrative with over 360 personnel. This office provides patrol and investigative services as well as crime prevention, service of civil process and courtroom security. Sometimes our deputies are called to do so much more, as you will learn from this story. 

On the morning of July 13th, First Class Deputy Steven O'Byrne and Deputy Justin Hastings were on routine boat team patrol of Shearon Harris Lake. Both deputies were at the boat launch where they witnessed three people taking a white Carolina Skiff out of the water. One subject was in the boat pulling it onto the trailer while a woman was standing between the truck and the trailer attaching the winch to the boat. A woman driving the truck began to pull the trailer out of the water. However the boat was not securely attached. The truck started rolling backwards into the water, and the woman was run over and trapped under water. The female driving the truck became trapped between the truck door and the boat dock.   

Deputy O'Byrne quickly ran over and jumped in the truck, applying the brake to keep it from completely rolling into the lake. Deputy Hastings reached over and placed the boat in neutral, stopping the motor, and then jumped in the water and pulled the female from under the truck. EMS responded to the scene and transported both ladies to Duke Hospital. The female that was trapped between the truck door and the boat dock received minor injuries. The female submerged in water trapped under the truck was transported as a trauma. Both are expected to recover from their injuries. If it was not for the quick actions of both Deputy O'Byrne and Deputy Hastings the outcome of this incident could have been much worse. 

North Carolina State Highway Patrol

Sergeant Robert Maynard

​Established in 1929 the Highway Patrol’s primary mission is to reduce collisions and make the highways of North Carolina as safe as possible. Troop C District 3 troopers are dedicated to ensuring this mission in Wake County. 

On July 25th, Sergeant Robert Maynard was eating lunch at Chick-fil-A in Garner when he heard an employee yelling his name. The employee pointed to a woman a few tables away who was choking. Sgt. Maynard ran to the women and said, “I’m here to help you.” The woman was not breathing and her face was purple.

Training kicked in, and Sgt. Maynard began to perform the Heimlich maneuver on the woman. As he gave the abdominal thrusts, he could hear her fight for air. After about the 12th to 13th thrust, he heard and saw her spit out a small piece of food onto the table in front of her. She immediately gasped for a huge breath of air and turned toward him, her eyes watering. Sgt. Maynard says he was just in the “right place at the right time,” but it’s clear that his training and quick reaction saved the woman’s life.

The 200 Club of Wake County

First responders who bravely lose their lives in the line of duty are not forgotten. Neither are their families.

The 200 Club of Wake County is an organization of concerned citizens dedicated to providing immediate financial help for the spouse and children of police officers, sheriff deputies, firemen, EMS squad members, and North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers serving in Wake County who lose their lives in the line of duty.

The 2017 First Responders Appreciation Breakfast raised $15,000 for The 200 Club of Wake County. Since the inception of the event, it has raised more than $160,000 for this amazing organization.

Read more about the club and find out how to help here.