The Boulder City Fire and Police Departments joined together to celebrate a noteworthy year filled with marked with professional excellence, The hosts for the evening wera Assistant Chief Justin Barron (BCFD) and Detective Sergeant Triffany Driscoll (BCPD). The awards began with a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and a moving invocation by department chaplin, Jason King.
Several lifesaving awards were handed out to Fire Department personnel. Recipients included:
- Life Saving Award #1: Engineer Justin Clift, Paramedic/Firefighter Jason Dardano (Third Life Saving Award), Paramedic/Firefighter Ryan Spradling (Third Life Saving Award), Paradmedic/Firefighter Alex Zoukas (Second Life Saving Award), Sergeant Peter Wheller, Officer Kevin Barakat (Second Life Saving Award), and Office Zach Avery.
- Life Saving Award #2: Captain Nigel Walton (Fifth Life Saving Award), Engineer Mike Gabiola (Fourth Life Saving Award), Paramedic/Firefighter Brian Shea (Second Life Saving Award, Paramedic/Firefighter Eiljah Hubbard (Third Life Saving Award) and Paramedic/Firefighter Jason Tullis.
- Life Saving Award #3: Captain Nigel Walter (Sixth Life Saving Award), Mike Gabiola (Fifth Life Saving Award), Paramedic/Firefighter Brandon Featherly (Third Life Saving Award), Paramedic/Firefighter Jason Tullis (Second Life Saving Award), and Firefighter Dominic Mirjanian.
Fire Department Letters of Commendation were awarded. Recipients included:
- Letter of Commendation #1: Captain Nigel Walton, Engineer Mike Gabiola, Paramedic/Firefighter Brea Shea, Paramedic/Firefighter Brandon Featherly, Paramedic/Firefighter Elijah Hubbard, and Firefighers Carl Ford and Dominic Mirjanian.
- Letter of Commendation #2: Captain Nick Giles, Engineer Justin Clift, Paramedic/Firefight Dan Schuster, Paramedic/Firefighter Brian Shea, Paramedic/Firefighter Alex Zoukas, Paramedic/Firefighter Jason Dardano, and Paramedic Firefighter Ryan Spradling.
The Fire Chief’s Award was presented to Brad Stasick. He has provided fire inspections and plan reviews for the city for over sixteen years. Three years ago he became a full time contract employee. Since 2022 he has conducted over 1500 fire inspections and 700 design reviews, which are critical to the Fire Department’s commitment to community risk reduction.
The Firefighter of the Year Award was provided to Jason Dardano, This award is given to the individual who best exemplifies devotion to duty, service to the public, and bringing positive acclaim to the department.
The Police Department Awards were next. First up were Letters of Commendation.
- Letter of Commendation #1: Officer Scott Pastore of Boulder City Police Department and Officers Caleb Barr and Kevin Grant of Henderson Police Department for lifesaving actions on July 27, 2024.
- Letter of Commendation #2: Officer Kevin Barakat for his discovery of approximately 20,000 fentanyl pills while making a routine traffic stop along Interstate 11 on August 8, 2024.
- Letter of Commendation #3: Officer Jesse Oliver for providing life saving care during a call for service on November 3, 2024.
A Meritorious Service Award was presented to the following first responders:
- Meritorious Service Award: Sergeant Peter Wheeler, Office Gelson, Officer Chadd Richner, Officers Armando Salazar, Officer Mattison, and Paramedic Jason Dardano were called to the scene of an unresponsive 10-day old infant. Their compassionate, courageous, and coordinated care was appreciated during this tragic event.
Boulder City Police Volunteers received awards as well:
- Letter of Commendation: Cherie Anderson received a letter for her tireless work with the You Are Not Alone (YANA) program. She has eleven clients that she checks on routinely and she devoted 267 hours of volunteer service to the department.
- Volunteer of the Year: This year’s award was presented to Bradley Erlandson. He is a squad leader and provided 364 hours of volunteer service to the department.
Congratulations to all the men and women who received awards and we appreciate all the first responders in Boulder City who keep us safe!
