Coral Springs Fire Department Receives State Recognition in Several Categories

Feb. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- Nicol Jenkins from local community news magazine, Our Town News, recently interviewed several of the State's top firefighters.  "It has been a lot of firsts," said Coral Springs Fire Chief Mark Curran of the Department’s many accolades.   The City of Coral Springs was recently presented with three awards at the Florida Fire Chief’s Conference in Daytona Beach. Members of the Fire Department also shared in a fourth award given to members of the Haiti Earthquake Response Team as part of Florida USAR Task Force II. This was the largest number of awards presented to a single Department.

"This is a first not just for Coral Springs but for the Fire Department. We won 20 percent of the awards that the state of Florida gives out," said Chief Curran, after the Coral Springs City Commission also honored the Department for the recognition.  

•   Out of more than 50,000 certified paramedics in the state, Coral Springs Captain Juan Cardona was recognized as Paramedic of the Year.
•   For the Florida Association of Emergency Vehicles, there are 500 Fleet Supervisors in the state and Fleet Superintendent Buddy Mallozzi was honored as number 1.
•   The city won the first recipient of the Fire Explorer of the Year award for Coral Springs and the state of Florida. Jonathan Wesolowski is one of the youngest state certified firefighter paramedics at the age of 20.
•   Chief Training Officer Michael McNally, Captain Joseph Russoniello, Captain Michael Caldaro and Captain Michael Moser were part of the search and rescue team that received the responders of the year award for saving seven people trapped in a supermarket and church school. It’s the first time the state has given an award like this.
•   Captain Cardona was recently recognized as Paramedic of the Year by the Florida Fire Chief’s Association and the Florida EMS Association. This coveted award is such a high honor since Cardona was named the top paramedic out of more than 50,000 paramedics in the state of Florida.  "I feel grateful for the great career I’ve had here. I have spent 14 years with the Coral Springs Fire Department and look forward to another 14," said Cardona.
•   While firefighters are the first responders to the scene of an emergency, there’s one man behind the scenes that ensures they get there in the fastest time. He was recognized as the Emergency Vehicle Technician of the Year by the Florida Fire Chief’s Association and the Florida Association of Emergency Vehicle Technicians.
•   Jonathan Wesolowski, a Coral Springs Fire Explorer, was recently recognized as Fire Rescue Cadet of the Year by the Florida Fire Chief’s Association at the young age of 20.

McNally and all the firefighters who were honored said they would never trade their job- no matter how exhausting it can be or potentially dangerous.

"It's goal oriented. It's not about making more money but a goal of knowing that you have the ability to impact a total stranger in their worst time," said McNally.  

Our Town News ran a feature story in the February 24, 2011 issue of the magazine.  OUR TOWN NEWS is the local area's most popular community news magazine with a history of over fifteen years of serving South Florida readers and businesses.  The weekly, full color magazine and the OTN "Great Deals" coupon book are distributed via U.S. Mail to over 50,000 homes and businesses in Parkland and Coral Springs.  Several thousand additional copies are hand delivered weekly to numerous businesses and offices throughout Coral Springs, Parkland, Coconut Creek, Tamarac, Pompano Beach, Boca Raton and Margate, Florida.  OTN’s continuing commitment is to be an ever growing force in supporting the local community and contributing to the success of our advertising partners.  

Office: (954) 344-5156
Fax:  (954) 344-0107
Voice Mail: (954) 284-4507
email: jb@theourtownnews.com
website:  http://www.TheOurTownNews.com
facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/ourtownnews

# # #

OUR TOWN NEWS is the local area's most popular weekly community news magazine with a history of over fifteen years of serving South Florida readers and businesses. The magazine is distributed via U.S. Mail to over 50,000 homes and businesses each month.