The League City Volunteer Fire Department hosted its annual awards for 2015 on March 29 at the Johnnie Arolfo Civic Center.

“I am always amazed at the amount of compassion and desire to serve one's neighbor that a person can have,” said Jack Helton, Assistant Fire Chief. “The League City Volunteer Fire Department has a hundred plus personnel that volunteer daily and forty percent donate time equivalent to that of a full-time employee.

“The individuals who were recognized this year had to work exceptionally hard to stand out amongst their peers,” Helton continued

Awards presented include:
• City Appreciation Awards to League City’s Parks Recreation and Parks and Cultural Services and the City Attorney’s Office for their support and responsiveness in addressing the needs of the Volunteer Fire Department
• Most Trainings Award: James Werner
• Most Runs/Calls Award: Kevin Kasten
• Rookie of the Year - East Side: Johanna Milam
• Rookie of the Year - West Side: David Brown
• President’s Award: Tamara Boegler
• Chief’s Award: Steven DeVillier
• Fire Officer of the Year: Kevin Karban
• Firefighter of the Year: Trey Kirkpatrick

Karban was selected as the Fire Officer of the Year for his his leadership, dedication and fairness in his role as lieutenant during 2015. Karban, now a captain, is a top responder every year and always finds time to mentor those coming through the ranks. He has taken on several challenging roles throughout the year and met each challenge head on with enthusiasm and attention to detail.

Kirkpatrick was selected as the Firefighter of the Year for his dedication to the department. He has taken on the role of academy coordinator with full force and spends four months each year dedicated to the future of cadets entering the department, all while maintaining above-par participation in fire calls and station trainings. He continuously seeks out education for himself to pass along to our newest members and ensure they have the tools they need to join the ranks. This is his second recognition for the award.

Length of service pins were also presented to Natalie Perrone, Craig Corder, Michael Rawls, Brandon Simpson, Diego Lopez, William Lambert, and Christopher Kanyuck for five-years of service; Dennis Rogers, Brock Howe, Ruben Freeman, and Val Bernal for 10 years of service; Greg Bozdech for 15 years of service; and Rick Lucas, John Park and David Brandt for 20 years of service.

Recipients were selected by a committee of representatives from each fire station.

Photos from the ceremony are available at http://bit.ly/1VWgy9D