The week of Oct. 3 saw several Sandy Springs public safety officials receive recognition for their efforts.
At the Oct. 3 Sandy Springs Rotary Club meeting, the club named Mike Ware the Fire Officer of the Year.
“Ware has been instrumental in forming the Sandy Springs Honor Guard, and is a coordinator for the Fire Safety Education and Community Involvement Programs that in 2010 conducted over 425 community events and provided classes that about 136,000 people attended,” the Rotary Club reported. “Ware is a part-time instructor for the Georgia State Fire Academy where he assists recruits, firefighters, and aspiring instructors in live fire training.”
Franklin “Danny” Thompson shared the honor of “Fire Officer of the year.”
“Thompson is an adjunct instructor for the Georgia Fire Academy and our department’s only Regional/Proctor Monitor. Thompson is very active within the fire service and serves on numerous states’ training committees,” the club said of Thompson.
Leanne Billew received Paramedic of the Year Honors.
“Since 2007, Billew has received five ‘Life Saving Awards’ for saving the lives of people who have experienced life-threatening emergencies. These “Life Saving Awards” for saving the lives of people who have experienced life-threatening emergencies,” the club reported.
At the same meeting, Sandy Springs Police Officer Curley Sparks as its 2011 “Officer of the Year” for his acts of heroism. It also recognized Lieutenant David Roskind was also selected as “Commander of the Year” for his work on several technology projects throughout the year.
But the awards didn’t stop there.
The next day at the Sandy Springs City Council meeting Fire Chief Jack McElfish was honored for receiving the American Heart Association’s 2011 American Heart Association Mission Award.
“Chief McElfish was recognized for his leadership in helping Sandy Springs become a ‘Heart Ready’ city,” the City of Sandy Springs said in a press release. “The Heart Association noted the City of Sandy Springs’ ‘Learn it…Before You Need It’ CPR pocket cards. The cards, spearheaded by McElfish, utilize Quick Response (QR) Code technology, allowing the public to use mobile communication devices to download information, including an instructional video, to assist in the recognition and treatment of sudden cardiac arrest. More than 10,000 cards have been distributed throughout Sandy Springs, and the American Heart Association plans to replicate the program nationwide.”
