St. Johns County Fire Rescue FF and Paramedic of the Year Honored
Published: January 13, 2010
St. Johns County, Fl - Fire Service News would like to congratulate this years ST. Johns County Fire Rescue fire fighter of the year Patrick Taaffe and Paramedic of the year Peter Accotti. In a release this morning from SJCFR PIO Jeremy Robshaw, the department announced thier selections. Below is an except from the press release that outlines the process and reasons both men where choosen. Great jopb guys and thanks for your dedication to the county and the residents here!!
Press Release:
St. Johns County Fire Rescue (SJCFR) is pleased to announce the following two fire rescue personnel as the 2009 Firefighter and 2009 Paramedic of the year. They were both selected based on nominations received from their peers, with the final decision being made by a department appointed awards committee. Firefighter Paramedic Peter Accorti was selected by the committee for Paramedic of the Year.
FF/Paramedic Accorti has consistently performed at the highest levels as both a paramedic and a firefighter. While performing his duties on Rescue 7, Peter has been confronted with many challenges and has consistently, calmly and confidently overseen the treatment of his patients. In addition to his duties as a responder, Peter has spent many hours mentoring and assisting other members of the department with their paramedic certification studies. Many of these members attribute a large portion of their success to his unselfish efforts. Peter is a great example of what a professional should be both through his conduct and interaction with his peers and the public we serve. While having only been a paramedic for a short time, his passion and professionalism have made the difference for many citizens and visitors to St. Johns County.
Firefighter Patrick Taaffe was selected by the committee for Firefighter of the Year. In his relatively short time as a member of St. Johns County Fire Rescue, Firefighter Taaffe has shown himself to be a conscientious, dependable and hard working asset to the department. Patrick has used his previous work experience as a tool to help mentor and educate his co-workers and has proven himself a great asset to the Department and his company officer. Patrick has been a leading member in the participation and implementation of the departments Marine Rescue training program and has proven to be very effective as a responder in this area.
Specifically, on August 29, 2009, he responded on foot from Station 9 when a frantic parent ran up to the station stating her child was in the water and in distress. He ran across A1A with the stations water rescue board, made water entry, rescued the victim and brought them safely back to shore without any injuries. In a separate incident in early September, he performed a water rescue of an adult swimmer caught in a rip current on the north side of the St. Augustine Inlet. Firefighter Taaffe has shown in both general working conditions and specific acts of valor that he is a firefighter that goes above and beyond what is expected. Patrick acts in the highest traditions of the fire service and the St. Johns County Fire Rescue Department and has proven a valuable asset to this community through his service.
Both of these individuals will be formally recognized during a department recognition ceremony scheduled for 1500 hours on January 29, 2010 in the St. Johns County Administration Auditorium located at 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine FL.
© 2010, Fire Service News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Author: Christopher Kimball (31 Articles)
Christopher Kimball is a freelance photojournalist and fire service photographer. His work has been featured in 1st Responder News, The St. Augustine Record, Historic City News, Wesay.com, Demotix.com, FireEngineering.com and Firehouse.com. He is a 20 year veteran of the fire service having served as a fire fighter, Lt., Asst. Chief and EMT-I.
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