Brownwood Fire Department announced their 2013 Fireman and Fire Officer of the Year. Lieutenant Kyle Whitley was named Fire Officer of the Year and Trent Thompson was named Firefighter of the Year at the Brownwood Fire Department’s annual Christmas dinner held Monday night. Pictured above are Whitley (left) and Thompson (right) with Brownwood Professional Firefighters Association President Brent Bruton (center).
According to Fire Chief Del Albright, both awards are chosen by the recipient’s peers, as each fireman casts a ballot for one of the 32 that serve the department. The chief officers, Chief Albright, Assistant Chief Grady Shuey and Fire Marshal Buddy Preston review the selections before the award is presented each year.“Being picked by their peers shows that they appreciate the job they have done and done well,” said Albright. “They are respected as a team member and for their dedication to the job.”
Each of the men were presented a certificate, a watch with their names engraved on them and their names added to the respective plaque displayed in Fire Station 1 which displays the names of prior recipients of each award.
Whitely has been with the Brownwood Fire Department for 13 years and currently commands the A shift at BFD Station 2. Whitely resides in Early with his wife and 3 children. Before his employment with BFD, he had served as a medic in Llano for a few years.
According to Chief Albright, Whitely was injured the majority of this year, but has continued to be a leader showing great ethics and pride in the department.
“Most of the year Kyle was injured, but he is very dedicated and takes his job very seriously. He is a good supervisor and makes good decisions on the street,” said Albright. “He didn’t take sick leave but took light duty instead serving the department by doing administrative duties. He spent a lot of time doing grant research.”
Whitley also took on extra duties which benefit the department and the community. He has become certified as a CPR instructor and will train firefighters in house. This is not only a convenience but also a savings to the department, eliminating the need to hire a third party to teach the class. Whitely is working on a program to offer “Heart Saver” classes for the community which will begin in the near future according to Chief Albright. He also serves on the hazardous materials team, rope rescue team, and has been deployed multiple times with the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System.
Thompson has been with the department for 3 years and was quite surprised to learn he had been awarded Firefighter of the Year. He too works at BFD Station 2 on the A shift. Thompson is a resident of Comanche where he lives with his wife and two children. He served as on the aircraft rescue team with the Abilene Regional Airport Fire Department prior his employment with BFD.
According to Assistant Chief Shuey, he is very dependable and always on time to work. Whitley, as Thompson’s supervisor, agreed and stated that Thompson is a great asset to the department.
“Trent is one of my firefighters and anytime I need help, Trent is always there. He helps with reports and never complains, is steadfast and is never late for work,” said Whitley. “When I get to work and see his truck there, I breathe a sigh of relief because he is a lot of help on medical calls, being an intermediate EMT.”
Both Whitley and Thompson stated that it is an honor to receive these awards.
“It’s humbling,” said Whitley. “It’s an honor.”
Both men were surprised to receive the award and stated that the department is filled with deserving firefighters.
“I have to give kudos to my shift, not only my shift but all the shifts – I work with a great group of guys here because it’s a group that is there for each other. Any of these other guys would be deserving,” said Whitley.
Thompson agreed stating, “To pick one guy out of the 32 guys, you don’t know where to start.”
Assistant Chief Shuey stated that this year had been a difficult year for the department and for the nation as a whole with so many “brother” firefighters lost. He explained that members of the department had attended memorials of fallen firefighters, including those at College Station and West. He noted the national losses of firemen such as those lost in the wildland fires in Arizona.
With three firemen suffering injuries and illness within the department, this year three additional firemen were hired on a temporary basis to help fill the shortages within the shifts.
The dedication of the department working together over the past year was noted by all. Whitely and Thompson were honored for their excellent service and teamwork in 2013.
