Speed, Courage & Care: Fire/Emergency Medical Services Awards

Tipp City’s Fire/EMS Department held its annual awards meeting on Tuesday, December 16, at Tipp’s American Legion Post 586. Fire/EMS Chief Cameron Haller presented the awards before a packed house and described in detail the circumstances related to each commendation. The awards spanned a wide range of accomplishments, from teaching, training, and mentoring associates to rescuing people from swollen rivers. Here are the award recipients and their awards:

Norma Dittrick Extra Measure of Service Award (presented by Greater Miami Valley EMS Council): Lieutenant Heidi Jones

“She places service to others above all else, and mentors all of our EMS trainees in Tipp City. She champions these men and women to achieve their greatest potential of EMS. She has been a major force multiplier for the last 10 years. When we talk about going above and beyond in pre-hospital care, Heidi is the standard.” 

Provider of the Year Award: Firefighter/Paramedic Courtney Dean

“Courtney was chosen by her peers for this award. She demonstrates excellence in performance, strong commitment to peers, and an unwavering dedication to the community we serve. She invests significant time and effort in onboarding new employees, offering guidance, mentorship, and support to help them succeed. She has been directly involved in successful cardiac arrest recoveries on our local streets.” 

EMS Recognition - Incident date June 4, 2025: found a person suffering from cardiac arrest on a local street, brought the patient back to a detectable pulse, but the patient did not survive.  

• Captain Jake Coverstone

• Firefighter/Paramedic Patrick Mullen

• Firefighter/Paramedic Travis Ellen

• Firefighter/EMT Justin Maxwell

• Firefighter/EMT Caleb Steggemann

EMS Recognition - Incident date June 29, 2025: Firefighter/Paramedic Austin White found a person suffering from cardiac arrest in a local store, called for more help, brought the patient back to a detectable pulse, but patient did not survive.   

• Captain Michael Bowman

• Firefighter/Paramedic Austin ‎White

• Firefighter/Paramedic Laura Walker

• EMT Justin Parrett

EMS Unit Citation- Incident date January 13, 2025: found a person suffering from cardiac arrest at the Tipp Center, brought the patient back to a detectable pulse, patient transported to hospital, and is alive today. 

• Captain Doug Trent

• Paramedic Maggie Armitage

• Firefighter/Paramedic Courtney Dean

• Firefighter Paramedic Mike Pawlak

• Firefighter/EMT Corey Hilgefort

• EMT Heather Barth

EMS Unit Citation - Incident date August 4, 2025: found a person suffering from cardiac arrest in the middle of the night, brought the patient back to a detectable pulse, and the patient is alive today. 

• Firefighter/Paramedic Courtney Dean

• Firefighter/Paramedic Blake Williams

• Firefighter/Paramedic Patrick Mullen

• Firefighter/EMT James Franz

Fire Unit Citation - Incident date May 3, 2025: person in car drove into an open trench, EMS personnel configured a rope and basket rescue, transported person to hospital where they recovered.  

• Captain Chris Brock

• Firefighter/Paramedic Alex Huels

• Firefighter/Paramedic Travis Ellen

• Firefighter/Paramedic Clayton Snider

• Firefighter/EMT Enrique Alejandre

• Firefighter/EMT Nick Fleming

• Firefighter/EMT Liam Busch

Fire Unit Citation - Incident date May 17, 2025: two EMS personnel went into the Great Miami River to rescue a father, a mother, and a 3-year-old in a capsizing canoe; all three victims survived, but the water was so swift that the canoe was destroyed. 

• Captain Doug Trent

• Firefighter/Paramedic Travis Ellen

• Firefighter/EMT Kearsten Smith

• Firefighter/EMT Justin Maxwell

• Firefighter/EMT Tessa Hoskins

• EMT Josh Riffle