Chief DiLallo Recognizes Exceptional Employees and Milestones in Service for 2021 at LAFCRD Annual Ceremony

The Lehigh Acres Fire Control and Rescue District held their annual Employee Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, February 12, at the new Fire Station 102, located at 44 Homestead Rd S.

Celebrating Service Milestones:

5 Years of Service: 

Kyle Noonan
Alexander Roessler
Sarah Goldstein
Javier Bermudez
Maury Morejon
Devin Amoroso
Ryan Cerone
Michael Hoeft, Jr.
Julio Lalondriz
Byrne Gribbin
Mario Santana
Anita Kressel
Eric Williams

10 Years of Service 

David Sabiston
Andres Albert
Richard Rodriguez
Andrew Hanes
Troy Van Dyck
Christopher Torres

15 Years of Service

Franklin Berggren
Oreste Borrego
Ahren Surgent
Jeromy Vandermuelen
Frode Jurnhart
Manuel Mendez
Steven Hayes
Jeffrey Nickell
Crystal Imsdahl
Denise Bays 

20 Years of Service 

Peter Nyholm

Celebrating Promotions:

Lieutenant Christopher Torres
Lieutenant Victor Langarica
Battalion Chief Jeromy VanderMeulen
Battalion Chief Brooke Ricciardi
Battalion Chief James Edinger
Lieutenant Richard Rodriguez
Lieutenant Kenneth McDonald
Lieutenant Ahren Surgent
Lieutenant Josh Grida
Engineer Michael Hoeft
Engineer Mario Santana
Engineer Julio Lalondriz
Engineer Ezra Soto
Engineer Danny Spohn
Engineer Jeffrey Palmer
Field Training Officer Sarah Goldstein
Field Training Officer Kyle Alva
Field Training Officer Matthew McDaniel
Logistics Coordinator Neal Thomsen
Engineer Kyle Noonan

Special Recognition Awards:

Special Recognition Awards are an opportunity for us to acknowledge employees who go the extra mile in their service to our community. This year we are honoring two groups of employees who invested their time in programs that are having a direct impact on the services we provide to our residents.

Group Recognition – EMT Credentialing Program

Lawrence Arfmann
Kyle Alva
Richard Billian
Sarah Goldstein
Byrne Gribbin
Matthew McDaniel
Steven Tezyk
 

Group Recognition – Cadet Post 102 Program

Lance Delgado
Tanner Mack
Keith Bisgounis

Unit Citation Awards – Structure Fire August 19, 2021

In the early morning hours of August 19, 2021, C-Shift responded to a structure fire with one patient trapped inside. Today, we are recognizing the crew that seamlessly worked together to make a rescue, remove the victim, provide treatment and transport, and extinguish the flames.

Because of the outstanding teamwork and everyone working together, the victim was given a second chance at life.

BC102 – Robert Midea – IC
BC101 – James Edinger - Safety

E105
- Keith Bisgounis
- Christopher Schaefer - Patient care
- Javier Garcia
- Angelo LaRosa

E101
- Kyle Noonan - search 2
- Matthew McDaniel - Patient care
- Durley Lobato - search 2

R101
- Denise Bays
- Lindsey Rodriguez
- Daniel Kratt

E102
- Tanner Mack
- Nicholas Classetti
- Anthony Milana

SQ104
- Christian Harney
- Scott Thomas

R103
- Michael Curry
- Carlos Recio

Truck 104
- Richard Rodriguez
- Eric Swanbeck
-Vincent Lopez

Employee Performance Award: Logistics Coordinator Neal Thomsen

Neal Thomsen was promoted to Logistics Coordinator this year, a promotion due largely to the impact he has made in the entire organization.

What many people do not know about Neal’s history is that he was a career firefighter in Denmark before moving to the United States. Serving from 1992-2017, he moved through the ranks, taking on the responsibilities of Battalion Chief, Instructor, Chief of Operations, and Deputy Fire Chief. This career experience has given him a wealth of background in the behind the scenes logistics of fire service.

His co-workers recognized Neal this year for consistently going beyond the expectations set for his position. He coordinated the upgrade of Class A uniforms, streamlined several processes to organize his department, and plays a large role in welcoming new hires through the issuing of property and scheduling fittings. Neal is an invaluable asset to this District, and I look forward to his continued success here.

Firefighter of the Year: Engineer Tomas Diaz

Each year, District employees nominate their peers for annual awards. Through this process, Engineer Tomas Diaz was selected as the Firefighter of the Year. Tomas started his career with our organization on September 23, 2013. In his eight years with our District, he has made an incredible impact, both on the members of our community as well as his peers in our organization.

Engineer Diaz is dedicated to the advancement of the District, frequently volunteering to serve on committees to select new equipment or develop new procedures. He has expressed personal interest in the future of our District; serving on the design committees for our most recent station, engine, and truck.

Dedicating time to his fellow firefighters, he has also helped evaluate and select gym equipment, is an active member of the Safety Committee, and participated in recent contract negotiations as a member of the negotiation team. Participation in these committees often requires dedication of personal time to achieve the committee’s goal.  

Engineer Diaz completed the required education and evaluations to serve as an Engineer and promoted to the rank in January of 2019. His supervisors frequently mention him as a mentor for new employees, ensuring they are prepared for the job. 

Engineer Diaz seeks opportunities to have a positive impact on his community. He takes the initiative to schedule school visits for his crew, and was instrumental in our District’s participation in Lehigh Elementary Toy Drive during Child Abuse Prevention Month.

These actions are an excellent representation of our core values and commitment to the people in the District that we serve. He is a great example of leadership to the other members of our District.

Administrative Performance of the Year: Finance Manager Anita Kressel

A lot of hard work goes on behind the scenes to ensure that our frontline personnel are ready to serve the community. Budgets, grants, payroll, and billing; these are just a few of the responsibilities on the desk of our Administrative Employee of the Year. Anita Kressel started her career in 2016, and has remained focused on advancing our organization.

Some of her 2021 accomplishments include:

Researching grants, writing, and assisting with grants.
Implementing new ideas like going paperless in her division.
Working with the Human Resource Division on implementing a new software program to help join Finance and Human Resources, making sure the onboarding process is easier for both Divisions.
Maintaining our current budget and assisting each Division with their line items and capital expenditures.
Working with the Information Technology Division to ensure our staffing software is in line with our current contract.
She worked hard on the negotiating team, to ensure we had a solid contract for both sides.

Anita works long hours to ensure each task is completed correctly and within a timely manner. Anita is very deserving of this award. She is a team player within the Administrative Division.

Phoenix Awards: 
The Phoenix Award is given to personnel who have performed lifesaving treatments to patients in cardiac arrest. The award is named after the mythical Phoenix that regenerates, or is otherwise is born again. The personnel recognized today resuscitated a patient experiencing a heart-stopping rhythm. 

2/23/2021: Chrisopher Cazanas, Robert Cobb-Torres

4/1/2021: Abner Adorno, Taylor Berry

4/9/2021: David Sabiston, Kyle Nesbit, Christopher Cazanas

5/15/21: Jake Canning, Michael Auld, Adam Sommer, Joel Rivas, Victor Langarica, Adam Sherman

5/30/2021: Sarah Goldstein, Liam Avery, Daniel Canning, Tyler Hagg, Lisa Vandermeulen, Robert Hanna, Jr.

6/6/2021: Jake Canning, Michael Auld, Grayson Pierce, Kenneth Delbert, Art Perez, Ryan Cerone

9/26/2021: Tracy White, Kenneth Delbert, Adam Sommer, Steven Tezyk, Victor Langarica, Adam Sherman

11/20/2021: Kenneth Delbert, Joshua Golden

Chief Robert DiLallo closed the ceremony by stating, "Excellence, Safety, Valor, Integrity, Dedication. These are the core values that this organization strives to live by. It is an honor to lead this fantastic group of men and women, who embody these principles each day as they serve the Lehigh Acres community. This group tackled every obstacle that 2021 brought our way, paving the way for a bright 2022."