Inherently, first responders are the people who run toward the things that everyone else is running away from. It takes a special breed of person, mentally, physically and emotionally, to do that kind of work.
Last week, the Knights of Columbus in Kissimmee held an annual salute event to first responders, inviting those from nearby law enforcement and fire rescue agencies for a night of appreciation.
The event was held mere hours before fire/rescue units responded early the next morning to the large nursery fire in Poinciana, which took over eight hours to contain.
“Tonight is really about letting our law enforcement and first responding communities know that we 100 percent support what you and your brothers and sisters do to keep all of us safe,” said Joseph Martin, the ceremony’s emcee. “We have your back, every week we pray for you.”
Part of the ceremony is to recognize a member from each one, chosen by their leadership, as their Hero of the Year. Those leaders openly said Wednesday night that the choices were extremely difficult.
“It’s not about that one person, or one team, but it’s about giving us the opportunity to show our appreciation,” Martin said.
After receiving their awards, each recipient chose not to speak — instead allowing the work they do to speak for them.
Among the award recipients were:
Osceola County Sheriff’s Office :Sgt. Bradley Kraus. Major Wiley Black recognized the six-year detective for having a higher case closure rate than the national average, including in hard-to-solve property cases.
Osceola County Fire Rescue: Engine 52. Deputy John Haskin noted that, on April 28, 2022, this unit, part of the county’s HAZMAT team, happened to be in the area when the call came in while the unit on duty for that area was on another call. The team forced entry and rescued a woman out who was not breathing; she survived.
Osceola County Corrections: James Kenney. Prison Rate Elimination Act (PREA) Coordinator, who is directly involved in assisting crime victims, and conducts community events like the Red Sand Project, an awareness event to ensure human trafficking victims don’t fall through the cracks — literally.
Kissimmee Police Department: Cpl. Marlene Neitzel. Deputy Chief Betty Holland noted that on Jan. 3, 2023, Neitzel contacted a person on the ledge of the top floor of the County Courthouse complex parking garage.
“She was able to get the male to talk about himself and allowed her to talk about the need for him to be there for his children. After 20 minutes, he took her hand and left the ledge, and she verbalized that she wanted to help him … Without her intervention, the outcome would not have been as successful.”
Kissimmee Fire Department: Crew of Engine 14. Engineer Luis Pena, Engineer Logan Broberg and Firefighter Brandon Holder made a rescue during Hurricane Ian. A driver was in a submerging vehicle that was floating near Central Avenue and Kissimmee Oaks. Due to five feet of flood water, the crew had to park some 400 feet away, navigate the water, remove the driver without injury, and assist her back through the five feet of water.
St. Cloud Police Department: Officer Lin Badmin-Patton. In her Community Outreach role, “tirelessly looks for new ways to connect with the people we serve,” Chief Doug Goerke said, often using her own time and resources, and serves the agency’s Honor Guard and manages its volunteer program.
St. Cloud Fire Department: Logan Smith and Sydney Sagel. They support SCFD’s Pink Heals initiative to raise money for cancer research, even when this year’s event was moved from October to January due to Hurricane Ian. “They run call after call in the community and go above and beyond,” Engineer Omar Lopez said. “It speaks to their love for service.”
Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joseph Santos. The six-year veteran of Osceola County roads in enforcement serves with “servant leadership,” including using a defibrillator to save a life on a call earlier this year.
