Five members of the Town of Davie Fire Rescue Department were recognized at the First There First Care Conference for paramedics, EMTs, emergency room nurses and other healthcare professionals. The awards were presented by the Fire Chiefs’ Association of Broward County.
Davie Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Daniel Moran says it is important for the department to attend this annual event, as the knowledge and skills learned allow Davie to deliver excellence in the field of fire and emergency medical services. “Our skills must remain precise and focused to provide the best care to our residents. Attending the conference allows us to do just that and consists of multiple training sessions, lectures, Advanced Life Support (ALS) competition, and the Florida Resuscitation Academy that Davie Fire Rescue hosts.”
The Florida Resuscitation Academy was created by Assistant Chief Jorge Gonzalez. According to Chief Moran, it educates firefighters, nurses, paramedics, dispatchers and police officers to deliver the highest quality of care possible to cardiac arrest patients. Chief Gonzalez was bestowed the Innovator of the Year Award for developing and running this program.
Battalion Chief Heath Meyer was presented with the Public Educator of the Year Award. “He has trained over 500 residents with the town’s Stop the Bleed program and has assisted in the installation of over 350 Stop the Bleed kits to keep Town of Davie residents safe,” states Chief Moran, noting that Chief Meyer also conducts CPR/AED classes and assists with Davie’s CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Fire Chief Julie Downey. She has been a firefighter for over 37 years and Chief Moran says she has crossed many hurdles in that time. “Her performance and success as the first female firefighter in Sunrise and first female fire chief in Broward County has undoubtedly opened doors for many female firefighters to follow.”
Battalion Chief Andrew Popick also received a Lifetime Achievement Award. He teaches Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Advanced Stroke Life Support, EMT and Paramedic, and other EMS courses. “He is also a member of the National Disaster Medical Systems team, where he has been deployed to several natural disasters providing care to critically injured and sick patients,” notes Chief Moran.
The prestigious Ralph Morrison Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Medical Director Dr. Peter Antevy. Chief Moran credits Dr. Antevy with revolutionizing EMS pediatric care. “He is a very progressive physician that is constantly researching new techniques and approaches to improve the care that we provide to our patients.”
Mayor Judy Paul joins Chief Moran in congratulating the Davie Fire Rescue personnel on these awards. “It’s always an incredible honor to hear our town is making strides to surpass expectations,” said Mayor Paul. “When you have a fire department as great as Davie’s continually receiving awards and getting acknowledged for all its amazing work, it puts your mind at ease knowing the town has the best team responding to its public safety needs.”