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Truckee Meadows honors firefighters and civilians for lifesaving, bravery and service; Brett Taylor pinned as WUI community coordinator
Summary
The district held a pinning and awards ceremony May 6 recognizing promotions, lifesaving actions and bravery by firefighters and civilians — including responses during the Davis fire and multiple out-of-hospital saves.
On May 6, 2025, the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District Board of Fire Commissioners recognized a large group of firefighters, staff and two civilians for awards and promotions tied to lifesaving responses and the district's Davis fire operations.
Why it matters: The awards highlighted a range of emergency responses (cardiac arrest resuscitations, pediatric airway obstruction, a hot-tub drowning) and two large, coordinated operations during the Davis fire that district leaders said helped avert far greater devastation. The board used the ceremony to acknowledge operational readiness and the contribution of mutual-aid partners.
What the board recognized - Pinning and promotions: Brett Taylor was formally pinned as the district's wildland-urban interface community coordinator after completing probation. Division Chief August Eisenhagen detailed Taylor's work on defensible-space inspections, grant-writing and community outreach. Two captains, Brandon Meredith and (Captain) Ames, were also presented following completion of probation and leadership training. - Clinical excellence and lifesaving awards: Multiple crews received clinical-excellence awards for on-duty interventions that resulted in return of spontaneous circulation or delivery of critical care to patients transported with restored circulation. Incident dates cited by presenters included 12/03/2024 (pediatric choking) and 01/01/2025 and 01/02/2025 (adult cardiac arrests); teams included captains and paramedics across several engines. - Civilian commendations: Two civilians, Bernardo Noriega and Bernie Hauskamp, received the chief's medal of commendation for providing initial CPR to a pulseless person in a vehicle and activating 911 prior to engine arrival; the patient achieved return of spontaneous circulation and was transported to the hospital. - Medals of bravery tied to the Davis fire: Division Chief August Eisenhagen described several high-risk operations during the Davis fire, including remote rescue of a disoriented civilian, a perilous downhill hose-lay on steep Slide Mountain terrain under extreme wind conditions, and a large-scale nighttime burn operation that staff said held a flank and likely prevented a 7-mile fire run. Individuals and crews received medals of bravery and the chief's life-saving commendation for those actions.
Remarks and context Division Chief August Eisenhagen, who served as an incident commander during the Davis fire, said, "I can't overstate the heroic effort of all involved." He called out three pivotal actions he said prevented mass loss of life and property, and he singled out individual initiative and coordination with mutual-aid partners as decisive. Presenters noted that several award recipients worked alongside regional partners (Reno Fire Department, Washoe County Sheriff's Office and REMSA) during multiagency responses.
What the awards mean going forward Officials said the awards and the detailed recounting of incidents serve both to recognize individuals and to highlight operational lessons for the district, including coordination, interagency communications and the value of mutual aid. The board recessed briefly after the ceremony and proceeded with the meeting's regular agenda.
