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Columbus Division of Fire honors firefighters and citizens at annual awards banquet
Summary
The Columbus Division of Fire held its annual awards banquet on Valentine’s Day, with Mayor Andrew Ginther and department leaders recognizing firefighters and civilians for rescues, lifesaving care and service. Several citations recounted recent rescues, an infant resuscitation and coordinated responses to violent incidents.
The Columbus Division of Fire held its annual awards banquet on Valentine’s Day, with city officials and department leaders recognizing firefighters, paramedics and members of the public for acts of heroism and exceptional service.
The ceremony, opened by Assistant Chief Jim Sanson and introduced by Mayor Andrew Ginther, included awards for individual rescues, department programs and civilian actions. "To those who are receiving awards tonight, you have my deepest respect, gratitude and admiration," Mayor Andrew Ginther said during opening remarks.
The awards program publicly recognized a range of responses from the past year. Citations recounted a house rescue under active gunfire in which crews pulled an unresponsive person from a burning residence; a bystander-initiated CPR and subsequent ambulance defibrillation that restored a patient to life; a preterm infant who received on-scene resuscitation; and on-scene medical care for multiple injured officers during a SWAT operation. Several award presentations highlighted the cross-agency coordination between Columbus Fire units and Columbus Police officers during those incidents.
Speakers and video citations singled out individuals and crews for specific actions. Fire Investigator Derek Stott and crews including Captain Mark Maddox and Lieutenant Daryl Jordan were recognized for a complex rescue involving an occupant found inside a burning structure while gunfire was occurring nearby. Danielle Browning, a nurse practitioner from OhioHealth, received a Citizens Distinguished Service Award after performing CPR on a sidewalk and staying with the family until medics arrived; she said she "switched into work mode" when she saw a person down.
The banquet also honored specialized units and long-serving members. Derek Lotz, a HAZMAT technician at Station 4, received an Award of Excellence; his remarks summarized HAZMAT responsibilities and equipment priorities. Firefighter-of-the-year and paramedic-of-the-year awards were presented to multiple station-level winners, and civilian staff member Beth Cottrell was named Civilian of the Year for coordinating the banquet and managing bureau administrative functions.
Department leaders used the program to highlight investments in training, information systems and interagency coordination. Information-systems work and training platforms were noted during presentations; speakers said those efforts support incident reporting, crew proficiency and data-driven after-action review.
The evening combined formal recognitions, personal testimony and short videos illustrating why awardees were selected. Organizers asked attendees to observe a remembrance toast for fallen colleagues and closed the program with a benediction from firefighter chaplain Joe Lorenz.
The division did not announce specific new budget allocations or formal policy changes at the banquet; several presenters described grant applications and technology projects as ongoing efforts that will be reported separately through department channels.
