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Austin Fire Department honors firefighters, dispatchers and volunteers at annual awards ceremony
Summary
The Austin Fire Department held an awards and recognition ceremony honoring firefighters, dispatchers and community partners for lifesaving rescues, flood responses and year‑long service; Texas Division of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd delivered the keynote on mutual aid.
The Austin Fire Department recognized dozens of staff, volunteers and community partners at an awards and recognition ceremony in Austin that honored lifesaving rescues, flood responses and long‑term service.
At the event, organizers awarded unit citations, certificates of commendation, Medals of Valor and departmental honors. S1, the ceremony presenter, said a wilderness rescue led to a letter of commendation for Chad Moss and described multiple incidents in which crews saved lives, including a 17‑vehicle pileup in North Austin and extensive flood rescues in July 2025. “For their extraordinary act of heroism, Fire Specialist Aaron Gilbert and Firefighter Martin Rodriguez are awarded the Medal of Valor,” S1 said while reading citations.
The department also recognized training and community preparedness. Kevin Crowell received a certificate of accommodation for teaching Stop the Bleed classes to roughly 800 students, the presenter said, and Stacy Flick was named Civilian of the Year for streamlining reimbursement processes and shortening the department’s filing window.
Annual awards honored on‑shift leadership and training contributions: Lieutenant Nathan Childress was named Uniformed Staff Member of the Year; Fire Specialist Will Mollador was named Firefighter of the Year; and Battalion Chief Dave Heaton was recognized as Fire Officer of the Year.
S1 highlighted the department’s role in the July 5, 2025 flash floods that generated more than 100 water‑related calls in northwest Travis County, praising dispatchers and field teams for coordinated rescues. “Their ability to manage a multitude of requests and precisely direct resources resulted in multiple lives being saved,” S1 said.
The ceremony included acknowledgements of city leaders and sponsors. Ashley Copeland, chief operating officer of the Central Texas Public Safety Commission, told attendees the commission was honored to sponsor the breakfast and asked the room to recognize the families of first responders, saying, “The strength of this department is inseparable from the strength of the families and the community that supports it.”
The program closed with brief remarks from the president of Local 975 and an invitation to view videos of the department’s work.
The department did not announce policy changes, budget votes or new contractual actions at the ceremony; the event focused on recognitions and storytelling about recent rescues. The Austin Fire Department will present videos of the honorees’ actions for attendees following the event.
