Franklin Fire presents annual awards, celebrates promotions, and welcomes new members

The Franklin Fire Department hosted an Awards & Badge Pinning Ceremony on the evening of April 11 to present 2023 awards and honor promotions and new employees.  

The event took place at the Franklin Special School District’s Performing Arts Center. Tom Lawrence, the Morning Show host of Franklin and Williamson County's hometown radio station, WAKM 950-AM, served as the Master of Ceremonies. Vice Mayor Matt Brown joined Fire Chief Glenn Johnson, Assistant Fire Chief Greg Baltimore, and Deputy Chief Andy King on stage to congratulate the honorees, who are listed below.

Chief Johnson’s opening remarks included acknowledging that the event coincided with the first anniversary of a significant incident for the department. On April 11, 2023, Capt. Scott Mainord fell 22 feet during a training exercise, sustaining serious injuries including eight pelvic fractures and a lacerated lung. 

Remarkably, he was discharged from Vanderbilt University Medical Center just one week later, returned to work on light duty after one month, and resumed full duty in August.  Capt. Mainord was welcomed to the stage with a standing ovation. Together he and Chief Johnson thanked those who cared for him that day, and throughout his recovery.

The badge pinning for promoted personnel included two captains, five lieutenants and five engineers.  A highlight was Capt. Jonathan Gill being pinned by his neighbor Deborah Armento, whose son Eric Balliet was a Battalion Chief with the Fort Wayne, Indiana, Fire Department, and died in the line of duty in 2017. 

The department welcomed 15 new firefighters into its ranks in 2023.  All are veteran firefighters who have moved their careers to Franklin from other cities. They had their new badges pinned to their uniforms by loved ones.

The highest awards of the evening included the presentation of three Meritorious Service Awards. The first went to firefighters who rescued a patient who was pinned beneath a church bus following an I-65 rollover crash involving multiple vehicles on Febr. 18, 2023.  The group included Battalion Chief Jonathan Jenkins, Lt.-Paramedic Dustin Anderson, Lt. Richard Hasley, Lt. Joshua Meeks, Lt. Paul Seltz, engineer Douglas Bowman, engineer-paramedic Blake Lobel, engineer Emily Nelms, firefighter-paramedic Bradley Kamau, firefighter Tyler Barnes, firefighter D’Angelo Jones, firefighter David Konstant, and firefighter Jerry Thomas.

The second went to firefighters who rescued an 82-year-old woman from a structure fire in the Reid Hill Commons community on May 24, 2023.  They were Capt. Kyle Bess, engineer Thomas Alexander, and firefighter-paramedic Adam Miller. Finally, the third went to firefighters who provided emergency medical care to two gunshot victims at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs on Nov. 11, 2023, while the suspect was still at large. In addition to the actions they took to save the patients’ lives, Lt. Joshua Thomas, firefighter-paramedic Daniel Willems, and firefighter Matthew Cheatham were recognized for helping to ensure the safety of bystanders during the tragic event.

There were seven Phoenix Awards presented for the resuscitation of a patient in cardiac arrest who made a full recovery.  Three of the seven recognized responders from outside agencies, including the Franklin Police Department and Williamson Health EMS, and civilian Bryce Bradley, who performed lifesaving efforts.  When a patron collapsed and became unresponsive at the Williamson County Parks and Recreation Complex on March 25, 2023, Franklin facility manager Bryce Bradley and a co-worker who wishes to remain anonymous initiated CPR and used an AED on the patient until firefighters arrived.  Upon arrival, firefighters continued life-saving measures, ultimately saving the patient’s life.  Mr. Bradley received a Civilian Lifesaving Award, and the firefighters received a Phoenix Award.

The JD Fotopoulos Award was presented for the first time.  It recognizes Franklin Fire Department members who perform substantial volunteer service at the local, state, national, or international level.  It was created in 2016 following the death of Franklin firefighter-paramedic JD Fotopoulos, who passed away while on a mission trip in Honduras.  

Fire inspector Farris received the JD Fotopoulos Award for his substantial volunteer service with Thompson Station Church over the past decade. His contributions include overseeing the church's safety and emergency medical team, and taking multiple mission trips with the church, both in and out-of-state, and abroad, to improve the lives of others. He traveled to Nicaragua six times to help build homes and multipurpose community buildings there and traveled to Cambodia for a medical missions trip in 2023.  

Firefighter Geoff Manfre received the JD Fotopoulos Award for his decades of service to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, spanning multiple councils and regions.  His significant contributions to youth development and safety through his volunteer work and leadership roles with the Scouts exemplify his commitment to fostering positive influences and shaping future generations.

 At the end of the evening, the Personnel of the Year Awards were announced.  Captain Bill Almon was named Fire Officer of the Year, Engineer James Demastus was named Engineer of the Year, Firefighter Joshua Fuson was named Firefighter of the Year, and Firefighter Joshua Cole was named Rookie of the Year.  The City of Franklin’s multimedia team, including Public Outreach Coordinator Joey Echeverria, Social & Digital Media Producer Stephen Price, and Cable Operations TV Supervisor Robert Mott, received the Support Employee of the Year Award.

 In closing, Fire Chief Glenn Johnson presented Master of Ceremonies Tom Lawrence with the Fire Chief’s Award, “For his many years providing outstanding support of the Franklin Fire Department.” Johnson said, “Mr. Lawrence is recognized and commended for hosting, promoting, and sharing the stories of the Franklin Fire Department at live events and to his radio listeners on WAKM AM-950.”

Promotions: Captains Kyle Bess and Jonathan Gill, Lieutenant-Paramedic Terry Storey, Lieutenants Christopher McElvain, Kyle McMahon, Joshua Meeks, and Todd Wilson, and Engineer-Paramedics Matthew Anderson, Nick Darnell, Nathanael Davis, Quaid Ledingham, and Daniel Smotherman.

New Firefighters: Firefighter-Paramedics Michael Atwood, Robert Radican, and Bo Teyler, and Firefighters Misty Bingham, Jacob Blaznek, Zane Fischer, Evan Foulks, Dayton Hendrix, Shawn Kautz, Jeffrey Lozier, John McCombs, Danielle Smith, Brent Stephens, Benjamin Whiddon, and Evan Williams.

Phoenix Awards & Civilian Lifesaving Award (For the successful resuscitation of a patient who was in cardiac arrest, leading to the patient’s full recovery):

1. January 10, 2023: Firefighter Suzannah Ponzio
2. January 27, 2023: Battalion Chief Joseph Polenzani, Captain Kyle Bess, Lieutenant Todd Wilson, Engineer Thomas Alexander, Engineer James Demastus, Firefighter-Paramedic Josiah Beatty, and Firefighter-Paramedic Adam Miller.
3. March 15, 2023: Lieutenant-Paramedic Brian Brandon, Firefighter Geoff Manfre, Firefighter Austin Patterson, and Franklin Police Officers Lieutenant Charles Richards, Sergeant James Phillips, Master Police Officer Michael Oliver, Officer Avery Brown, Officer Dom Buffa, and Officer Luigi Oriol.
4. March 25, 2023: Lieutenant Paul Seltz, Engineer Terry Richardson, Firefighter-Paramedic Bradley Kamau, and Franklin Recreation Complex Facility Manager Mr. Bryce Bradley, who received the Civilian Lifesaving Award.
5. March 31, 2023: Lieutenant Todd Stapleton, Engineer Keith McVoy, Firefighter-Paramedic Kevin Davenport, Firefighter-Paramedic Sean Norton, Firefighter Brad Engle, Firefighter Christian Tidmore, Franklin Police Officer Jared Anderson, and Williamson Health EMS EMS District Chief/Critical Care Paramedic Paul Pollack, Critical Care Paramedic Sara Newman, Paramedic McKayla Knox.
6. September 8, 2023: Lieutenant-Paramedic Dustin Anderson, Engineer-Paramedic Quaid Ledingham, Firefighter-Paramedic Tyler Pratt.
7. October 5, 2023: Captain Matthew Stout, Engineer-Paramedic Matthew Anderson, Firefighter-Paramedic Austin Cooper.

Stork Award: Captain Kyle Bess, Engineer Thomas Alexander, and Firefighter-Paramedic Adam Miller earned a Stork Award for assisting in the delivery of a baby girl on May 16, 2023.

Exemplary Service Award: Lieutenant David Metcalf, Engineer Wylie Jones, Firefighter-Paramedic Josiah Beatty, and Firefighter-Paramedic Austin Cooper earned an Exemplary Service Award for the resuscitation of a patient who experienced cardiac arrest on September 15, 2023.  Their efforts afforded the grateful patient additional days with their loved ones.

Achievement Award: Engineer Emily Nelms was recognized with an Achievement Award for her outstanding and meaningful contributions and exceptional achievements while serving as the Behavioral Health and Wellness Program Coordinator for the Franklin Fire Department.  

Deployment Award: Fire Chief Glenn Johnson, Lieutenant Richard Hasley, Engineer Rodney Ballington, Firefighter-Paramedic Nathan Vetitoe, and Firefighter Matthew Thomas received the Deployment Award for their Leesburg, Louisiana wildfire deployment, from August 27-September 3, 2023.

Outside Agency Commendation:  

1. Lieutenant-Paramedic Brian Brandon was recognized for his role in the treatment of patients in Memphis, TN during the COVID-19 pandemic.  He was deployed as a member of the Tennessee-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, which awarded him its COVID-19 Pandemic Civilian Service Award in 2023. 
2. Engineer Keith McVoy and Firefighter-Paramedic Kevin Davenport were recognized for providing hazmat training to neighboring fire departments throughout 2023, resulting in a commendation from Brentwood Fire & Rescue Chief Brian Goss.  They spent several days training Brentwood, Fairview, and Spring Hill firefighters and highlighting the capabilities of FFD’s Hazmat 3 and mass casualty tent. This helped all the departments improve coordination and preparedness for a large-scale hazardous materials event.
3. Engineer Emily Nelms was honored by the Lieutenant Andrew Crockett Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution on April 16, 2023.  She received the Chapter’s Fire Safety Commendation Award for being instrumental in establishing and coordinating the Franklin Fire Department’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Program.