On October 8, 2019, the Waxhaw Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) had their annual Awards & Recognition Ceremony. The ceremony was emceed by Waxhaw Fire Chief, Gregory R. Sharpe. During the evening, Chief Sharpe shared details about each award category since each award below is for an individual life saving event.
One of the night’s most impactful stories was about Kevin Tillet. Tillet had just finished marching in the 4th of July Parade in Downtown Waxhaw with the American Legion when he sat down and collapsed with a heart attack. His son, John Tillett, is a member of the VFD and ran about a half mile to perform CPR on his dad. The VFD came together and were able to administer lifesaving treatment before he was taken to the hospital. Kevin Tillet was just cleared by his doctor the day before the ceremony to have his pace maker removed. He was able to attend the ceremony with his wife, Gale Tillet, to see their son receive his award.
Here is the full list of awards and recipients. Please remember that each award was given for an individual event. Service awards recognizing years of service and the “of the year” awards were also handed out
Service Awards: 5 Years: Te-Sa DiPrima; 10 Years: William Davis, Larry Karp, & Hannah Speck; 15 Years: Mike Franz; and 20 Years/Life Membership: David Lambert.
Firefighter of the Year: Mark Emerman. EMT of the Year: Christian Kiley. Jr Firefighter of the Year: Gavin Newell. Auxiliary Member of the Year: Wes Fredhiem.
Chief’s Medal: Hans Speck & Vince Wolfe.
Life Saving Award: John Tillett, Hannah Speck, Christy Morales, Ron McGarvey, Walter Love, James Lopez, & Rob Fitzgerald.
Life Saving Award: Anthony Bortny, Ed Bunge, Mark Emerman, Josh Eudy, William Kennelly, Christian Kiley, Marcus Lee, Ron McGarvey, Christy Morales, Hannah Speck, Hans Speck, John Tillett, & Vince Wolfe.
Life Saving Award: David Riggins, Tyffany Hogya, Teresa Coan, Joshua Rhodes, & Peter Skrobot.
Life Saving Award: Christian Kiley & Marcus Lee.
Life Saving Award: Anthony Bortny, Brian Bortny, Michael Ferreira, & Wally Love.
Distinguished Action Award: Joseph Fialka, Peter Skrobot, Edward Bunge, & Bridgette Armstrong.
Distinguished Action Award: Marcus Lee, Rob Fitzgerald, Sarah Haynes, Chris Jansen, Christian Kiley, Ron McGarvey, Christy Morales, Hannah Speck, John Tillett, & Matt Westover.
