By Taren Powell
The third annual Carbon County Chamber of Commerce First Responders Banquet was hosted on Wednesday evening. Roughly 210 people were in attendance to celebrate the courage and bravery of local first responders.
The night kicked off with the presenting of the colors and Pledge of Allegiance by the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Kenzie Munsell then sang the “Star Spangled Banner.” Guests were welcomed to dish up dinner, courtesy of USU Eastern, while they enjoyed a slideshow organized by Christine Johnson and entertainment by students from the Helper Middle School as they shared their musical talents with solos and duets.
Each entity throughout Carbon County was recognized for their efforts in keeping the community safe, including Carbon County EMS, Carbon County Search & Rescue, Carbon County Sheriff’s Department, Carbon County Hazmat Team, Carbon County Adult Probation & Parole, East Carbon Fire Department, East Carbon Ambulance Department, East Carbon Police Department, Helper City Fire Department, Helper City Police Department, Price City Public Safety Dispatch Department, Price City Fire Department, Price City Police Department, Scofield Fire Department, Wellington Fire Department, Wellington Police Department, USU Eastern Police Department, Utah Highway Patrol and Utah FFSL.
Justin Needles, who is the Carbon County Emergency Manager, shared a heartfelt message of the hard reality of being a first responder. The time was then turned over to Price City Police Chief Brandon Sicilia and the Southeast Utah Health Department for the Hope Squad Award. Chief Sicilia shared stories of calls with suicidal victims and the officers who responded were able to calm the situation and save the lives of those involved. The officers awarded included Nick Parker, Kevin Saccomano, Nathan Hepworth, Chad Marrelli, Andy Leonard and Shawn Addley.
The newly-retired first responders, Kevin Drolc, Paul Bedont and Richard Columbo, were also recognized for their years of service and were given beautifully made quilts as well as walkers for their new way of “transportation.” The night concluded with a raffle with prizes from the local businesses.
The event was made possible by the following sponsors: Carbon County Chamber of Commerce, Cache Valley Bank, Castleview Hospital, Emery Telcom, Love-Less Ash, Bodec, Oliver & Sitterud, Wellington City, Lazy S. Storage, Peczuh Printing, Tony Basso Group of Companies, Office Ect. Fastenal, AutoZone, O-Reilly, Big Don’s, Dominos, Ponderosa Grill, Sutherlands, Price Movie Theaters and Fire & Ice Photography.
