The collective response of Arlington’s public-safety community to an explosion that destroyed a home last December received the top honor at the Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s Public-Safety Awards, held June 25.
The combined efforts of the Arlington County Police Department, Fire Department and Department of Public-Safety Communications and Emergency Management at the incident in the 800 block of North Burlington Street in Bluemont were honored with the Chamber’s Valor With Life-Saving Award, the highest rung in the tier of annual honors.
“The first-responders worked hard to resolve this incident safely and mitigated as many potential risks as possible,” Chamber officials said of the incident, which left the homeowner (who had been engaged in a standoff with police) dead.
Also receiving accolades:
• Valor Award: Cpl. Tatiana Hernandez, Arlington County Police Department.
• Life-Saving Award: Cpls. Jun Gan and Lucas Garrison, Arlington County Sheriff’s Office; and Capt. I Paul Harrison, Lt. Michael Harris, Firefighter/Paramedics Matthew Jackson and Akira Kanesaka, and Firefighters Jaleel Davis, Isaiah Gustkey and Aaron Strums, Arlington County Fire Department.
Meritorious Service Awards, presented to longtime public-safety personnel for consistent levels of achievement, were bestowed on Arlington Police Sgt. Frank Cicholski; Arlington County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Jimmie Barrett; and Jacob (Jake) Saur of the Department of Public-Safety Communications and Emergency Management.
