In line with its motto, “Our Family Protecting Your Family,” the Union County Fire Department hosted a family affair with its Fire Awards Banquet on Saturday, March 21, at First United Methodist Church, wherein volunteers and career firefighters alike celebrated their own.
It was the first awards banquet since 2024, so the gathering brought much excitement to the department. The individual stations get together for holidays like Christmas, but the semi-regular banquet is the only department-wide assembly, making it an especially heartfelt occasion.
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The Fire Awards serve a dual purpose: to reward firefighters for their life-saving work while bringing an opportunity for fellowship among the larger firefighting family as well as the individual families of firefighters that don’t often get to mingle between stations.
Organized by a hardworking Fire Awards Committee composed of in-house volunteers who track accomplishments throughout each year, and catered by LongHorn Steakhouse, the banquet featured plenty of bread breaking and memory making.
The Union County Fire Department Honor Guard presented the colors, and augmenting the fond celebration was a 2026 theme of “Remembering the Past” that included the sharing of stories and pictures highlighting good times gone by at Union County Fire.
The evening was made all the more special with the presentation of more than five dozen firefighter recognitions.
It pleased Fire Chief David Dyer to hand out so many awards recognizing everything from longevity with the department to the stellar recruit performance. Acts of heroism were also honored, with Union County Fire presenting its first “Medal of Honor” to a deserving recipient.
To earn the Medal of Honor, “The firefighter must be a member of the department who, in the performance of duty while on a call, under extreme hazardous conditions, in which the member is confronted with imminent personal risk, and has full knowledge of that risk, performs an act of conspicuous heroism which furthers the highest traditions of the fire service.”
In 2026, that distinction went to Station 5 Fire Lt. Doug Pruitt for his heroic actions to close a malfunctioning tank valve on a propane truck that caused a massive leak in Suches in September 2024.
For that same incident, Pruitt was also the lone recipient of a Fire Department Purple Heart Award for burns he sustained from direct exposure to highly pressurized propane ejection.
The Purple Heart is “awarded to a member of the department for a wound received in the line of duty while observing all reasonable safety procedures, that required transportation to a medical facility and subsequent treatment for severe puncture wounds, lacerations, fractures, concussions, burns or other substantial injury.”
Other award recipients were:
For achieving Firefighter I Certification: Haley Clark, Daniel Dixon, Rick Flowers, Max Haldopoulos, Randy Nolan, Adam Podber and Jason Reese. Firefighter I is necessary for people wishing to directly assist fire suppression efforts inside structures.
For achieving Firefighter II Certification: Daniel Dixon, Rick Flowers, George Hill, Bill Lombardo, Eric McClure, Randy Nolan, Adam Podber and Jason Reese. Firefighter II consists of more advanced training in firefighting and extrication techniques.
For Reaching Five Years of Fire Service: Carl Blades, Deanna Dalen, Paul Danner, Justin Davenport, Travis Gibson, Morgan Schmidt, Evelyn Ueltzen and Robert Wadley.
For Reaching 10 Years of Fire Service: Warren Cole.
For Reaching 15 Years of Fire Service: Cody King, Jimmy Nichols, Kevin Smith and CJ Townsend.
For Reaching 20 Years of Fire Service: Justin Blanchard, Andy Gwynn and Amber Pruitt.
For Reaching 25 Years of Fire Service: Brent Long, Doug Pruitt, Melissa Pruitt and Steven Tanner.
For Reaching 30 Years of Fire Service: David Ueltzen.
And For Reaching 35 Years of Fire Service: David Dyer, George Holland, Damon Hood, Richard Jones and Ernie Pruitt.
Three Exceptional Duty Awards were distributed to members of the department “for a highly credible accomplishment bringing public acclaim to the department or fire service as a result of devotion to duty or service to the public.”
Receiving these awards were Cole Payne, Alex Stewart and Lt. Travis Gibson.
Three Commendations were handed out to members of the department “for a credible act in the line of duty which is commendable in nature and displays admirable initiative and accomplishment.”
Receiving commendations were Sgt. Caleb Beise, George Hill and Trey Wall.
Nine Distinguished Service Awards went to local firefighters who performed “a highly unusual act of distinction under adverse conditions in the performance of duty.”
This award went to Alex Stewart, William Walsh, Lt. Eric McClure, Sgt. Caleb Beise, Dustin Mowery, Lt. Andy Gwynn, Rick Flowers, Lt. Pat Schmidt and Lt. Ernie Pruitt.
The Recruit of the Year for Class 107 was Daniel Dixon.
Two Firefighter of the Year Awards were given, one to Volunteer Brian Gilliam and the other to Career Sgt. Hudson Anderson, “presented to the individual(s) as chosen by his fellow members or the chief of the department who characterizes the best attributes of being a firefighter.”
Fire Officer of the Year went to Volunteer Lt. David Ueltzen and Career Capt. Justin Blanchard in honor of “a leader who has demonstrated outstanding, courageous leadership, driven operational success for team safety, and mentored others.”
Delivering remarks at the banquet, Chief Dyer reminded the celebrants he has always said that “you, the firefighters, make being proud of this department easy.”
“The firefighters in this department, and the families who support them, are an outstanding and dedicated group of people who care about their community and work very hard to protect it,” Dyer said. “They stand true to our motto, ‘Our Family Protecting Your Family.’”
From the North Georgia News, congratulations to all the firefighters who received awards in the annual banquet, and to the entire Fire Department, thank you for all you do.
