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Coral Springs Fire Department Recognizes 2021 Employees of the Year

Fire Chief Michael McNally, Vice Mayor Josh Simmons, Logistics Specialist Kim Matz, Fire Explorer Hannah Madder, Battalion Chief Anthony Gonzalez, Fire Instructor David Harwell, Firefighter/Paramedic Ryan Mason, Division Chief John Barry, Operations Manager Liz Williams, Fire Inspector Daniel Chavez, EMS Chief Juan Cardona, Deputy Fire Chief John Whalen. {City of Coral Springs}

By Bryan Boggiano

The Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department awarded five employees of the year for their outstanding service on June 1.

The department recognized their Explorer of the Year, Instructor of the Year, Civilian Employee of the Year, Supervisor of the Year, and Firefighter of the Year.

“It’s an exciting time for us when we get to recognize the men and women of the fire department,” said Fire Chief Mike McNally.

Explorer of the Year: Hannah Mader

Mader’s peers describe her as a hard-working, natural-born leader with high dedication to the fire department’s Explorer program. According to a city document, she has a strong willingness to help others and mentors others in their endeavors.

Mader spends her weekends on ride-alongs with the department to learn more about real-world emergencies and the profession. She does this in addition to studying martial arts, attending high school, and applying for college.

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Instructor of the Year: David Harwell

Harwell has been an instructor for three years, where he started as a nighttime instructor for the department’s minimum standards class.

Now, he teaches three fire classes, where he is co-lead for the current fire class, the retention class lead instructor, and a core instructor for the First Due class.

The department notes that Harwell gives 150 percent and is extremely knowledgeable, humble, and highly committed.

Civilian Employee of the Year: Kim Matz

Matz began as a volunteer firefighter in 1989 and continued in that role until 1993. She served as a crime scene investigator for the Coral Springs Police Department from 2004 until her retirement in 2020.

She then became a logistics assistant at the fire department. In the past year, Matz spearheaded the department’s staffing program, which she built from the ground up.

Supervisor of the Year: Anthony Gonzalez

Battalion Chief Gonzalez started as a volunteer with the department in 1995 and became a full-time employee in 2000. He has been a firefighter, driver engineer, and captain during that time.

He has also led a new hire class of eight paramedics.

In his current role, Gonzalez helped the department achieve compliance with the Insurance Offices Service, despite the challenges that COVID-19 posed.

Firefighter of the Year: Ryan Mason

Firefighter Paramedic Lt. Ryan Mason joined the fire department in March 2019.

Mason stays involved in department functions and displays a willingness to help in any way that the fire department needs. Other departments have also recognized him due to his on-duty actions.

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Author Profile

Bryan Boggiano

Bryan has a degree in journalism from the University of Florida and earned his masters in geosciences from Florida International University, where he focused in atmospheric sciences. His interests include weather, entertainment, and municipal government.