Coral Springs City Commission proclaims May 19 – May 25, 2013 as “Emergency Medical Services Week” as well as recognized employees at the commission meeting on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Coral Springs Fire Chief Mark Curran recognized Fire Department employees at the Coral Springs City Commission Meeting in front of the Mayor and Commissioners.

2012 Supervisor of the Year: Battalion Chief, Michael Ferrara

2012 Supervisor of the Year: Battalion Chief, Michael Ferrara

Chief Ferrara has demonstrated exemplary performance and leadership over this past year. Chief Ferrara creates an atmosphere of calm on incident scenes. His ability to remain calm and even keeled in the most stressful situations allows his crews to remain safe and perform at the highest level.

Administratively, Chief Ferrara designs the monthly staffing rotations to allow the step-up officers the ability to learn and get “hands-on” experience while performing the duties of the position. This in turn creates a smooth transition when a step-up is needed to fill a role on the shift. That officer is more prepared and ready to provide a quality service to the customers of Coral Springs and Parkland.

Chief Ferrara leads by example and shows those under his supervision that he is willing to work hard to achieve the goals of the shift and the Department. He has offered many members his time if they are preparing for an upcoming promotional exam or testing process. He is an active member of the following committees: the Field Training Officer (FTO) program, the Professional Development Committee (PDC) and the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) review committee. Chief Ferrara has provided needed shift training on the Scott Electronic Management System or SEMS unit, use of the RIT bags and deploying the large area search rope.

Chief Ferrara routinely gives his time and input to committees to ensure a quality product is produced and delivered to department members. For all these reasons and more, Chief Michael Ferrara was selected as the 2012 Supervisor of the Year.

2012 Firefighter of the Year: Driver Engineer/Paramedic, Zachary Roseboom

2012 Firefighter of the Year: Driver Engineer/Paramedic, Zachary Roseboom

Zach is considered a dedicated worker who is a “go-to” member for projects and special assignments by supervisors and coworkers. On many occasions, Zach has agreed to work a detail on very short notice. Zach has always displayed a willingness to assist other employees in every way he can.

Zach takes new employees under his wing by coaching them and training them in the safe operation of the aerial device on Quint 80. In the past year alone, Zach has accomplished or contributed to the following:

Instrumental in the delivery of the fall arrestor training to B shift
Was made the official lead for the Physical Ability Testing orientation and made changes to the program so that it met all the county wide standards
Is the Lead Instructor for teaching a technique course that instills the principles of success for recruit firefighters with smaller or lighter frames
Is a co-lead and assisted with the development of the new Firefighter 1 program at Coral Springs High School
Currently the o-lead for the Coral Springs Fire Explorers and handles most of their training and competitions
Has taken the class for SCBA technician and is currently assisting the department with fit testing and is developing standards for an academy fit testing process.
Overhauled the fit testing equipment and particulate generator
Has worked side by side with Equipment Technician John Ramos to learn how to properly use the Air Van and all other fill stations for both SCBA and SCUBA.
Served as the B shift liaison for the GroupWise to Outlook transition process

For all these reasons, and many more, this year’s Firefighter of the Year selection was Firefighter/Paramedic Zach Roseboom.

2012 Instructor of the Year: Captain, Joseph Russoniello

Captain Russoniello has served the Coral Springs Fire Department and Fire Academy as fire academy burn-master, minimum standards lead instructor, and technical rescue program coordinator. Joe is a certified Rope Rescue Instructor, Confined Space Rescue Instructor, Vehicle Machinery Rescue Instructor, Trench Rescue Instructor and Live Fire Instructor. He is a member of the Fire Department’s Professional Development Committee since its inception and assists with the design and implementation of all in-service training. Recently, Joe was responsible for the design and construction of the new gas field prop for the fire academy.

Captain Russoniello has been instructing at the academy for over 10 years. Some of the other projects he has coordinated around the academy are the confined space rescue prop and the forcible entry prop. Captain Russoniello is continually looking for ways to enhance the reputation of the academy and how we can better serve the Fire Service community. His commitment and professionalism are key factors in his selection as the 2012 Coral Springs Fire Academy Instructor of the Year.

2012 Civilian Employee of the Year: Debra Pringle

2012 Civilian Employee of the Year: Debra Pringle

Debbie Pringle was nominated for the Civilian Employee of the Year Award for her consistent excellent performance in support of numerous departmental functions.

Debbie has always been a team player, frequently offering her support and organizational ability to support other fire department divisions in the accomplishments of numerous projects and special tasks. She is known by all the firefighters for her willingness to go above and beyond to get uniforms and equipment to them when needed for extraordinary circumstances.

She comes in nights and weekends when requested, frequently going out of her way to get the proper items dropped off at stations when the crews cannot make it to her office. Her assistance has been invaluable to the success of the Fire Academy and numerous departmental committees. She is always a bright and smiling presence when she shows up to help, drop off equipment and uniforms, or just to check in at a special function to offer her assistance. Her quiet presence may appear to go unnoticed at the moment, but has been widely recognized and admired by her co-workers for years.

For all these reasons, and so much more, Debbie Pringle is our 2012 Civilian Employee of the Year.

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Sharon Aron Baron

Editor of Talk Media and writer for Coral Springs Talk. CST was created in 2012 to provide News, Views, and Entertainment for the residents of Coral Springs and the rest of South Florida.