Oregon Fire Service Meritorious Awards

Saturday May 22 was a special night for Forest Grove Fire & Rescue as one of our staff members was recognized by the Oregon Fire Chief's Association at their annual Fire Service Meritorious Awards Dinner. This year's event was held in Salem at the Salem Conference Center and was attended by over 400 fire service employees, volunteers, and leaders from all across Oregon. This year FGF&R Captain David Nemeyer was presented with the Award of Excellence because of his efforts serving the Forest Grove community.

FGF&R Captain David Nemeyer with Oregon State Fire Marshal Randy Simpson (left) and Oregon Fire Chief's Association President Mark Prince after David recieved the Award of Excellence

This is what the night's Master of Ceremonies Tim Birr had to say about David as he was on stage receiving the award:

"Captain Nemeyer serves as a Fire Prevention Officer with Forest Grove Fire and Rescue. He has become one of the fire service leaders in the utilization of social media to communicate with the public, which has improved public education, information and code enforcement in Washington County. Utilizing Facebook, Twitter and a blog, information on public education and safety programs can now be sent to the community quickly and efficiently. During a recent water rescue incident, Twitter followers were instantly informed of what the emergency vehicles were responding to and public information messages were posted, reminding people of the importance of wearing life jackets. Captain Nemeyer has also been instrumental in setting up the Western Washington County Fire Investigation Team to serve the community of Forest Grove and surrounding communities, resulting in increased investigatory depth, expertise and capability. He has provided public education programs to over 2,000 children in the Forest Grove School District. He has also coordinated the annual Christmas Toy Drive and is an active leader in the Washington County Safe Kids Coalition, becoming one of the recognized leaders in fire safety, public education and information in Oregon. Captain Nemeyer is the primary instructor and coordinator for the joint school district and fire department Fire Cadet program. He has also been a vital part of setting up a unique local committee of assisted living care facilities and nursing homes to improve partnership with the high-risk population that we serve."