Fire Department holds banquet

More than 100 people attended the annual membership banquet for the Columbia No. 1 Fire Department Saturday night at the Park Plaza Hotel on Centerville Road.

The department honored its members for their commitment during 2007 and reviewed two videos, one on training the department did and highlights of some of its responses.

The speaker for the event was Matthew Tobia, a battalion chief of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department in Maryland. Tobia, along with Dale Dommel, master technician from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, assisted the department with some of its training.

Dommel served as master of ceremonies.

Those honored at the banquet included:
• Denny Hershey, Firefighter of the Year.
• Tom Wise, Member of the Year.
• Keystone Polish Concrete, the Joseph Zercher Award, given to a person or business in good standing with the department.
Keystone Polish Concrete donated a new floor for the engine room, which would have cost the department $20,000.
• William Ney, Chief’s Award.
• Mitchel Lutz Jr., the Lutz Honorary Presentation.
• Pat Hallacher and Elsie Hower, Special Recognition for helping with fund-raising and bingo.
• Chief Lenny Urey, former chief of the Wrightsville Fire Company, a Distinguished Service Award.
• Deputy Chief Joe Felus, a Recognition Award for writing grants for the department.