Top Five Finalists Announced for “Step Up and Stand Out” Volunteer Firefighter Recognition Program

The top five finalists for the volunteer firefighter contest, “Step Up and Stand Out”, were announced today at the Fire-Rescue International (FRI) conference in San Antonio, Texas. The contest is part of a national campaign developed by Kidde and national fire service organizations to raise awareness of the need for fire department volunteers and recognize those who have already stepped up to support their communities. Kidde, a leading manufacturer of residential fire safety products, is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

 

Kidde worked with Firehouse, the Volunteer and Combination Officers Section of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) to create the Step Up and Stand Out program.  Launched nationwide in February, “Step Up and Stand Out” gave fire departments and the public the opportunity to submit videos nominating a current volunteer firefighter or support volunteer for recognition of their community service.  Once submissions were accepted, the public had the opportunity to vote online to determine the top five finalists with the highest score. All top five finalists’ videos can be viewed at www.firehouse.com/vf.

 

Top Five Finalists for “Step Up and Stand Out”:

Bob Love

North Hays Fire/Rescue

Dripping Springs, Texas

 

Bryan Perry

Buxton Volunteer Fire Department

Buxton, North Carolina

 

Stephanie Sorensen

Pasco County Fire Rescue

Land O’ Lakes, Florida

 

Chris Suk

Roosevelt Volunteer Fire Company

Roosevelt, New Jersey

 

Derrick Washington

Beaufort/ Port Royal Fire Dept.

Beaufort, South Carolina

 

Starting today through Sept. 23, Kidde encourages the public to vote for the grand prize winner at Firehouse.com/VF. The winner will receive a $1,000 training grant for their fire department and additional prizes including a free trip for two to Nashville, Tennessee. All of the finalists will receive a prize pack consisting of 200 Kidde smoke alarms for their local fire department, a NFPA Fire Prevention Week Kit and more. 

 

“Volunteer firefighters play a critical role in keeping our communities safe, and it’s important to us that we do our part in recognizing their efforts and service,” said Chris Rovenstine, vice president of sales and marketing, Kidde. “I would like to encourage everyone to vote for the grand prize winner and help Kidde continue to raise awareness about fire safety.”

 

Visit Firehouse.com/VF to submit your vote until Sept. 23, and follow #StepUpStandOut on social media.