Mayor Presents Awards Of Excellence

Lincoln, NE (June 7, 2021)  Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird today presented the Annual Mayor’s Award of Excellence for 2019 to eight Lincoln Fire and Rescue (LFR) members who serve on the Nebraska Task Force One Urban Search and Rescue Team. The awards were presented at 3 p.m. at the beginning of the City Council meeting.

The award presentation was postponed last year due to the pandemic.

LFR Captain Daniel Ripley nominated the team in the category of valor for their actions in responding to the March 2019 flooding in the areas of Columbus and Monroe, Nebraska. Members include:

  • Captain Daniel Ripley, Task Force Leader
  • Captain Mark Majors, Rescue Team Manager
  • Firefighter Robert Simons, Medical Specialist
  • Firefighter Amanda Benson, Water Specialist
  • Firefighter Webster Farris, Water Specialist
  • Firefighter Justin Henkel, Water Specialist
  • Firefighter Paramedic Brady Papik, Water Specialist
  • Fire Captain Michael Wright, Water Specialist

All monthly award nominees and winners are eligible to receive the annual award.  Each team member will receive two days off with pay and a plaque.

The 2019 Honorable Mention Award was presented to a five-member team from the Water Production division of Lincoln Transportation and Utilities for their work to maintain Lincoln’s water supply during flooding at Ashland in spring 2019:

  • Steve Owen, Superintendent of Water Production and Treatment
  • Rick Roberts, Assistant Superintendent of Maintenance for Lincoln Water System
  • Corbin Harms, Assistant Superintendent of Electrical/Control for Lincoln Water System
  • Eric Lee, Assistant Superintendent of Operations-Water Production and Treatment for Ashland Water Production
  • John Keith, Manager of Laboratory Services for Ashland Water Production

The nominations were considered by the Mayor’s Award of Excellence Committee, which includes a representative with each union and a non-union representative appointed by the Mayor.

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