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Brad Whorley received the Firefighter of the Year award at the South River Volunteer Fire/Rescue awards dinner on Jan. 29.
Whorley was also recognized for answering the most calls during 2023, 211. Other firefighters answering the most calls during the year included Pam Whorley, 202; Kelly Jennings, 140; John Jennings, 121; and Brandon Newell, 98.
The Line Officers’ Choice Award went to firefighter Lucas Brads, and the Citizenship Award was given to Dale Fauber.
Firefighters receiving years of service awards included Doug Ciampi Jr. and Kelly Jennings, five years; and Lucas Brads, Nicholas Cole, TK King, Kayla Ramsey and Dylan Wilmer, one year.
In her report, Kelly Jennings, fire chief, noted that the department had answered 333 calls during the year. The call of the year was a two tractor-trailer wreck and fire on Interstate 81 on April 13. The driver of one of the trucks had to be flown out, and the incident also involved a hazardous materials spill. Firefighters used over 10,000 gallons of water and were on the scene for three and a half hours.
