SEATTLE, Wash. — The Seattle Fire Department hosted its annual awards luncheon April 30, 2026, celebrating individuals and programs that demonstrate excellence in emergency response, leadership, customer service and community impact.
About 400 people packed into the ballroom at the Embassy Suites in Pioneer Square to celebrate the exemplary work of members of Seattle Fire throughout 2025.
2025 Award Recipients:
- Chief of the Year: Battalion Chief Brian Maier
- Officer of the Year: Lieutenant Paul Coale
- Firefighter of the Year: Firefighter William Whatley II
- Paramedic of the Year: Firefighter/Paramedic Bryan Smith
- Employee of the Year: Allison Dolzonek
- Customer Service Award: Ruth Ethelston
- Community Service Award: The Chaplaincy Program
- Fire Chief Claude Harris Award: Julie George
- Lifetime Achievement Awards:
- Lieutenant/Paramedic Larry Doll
- Firefighter Roger Bianchi
- Finance Director Chris Santos
In addition to the annual awards, the Seattle Fire Department honored more than 50 Seattle Fire personnel and community members with Special Recognition Awards. These recognitions highlight acts of bravery, exemplary service and outstanding contributions to our community.
Special Recognition Awards include:
- Fire Chief’s Medal
- Hazardous Commendation
- Non-Hazardous Commendation
- Unit Citation
- Administrative Citation
- Distinguished Service Award
Some of these special recognition awards featured the following incidents:
- Elevator Rescue: Crews responded to a multiple-story senior housing complex where a woman was trapped in an elevator. When the elevator malfunctioned and opened up above the landing, the woman tried to get out. The elevator moved, crushing the patient’s legs and trapping her. Crews provided medical care and ran equipment up 12 flights of stairs. They took the elevator off its tracks to create space to free the patient’s legs.
- Off-duty vacation rescue: While vacationing in Moab, UT, three firefighters came to the rescue of a woman who had badly injured her ankle from jumping into water. They took turns carrying the woman on their backs for more than two miles through hilly and rocky terrain.
Fire Chief’s Medal (awarded to community members):
- Daughter saves father with CPR: Caroline Hagens heard a commotion in the middle of the night and found her dad having a sudden cardiac arrest.
- CPR Classes: Seattle Fire Department’s Medic 2 Bystander CPR Training Program teaches community members how to recognize cardiac arrest, call 911, perform high-quality CPR, use an AED and perform choking intervention techniques. These skills can double or even triple someone’s chance of survival in the event of a cardiac emergency.
We are grateful for the Seattle Fire Foundation and their sponsors, who made this event possible.