News

The Windsor-Severance Fire Protection District honored its own in its annual
awards ceremony for 2005. Derek Zehler (career) and Matthew Van-Dyken
(volunteer) were named firefighters of the year.

Zehler was also named EMT of the year, while firefighter Brett Buchholtz was
named rookie of the year.

Named to the chief's merit award were volunteer Lt. Jeff Dykstra, career
firefighter Capt. Mike Davis and residents Lindsay Pierce and Chris Bush.

Pierce and Bush received the award for their efforts when a car flipped upside
down into a canal and became fully submerged along Weld County Road 23
last July 23.

Pierce and Bush jumped into the canal and, after several attempts to free the
driver, were able to get her to shore and perform CPR until firefighters arrived.

According to Windsor-Severance Fire Protection Chief Jerry Ward, the award,
"demonstrates exemplary conduct in the face of adversity without regard to
personal safety."

Although the driver, Trisha Ulrich, did not survive, the efforts by Pierce and
Bush merited recognition, Ward said.

Davis was recognized for his efforts in bringing a fire museum to the community.
Dykstra was recognized for organizing the fire district's annual pancake breakfast
and for developing a new volunteer shift program that provides more evenly
distributed coverage while reducing the overall number of hours volunteers
have to be on call.

The Code Saver Award was a new award for the crew that responded to a
"full code," which is a person in full cardiac arrest.

Through the crew's efforts, the person is alive today. The crew named:
Lt. Joe O'Brien, Lt. Scott Reynolds and firefighters Josh Carnes, Devin Trotter,
Kory Tope, Chris Gorsuch and Dustin Hampton.