A Night of Honor: CFR Recognizes Members for Impeccable Service Year
Published on December 09, 2022
CHEYENNE – On Thursday, December 8, 2022, Cheyenne Fire Rescue (CFR) held its first awards and promotion ceremony. Fire Chief John Kopper and Battalion Chiefs Andrew Dykshorn and Byron Mathews presented more than 25 of their finest members with plaques of honor, certificates of achievement, and medals of nobility.
Recognizing the hard work, stellar performances, and formidable commitment the team dedicates to the department each day, CFR was joined by Mayor Patrick Collins and State Fire Marshal Chief Mark Young, to honor this year’s recipients.
As the first of many celebrations to come, Chief Kopper said being able to showcase the hard work and professional enrichment of his team was very important this year.
“We get a lot of awards throughout the year and sometimes it is hard for the chief officers to get around and really recognize our members,” Kopper shared at the ceremony. “We wanted to do something special, not only for the members but for the family to see and participate.”
With a wall-to-wall crowd gathered in the city’s Public Safety Center, Kopper added, “Seeing all of you here tonight is overwhelming and pretty special. What this room represents is all the hard work and dedication that is put in throughout the year and your support from your families.”
Many of this year’s recipients had to sacrifice sleep, family time, money, and more to accomplish a new career goal.
As Chief Kopper mentioned, thousands of hours went into completing intensive programs, tackling various coursework, attending leadership classes, and earning college degrees.
“This department is an inspiration to all,” Mayor Collins said. “The City of Cheyenne is very proud to have such highly skilled, disciplined, and standout employees. These guys are incredible, and I’m happy I was able to spend the evening with them and their families.”
The name of the awards and this year’s recipients are as follows:
2022 Service Awards:
- Engineer Ty Zwonitzer – 5 years
- Firefighter Christopher Rahn – 5 years
- Firefighter Kelsey Raile – 5 years
- Firefighter Nathaniel Yim – 5 years
- Firefighter Davis Beightol –10 years
- Firefighter Ryan Seaberg – 10 years
- Lieutenant Vincent McQueeney – 10 years
- Firefighter Nathan Pugel – 10 years
- Engineer TJ Erhart –10 years
- Engineer Myron Miller –10 years
- Firefighter Bradley Hall –10 years
- Lieutenant Branden Braisted –15 years
- Lieutenant Caleb Kamarad – 15 years
- Engineer Shane Reed –15 years
- Engineer Thomas Turner –15 years
- Firefighter Kevin Tighe –15 years
- Battalion Chief Titus Norris – 20 years
- Engineer Collin Moody –20 years
- Battalion Chief Kipp Sanders –20 years
- Lieutenant William Hinz – 20 years
- Engineer Chad Miller –20 years
Leadership Wyoming Program Graduate:
- Division Chief Andrew Dykshorn
National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program:
- Battalion Chief Kipp Sanders
- Division Chief Andrew Dykshorn
Paramedic School Completion:
- Firefighter Robert Kreps
- Firefighter James Lewis
College Graduates:
- Battalion Chief Kipp Sanders, Master of Science, Leadership, Homeland Security, and Emergency Management
- Lieutenant Brice Jacobsen, Bachelor of Science, EMS Administration
Recruit Academy, 1st Year Employment:
- Firefighter Quinn Hunt
- Firefighter Max Martinez
- Firefighter Gene Morenko
- Firefighter Kaden Morrison
Promotions:
- Lieutenant Shane Bassett
- Lieutenant Vincent McQueeney
- Engineer Scott Nelson
- Engineer Ty Zwonitzer
- Engineer Matthew Thompson
Lifesaving/Good Save Award:
- Acting Lieutenant TJ Haws
- Engineer Collin Moody
- Firefighter Kyle Pope
The Lieutenant Michael Head Sharpshooter Award:
The Doug Beach Resiliency Award:
The Chief’s Team Player Award:
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