Members of the Gordon EMS team were honored at the 2010 Gordon EMS Service Awards Banquet Feb. 15 at Trinity Baptist Church.

According to Courtney Taylor, director of Gordon EMS, many awards were presented during the evening including the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) of the Year, which was presented to Woodrow Davis, and the Paramedic of the Year award, which went to Tim Woodard.

“Both of these gentlemen are very worthy recipients of these awards,” Taylor said. “We are honored to have them on our team and blessed to have them serving our community.”

The Leader of the Year award went to Mark Bramblett after being nominated by his peers as a leader in the service. Steve Groves was presented the Excellence in Education award for going above and beyond to educate others, Taylor said.

“Our Rookie of the Year is Holly Evans,” he added. “This award is presented to an individual that best represents excellence in the performance of their duties in their first year of service with Gordon EMS. Holly is a wonderful addition to the Gordon EMS team and we were very happy to present her with this award.”

The individual award nominations are first submitted by employees of Gordon EMS. They are then reviewed by an awards panel of judges before the final recipient is chosen, Taylor explained.

Several employees were presented with a Participation Award, which is given to individuals for their willing participation in events and/or groups that further the cause of EMS and helps the community such as special operations, honor guard, the annual toy drive, health fairs, and others.

The 2010 recipients include: Adam Dortch, Ben Miller, Courtney Taylor, Cynthia Morton, Derek Harp, Don Taylor, Donald Bowen, Doug Hite, Jennifer Henderson, Joan Minten, Leslie Mauldin, Mark Bramblett, Chanda Gravitt, Michael Payne, Sharon Smith, Stacey Koonce, Steve Groves, Tim Woodard and Woodrow Davis.

Also at the banquet, EMS employees were recognized for the length of time they have served in public safety in five-year increments. Their time does not start from date of hire at Gordon EMS, but rather it begins when they graduate EMT school. Being honored were Adam Dortch, Cynthia Morton, Derek Harp, and Leslie Mauldin, who all reached the five-year milestone. Marcus Desmond, Christy Tankersley and Tim Woodard were all honored for serving 15 years with Gordon EMS.

Public Appreciation Awards were presented to employees who received letters, commendations or SHARE cards unsolicited from the public for exemplary services provided. Recipients included Courtney Taylor, Daniel Helton, Derek Harp, Donald Bowen, Jennifer Henderson, Leslie Mauldin, Stacey Koonce, and Steven Groves.

“We have a fantastic crew at Gordon EMS,” Taylor added. “We are well represented by caring professionals who view their jobs as a calling to serve and help others.”