First-responders recognized for service at annual banquet
Assistant chief Cody Gibbs (left) gives a Firefighter of the Year award to Crawford assistant chief Ryan Martin at the Oglethorpe County Fire Rescue Banquet on Saturday. Martin also serves as a firefighter for Athens-Clarke County. (Submitted photo/Cody Gibbs)
Chief Rocky Miller (left) gives a Firefighter of the Year award to Jim Pierce of Devil's Pond Station on Saturday. Pierce is also a Station Training Officer. (Submitted photo/Cody Gibbs)
Assistant chief Cody Gibbs (left) gives the Public Safety Award to James Jackson on Saturday. Jackson serves as the E-911 director and county coroner. (Submitted photo/Cody Gibbs)
Chief Rocky Miller (left) gives the Driver of the Year award to assistant chief Stanley Grimes of Devil's Pond Station on Saturday. Laughs were shared amongst everyone as he damaged a fire truck. (Submitted photo/Cody Gibbs)
First-responders and guests form a line for their free dinner on Saturday. Some of the cooks are also first-responders. (Photo/Brooke Stewart)
First-responders and their families sit together and chat over their dinners on Saturday. With their busy schedules, the banquet is an opportunity for the responders to spend time with their families. (Photo/Brooke Stewart)
Assistant Chief Cody Gibbs knows first-hand that being a first-responder is difficult.
And in a year with more emergency calls than normal, Gibbs said emergency personnel are “spending time away …
