Photo by Jeff Thompson.
0114 City Awards Firefighter of the Year
Fire Chief Robert Ezekiel and Firefighter John Head.
In January, the City of Mountain Brook honored its 2013 Employees of the Year.
City Employee of the Year, Parks and Recreation Employee of the Year: Terry Webb
Parks and Recreation Superintendent Shanda Williams named Terry Webb Employee of the Year.
"I've only been here for three months, so it's odd for me to pick an employee of the year. I relied on comments from other co-workers, who all have complete respect for Terry. He made my transition to superintendent as smooth as it could be, and I thank him every day.
Webb has been with Mountain Brook Parks and Rec for 25 years and was the first person former Superintendent Lyman Tidwell hired.
City Manager Sam Gaston said Lyman will also be named the City's Employee of the Year during the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce's Fourth Annual Chamber Luncheon on Thursday, Jan. 16 at The Club.
"I'm very humbled by this award," Webb said. "I just want to thank everyone."
Police Department Employees of the Year: Det. Don Garrett, Kathy Boyd
Beginning in 2012, Mountain Brook suffered a rash of burglaries. According to Chief Ted Cook, similar incidents occurred regularly around dusk and accumulated through spring of last year.
When the number of incidents reached almost 50, Mountain Brook Detective Don Garrett identified a suspect, and after the suspect was involved in an accident, Garrett was able to pull GPS information off a cell phone.
From that data, the department signed 12 warrants on the suspect for more than 30 burglaries that occurred during the time period in question.
Cook said from the amount of work Garrett put into the case, other agencies in the area attributed several of their burglaries to the suspect as well.
Mountain Brook's non-sworn Employee of the Year is Kathy Boyd. Cook said she's been a member of the department for more than 25 years, and as dispatch supervisor, she has overseen two moves of the communications center over the last two years.
Cook said Boyd was considering retirement.
"It'll be a huge loss to us when we lose her," Cook said.
Fire Department Employee of the Year: Firefighter John Head
In January 2013, Firefighter John Head and his wife were on their way home from dinner when they come upon a wreck. Head, off duty at the time, stopped to investigate and found five teenagers injured in the accident. According to Fire Chief Robert Ezekiel, four of the five were in critical condition when Head arrived.
While his wife directed traffic, Head, a trained paramedic and nurse, began care while waiting for the fire department and ambulance to arrive. And when they did, Head continued care in the back of an ambulance on the way to the hospital.
Ezekiel, in announcing Head as the Fire Department Employee of the Year, also said Head has a heck of a handshake.
"If you shake John's hand, be careful," Ezekiel said. "You'll either always remember it or you'll remember the injury. One time, he made one of our interns cry."
Public Works Employees of the Year: Andrew Gidley and Clint Clark
Normally, Mountain Brook public works mechanics Andrew Gidley and Clint Clark stay around the city shop, but last July they were out in the community when a thunderstorm suddenly struck.
Public Works Director Ronnie Vaughan said Gidley and Clark, friends both at work and outside of work, came across a large tree that had been blown over on Old Leeds Road. They called for members of the department to dismantle and remove the tree, but on a closer look at the scene, they noticed a car was trapped beneath the branches.
Inside the vehicle, Gidley and Clark found a woman and her two children trapped. Their efforts helped free the family.
"Everything ended well," Vaughan said. "The incident was a good example of our government coming together, and it started with these two guys, who aren't typically in that situation."
