MFRD 2nd-Annual Service Awards Banquet

MOBILE, Ala. – On Tuesday night, the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department celebrated its 2^nd-Annual Awards Banquet, honoring the commitments of civilian organizations and local businesses, as well as the accomplishments of the men and women of MFRD. Hosted by WKRG News 5's Devon Walsh, the banquet served as an opportunity to spotlight the generous contributions and support of sponsors, volunteers, and partners, while awarding bravery and continued to commitment to excellence in service.

Fire Chief Mark Sealy took the opportunity to address firefighters, families, partners, businesses, and friends in attendance and discuss the strides made by Mobile Fire-Rescue over the past year, notably achieving such accomplishments as receiving the ISO class-1 rating – a first for MFRD and the City of Mobile. He attributed the Department’s successes to the daily hard work of the men and women of every division in every position. Though proclaiming that the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department has come very far in just a few, short years, Chief Sealy assured personnel, citizens, and City dignitaries that their fire department is not done improving.

Major League Baseball star and Mobile native Jake Peavy served as guest speaker, providing an inspirational speech on heroism, leadership, and service within communities. The evening closed with the presentation of several outstanding service awards, provided to select City of Mobile firefighters, as chosen by their peers and colleagues, for their consistent excellence in public service and leadership far beyond the average call of duty.

Award recipients:

Public Safety Dispatcher II Karl Roberts (2018 Telecommunicator of the Year)

Fire Service Driver James Stallings (2018 Outstanding Firefighter)

Fire Service Driver Josh Hults (2018 Outstanding Driver)

Fire Service Driver Lewis Butterworth (2018 Outstanding Paramedic)

Fire Service Captain Kermit Watson (2018 Outstanding Officer)

Immediately following, each of the 2018 Firefighters of the Month were recognized for their service and accomplishments throughout the previous year. A very special selection was made from this group of dedicated firefighters, and an award was presented for the 2018 Firefighter of the Year. Fire Service Captain Maurice “Bubba” Vautier was chosen as the recipient based on the Captain’s consistent commitment to excellence in service, both on-duty and off.

Recall the July 22, 2018 incident in which an off-duty Captain Vautier and his wife were preparing for a family boat outing when they received word of a serious boat accident nearby under the I-10 Bayway. Without hesitation, the Vautier couple proceeded to the scene of the major boating accident, where they discovered a mangled boat with three persons in the water and one person still aboard with a serious, traumatic injury. None of the accident victims were wearing flotation devices. Captain Vautier and his wife arrived at the scene several minutes before emergency crews, and they never hesitated to intervene and assist.

In the water, an adult male was attempting (with much difficulty) to hold an unresponsive female’s head above the surface of the water. Captain Vautier immediately pulled the unresponsive female onto the damaged vessel and saved the adult male from the water. He, then, proceeded to pull another incapacitated female victim from the water. Captain Vautier and his wife rendered initial first aid and took the damaged vessel into a fast tow to a nearby ramp, where he was met by arriving fire and EMS crews who took over patient care.

The end result of the accident was one female victim killed on scene, one male patient succumb to injuries en route to the hospital, another female transported in serious condition to a local hospital, and the male boat driver taken into custody. Captain Vautier’s quick actions mitigated a tragic scene, likely saving the lives of an unresponsive passenger and the boat’s driver.

The Mobile Fire-Rescue Department is proud of its personnel (firefighters, staff, sworn, civilian, etc) and the jobs that they each perform daily in improving MFRD for the citizens of Mobile.