Battalion Chief Jeff J. Christ was named as the Jack Easton Employee of the Year for Littleton Fire Rescue (LFR) at a ceremony on October 9, 2009. Named after LFR's first paid fire chief and first awarded in 1984, the Jack Easton is awarded to an employee for outstanding contribution to the fire department for a combination of years of contribution and dedication to LFR and the communities we serve.
Jeff Christ is a true leader; goal oriented; change oriented, exercises leadership thru his activities and contributions, and possess these traits internally. Jeff first came to LFR as a firefighter in 1986 via the Metro Fire Training Academy. Since then Jeff was promoted from firefighter to engineer, captain and for the last ten years he has served his community as a Battalion Chief.
Jeff is a departmental sports leader. He was a walk-on football player at Colorado University as wide receiver and graduated with degree in Environmental Biology. He organized the departmental flag football team, softball team, and competed in the State and World, Police and Fire games earning numerous medals. Jeff's physical fitness life style lead to him spearheading LFR's Physical Fitness Committee where he researched fitness equipment, purchased and maintained all station equipment, and managed the fitness budget.
Jeff Christ is an original Medics on Bikes team member, an original TEMS (tactical EMS) member, and attended and graduated from the CONTOMS (Counter Narcotics and Terrorism Operational Medical Support) course put on by the Department of Defense. Jeff was also an original member of LFR's Hazmat Team where he spent much of his early career at Station 11, one of the busiest stations in the district.
Most recently Jeff was a co-founder of the C.A.R. program (Common Sense, Awareness and Responsibility). Developing the program with Lt. Mike Simon, they solicited the funds from the Littleton Elks Lodge for handout key chains and have educated over 20,000 students about the dangers of first time drivers. Jeff is committed to teen safety.
His nominators write, "Jeff, your hand prints are all over this department and the communities we serve. You leave a legacy of contributions and programs at LFR that you were instrumental in developing. A measure of a true leader is leaving an organization better than you found it." Congratulations Jeff!
Lieutenant Ryan Knutsen awarded LFR's Paramedic of the Year
Lt. Knutsen was selected as the 2009 Paramedic of the Year for Littleton Fire Rescue. His nominators noted that "Ryan has natural leadership abilities and is very well respected by his peers. In his few short years as a Paramedic Lieutenant he has found his place as a leader among medics. Ryan is very easy to get along and values the input of his peers and the vision of the organization. Ryan has wonderful paramedic skills and has demonstrated those on some very big calls. He has a superior paramedic skill level and uses that skill to teach new paramedics. Ryan identifies problems and has realistic solutions to them. He is always calm and cool under fire." Ryan Knutsen was recently featured in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, a national EMS publication. Congratulations Ryan!
Katherine (Kate) C. Lemon named Littleton Fire Rescue's Telecommunicator of the year.
Kate Lemon was awarded Littleton Fire Rescue's Telecommunicator of the year on October 9, 2009. Her nominator writes, as an outstanding dispatcher, "Kate is very trustworthy and makes a good partner for anyone she is working alongside. Kate has taken on a very large amount of computer entry such as maintaining the premise utility and Haz Mat information and adds this so that it can be kept up to date for our use. She also works on maintaining the pre-plan information so that can be as current as possible which again makes our job easier. Kate has taken over our "Sunshine Fund" which is used to help let other dispatchers and communications center know that we are thinking of them in either their time of joy or despair. Also, Kate is in charge of maintaining the supplies for the communications center is does a very good job of keeping up with whatever is needed." Congratulations Kate!