The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is pleased to announce the 2018 winners of its three national fire service awards. Ronald Farr will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Rosenbauer America; Jared Hagen will receive the Junior Firefighter of the Year Award, sponsored by California Casualty; and the Gaston Volunteer Fire Department Junior Firefighter Program will receive the Junior Firefighter Program of the Year Award, sponsored by California Casualty.

“The accomplishments of all the nominees were very impressive,” said NVFC Chair Kevin D. Quinn. “These achievement awards recognize the remarkable and inspirational work that fire service volunteers contribute to the community, and this year’s pool of nominees showcased that spirit perfectly. The recipients of these awards are truly the embodiment of outstanding commitment and service.” 

A special banquet to honor the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement and Junior Firefighter of the Year awards will take place during the NVFC’s spring meeting on April 20, 2018, in Alexandria, VA. In addition, the Junior Firefighter of the Year will receive a $500 training/education stipend. The recipient of the Junior Firefighter Program of the Year will be presented with their award in their hometown so that all of their junior firefighters will be able to attend. 

Learn more about the NVFC’s awards program at www.nvfc.org/awards. Stay tuned to the NVFC web site, Twitter, Facebook, and Dispatch e-newsletter in late April for additional information about each award winner as well as photos from the award presentations.

The recipients of the NVFC’s 2018 awards are as follows:

Ronald Farr
NVFC Lifetime Achievement Award
Award sponsored by Rosenbauer America

Ronald Farr has been an active member of the Michigan fire service for over 50 years. He joined the Plainwell Fire Department in 1967 and continued to serve as a volunteer firefighter for over 36 years. In 1978 he was hired by the Kalamazoo Township Fire Department, where he moved up the ranks to fire chief in 2003. He served as the State Fire Marshal from 2009-2011 before becoming a regulatory fire engineer for UL. Six years ago, Farr founded the nonprofit organization Michigan S.A.F.E. (Smoke Alarms for Everyone), a sustainable, statewide smoke alarm installation program that is aimed at protecting the high-risk populations of children and older adults. Since the program began, over 70,000 smoke alarms have been installed throughout Michigan.

In 2010, Farr was appointed as chair of the newly developed Fire Prevention Organization and Deployment Technical Committee, which oversees NFPA 1730, Standard on Organization and Deployment of Fire Prevention Inspection and Code Enforcement, Plan Review, Investigation, and Public Education Operations and the proposed NFPA 1300, Standard on Community Risk Assessment and Community Risk Reduction Plan Development. ln April 2014, he presented an overview of NFPA 1730 at the Vision 20/20 Models in Fire Prevention Symposium to help participants strategically incorporate the community risk reduction process into their department's prevention and suppression operations.

Farr is a life member of the Michigan State Firemen’s Association and currently serves as 3rd Director. His many awards and honors include: Fire Chief of the Year from the Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs (2010), Excellence in Fire Prevention Activities from the New England Association of Fire Marshals (2008), President’s Award from the National Fire Protection Association (2000), and Fire Inspector of the Year from the Michigan Fire Inspectors Society (1985).

Jared Hagen
Junior Firefighter of the Year Award
Sponsored by California Casualty

Jared Hagen has been a junior firefighter with the Northwest Fire Explorer Post 1854 at Canal Fulton (OH) Fire Department (CFFD) for over