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GOWENSVILLE––On December 5, members of Gowensville Fire Department earned several promotions and 2022 awards at their annual Christmas Dinner and Awards Banquet at Motlow Creek Baptist Church.

Spencer Lilyea earned the Firefighter of the Year award, and the Kaye Essey Community Service Award went to Mark’s Small Engine.

Three GFD workers were promoted at the Awards Banquet, starting with Richard Landrum, who was promoted from Safety Officer to Safety/Battalion Chief. Mark McDaniel was promoted from Firefighter and Engineer to Captain, and Cody Vaughn was promoted from Firefighter and Engineer to Sergeant.

Elliot Pagett, a firefighter at GFD and long-time friend of each deserving member of the department, says he believes these men earned their awards due to their hard work and dedication.

“Some of them have been volunteers for a really long time. They’ve been around the department for a while, done work around the station, run calls, and they’ve had a lot of passion. We’re all pretty close over here,” Pagett says.

The department thanks all their hard workers and congratulates the award and promotion recipients. They also thank Motlow Creek Baptist Church for the use of their facilities, as well as Lakeview Steakhouse for catering the event.