City Honors a Pair of Safety Harbor Firefighters

Tuesday night during the city commission meeting, a pair of Safety Harbor Fire Department employees were selected as the 2012 Fire Department Award winners.

Captain Tom Peters was named the Fire Officer of the Year, and firefighter/ paramedic Josh Saavedra was named the Firefighter of the Year in a presentation announced by Mayor Joe Ayoub.

"Captain Tom Peters is a new and inspiring fire officer who in 2012 has made great accomplishments to the city," Ayoub said. "Tom has a positive attitude and instills pride and ownership into everything he and his crew does."

"Josh is an excellent paramedic and instills compassion and professionalism in dealing with the public," Ayoub continued. "He displays a positive attitude and and also takes great pride and ownership in working for the city."

Before presenting each man with his award, the Mayor asked if they wanted to say a few words to the assembled crowd.

Both men expressed gratitude for being named as the 2012 award winners.

"It's a humbling experience to be selected for something like this in a world where we don't use 'I' and 'me' but rather 'us' and 'we'," Savedra said. "I work with a great bunch of guys...officers who lead by example and peers who have my back no matter what."

"I just want to thank my family and our great city," Peters said. "I really do love coming to work and serving our citizens. It's the best part of the job."

Congratulations to these two deserving 2012 Fire Department Award winners!