TALLAHASSEE — A Crestview assistant fire chief is now Fire Service Instructor of the Year.
Ralph Everage Jr. — Crestview Fire Department Assistant Chief of Training and Safety — received the award March 1 at a reception at the Florida Capitol. He was nominated by the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association.
Florida Chief Financial Officer and Fire Marshal Jeff Atwater honored Florida Fire Service Award winners at the event.
The annual Fire Service Award ceremony is held to reward and honor those in the fire service community who have shown exceptionalism in their profession.
Everage's fire service career began with the CFD as an Explorer Scout at the age of 15, and at 18, he began volunteering with the department. He was officially hired in 1991, and promoted to his current position in July 2005.
Since 2006, he has served as CFD's fire science instructor, as well as surrounding departments. He currently manages the entire CFD training and FEMA grant programs. He was successful in securing a FEMA grant that allowed the department to hire 12 additional personnel.
Everage also assisted with developing the Firefighter Minimum Standards Program at Northwest Florida State College Fire Academy and is a program co-lead.
Further, he has been involved with the Northwest Florida Volunteer Firefighter Weekend where he managed the Life Fire program, which is a 3-day program that provides the required live fire exercises for Volunteer Firefighter certifications.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview assistant fire chief earns state award