CRESTVIEW — Ralph Everage has come a long way. Once a student in the Crestview Fire Department’s youth Explorers program, he’s now the departmental training chief.
In a brief Sept. 12 ceremony, Mayor David Cadle, who oversees the city’s Public Safety departments, and Fire Chief Joe Traylor lauded Everage on his quarter-century of service to the city.
“It's always enjoyable when you see valuable employees spend a long length of time with us,” Cadle said.
“The quality of our program in Crestview is in great part directly attributable to his (Everage’s) management of our training program,” Traylor said. “His overall effort in Okaloosa County was recognized by the state of Florida at the Florida Fire Chiefs Convention in January.”
Everage “wears many hats,” Traylor said. In addition to being the training chief, he is the department’s safety officer and infectious disease control officer.
The latter duty includes reporting and monitoring firefighters who might be exposed to infectious patients or chemical agents during their duties.
“He brings a lot of expertise and a lot of leadership to the job,” Traylor said.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Everage recognized for 25 years of service