County firemen took a night to honor their own Thursday.
The Kosciusko County Fire Association held their annual banquet at the Home and Family Arts Building on the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds.
Milford's Todd Haines was named Fireman of the Year, while Pierceton's Merritt Hyndman was given a service award by the association.
"The guys in Milford are terrific, and Milford's a great town," said Haines, who grew up in Warsaw but moved to Milford after high school.
Silver Lake Fire Department was honored with the Otis R. Bowen Heroic Rescue award from the state for its response to a July 30 incident when a man fell into a grain bin in Silver Lake.
"We have a group with Sidney, Burket, Warsaw and Winona Lake, along with Multi-Township EMS, who helped us," said Silver Lake Fire Chief Jaysun Blocher, who accepted the award. "By no means is it just Silver Lake."
Each fire department from around the county honored their firemen with "attaboy" awards.
Mentone Fire Department was honored with the attendance award with 90 members attending association meetings throughout the year.
The Kosciusko County Chapter of the American Red Cross was honored with an "attaboy" award for its efforts.
"Kosciusko County is fortunate to have a Red Cross chapter as active as ours," Kosciusko County Fire Association President Mitch Rader said as he presented a plaque to Larry Peppel, executive director of the Red Cross.
"We are privileged and honored to serve firemen and first responders in this county," Peppel said.
There was a 50/50 drawing as well as a "Fill The Boot," with proceeds donated to the Red Cross. The association raised $461.29 with the "Fill The Boot."
The association then unanimously decided to donate the $258 from the 50/50 drawing to the Red Cross rather than keeping it.
Terry Eppley, Leesburg Fire Department, along with Ed Rock, Emergency Management director, were recognized with 25-year pins for their service.
Rader also made a special presentation to County Commissioner Ron Truex for his work in developing a radio system for better communication among fire departments.
"We want to make sure, as elected officials, to help you guys do your job as safely as possible," said Truex.
Gary Robinson, from the State Fire Marshal's office, addressed the crowd and gave 2006 statistics.
Robinson said Indiana ranked 10th in the country in reporting incidents, ahead of California.
Winona Lake Fire Department's Roger Gelbaugh was the emcee of the event. He started the evening with a moment of silence for Doug Heine. Heine was a lieutenant, training officer, safety officer and EMS First Responder at North Webster Fire Department. Heine was killed in an automobile accident Sept. 7.
