Six Canberrans from the ACT Emergency Services Agency and ACT Policing have been recognised for their outstanding contribution to protecting and serving the Canberra community with a 2020 ACT Community Protection Medal.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services Mick Gentleman congratulated the award recipients and thanked them for their service to the Canberra community.
"The awards recipients have gone above and beyond in their chosen fields and Canberra is lucky to have people of this calibre making a difference in our community," Minister Gentleman said.
"I thank the recipients, along with all of our first responders and supporting services, for their dedication to the community and their major contribution towards making the ACT a safe place to live."
The six recipients from the ACT Emergency Services Agency and ACT Policing will be recognised in a COVID safe ceremony hosted virtually from the ACT Emergency Services Agency headquarters today.
The Community Protection Medal was established in 2002 to reward police and emergency service members who have given continual, distinguished or outstanding service to protecting the community through their involvement in ACT Policing or ACT Emergency Services Agency.
The recipients of the 2020 ACT Community Protection Medal are:
- Susan Smith, ACT Policing, for sustained, distinguished and outstanding service supporting vulnerable people and communities in the ACT.
- John Berry, ACT Ambulance Service, for outstanding service in supporting the safety of the ACT community and his emergency services colleagues through leadership in the development and implementation of an improved model of medical support to ACT bushfire strike teams during the 2019‑20 bushfire season.
- Patrick Jones, ACT Fire & Rescue, for outstanding service to the ACT community throughout his career with ACT Fire & Rescue and for his leadership in planning and multi-jurisdictional urban interface operations in support of the effort to combat the major bushfires in and around the ACT in 2019-20.
- Simon Butt, ACT Rural Fire Service, for sustained, distinguished and outstanding service to the ACT community as a volunteer and career firefighter and for his leadership as an advocate of firefighter welfare, education and peer development.
- Michael Hayes, ACT State Emergency Service, for sustained and distinguished service to the ACT community through the ACT State Emergency Service and for his continued leadership and support to his fellow volunteers as a unit leader and mentor.
- Kaylee Rutland, ESA Enabling Services, for her outstanding commitment to ensuring the ACT community remain informed and safe, through the development and implementation of inclusive emergency public information and communication strategies.
