Firefighter and Police Officer Named at Above and Beyond
HONORING POLICE OFFICER ANTHONY FIRST: From left, Rotary Club of Tulsa President Rhonda Daniel, Officer Anthony First and TPD Chief Chuck Jordan
The Rotary Club of Tulsa held its eighth annual Above and Beyond Awards honoring Tulsa’s Firefighter and Police Officer of the Year at its weekly meeting at First United Methodist Church Feb. 18.
The awards acknowledge these public servants for outstanding acts of character, commitment and compassion in both their profession and community. The recipients have gone “Above and Beyond” the requirements of duty and exemplify the Rotary Four-Way Test (one of the world’s most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics.) Each department provided award nominations and recipients were selected by the Above and Beyond Awards committee of the Rotary Club of Tulsa.
Fire Chief Ray Driskell and Rotary Club President Rhonda Daniel presented the Firefighter of the Year award to Earl Blevins. Blevins is a 19-year veteran of the Tulsa Fire Department who is fueled by fire and driven by courage to go above and beyond to make a difference. In addition to protecting and serving Tulsa citizens, Blevins finds time to volunteer for the American Red Cross and his church. When not wearing his firefighter helmet, he exchanges it for his cowboy hat and volunteers for the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association as an event judge and arena director for Rogers State University’s rodeo program. He believes the real heroes of the world are those who take the time to make a difference, especially in the life of a child. So, he volunteers with children afflicted with cancer through the Kids-N-Cowboys Foundation and is a volunteer wish granter for Make-A-Wish Oklahoma. He has granted over 37 wishes, providing hope, strength and joy to children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Police Chief Chuck Jordan and Rotary Club President Rhonda Daniel presented the Police Officer of the Year award to Anthony (Tony) First. First is a 16-year veteran of the Tulsa Police Department who has spent almost four years working in the tactical medicine program not only for the , but also the Broken Arrow special operations team and for qualified area law enforcement officers. Outside the , he has taught classes for the Edmond Police Dept., the , a mental health conference in , plus train-the-trainer sessions at the request of the OK State Department of Health. The has had 13 saves so far with Narcan, a nasal spray that is used to reverse an opioid overdose, and received massive applause by the state mental health congress. In Tulsa, a total of 29 lives plus one K-9 officer have been saved to date based on this training.
In addition to a trophy, each recipient received $1,000 donated to his favorite charity plus a weekend stay at the Doubletree by Hilton Downtown Hotel. Presenting sponsors for this year’s awards were Tulsa Community Foundation and the Rotary Club of Tulsa Foundation. More information about the awards is available online at tulsarotary.com.
Updated 03-02-2015
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