Several firefighters received recognition Saturday at the Turkey Creek Fire Territory annual awards dinner.

Winners and their awards were:

Kyle Stamm, Chief’s Award, Airboat Operations; Larry Weaver, Jr., Firefighter of the Year; Quinn Hunter, EMS Member of the Year; Howard Birkel, Officer of the Year; Travis Miller and Janelle Fancil, 10-Year Service; Cody Manges, EMS Instructor, Aerial Operations; Matt Dunithan and Dave Santos, Aerial Operations, Airboat Operations; Greg Scott, Airboat Operations; Sean Manges, Ambulance Operations; Curtis Longenbaugh, Most Improved Firefighter of the Year, One Year Service; and Matt Stamm, One Year Service.

There are more 2014 award presentations to come. “We have some 2014 CPR Save awards to be presented in early January 2015,” said Fire Chief Mickey Scott.

The event, held at the Eagles in Syracuse, included a buffet dinner before the awards program. The fire department’s governing bodies were represented by board members Kimberly Cates, Dennis Darr and John Heckaman. About 50 people attended the banquet.

Heckaman described the evening as “very upbeat” and noted “it was good to see the guys get recognized by the people that mean the most to them. The fire department isn’t just a job, it’s a family.”

On a personal note, Heckaman said, “I can start putting faces to names. It was an education,” he said, citing as an example he learned the high school had a cadet program which yielded three of the department’s current firefighters.

Heckaman said the event was “almost like their Christmas thing at the end of the year,” adding, “They have one next year, I will be there.”