Four Southside Fire and EMS employees and volunteers were recently recognized by The Exchange Club of Savannah for their service and commitment to the community. Each year, since the early 1980s, the Exchange Club of Savannah has honored the SSFD team with the Paramedic, Firefighter, Rookie, and Volunteer of the Year awards.

Carl W. Sapp, Jr., a Southside Fire firefighter since 2011, was honored as Firefighter of the Year. Throughout his time at Southside, he has served at nearly every station and continuously works to achieve new certifications and expand his skillset in the EMS and Fire sector. Carl is an outstanding leader and serves as a mentor to the upcoming graduates and new hires, always hoping to make a positive impact on them and their careers as firefighters.

Lydia K. McCrary, MHS, was recognized as Paramedic of the Year. Lydia began her healthcare career in 2003, and after earning her paramedic license, joined Southside Fire in 2006. She became a lieutenant of EMS in 2015, and since then has co-founded and become the program director of Southside Mobile Healthcare. While continuing to work on the ambulance and launch the Southside Mobile Healthcare program, Lydia has created a drowning prevention program and helps to fundraise for multiple local causes.

Jay M. Hawreluk was honored as Volunteer of the Year. He began volunteering with emergency services at the age of 14, became an EMT and ambulance driver at 16, and was in charge of driver training during his senior year in high school; where his passion for emergency services originated. Throughout his two deployments in Iraq, he also assisted the trauma team in mass casualty incidents. Jay is also currently instructing a volunteer firefighter rookie class in live fire.

Rebecca E. Best was recognized as Rookie of the Year. The emergency services industry is nothing new to Rebecca after spending much of her childhood at training with her parents; always volunteering as a mock patient for EMS training. Rebecca earned her EMT certification through Southside Fire and joined the department in 2013. Since then, she has been committed to continuing her training and has achieved NPQFF. Rebecca also recently completed her paramedic training.