CITIZENS, FIREFIGHTERS EARN SERVICE AWARDS

Mary Kistner and Ken Miles of Cape Girardeau have earned Letters of Commendation from the Cape Girardeau Fire Department for their efforts in obtaining funding for the department's "Learn Not to Burn" program.

"Learn Not to Burn," a fire safety education program for school-age children, required pamphlets for the children who participated. Kistner and Miles, who will be presented with their awards at 10:30 a.m. today at Cape Girardeau's Fire Department No. 1, acquired nearly $2,000 from the Independent Insurance Agents and the Cape Girardeau Thursday Rotary Club to pay for materials for the program.

"Because the groups were insurance-related, it was a real win-win situation," said Cape Girardeau Fire Chief Robert Ridgeway. "They [Kistner and Miles] greatly assisted us in our mission of providing safety education programs to the school children of Cape Girardeau."

Kistner and Miles' Letters of Commendation, however, are not the only awards that Chief Ridgeway has recently presented. On Thursday, 19 Cape Girardeau firefighters were presented with service awards. The quarterly awards, selected by a committee of firemen, were all considered non-emergency awards. "Non-emergency awards," said Chief Ridgeway, "are the kind that require the most effort."

Firefighters made improvements in the renovation and repair of machinery and equipment, creation and design of new policies, and completing individual improvement programs.

Captain Fred Vincel, Master Firefighter Ray Warner, Firefighters Mark Starnes and Brad Dillow, and Mechanic Paul James received Unit Citations. Their's was the second Unit Citation awarded in Cape Girardeau in the past three years.

Firefighters Mike Rogers, Captains Mearlin D. Allen, Robert A. Thompson and Fred Vincel, Fire Inspector Mike Morgan, Master Firefighters Lewis Gene Golden, Charles Brawley and Ray Warner, Firefighters Dean Lynn, Mark Starnes, Larry Galloway, Chuck Denson, Ed McElfresh, and Vicki Moldenhauer received Letters of Recommendation.