Tom Sullivan has been named 2018 Firefighter of the Year by the St. Francis of Assisi Council of the Knights of Columbus.
"Tom has, throughout his career, sought out and undertaken training in all the disciplines required of a fire service professional and he has demonstrated the ability to perform his duties at a high level. He is a true asset to the Strongsville Fire and Emergency Services and his desire to always be ready to serve the residents of the city of Strongsville is obvious," Fire Chief Jack Draves wrote in his nomination letter.
Draves pointed to three incidents in 2017 in which Sullivan's expertise was crucial: in a car accident in which he helped extricate a patient, in a house fire where he arrived first and stopped the progression of flames with only water cans, and in a high risk fire ground operation in Olmsted Township where he led his company’s efforts to rescue a fire victim.
"Tom is consistently in a leadership role and is an extremely capable instructor of fire service skills and operations and he enhances the knowledge base of his fellow firefighters," Draves said.
Sullivan has also actively worked to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during his entire 10-year career.