JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A firefighter is being recognized and awarded by the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department as the state celebrates Florida First Responder Appreciation Week.
The city of Jacksonville said in a news release that the JFRD has named Engineer Pamela Ramsdell "2016 JFRD Lieutenant Joseph F. Stichway Firefighter of the Year," recognizing her "outstanding and impeccable professionalism and exceptional personal initiative."
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"Public safety is a top priority of my administration," Mayor Lenny Curry said. "I am grateful for the hard work of the brave men and women who serve as first responders. I congratulate Engineer Ramsdell on this award."
The city said Ramsdell is responsible for coordinating all aspects of JFRD member funerals, both active duty and retirees, and Line of Duty Deaths. JFRD experienced three LODDs and 17 retiree funerals in 2016.
Ramsdell is described as managing the stress, anguish, anxiety and unknowns with grace and dignity, the city said.
Ramsdell began her career as a member of the Urban Search and Rescue Team at Station 4 in 2004 and joined the Hazardous Materials Team in 2008 upon her promotion to engineer, where she remains assigned to Tower Ladder 21-C. The city said her additional roles with JFRD have included service with Special Events, Honor Guard and the USAR K9 Team with her rescue dog, Pixel.
Ramsdell's grandfather, James Dowling Jr., was first chief of rescue and credited for starting the first fire-based rescue service in the country, the city said. Ramsdell's father was a rescue captain and her great-grandfather was a suppression captain.