Serving the community didn’t stop due to the COVID pandemic for the Marthasville Fire Protection District. The district recognized that dedication this month with an award ceremony celebrating the achievements of firefighters in 2020.

Chief Jeff Backhaus and Assistant Chief Sean Johnson believe the department is even stronger, despite the challenging year. In 2020, the MFPD responded to more than 300 calls.

“We’ve had our ups and downs,” said Johnson. “But our commitment was even better this year. We were able to provide excellent training, made improvements in our district, purchased new equipment and built a new building.”

“There is no shortage of what our members are willing to do,” said Backhaus. “Our protocols and procedures were changing all the time because of COVID. It was an out-of-the-ordinary year that we just adapted to.”

The Marthasville Fire Protection District (MFPD) held its delayed 2020 Awards Ceremony Wednesday, Aug. 11, celebrating firefighters’ achievements with family members, who are some of their biggest supporters.

Chosen as Firefighter of the Year was Danny Meyer, who is also celebrating his 10th year with the department. According to MFPD guidelines, the person selected best exemplifies the positive characteristics of a member of the fire department and has a notable record of service and achievements. Meyer was chosen because he has selflessly given in “support of the department, the fire service and the community.”

Meyer was humbled by the recognition his fellow members showed in choosing him. He attributed his drive to his fellow members. Meyer serves as a department engineer and his focus is on the department vehicles.

“It’s my forte,” he said. “I’m a troubleshooter and I enjoy water supply operations. It’s a lot of responsibility, though. I’m not so concerned about the looks of the trucks, but I want the underneath to be good.”

“He is certainly one of our most humble members,” said Johnson. “His skill set is high, he is very level-headed on calls and coordinates our critical repairs for our trucks.”

Rookie of the Year for 2020 was Justin Couch, who has successfully completed his probational time and is serving as a firefighter. Couch has shown great promise and dedication to the MFPD. Couch said the recognition was unexpected, but he was very grateful to his fellow firefighters.

Johnson said Couch serves on the PPE committee, whose job it is to provide the best protective gear for the department. He held a major role in contributing to the erection of the temporary building at Station 1 before construction began on the new building.

A memorial tribute was given to Sherry Kopmann, wife of the late Donny Kopmann, a 35-year member of the department out of Station 2 in Treloar. Firefighters Chatty Hellebusch and Jack Lovelace made the special presentation. Kopmann died Dec. 1, 2020.

“You’ve brought us this far. We will take it from here,” said Lovelace in remembering Kopmann.

Other awards included a five-year service award to Derik Roloff and a 10-year service award to Danny Meyer. Retired chief Jim Buescher received the Chief’s Award for the major role he has played in the district for more than 45 years. Buescher is a district board member and a top responder.

Matt and Jennifer Pauk, of Patriot Towing, received the Citizen’s Award for their continued support of the department, providing special services to make many training exercises possible. Johnson said Pauk volunteered to move a large compressor to Station 3 during the construction of the new Station 1, provides help when a truck may get bogged down at a fire scene, and stages vehicles for extrication or other training.

“He has a big heart and wants to help,” said Johnson. “He also helps many other local fire departments in the region.”

The award service concluded with a heartfelt tribute by firefighter Charlie Eichmeyer to the family members who support them while they are on calls and in training, which takes them away from their homes for extended amounts of time.

“It’s was a very busy year,” said Backhaus. “We were able to purchase lifesaving equipment, provide the very best training to our members, and we will be moving into our new firehouse in the near future. It’s amazing how much time our members have dedicated to our district.”