The American Legion dinner and awards ceremony honoring area first responders was held on Saturday, December 9th at the Elks Club Lodge at 1050 Katy Fort Bend Road, with five area departments participating. The event was sponsored by the American Legion Post 164.

Each department selected the honoree from their organization; each honoree received a plaque commemorating their award.

The Westlake Volunteer Fire Department honored David Fishman and EMT/Paramedic of the Year and Eric Valls as firefighter of the year. Each man is a part-time volunteer who has been serving the Westlake fire department as a volunteer for more than 15 years.

Harris County Emergency Services District 48 selected Marina Rolon as EMS/Paramedic of the year and Lou Fabricant as firefighter of the year.

Katy Fire Department chose Jacob Yezak as the EMS/Paramedic of the year while Lt. Edison Saunders was selected as the firefighter of the year.

Katy Police Department honored Janie Melara, a CID investigator, as their law enforcement officer of the year.

The Katy Independent School District’s police force saluted Jazmine Garcia, who works onsite at Paetow High School, as their officer of the year.

Photos by Susan Rovegno