BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – Sons of the American Revolution presented Emergency Medical Service Award to Union County Fire Department and EMS employees and Commissioner Lamar Paris with the Good Citizenship award.

“It’s really an honor to be able to give these presentations and awards to first responders because we know how tough the job is,” stated Sons of American Revolution (SAR) Blue Ridge Mountain Chapter representative Jared Ogden as his opened the ceremony before turning it over to fellow SAR member Steve Weaver to lead the award ceremony.

First, they recognized Battalion Chief Richard Jones. “Chief Jones started his career in the volunteer fire service where he received his initial fire training. He was then hired full time in Union County in 1990. He completed medical training and is licensed in the state of Georgia as a medical technician. Chief Jones completed numerous fire and emergency management classes with hundreds of hours of training. His knowledge and experience is vital to the department and the county,” explained Weaver.

Next EMT Corey Parks received two awards for his dedication to helping others, the emergency medical service award and the Murray S. King Award.

“Corey’s been with Union General EMS since May of 2015. As an EMT, he consistently delivered quality care for his patients at a high level. Corey completed paramedic school in Dec., which will allow him a broader scope of practice,” said Weaver, “He has accepted the high level of responsibility in delivering quality patient care. Corey can be trusted to perform all aspects of his job with little supervision. He sets a daily example of care and professionalism for others to follow. His experience and dedication to the county make him an ideal candidate for this Emergency Medical Service award.”

Kendra King presented parks with the Murray S. King award, explaining that the award recognizes those who work hard, help others, stay informed, are they best they can be, and lead by example. She said King was about “as good as it gets” and according to Park’s supervisor, he is always “as good as it gets.”

Sons of American Revolution surprised Paris with the Good Citizenship award and accompanying medal at the close of the ceremony.

Paris commented, “What a surprise! Thank you very much.” The commissioner obviously wasn’t expecting to receive the honor and joked about returning to the mundane county business stuff after the presentation.