Celebrating Leadership...

               …Honoring Heroes 2005

2005 E9-1-1 Institute Honors Awards Ceremony.  In a ceremony held on March 1, 2005 at the Library of Congress in Washington DC, the E9-1-1 Institute and the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus held the Second Annual “9-1-1 Honors Awards.”  Seven individuals and two 9-1-1 programs were honored this year for their exceptional bravery, dedication to improving E9-1-1 systems, and their service and compassion.  In addition, the Institute gave a special award to Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta for his leadership to advance 9-1-1 services at the federal level. 

The ceremony also celebrated the second anniversary of the Congressional E9-1-1 Caucus.  The Caucus co-chairs, Senator Conrad Burns, Senator Hillary Clinton, Representative John Shimkus, and Representative Anna Eshoo, were also honored by the Institute for their leadership in passing landmark legislation creating the first ever federal grant program to assist deployment of E9-1-1 technology.

This year, nine awards were presented: The Citizen in Action Award, The Media/Entertainment Excellence Award, The First Responder Award, The 9-1-1 Call Taker Award, The Outstanding Call Center Award, The Government Leader Award, The Industry Professional Award, and the State or Regional 9-1-1 Program Award. The recipients of these awards were considered “the best of the best” in their field.  They were selected among a highly competitive group of nominees, each of whom had an individual story of bravery, commitment and compassion for others.  These are their stories.

Five year old Marquise Craft of Denver, Colorado was the recipient of the 2005 “Citizen in Action” Award. In August 2004, Marquise called 9-1-1 after he saw his mother shaking on the floor nearby.  His mother, who was diagnosed with MS, had explained to him the importance of understanding when and how to use 9-1-1.  It was because of Marquise’s quick thinking and ability to recognize an emergency, that his mother was able to receive immediate assistance in a life threatening situation. 

Five year old Taylor Duckworth of Richland Hills, Texas was the recipient of the 2005 “Citizen in Action” Award. Taylor called 9-1-1 last year and told the dispatcher that something was  wrong with her mommy’s tummy.  Right before Taylor’s mother had collapsed she had told Taylor to call someone.  It was Taylor who made the decision to call 9-1-1.  During this entire time Taylor also cared for her two year old sister.  Taylor’s mother was transported to the hospital where it was determined she had a tear in her uterus and had internal bleeding.  It was because of Taylor’s ability to recognize the severity of the situation and her immediate action that her mother was able to get to the hospital and receive the immediate attention she needed.  Taylor saved two lives on July 20, 2004. 

Cullen Browder of Raleigh, North Carolina is the recipient of the 2005 “Media/Entertainment Excellence” Award.  Cullen has over nineteen years of reporting experience and during that time has done numerous stories on E9-1-1 services.  Cullen created an informational and investigative series concerning the implementation of wireless 9-1-1 technologies.  Cullen’s dedication to providing the people of North Carolina with the most up to date information on 9-1-1 services and his commitment to reporting the news fairly and accurately has made his viewers more informed on 9-1-1 issues. 

Trooper Sidney Smith of Craig, Colorado is the recipient of the 2005 “First Responder" Award. Last October, the Craig Regional Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call reporting that a man had just been shot in the doorway of his home by two male suspects.  The communications officers were able to gather information from the caller, including a description of the suspect’s vehicle.  Within ten minutes of the initial 9-1-1 call, Trooper Smith had apprehended both suspects.  It was because of Trooper Smith’s attention to detail, his ability to think outside the box, and over twenty years of experience that the two suspects were caught. 

Cynthia Cieloch of Syracuse, New York is the recipient of the 2005 “9-1-1 Call Taker" Award.  Ms. Cieloch began her career in public safety communications in 1979 as a dispatcher with the Onodaga County Sheriff’s Department.  During her career, Ms. Cieloch has received numerous awards for her commitment and her outstanding work.  She has been named employee of the month seven times and in 2000 received the award consecutively in November and December.  Her distinguished service led her to receive the Department of Emergency Communications Employee of the Year for 2000. Ms. Cieloch’s dedication, hard work and compassion have served the people of Onodaga County well.  |

John Marengo of Sacramento, California is the recipient of the 2005 “Government Leader” Award. Mr. Marengo is the Wireless E9-1-1 Project Statewide Coordinator for the State of California.  For almost a decade, Mr. Marengo has been leading California, as well as the rest of the country, on implementing Wireless E9-1-1 PI/II.  His passion and commitment to deploy Wireless E9-1-1 on a statewide rollout has been a major advancement to E9-1-1 with a large number of calls now delivering Phase I/II information to promote better public safety responsiveness. Mr. Marengo is one of the most dedicated government leaders to promote new advances in 9-1-1 and enhance important industry relationships with government. 

Elizabeth Colunga is the recipient of the 2005 “Industry Professional” Award. Elizabeth is a Project Manger and MCI 911 Subject Matter Expert.  She has over 17 years of experience dedicated to 9-1-1 Network and Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Operations.  For the last several years, Ms. Colunga has focused on 9-1-1 National Strategy and VoIP development.  One of Ms. Colunga’s most significant career achievements has been the successful development and implementation of the Enhanced 9-1-1 System for San Antonio, Texas and other area communities.  Ms. Colunga has also helped develop training and public education material for 9-1-1 and has personally trained over 3,000 people on the PSAP equipment.

The Tennessee Emergency Communications Board of Nashville, Tennessee is the recipient of the 2005 “State or Regional” Award. Since its inception in 1998,  the Tennessee Emergency Communications Board has been nationally recognized as a leader in E-9-1-1 deployment and advocacy.  The Board has made it a top priority to address the challenges facing rural PSAPs and continues to work on improving the existing infrastructure.  Under the Board’s leadership and partnership with the state’s one-hundred local Emergency Communications Districts (ECDs), Tennessee was one of the first states to assure that 80% or more of its counties provide E-9-1-1 wire line and wireless service.  The Tennessee Emergency Communications Board has worked tirelessly to ensure that the people of Tennessee have appropriate access to 9-1-1 services and the people of Tennessee are safer today because of it.  

The Orange County (Florida) Fire Communications Center is the recipient of the 2005 “Outstanding Call Center” Award.  The Center has a staff of only forty employees, but last year dispatched more than 96,000 emergency fire and medical calls.  The Center is committed to providing the best service possible and enhanced technology is promoted.  Last year, Florida was struck with four hurricanes in less than eight weeks.  The employees at the call center performed admirably under extremely difficult circumstances.  After each hurricane, the staff collected information and made suggestions on what within the Center should be changed.  This ability to recognize the need for change, as well as the dedication and hard work of the employees of the Orange County Communications Center, has made the people of Orange County safer.

The Institute received more than 60 nominations from around the country this year.  Each nomination told the story of an individual who has acted selflessly, whether it was to save the life of another person using 9-1-1 or dedicating their own life working to improve it.  Every nomination we received spoke of a truly remarkable person.

The recipients of the 2005 “Honor Award” were the individuals that went above and beyond. Their stories tell about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.  We are grateful for their bravery, dedication, and commitment to change.  They are truly remarkable people and we congratulate them on their achievements.

2004 Awards Ceremony

2005