Ten members of the City of West Plains Fire Department and one West Plains’ city councilman have been recognized by the state for their efforts during the April, 2017 flooding that devastated parts of the city.
Councilman Cary Stewart, along with firefighters Chris Bell, Shawn Bice, Chris Brockelbank, Gary Brower, Matt Cockrum, Richie Hammon, Jeremiah Jones, Grant Sholes, Corbin Thompson and Kurt Wilbanks have been notified of their selections as 2018 Governor’s Medal recipients from the State of Missouri. The Governor’s Medal is one of the prestigious Missouri Public Safety medals, and is awarded annually to organized public safety teams in recognition of acts “above and beyond” the call of normal duty during a critical incident or life-threatening situation. According to the Department of Public Safety, the Governor’s Award is the highest team-based honor the state awards for public safety service. Chief Roy Sims nominated the firefighters for the award, which were reviewed by members of the Department of Public Safety, the Medal of Valor Review Board and the Governor’s Office. The West Plains Fire Department have also recognized ten other firefighters with Awards of Commendation for their efforts during the flood. Those are Raymond Blake, Wayne Cormier, Lucas Cyr, Drew Findley, Josh Hoffman, David Masterson, Bud McMillan, Josh Rousseau, Dale Smith and Chris Thompson.