CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Chief John R. Hawkins was named co-recipient as Fire Chief of the Year

Release Date:	09/23/2010	Release Time:	10:28 AM
Contact:	Jody Hagemann Cheri Patterson 951-940-6985	Subject:	CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Chief Named Co-Recipient as Fire Chief of the Year
Full Text: CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Chief John R. Hawkins was named co-recipient as Fire Chief of the Year by the California Fire Chiefs Association (CFCA) during its annual conference on September 20 in Riverside, along with Chief Doug Williams of the Rincon Valley Fire Protection District (Santa Rosa Area). CFCA consists of fire agency Chiefs from 48 California counties. The prestigious award was named after retired State Fire Marshal, Ronny J. Coleman. Annually, CFCA members nominate and vote for Fire Chiefs who have displayed exemplary performance, leadership and commitment to their department, employees and communities. John Hawkins began his firefighting career with CAL FIRE (formerly the California Division of Forestry and Fire Protection) in 1964 as a seasonal firefighter in Northern California. For over 47 years, Chief Hawkins passion for firefighting and public safety paved the way to many career accomplishments. As Chief Hawkins promoted through the ranks, he subsequently earned his Associates Degree in Fire Technology and his Bachelors Degree in Forest Management. Over 40 years of hands-on experience in Fire Administration and Incident Management has served Chief Hawkins well and has earned him the utmost respect and unity of his peers, firefighters, support staff and cooperating agencies throughout the State. The Firefighters Chief, as many know him, John enjoys his free time golfing, hiking, attending community events, visiting fire stations, teaching fire technology classes and spending time with his wife Carol, their children, Seth, Shem and Blaise and his grandchildren. Nominated by his executive staff, Chief Hawkins was overwhelmed when his name was announced at last night¿s CFCA annual conference banquet. -Being named Fire Chief of the Year was a shock, an unbelievable honor and in the end, really recognizes all of the firefighter support given to me in over 47 career years. I love being the CAL FIRE and Riverside County Fire Chief. The integrated, cooperative, regional fire protection system is the best anywhere and a tribute to the total public safety support of Governor Schwarzenegger, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors and our partner-city elected council members. There is no greater honor than being a firefighter and serving the public with a smile.- CAL FIRE Director, Del Walters adds, -Chief Hawkins, values are straight forward; Safety, Leadership, Integrity, Competence and Customer Service. He stands by these values, which he includes in each public speaking engagement and all of his correspondence. He mentors and encourages firefighters to not only work by these values, but to live by them as well.-