GREGORY NOLL has been named chair of the National Fire Protection Association’s Technical Committee on Hazardous Materials Response Personnel, on which he has served since its inception 1986. The committee is responsible for NFPA 472, Standard for Professional Competence of Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents, which provides competencies for emergency responders to hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction incidents. A senior partner with Hildebrand and Noll Associates, Inc., and program manager for the South Central Pennsylvania Regional Counter-Terrorism Task Force, Noll is also a long-time member of Fire Engineering’s editorial advisory board.
CHRIS STEPHENS, a firefighter/paramedic with Ocala (FL) Fire Rescue (OFD), was recognized for lifesaving actions performed while off duty as a firefighter by the Ocala Elks Lodge No. 286. While off duty from OFD, Stephens was working as a paramedic for Emergency Medical Alliance (EMSA). On his arrival at a working house fire, Stephens found only a Marion County battalion chief on scene. Two elderly occupants were reported to be inside. Stephens, without the benefit of a hoseline and protective gear, assisted the battalion chief in locating and removing the occupants; one was confined to a wheelchair. Because of the deteriorating conditions, it is believed that the occupants would have perished without the assistance of Stephens and the battalion chief. The OFD recommended Stephens for the award.
