When firefighter David Hawkins received an invitation for dinner with Falcon Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Cory Galicia, he said he immediately thought he was in trouble.ìAll I knew was that I was coming to dinner,î Hawkins said. ìI was trying to think if I broke anything.îAs a special guest of The Exchange Club of Falcon’s general membership meeting Oct. 18, Hawkins received the ìFirefighter of the Yearî award. Members of The Exchange Club and Galicia presented a plaque to Hawkins to honor his achievement.Before becoming a firefighter, Hawkins said he wanted to be an emergency medical technician, so he took classes at Pikes Peak Community College. However, after going on a ride-along with a firefighter whose wife worked with his mother, Hawkins said he came home and thought that being a firefighter was ìway cooler.îHawkins has been with the department since 2004. ìI was a volunteer initially,î he said. ìThen I went through the reserve program and did that for awhile. Then I went to part time, then to full time.îTo become a full-time firefighter, Hawkins had to attend the American Medical Response Academy. During the training, he spent one month driving through Colorado Springs learning how to navigate the city in an ambulance and one month dealing with patients en route to the hospital.ìI like the setting in Falcon,î Hawkins said. ìI like the rural medicine because you have to actually treat patients, rather than taking them to a hospital to be treated.îIn an e-mail to ìThe New Falcon Herald,î Galicia described the selection process: ìDave was chosen because of his commitment to the Department and the Explorers program; also because of his positive attitude and willingness to get the job done.î Galicia said both he and Chief Trent Harwig nominated and then chose Hawkins for the award.ìIt’s an honor to be nominated and recognized,î Hawkins said. ìI didn’t realize how extensive The Exchange Club is. To be recognized by those that give back to our community is extraordinary.î
