Joe Logan was named the 2016 Cornbelt Firefighter of the Year at the Mahomet Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner Monday night.
Logan, who joined the Cornbelt team after a year of training in 2009 to help out in the community he grew up in, was chosen by his peers for the award.
“This isn’t something I do or something the board does; these are his fellow firefighters recognizing him,” Chief John Koller said. “That’s what makes this a really cool award.”
“We train a lot; it’s a very professional department full of very good people,” Koller continued. “It’s hard to pick someone out of that. I’ve always said Mahomet is this community full of wonderful people, and we’re always lucky enough to get the 50 best. What we expect from our folks is that we’re nice, professional and that we take care of people. They are very simple rules, but they mean so much.”
And taking care of teammates or one of the 15,000 Mahomet residents in their time of need is why Logan received the award. Logan, who is the engineer/driver of the trucks, is often the first to respond to emergencies or to volunteer to take the trucks for maintenance.
Koller also said Mahomet Area Youth Club students were supposed to ride on the fire trucks during the 2016 MSHS Homecoming parade, but due to rain, the event was canceled. Koller offered the students a tour of the fire station, but in the pouring rain, Logan pulled up and offered to take the students around town in the fire truck.
“It’s all about coming together when everybody needs each other, in good times and bad,” Logan said.
