Dunedin Firefighter Named State's Best

While many Tampa Bay area residents know Jason Griggs as the father of a little girl whose struggle to walk despite cerebral palsy stole hearts a few years ago, in Dunedin he’s also a hero.

The Dunedin Fire Rescue employee was named the State of Florida’s Firefighter of the Year Tuesday. That honor came during a Tallahassee ceremony featuring Gov. Rick Scott and Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jeff Atwater.

Griggs was also recently named Dunedin and Pinellas County’s firefighter of the year.

The 11-year veteran’s nomination for the statewide accolade paints a picture of a man who goes above and beyond on the job and off. Griggs is credited with securing his agency several training grants that paved the way for him to attend federal courses designed to deliver the skills necessary for explosive device response and mitigation, the agency noted in an email announcing Griggs’ state honor.

That training has enabled Griggs to not only become proficient tin handling emergencies involving explosives, he’s also brought back his knowledge to share with other firefighters, the agency noted. In addition, he recently became qualified to serve as an acting lieutenant and frequently takes on that leadership role.

While his knowledge and leadership skills on the job set him apart, the agency says it was an off-duty incident that really shed light on Griggs’ character.

See Also:

• Girl with Cerebral Palsy Takes Steps Toward Walking
• West Pasco Parents Dream of Their Child Walking

On July 10, 2014, Griggs, his wife, Lori, daughter Kiley, and several friends were enjoying a day on the south end of Anclote Island in Tarpon Springs when a crisis arose. As Jason and Kiley were building a sandcastle, he heard someone yell for help.

”Looking out into the water, Jason noticed eight people caught in the current trying to swim into shore from their boat,” the agency wrote. “Firefighter Griggs immediately sprang into action and yelled for his wife, Lori to sit Kiley in a chair (she is handicapped and unable to sit by herself) while he took off running into the water and swam after the five kids who were being swept out to sea.”

Jason was able to grab two of the children and swim them to shore as Lori threw life vets out to some of the other victims. Jason then swam out toward the other three children and called to Lori to start up their boat to assist.

With an ”exhausted adult” hanging on to the boat, Lori was unable to do so, but another boater jumped in at that time to assist. That boater, as it turned out, was an off duty Polk County firefighter. The city has never been able to get his name, but knows the boat he was on that day is called the “Knot on Duty.”

When everyone was accounted for and deemed safe and healthy, Griggs even went out to bring the stranded boaters’ vessel closer to shore.

“Even off duty, Jason exemplifies the high standards of his profession,” the agency noted.

Kiley Griggs made headlines back in 2011 when her parents won the Upromise Dream Wall Sweepstakes to fund special therapy to help the then 2-year-old learn to walk. The family’s story touched hearts not only in New Port Richey where they lived at the time, but also throughout North Pinellas, courtesy of Jason’s local ties there, and in Land O’ Lakes where Lori works as a teacher at Rushe Middle School.

“We are honored to have Jason Griggs as part of our Dunedin firefighter family,” the agency said in closing its announcement.

Photo of Jason Griggs Courtesy of the City of Dunedin

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