Nominate A Naperville Firefighter For The George Winckler Award

NAPERVILLE, IL — The Naperville Citizens Appreciate Public Safety (CAPS) board is accepting nominations of firefighters from the community. They're designed to recognize firefighters for outstanding service, according to a press release from the City of Naperville.

“It’s such a special thing for our firefighters and paramedics to be recognized for their hard work because they are so passionate and so dedicated, and they really do go above and beyond for their community,” said Naperville Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis.

Nominations are due by Oct. 1. Visit the Naperville CAPS website to nominate a firefighter. Then, on Oct. 19, there will be a recognition dinner where award recipients will be honored.

The CAPS board holds two such ceremonies annually. One in the spring to honor the Naperville Police Department and one in the fall for the fire department.

"We’re grateful to the CAPS board for giving residents the opportunity to show their appreciation for our staff in this way," Chief Puknaitis said. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

The firefighters who win the award are given the George Winckler Award, named for the 26-year veteran of the fire department who passed away in a 1991 training exercise.

The CAPS Recognition Dinner will take place Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. at Meson Sabika, 1025 Aurora Ave.

“This year we are asking the entire Naperville community to participate,” said CAPS Chairman David Wentz. “They can submit a nomination for one of our CAPS awards and also purchase tickets to attend the recognition dinner. It is a fantastic event and well worth the $30.”

Tickets are available to the public at the Naperville Fire Department or from Ruthi Sommers at 630-305-5900.

Article image via Shutterstock