Joshua Jones was awarded Firefighter of the Year at the annual WFR awards banquet earlier this month. Photo courtesy Wylie Fire Rescue.

Wylie Fire Rescue held its 2025 Annual Awards Banquet earlier this month recognizing the dedication, bravery and service of its personnel over the past year.

The evening began with the Honor Guard and Pipes and Drums posting the colors, followed by an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. Special thanks were given to Capt. Stephen Ham for his role in organizing the banquet. The department also acknowledged the support of the Wylie City Council and city management.

Scholarships were awarded to four graduating seniors by Amber Barber, president of Friends of Wylie Fire Rescue, and partner H-E-B. Each received $500. Recipients included Blake Blythe, Brett Blythe, Blake Payne and Eli Ahlemeier.

One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of six Life Save Awards, recognizing dispatchers, firefighters, paramedics and EMTs whose rapid response and teamwork resulted in lives being saved. Between March and August 2025, Wylie Fire Rescue crews responded to six separate cardiac arrest incidents. Dispatchers provided guidance while field crews quickly initiated CPR, followed advanced life-saving protocols and transported patients to the hospital. All six patients were later discharged fully neurologically intact.

Individual awards honored personnel across multiple categories. Josh Thompkins was named Rookie of the Year, Joshua Jones Firefighter of the Year, Zayne Neely Paramedic of the Year, Lexie Buchanan EMT of the Year, Brennen Lunsford Driver/Engineer of the Year, Travis Martinez Captain of the Year, Cory Claborn Officer of the Year, Paige Payne Dispatcher of the Year, and Johnathon Littlefield Field Training Officer of the Year.

Crew of the Year was awarded to A-Shift Station 1, including Capt. Stephen Ham, Brandon Storm, Tim Turquette, Carlos Puente, Zach Littlefield, Zayne Neely, Lexie Buchanan and Gabriel Burdick. The Wylie Way Awards were presented to Joshua Jones and Liz Coburn. The Chief’s Award, a special honor not given every year, was presented to Kate Hull. Two local businesses, Fire Ground Supply and Texas Roofing Contractors Inc., were also recognized for their support.

“I could not be prouder of the men and women of Wylie Fire Rescue and our 9-1-1 dispatchers. Their commitment to serving this community with professionalism, compassion, and excellence is evident every single day,” said Brandon Blythe, WFR Chief. “This banquet is an opportunity to recognize the incredible work they do and to thank them for their dedication to Wylie’s citizens. It is an honor to serve as Fire Chief and lead such an outstanding team.”

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