On January 7th, 2020, members of The Merced County Fire Department along with Merced City Fire Department were recognized by Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter and presented with the Directors Award.

These individuals along with many others were recognized in their efforts in the recovery of Heavy Fire Equipment Operator Braden Varney, who passed away on the 2018 Ferguson Fire in Mariposa.

This is just another great example of the relationship between agency’s throughout Merced County and the State of California.

The Directors Award is for superior performance resulting in exceptional contributions to CAL FIRE clearly demonstrating ingenuity, innovation, and creativity beyond normal job expectation.

Please join us in congratulating Engineer Jeff Hakola, Chief Jeremy Rahn, Chief John Slate and Chief David Scheurich.