Elkhart first responders honored at annual banquet

ELKHART, Ind.—Thursday night the City of Elkhart celebrated local police officers, firefighters and dispatchers for another year of dedication.

“Elkhart Honors the Badge” was put together through a partnership between the city and Homes for Heroes.

Several area firefighters were honored for their response to the hit and run accident on Beardsley Avenue. Five pedestrians were hit, three of them died.

Lt. Bill Sullivan with Medic 21 was one of the first responders to arrive at the scene. His brave efforts are credited with helping to save the two survivors.

“We don’t think of it that way. We think of it as we are trying to do a job and it took a lot of people. Most of us just think of it as we are doing our jobs. We are doing what they trained us for, it’s what they expect from us and so that’s what we do,” says Lt. Sullivan.

Nineteen police officers came from several different outside agencies to work in Elkhart tonight so the city officers could all enjoy the evening.

“We have a very good working relationship with all of our brothers and sisters in this community. They’ve made this night so much better for us by helping us out so our guys on duty don’t have to miss this,” says Police Chief Ed Windbigler.

Homes for Heroes proposed the idea for an annual awards event last year.

“It’s a great thing to be able to honor our guys. They put in a lot of hard work and dedication every day and it’s nice to be able to appreciate them and show them they are not over looked,” says William Kornrumph, Chief Training Officer at the Elkhart Fire Department.