The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1786 recently honored Manhattan emergency service members for rescuing a man from drowning during the Labor Day flooding last year.
Riley County Police Department Officer Jonathan Shepard received the 2018 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award, and Manhattan Fire Department Capt. Dan Newton received the 2018 Firefighter of the Year Award for his “continuous efforts to better our department and advance safety for our personnel,” according to a MFD Facebook post. Both men helped save the drowning man.
The VFW also honored MFD’s C-Shift Engine 4 with a life-saving award in connection with the Labor Day incident, as well as RCPD’s Emergency Response Unit and Tactical Team for their response to an active shooter situation on Jan. 5, 2018, in which a Manhattan man barricaded himself inside his home and fired several rounds at officers. Paramedic Mike Fry also received the VFW’s Paramedic of the Year award.