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Congratulations to Battalion Chief Alejandro Garces, recipient of the City of Coral Gables “Firefighter of the Month Award,” for the month of May 2019.
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Battalion Chief Garces has been selected May’s Firefighter of the Month for his ability to go beyond the job and help others in the community. On May 11, Rescue-1 was dispatched to a man down call due to a laceration. In-route to the call dispatch notified the responding unit that it was an elderly couple, and that one of them was bedridden. Chief Garces upon hearing this had dispatch attach an Engine to the call in the event forcible entry was needed. When crews arrived on the scene they did not have immediate access to the home, and had to force the door in order to be able to reach the victim and provide care. Forcing the door created damage to an already rotting door, and securing it once the call was over would be difficult. B.C Garces spoke with the Elderly homeowners once the call was over, and they explained that they did not have the resources or the means to replace the door. Chief Garces took it upon himself to purchase a new door and with the assistance of D.E Jensen spent several hours installing it. This was a selfless and unsolicited act and is a testament to his commitment to serve others.
Battalion Chief Garces is well deserving of this honor and we congratulate him for his efforts.