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Congratulations to Lieutenant Christopher Ayala recipient of the City of Coral Gables "Firefighter of the Month Award", for the month of November 2022.
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Lieutenant Ayala has been selected November's Firefighter of the Month for his outstanding display of individual initiative surpassing job requirements and expectations, specifically for his hard work and dedication to the department.
There is an incredible talent pool within the ranks of our Fire Department. He was the first in fire officer to a fire at 1301 Memorial Drive, the Cox Science Building at the University of Miami Campus on Sunday, October 2, 2022. His decisive actions
demonstrated the finest actions of a fire officer in ensuring his crew's safety while also focusing on the aspects of reducing property damage for the university. Upon his arrival he was greeted by UM staff that advised him of a false fire alarm. He and his crew
conduced a thorough investigation of the situation and found the fire pump running and then expeditiously searched the building to find where the water was going. On the second floor, he was able to locate two sprinkler heads that were actively flowing water and he called to chock the sprinkler heads and reduce the flow of water. During this time, Lt. Ayala also recognized that he was in a university laboratory with an undetermined type of quantity of chemicals, and he withdrew himself and his crew for their safety. Lt. Ayala's actions are in the best interests of the Coral Gables Fire Department, ensuring his crew's safety while also focusing on the world class customer service that we provide.
Due to his outstanding work ethic and dedication to the Fire Department, Lieutenant Ayala is nominated for the Firefighter of the month for November 2022.