Naperville Fire Department CAPS Awards 2018

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Fire department staff who have shown excellence to residents received some extra recognition.

The Citizens Appreciate Public Safety, or CAPS Awards, are meant to recognize Naperville fire personnel who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help residents

And it’s residents who nominate all CAPS Award recipients for the annual fall ceremony.

Notable awards of the night include the fire explorer of the year award, which went to JT Giovanni, and the prestigious George Winckler Award – which went to Deputy Chief Andrew Dina.

“This is the highest honor you can get on the Naperville Fire Department and I’m so honored to have received it. I knew Winckler. We worked together over 29 years ago when I first started on the job. He was a great man, a great person,” said Dina.

The George Winckler award was named in honor of Lieutenant George Winckler, who served for the fire department from 1965 to 1991, when he was killed in a training incident.

There’s also a CAPS Award ceremony held every spring to honor Naperville’s police staff.

Naperville News 17’s Blane Erwin reports.