(ABC 6 News) – In Dodge County, Emergency Medical and Fire Service members were honored on Tuesday for their bravery they’ve shown over the last few years, with multiple first responders across several agencies receiving “life-saving awards”.

One particular incident in Dodge County called on everyone to pitch in: the Chestnut apartment fire of Feb. 2021.

“Cold morning, snowy morning, I know our response time from Dodge Center was a little bit delayed,” former Dodge Center Fire Chief David Kenworthy said.

Kenworthy was the fire chief for Dodge Center at the time and he vividly remembered that morning.

One person died and five were injured.

It was a team effort from law enforcement on the scene as they worked quickly to evacuate the people inside the apartment.

“We train for this, it’s what we do, but just implementing it all on a very large scale was exciting for the time,” Kenworthy said.

With this being the first citizen’s award ceremony since the COVID-19 pandemic, there were a lot of individuals recognized tonight.

Like Rich Gannon from the Kasson Fire Department.

Even though he wasn’t on the scene at the time of the Chestnut apartment fire, he was honored for his efforts for a lifesaving CPR operation.

“The man was found in his car unresponsive, I responded with Kasson fire department and first responders, and we delivered CPR and shocks to the patient.”

This wasn’t the first time he was recognized for his efforts.

That level of commitment was something that dates back to his childhood when he helped rescue his younger brother out of a tree when he was 7 years old.

“We were outside playing, he fell and got hung up, and I ran inside and called my dad to help me,” said Gannon.

Gannon’s family and his brother were in attendance at the awards ceremony, along with other families that were there to show their support for their loved ones.

Law enforcement were grateful to receive recognition from the county and their families, but also understand they do it to serve and protect their communities.

While they received their flowers tonight, they see it as them just doing their jobs.