Firefighters Honored, Departments Get Donations

Area firemen were honored and area fire departments got additional funding at a Cherokee Nation ceremony Monday at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa. The Cherokee Nation donated $451,000 to the 129 rural and city fire departments in the tribe's 14-county area, and thanked the fire departments for protecting families and homes. According to a press release, the tribe donated $3,500 to each fire department. Among those honored at the ceremony were Sheldon Caughman of Sallisaw, Lester Crittenden of Stilwell and Cody Kackley of Bunch. Caughman was honored for recruiting and encouraging others in his community to volunteer. He is a certified dive instructor and is working to serve as a firefighter instructor to train not only his volunteers but also others in Sequoyah County. Crittenden personally responded to every emergency call in the Bell community and also helped set up a helicopter landing zone and rescued an individual surrounded by fire. Kackley took nearly all his National Incident Management System training within his first year on the department and found ways to help his fellow firefighters. Stay tuned to KXMX or visit www.kxmx.com for the latest news. By Sally Maxwell, Senior News Director