The International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Volunteer and Combination Officers Section gave Cherryville, N.C., Fire Chief Jeffery C. Cash its first John M. Buckman III Award for his leadership within the volunteer and combination fire service.

Cash serves as the National Volunteer Fire Council’s director from North Carolina. The award is sponsored by Provident Insurance and was presented during the VCOS conference on Nov. 4.

The John M. Buckman III Award will annually recognize a volunteer or combination department chief officer who stands out on the local or regional level as a professional and has demonstrated leadership, integrity, and outstanding moral values within the fire service. Chief Buckman, the Award’s namesake, is a past president of IAFC, a founder of VCOS, and the current chief of the German Township Volunteer Fire Department in Evansville, Ind.

“Chief Cash is very deserving of this Award, and the NVFC is proud to see he is the first recipient,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. “Chief Cash is a dedicated leader in his department, his community, his state, and on a national level. He exemplifies the leadership, integrity, and values that this Award represents.”

The Cherryville Fire Department is a combination department that serves a community of 5,600 across 4.2 square miles and has an average annual call volume of 1,000. Cash is an active member of the North Carolina State Fireman’s Association, has served on the NVFC's board of directors of the NVFC for more 10 years, and is a member of the NVFC’s executive committee. Cash previously has won the Cherryville Firefighter of the Year, Western North Carolina Fire Officer of the Year, North Carolina State Firemen’s Association Firefighter of the Year, and the Gaston County Heroism Award.