Why do organizations and companies host ".... of the Year" awards? Many reasons. They spotlight people who have performed with skill and dedication, those who've given a lifetime of service to peers or community, or displayed courage against the odds. Awards also bring attention to the profession and promote a commitment to excellence.

We recently held the 2003 Station Style Design Award contest for new and renovated fire stations. Entries were received, forms signed and the fee to enter was invoiced (to cover costs of printing, judging and promotion). We selected judges from a cross-section of our readers -- metro and suburban career departments and volunteer departments, as well as two architects, to review the entries for the best examples of fire station designs.

After we announced the winners in August at a station design seminar at Fire-Rescue International, a few participants refused to pay the entry fee because they didn't win.

So it goes with all contests. But while a small percentage of people will always complain (or whine) about who won and who didn't, as Mark Twain said, "It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not deserve them."

Win or lose, there is honor in being nominated and in being judged.

The November issue of FIRE CHIEF will feature the winning stations and will serve as a resource for departments about to build or renovate their own stations. It's a win-win situation for fire departments and for the architects, who get an opportunity to showcase their work nationwide.

Seven years ago, Stihl created the National Forestry Heroism Award, giving special recognition to one individual each year involved in forestry. Nominations are open to firefighters, loggers, forest and park rangers and other individuals employed in the care of our nation's forests. Independent judges from the industry select the winner based on the candidate's impact on the good of society, the good of the forestry industry and memorability.

This year's Stihl National Forestry Heroism recipient is 26-year-old William Chrimes, a firefighter and paramedic with the Roanoke County (Va.) Fire and Rescue Department. Chrimes, a participant in a Virginia Department of Forestry program that takes firefighters from the state to help control large fires throughout the nation, rescued two firefighters in Happy Camp, Calif., after their fire engine plunged more than 1,200 feet over an embankment.

Ken Waldron, national marketing manager of Stihl Inc., and Ann M. Veneman, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, recognized Chrimes with the award at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. last May, awarding him a plaque and a monetary gift. Because Chrimes is a resident of Virginia, Stihl also made a contribution to the Department of Forestry at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Va.

If you know a deserving individual, you can download the 2004 Stihl National Forestry Heroism Award applications from www.stihlusa.com or request a form by calling 1-800-GO STIHL (1-800-467-8445).

Whether it's the Fire Chief of the Year, the Station Style Design or the National Forestry Heroism Award, these are all good opportunities to recognize high standards in the fire and emergency services industry. These awards put our best and brightest under a public spotlight -- and that's a good thing.