Archbishop John Carroll Assembly No. 2546

Lakeland, FL

1/26/2008

Pictured are SK George McCurdy, award recipient Lt. Kirby Lastinger, and Asst. Chief Wayne Snell.

See below for background of his award nomination.

Lieutenant Kirby Lastinger is the lead instructor for the Lakeland Fire Department (LFD) Technical Rescue Team/Urban Search and Rescue Team (TRT/USAR). It is through Lt. Lastinger’s tireless efforts that the TRT/USAR team is where it is today.

 

He has taken numerous courses at the State Fire College in Ocala to upgrade his technical rescue skills as well as maintaining his teaching credentials. The skills and knowledge that he receives from those courses are brought back to LFD. Lt. Lastinger then, along with other LFD instructors, teach other TRT/USAR members those same skills and knowledge that he has learned.

 

Through his networking, the department has been able to purchase rescue equipment  at an affordable price. He has also scheduled new equipment demonstrations from manufacturer representatives at no cost to the department.

 

Lt. Lastinger has been a TRT/USAR member since it’s inception in 1995. He has been an active contributing member organizing lesson plans while bringing the most up-to-date training to our department. Because of Lt. Lastinger’s efforts, the LFD TRT/USAR team has become a blueprint for other departments in organizing their technical rescue teams.