The Park City Elks Lodge gives out first responder awards and hosts a barbecue every year to honor them for their service to the community. The awards ceremony Saturday took advantage of a patch of sun in between thunderstorms.
Daniela Anderson received the Summit County Sheriff’s Deputy of the Year Award. She began her career with the county in 2022. On top of her full-time duties in the patrol division, Anderson dedicates time to the community outreach program supporting underrepresented people in the area.
Summit County Chief Deputy Kacey Bates said Anderson helped hundreds of people in the Hispanic community understand domestic violence laws and reporting, how to get a driver's license and how to report crimes to police.
“Many individuals are now traveling from neighboring communities and counties in order to attend events and obtain information provided by Deputy Anderson and her team,” she said.
Anderson moved to the U.S. 24 years ago from Argentina. She said she loves Summit County and wants to help her community.
“I just wanted to do it because I come from a country where people are afraid of the police. They're afraid when they get stopped, you know, and so I kind of wanted to educate the community,” Anderson said.
Detective Clint Parker also serves an underrepresented community: children. He was honored as the Park City Police Department Officer of the Year for his work investigating child maltreatment cases. Parker’s work can cause vicarious trauma as he hears difficult stories from kids. However, the department said he has been tenacious in each of his investigations to ensure children are safe.
“There's a lot of different ways that I deal with it. Probably foremost I run for my mental health. I also have mandatory check-ins with a therapist monthly,” Parker said.
In the last two years, Parker has worked on investigations involving 150 child victims.
Sam Robison is the Park City Fire District Firefighter of the Year. He has been a firefighter in the city for seven years.
Park City Fire Captain Eric Anderson said Robison was chosen because he is an all-around exceptional firefighter and paramedic. Robison also identified improvements the district could make to its paramedic school program.
“Our new paramedic education program is a huge upgrade from before and it will greatly benefit our employees, our district and our entire community,” Eric Anderson said. “Sam is the guy you want to have on your crew.”
Michael Dean also helped develop critical programs within the Park City Fire District. For that he was selected as the EMS Provider of the Year.
Park City Fire Captain Ron Palmer said Dean has been instrumental in implementing the rapid sequence intubation and critical care programs this year. The intubation program fosters stronger partnerships with healthcare providers to ensure seamless transitions from pre-hospital to hospital care. Dean has also helped implement solutions for care documentation.
“Over his 18-year career, Mike has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible in pre-hospital care here at Park City Fire,” Palmer said. “He has been a driving force behind Park City Fire District's most significant advancement in recent years.”
The Utah Highway Patrol honored Corporal Kaleb Rowell as Trooper of the Year. Rowell is from Fillmore, Utah, but is assigned to Summit and Wasatch counties.
UHP Lt. Bryce Rowser said Rowell is always looking for opportunities to better the area. Rowell also helped remove 28 impaired drivers from area roads this year.
