By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

PELHAM— The Greater Shelby Chamber of Commerce recognized eight officers and seven firefighters at the annual Safety Awards Luncheon Sept. 30. Each agency within Shelby County nominated an officer and firefighter of the year, and those individuals were presented at the luncheon.

The city of Helena nominated Caleb Draper as firefighter of the year and Josh Lindsey as police officer of the year.

“In hosting these 2015 Safety Awards and recognizing the 2015 recipients in each department, we also wanted to acknowledge the tremendous teamwork that goes into a successful public safety department,” said Shelby County Chamber President Kirk Mancer.

Police Officers of the Year were Alabaster’s Charles Brewer, Calera’s Nicholas Burnett, Chelsea’s Citizen Observer Eddie Huggins, Columbiana’s David Alexander, Helena’s Josh Lindsey, Montevallo’s Time Alexander, Pelham’s Bob Howard and Chris Blevins with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

Firefighters of the Year were Alabaster’s John Aldrich, Calera’s Tim Nabors, Chelsea’s Paul Williams, Columbiana’s Rodney Reed, Helena’s Caleb Draper, Pelham’s David Douglass and North Shelby’s Donny Acton.

Representatives from each department presented its nomination and explained why the individual was chosen. In all cases, the recipient was someone who went above and beyond for the department and illustrated dedication to their community.

Helena Fire Captain Chaed Agee presented Draper with the firefighter of the year award and credited the Helena Fire Explorer program for helping give Draper as jump-start in his career.

“We have outstanding explorer programs at Helena in the police and fire departments,” said Agee. “Our recipient this year has ten years of service to the city of Helena. Caleb joined our fire explorer program at the age of 15 and came up through our program and when he was old enough came to us and said ‘I feel like I’m ready to go to firefighter school.’ I have the pleasure of having Caleb work on my shift and he’s one of my go to guys. I give him a task and he takes care of it and he does it right. I just know that when I say get this done, it’s done and it’s done right. He always has a good attitude and it’s a pleasure working with Caleb.”

Helena Police Lt. Brad Flynn spoke about Lindsey’s character and involvement with the police explorer program and how he has constantly given back to the program that helped give him a start.

“I feel like one of the most important characteristics we look for in a law enforcement officer is character,” said Flynn. “At a very early age, Josh demonstrated the character we look for in our officers. Loyalty, honesty and commitment, among others. We knew back then, Josh was going to be an excellent law enforcement officer one day and we just hoped we could keep him in Helena. Anytime there is something that needs to be done, Josh is almost always there first to volunteer to help. He by far has one of the best attitudes in the department. You never see him without a smile on his face and a willingness to help.”