Five members of the Perry Volunteer Fire Department will be presented with a prestigious award for their acts during a fire in April of this year.

The Sullivan Award is from the Iowa Department of Public Safety and is issued through the governor’s office. It is the highest award that someone can receive as a member of the fire department or other emergency services. Perry Fire Chief Chris Hinds tells Raccoon Valley Radio the impact this award has for the department and the City of Perry.

“The Perry Fire Department has been in existence since 1878 and this is the first time that anybody on the Perry Fire Department has received such an award. So with that, it’s something that you know maybe comes along once in a lifetime you might say.”

The in-person event would have been held later this month but has been pushed to next year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.