Salem Fire Captain Receives the Gerry Frank Award for Meritorious Achievement.

Paul Tefler Photo Courtesy: Salem Fire

(SALEM) - Salem Fire Captain Paul Telfer was honored at the Salem Professional Fire Fighters Retirement dinner by being the recipient of the Gerry Frank Award for Meritorious Achievement.

Captain Telfer is an 18-year veteran with the Salem Fire Department. Fire Chief Mike Knode says that during his career, he has exhibited the highest standards of excellence and professionalism.

Fire Departmetn Spokesman Bill Holmstrom says that in addition to his demanding duties as a company officer, "He has gone above and beyond with his accomplishments in the areas of public education, public service and training."

"His work with children has been outstanding and extensive. His energy and patience allow him to capture the attention of any age group and make each child feel as if they have received personal instruction."

Telfer has been involved in a number of programs, including video production, for developing public education resources that can be broadly distributed to reach children.

Holmstrom says that when the Department began working toward improving it's level of customer service, Telfer's contributions served as a model for many of the improvements that have been implemented. He and his crew routinely receive letters of thanks for their efforts to better serve our customers.