On July 11, the Dacula Lions Club will present their first Dacula Lions Club Outstanding Service Award to a Gwinnett County first responder, serving residents in the Dacula area.    

Lion Jennifer Khaleel, President of the Dacula Lions Club said, “It is extremely important to all of us that we utilize our Officer Installation for the 2012-2013 year to recognize a first responder.  A vast majority of our officers will be returning next year, so we decided to dedicate nearly all of the ceremony to a public servant who returns to their station each shift, to serve in a way that enriches our community."

The first recipient of the Dacula Lions Club Outstanding Service Award is Jason Lameiras, a highly dedicated paramedic, who works at Gwinnett County Fire Station 16, in Dacula. Lameiras has served as a paramedic
for nearly 20 years in the state of Georgia, with his most recent time spent working from Fire Station 16.

Dacula Mayor Jimmy Wilbanks will be in attendance, along with various members of Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services, Lions Club Presidents and officials from across Georgia Lions Club District 18-D, and members of the Dacula Lions Club. Mayor Wilbanks will provide remarks, as will Mr. Lameiras. 

Lion Phillip Saxton, Vice President of the Dacula Lions Club reached out to Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services, and asked for their nomination.  Saxton says,”Our goal is to also reach out across the various public service departments in future years, in order to recognize a wide variety of public servants who make Gwinnett great.” 

A nomination from the Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services was a natural place to begin the annual tradition. 

Responding to over 64,450 calls for assistance annually, the Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services provides fire protection, rescue, emergency medical services, fire prevention, and arson investigation services for all of Gwinnett County. The department operates 30 strategically located fire stations, 30 engine companies, 10 ladder trucks, 23 Advanced Life Support (ALS) Medical units, plus specialty teams and units. Gwinnett is the largest fire service district in the state of Georgia for the number of legal jurisdictions (15) under one fire department, and protects a population of approximately 800,000 people covering an area of 437 square miles.

Sue Meeks, Resource & Marketing Specialist for Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services delivered the response to the Dacula Lions Club. 

Meeks noted that Paramedic Jason Lameiras has worked for the Gwinnett County Department of Fire and Emergency Services for over three years and currently works at Station 16 in Dacula.  Last year, his crew ran 1,200 calls from the downtown Dacula station.  As the primary paramedic on the medic unit, Lameiras contributed an astonishing amount of emergency medical services care on a daily basis.

Meeks went on to say, “Jason shows kindness and professionalism when treating patients, no matter the time of day or night.  His brand of customer service and the quality that he strives to maintain is infectious among the people with whom he works with.  He is a team player who goes the extra mile, helping to make Gwinnett Fire and Emergency Services an outstanding organization. We are proud to nominate him for the Dacula Lions Club’s Outstanding Service Award.”

Lion Jeff Wolfe, Membership Chair of the Dacula Lions Club said, “It is no secret that we love to serve our community.  It will be such an honor for our club to recognize one of Gwinnett County’s tireless public safety servants.  Mr. Lameiras puts his life on the line and duty above self, each time he goes to work.  As a father of two children, I appreciate the hard work of Mr. Lameiras, as well as all of the others who put it all on the line for us each day.”

The venue for the event is Garden Plaza at Lawrenceville, where the ceremony will begin at 6pm.

To learn more about the Dacula Lions Club and how you may get involved, please visit www.daculalions.org