State officials named Gwinnett Fire’s Medical Director, Dr. Earl Grubbs, the2012 Medical Director of the Year and recognized 82 Gwinnett firefighters and paramedics for exemplary service. The Georgia Department of Emergency Services, Region Three, presented the awards last month at Emory University Hospital in Midtown.

Dr. Grubbs has served the department since 2002, improving pre-hospital medical care, performance, methods and service quality. Fire Chief Bill Myers said, “Dr. Grubbs’ guidance is one of the reasons our staff won so many awards this year. He has a wealth of knowledge and shares it readily with all our EMTs and Paramedics. He’s a true professional, and it’s a great honor to work with him.”

The Gwinnett firefighter/EMTs and paramedics won individual CARES awards for saving 14 lives in 2011. The acronym stands for Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival.

In a separate ceremony, the Gwinnett Rotary Club named Firefighter/Paramedic Driver Engineer Marne Richards the club’s 2012 Firefighter of the Year. The six-year veteran currently works with new recruits at Gwinnett’s fire academy. Fire Captain Eric Eberly said, “Marne is the perfect choice for this award. On top of being an excellent firefighter, she is an outstanding person who approaches everything with a can-do attitude.”