The Vindicator will honor one of the county’s bravest with the 2020 Firefighter of the Year award, which will be given during National Fire Safety Week Oct. 4-10.

Firefighters will be nominated by their departments, and nominees will be evaluated by a panel of judges on dedication, productivity, loyalty and professionalism. The nominee must be at least 18 years old and rank below chief.

Judges will select the winner based on information provided by the nominator, including a written statement explaining why the individual meets the award criteria.

The nominee must meet the following four crtieria:

• Dedication of the highest degree, including additional training and emergency response;

• Loyalty to the department and engages in activities aimed at efforts to achieve the goals of the fire service;

• Productivity by going beyond normal duties to make improvements to enhance the department and reduce fire losses in the community;

• Professionalism, exemplifying the highest standards of fire service and demonstrating the ability to lead or follow based on circumstances.

Members of the community also can nominate a firefighter. Nomination forms are available by contacting Sue Shafer at 330-841-1696 or sshafer@tribtoday.com.

Nomination forms must be received by 4 p.m. Friday.