LOVELAND, CO - Warren Miller, a senior mechanic and 18-year employee for the City of Loveland Department of Public Works - Vehicle Maintenance Division, recently won the2009 Emergency Vehicle Technician of the Year(EVT) award at the International Association of Fire Chiefs' (IAFC) Fire Rescue-International (FRI) in Dallas.

The award is given to one EVT who has made an outstanding effort to promote a high standard of excellence in quality and safety in emergency vehicles. Selection criteria emphasize leadership, professional development, integrity, and a commitment to the safe operation of emergency vehicles for the responders and the community. Criteria include a nominee's implementation of safe procedures, advanced education in the field, and service above and beyond will be considered, according to the association.

Miller maintains 54 certifications, including master levels in emergency vehicle technician, automotive service excellence, and school bus.

"When Warren started working here in 1991, Loveland Fire & Rescue Department (LFR) would not allow [Vehicle Maintenance] to perform any apparatus maintenance or repairs because of a level of mistrust regarding the technical skills of the technicians," said Stephen Kibler, fleet manager for the City of Loveland. "We have slowly won the confidence of our LFR through the dedication of two technicians to provide LFR with the highest quality of repair and service possible (of whom Warren led the charge)."

Kibler said Miller and another EVT master technician, Corey Lane, developed a firefighter best practices training presentation to present to all engineers and front line firefighters. "This training elevated the level of trust between firefighters and mechanics," Kibler said. As a result, "The customer trust and cooperation between LFR and Vehicle Maintenance is exemplary. Because of this outstanding trust and the bond between our EVTs and the entire Fire & Rescue department, I believe Warren Miller is the best EVT in the country, if not the world."

"Warren has work ethic that is top shelf; he takes the responsibility as a fire mechanic seriously and personally and he cares about the safety of our firefighters," said Fire Chief Mirowski. "He has gone above and beyond the call of duty so many times for our firefighters that his high performance and dedication has become standard, and an extraordinary high standard at that."