SANFORD – When Ken Brown applied for a firefighter paramedic job at the Sanford Fire Department, he let them know he was serving in the military.

Brown has been a member of the New Hampshire National Guard for the past eight years. For the past five years, he has served as a flight medic.

It wasn’t long after he joined the Sanford department on July 2, 2018 that he was sent away for military training – and was away for several months.

And everyone at Sanford Fire Department, he said, has been very supportive.

“There have been no issues, “ he said on Tuesday.

So Brown took the opportunity to nominate four members of the department for a Patriot Award that recognizes employers who are  supportive of employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.

Brown nominated Sanford Fire Chief Steve Benotti, Captain Dwight Emmons, Executive Assistant Bette Smith and Assistant Chief Steve Cutter, who recently retired.

Their awards were presented at Tuesday’s City Council meeting by Peter Brunette, the Maine outreach co-coordinator for the Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve organization.

Brunette said the four are examples of those who go “above and beyond.”

Brown, for his part, said in his eight years of military service, it was the first time he felt like he wanted to nominate an employer.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 780-9016 or twells@journaltribune.com.