The Park City Elks Lodge presents awards to first responders and hosts an annual barbecue to honor them for their service to the community. Saturday’s awards ceremony took advantage of a patch of sunshine between two thunderstorms.
Daniela Anderson received the Summit County Sheriff’s Deputy of the Year award. She began her career with the county in 2022. In addition to her full-time duties in the patrol department, Anderson dedicates her time to the community outreach program to support underrepresented people in the area.
Summit County Chief Deputy Kacey Bates said Anderson has helped hundreds of people in the Hispanic community understand domestic violence laws and reporting procedures, as well as how to get a driver’s license and how to report crimes to police.
“Many people are currently traveling from neighboring communities and counties to attend events and gather information from Deputy Anderson and her team,” she said.
Anderson moved to the U.S. from Argentina 24 years ago. She said she loves Summit County and wants to help her community.
“I just wanted to do this because I come from a country where people are afraid of the police. They’re afraid when they get stopped, you know, and that’s why I wanted to educate people,” Anderson said.
Detective Clint Parker also cares for an underrepresented group: children. He was named the Park City Police Department’s Officer of the Year for his work investigating child abuse cases. Parker’s work can cause vicarious trauma as he hears difficult stories from children. However, the police department said he has been persistent in each of his investigations to ensure the safety of the children.
“I deal with it in many different ways. I probably run mostly for my mental health. I also have mandatory check-ups with a therapist once a month,” Parker said.
Over the past two years, Parker has worked on investigations involving 150 child victims.
Sam Robison is the Park City Fire District’s Firefighter of the Year. He has been a firefighter in the city for seven years.
Park City Fire Chief Eric Anderson said Robison was chosen because he is an all-around exceptional firefighter and paramedic. Robison also cited improvements the district could make to its paramedic training program.
“Our new paramedic training program is a huge improvement over the previous one and will greatly benefit our staff, our district and our entire community,” said Eric Anderson. “Sam is the guy you want on your team.”
Michael Dean was also involved in the development of key programs in the Park City Fire District, for which he was named EMS Provider of the Year.
Park City Fire Chief Ron Palmer said Dean has been instrumental in implementing the rapid intubation and critical care programs this year. The intubation program fosters closer partnerships with healthcare providers to ensure a seamless transition from prehospital to inpatient care. Dean has also helped implement care documentation solutions.
“Throughout his 18-year career, Mike has continually pushed the boundaries of what is possible in pre-hospital care here at Park City Fire,” said Palmer. “He has been a driving force behind the Park City Fire District’s most significant advancement in recent years.”
The Utah Highway Patrol has named Corporal Kaleb Rowell Trooper of the Year. Rowell is from Fillmore, Utah, but is stationed in Summit and Wasatch Counties.
UHP Lt. Bryce Rowser said Rowell is always looking for ways to improve the area. Rowell also helped remove 28 impaired drivers from area roads this year.
