Safety Awards presented by American Legion Post 630

IMG_3717 - Copy (3)           Safety Awards 2021 - Copy
  (Pictured: Officer David Dungan, Mayor Marc Sirkin, Firefighter/Paramedic Ray Tobergte,  American Legion  NE Post 630 Commander Jim Meyers)    (Pictured: Mayor Marc Sirkin, Officer David Dungan, Firefighter Paramedic Ray Tobergte, Post Commander Jim Meyers)

(December 12, 2021 - Blue Ash)

Firefighter Ray Tobergte and Officer David Dungan have been selected as the top firefighter and police officer at the annual Blue Ash Safety Awards. (Bios below)

American Legion NE Post 630 sponsors the awards, which recognize the top first responders every year.

The awards were presented by Post Commander Jim Meyers at the City Council Meeting last night.

The Perpetuity plaque hangs in Council Chambers and each recipient received their own plaque.

Officer David Dungan is a 1995 graduate of Beechwood High School. He attended Asbury College and NKU. Officer Dungan was hired by the Kenton County Sheriff’s Office in 1999 and was Valedictorian of his police academy class. During his time at Kenton County, Officer Dungan was assigned to road patrol and the DEA Task Force. Officer Dungan then spent 12 years with the Norwood Police Department where he revised multiple forms, managed scheduling software, served as a Field Training Officer, and founded the Norwood Police Association - raising tens of thousands of dollars for non-profit organizations. Officer Dungan was hired by the Blue Ash Police Department in April of 2019 and a few months later founded the Blue Ash Police Association. Officer Dungan is a field training officer and drone pilot. He has successfully located missing children and has flown multiple missions for the Hamilton County SWAT Team.

The Firefighter of the year is Ray Tobergte. Ray began his career in the fire service in July of 2017 part-time with the City of Blue Ash. A little over a year later, he was hired as a full-time member. Ray currently serves as a Firefighter/Paramedic and apparatus operator. Ray is known for giving extra effort and going above and beyond. He is always learning and wants to understand how things work so he can create the best strategies and processes for himself and his fellow firefighters. Ray exemplified this by doing intense hands-on research to determine which Self Contained Breathing Apparatus would be best for the City. He also recently spent hours testing and perfecting new hose loads and was instrumental in training his crew on the new procedures. This year, he also took the time to expand his knowledge of the Compressed Air Foam System to help improve firefighter techniques for the entire department.