NE Valley Times

Captain Brian Dutcher was recently named SFD Officer of the Year during the 2022 Scottsdale Awards and Promotions event. Captain Dutcher is constantly "on call" whether it is at the fire station while he is on shift, or anytime off duty. 

Dutch’s dedication and caring nature towards the fire department, but more importantly its members, is unmatched. When it comes to physical wellness, Captain Dutcher is a big advocate for keeping our members physically fit and ready for the job. He shows this by putting countless hours into our annual contract for firefighter physicals to make sure we get the best care and diagnostics possible to make sure our workforce stays fit and healthy. Also, when employees do get injured, he works very diligently to make sure that their reentry back into the workforce is seamless and without extra stress and strain. 

Captain Dutcher is also a champion for training our new probationary firefighters. Some of the tasks he has taken on without hesitation are management of all probationary firefighter reports, building new firefighter skill sheets for Scottsdale Fire‘s own fire academy, and training new recruits during pre-academy events for success in their regional academies. Captain Dutcher is the Recruit Training Officer Subject Matter Expert when it comes to regional academies, such as Glendale and Phoenix, and takes the time to train new recruits in the evolutions they will need to know prior to their academy starting. 

Dutch takes on these tasks because he truly cares for this department and its members success. But quite possibly the biggest reason he is deserving of Officer of the Year is his dedication to firefighter mental and behavioral health. When our members go through high stress incidents, the days and weeks after the incident can sometimes be a blur and emotions, we never thought we could feel are triggered. Captain Dutcher has made it his responsibility to look after our members by helping them get the counseling that they might need following high stress incidents. He is well-versed in what the Tiger Act covers and is an advocate for members who need this service. As the lead of the Peer Support Team, he deals with members who have gone through high stress incidents quite a bit. He is the lead for the peer support team that follows up with firefighting members that have been on traumatic incidents. 

Most recently he was informed that a Scottsdale Fire crew ran a call for an infant who was a full code and did not make it. Captain Dutcher was informed of the high stress incident while he was off duty, out on a hike, halfway up the mountain. After receiving the news of what the fire crew had gone through with the infant, Captain Dutcher stopped his hike, proceeded down the mountain, and immediately made his way to the fire station where the crew was preparing for a "hot wash." Captain Dutcher does this because he truly "serves everyone professionally, timely, and responsively" both at work and while off duty. 

Congrats, Captain Dutcher!

If you would like to see who else was honored, visit https://bit.ly/SFDAwards

Original source can be found here.