RIDGEWOOD FIRE DEPARTMENT PROCEDURE GUIDE

Number 2 – Uniforms

Section L – Wearing of Awards and CitationsSeptember 30, 2004

1-1. AUTHORITY/PURPOSE:

It is the intention of the Ridgewood Fire Department to recognize praise worthy and commendable actions, service and efforts by the department’s personnel while in performance of their responsibilities on and off duty. Supervisors will recognize individual firefighters and platoons that have performed in an exemplary manner.

1-2. AWARDS RECOMMENDATION PROCEDURE:

Platoon Captains will recommend, in writing to the Deputy Chief, an award or citation when a praise worthy or commendable action, service or effort by the department’s personnel while in performance of their responsibilities on and off duty.

The Deputy Chief will be responsible for reviewing nominations and making recommendations to the Chief/Director.

The Chief will be responsible for designating awards, planning award presentation ceremonies, selecting and purchasing awards to be issued, and executing the mandates of this directive.

1-3. NOMINATION PROCEDURE:

Any member of the Ridgewood Fire Department may nominate another member for an award or commendation. Supervisors will recognize exceptional performance by personnel under their supervision.

Whenever an employee of the Ridgewood Fire Department has performed an act or rendered service that qualifies for recognition, the nomination procedure will be as follows:

  1. A typed nominalization will be submitted in a timely fashion, on an inter-office memo, and must include a detailed and accurate account of the circumstances surrounding the act or incident.
  2. The nomination will be forwarded through the chain of command to the Chief accompanied by any comments or additional facts.
  3. After review by the Chief, the nomination may be approved, modified or denied.
  4. The Chief will notify the individual nominated for the award, in writing, the outcome of his decision on the recommendation. .
  5. Upon approval of the award by the Chief, arrangements will be made for an appropriate award ceremony.
  6. Written appeals regarding recommendations shall be forwarded to the Chief through the chain of command. The Chief, Deputy Chief, and Captains shall determine the final disposition of appeals.

1-4. SUBSEQUENT AWARDS:

Firefighters may earn unlimited awards provided the firefighter becomes eligible through additional actions or service. Recognition of these corresponding awards will be displayed with numbers affixed to the original ribbon/medal, which shall denote duplicate awards:

1-5. CEREMONYS & TYPE OF AWARDS:

A formal public awards ceremony may be held for the following awards:

  1. Fire Department Metal of Honor
  2. Legion of Honor
  3. Meritorious Service
  4. Life Saving
  5. Grand Cordon
  6. Unit Citation
  7. Distinguished Volunteer Service Cross
  8. Ready Commendation
  9. Exceptional Service
  10. Honorable Service
  11. Wounded in Service (Combat)
  12. CPR Save

1-6. INFORMAL CEREMONY:

An informal ceremony may be held at any time during the year for presentation of the following awards:

  1. The Triumphant
  2. The Samaritan
  3. Good Conduct
  4. Educational Achievement
  5. The Patriot

1-7. FIRE DEPARTMENT AWARDS:

The following describes the names of each award in precedence and what is bestowed:

  1. THE PATRIOT
    Awarded for: Dedication for the Defense and Protection of the United States Flag (Military Service) and/or serving in the Fire Department Color Guard. Worn on left or right breast.
  2. MEDAL OF HONOR
    Awarded for: An outstanding actin the line of duty with risk involved. Worn on the left breast.
  3. MEDAL OF HONOR
    Awarded for: An outstanding act in the line of duty without risk involved. Worn on left breast.
  4. LEGION OF HONOR
    Awarded for: Permanentinjury and or work related heart condition in the active role of his job, there-by preventing an officer from further serving for a minimumperiod of 3 months or longer. Worn on left breast.
  5. MERITORIOUS SERVICE
    Awarded for: A highly unusual accomplishment under adverse conditions with some degree of hazard to life and limb to the nominee or where death or injury to a third party is prevented. Wornon left breast
  6. WOUNDED IN COMBAT
    Awarded for: A wound received in the line of duty resulting in severe puncture wounds lacerations, fractures, heart failure or concussions being suffered by nominee. Worn on left breast.
  7. LIFE SAVING
    Awarded for: An act performed in the line of duty, which through disregard of personal safety or prompt and alert reaction, results in saving a life. Worn on left breast.
  8. GRAND CORDON
    Awarded for: Individual participation by a member of an operating unit whose efforts led the entire departmental staff in a cited action. Word on left breast.
  9. UNIT CITATION
    Awarded for: A team effort under combat conditions including all participating staff members who in support of Departmental operations,distinguished themselves to effectuate the protectionof Life and Property. Worn on left breast.
  10. DISTINGUISHED VOLUNTEER SERVICE CROSS
    Awarded for: Voluntary assistance and additional safety measures provided by Auxiliary Reserve & Volunteer memberswho improved services for their community. Worn on left breast.
  11. THE TRIUMPHANT
    Awarded for: Rising above the Best of the Best in the spirit of competition. The events must be sponsored by the approval of the Department. ie.; Weapon Mastery, Sporting Event, Physical Activities, Rappel Mastery. Worn on the left breast.
  12. THE SAMARITAN
    Awarded for: An act of humanity as a friend to those in need, by attending to them in the time of a crisis, accident or danger and providing them with understanding and confidence. Worn in left breast.
  13. GOOD CONDUCT
    Awarded for: A one-year service hitch without reprimand or instance of report of any matter. Worn in left breast.
  14. READY COMMENDATION
    Awarded for: Completion of 15 years service and continuing to quality as been professionally ready to perform and dispatch his duties in the highest level of performance. Worn on left breast.
  15. EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE
    Awarded for: A highly creditable accomplishment bringing public acclaim to the Officer, his/hers Department of the Firefighting profession as a result of training and devotion to duty or service to the public. Worn on left breast.
  16. HONORABLE SERVICE
    Awarded for: A creditable act in the line of duty, which meets some, but not all of the requirements for other medals, and is unusual in nature, showing initiative and accomplishment. Worn on left breast.
  17. EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT
    Awarded for: Achievement of 65 credits towards a degree and/or the introduction of a new method or device to improved departmental procedures. Worn on left breast.
  18. CPR SAVE

Awarded for: Saving a life by performing CPR on a patient and reviving the patients heart beat and breathing.

  1. CHILDBIRTH AWARD
    Awarded for: Assisting in a childbirth in a non hospital setting i.e. residence, ambulance etc.

1-8. WEARING OF AWARDS:

When wearing summer or winter dress uniforms all employees will display all awards/ribbons received and in a manner prescribed within the guidelines of the Fire Department. Administration and Fire Prevention Officers have the option of wearing or not wearing their citations on their designated work uniform.

All awards and citations will be worn on the left breast above the fire department badge issued to the firefighter.

Awards and citations will be worn as indicated below.

  1. When wearing one (1) through four (4) citations all citations will be worn over the fire department badge, in a single row with lowest number award at the top followed by other awards in ascending numbers. See below:


  1. When wearing five (5) or more citations the citations may be worn in rows of two (side by side) with the lowest number citation on the top right followed by other awards in ascending numbers and the highest number citation on the bottom left. When wearing an odd number of citations the top citation will be centered above the other citations as indicated below:


  1. Firefighters may, at their own expense, wear a leather badge holder, which provides a place for a badge and a various number of citations.
  2. Fire Department Members who have served in the military may display their military citations on their Fire Department uniform. Any member wishing to display their military citations on their uniform must provide the Chief with a copy of his/her military discharge and D/D Form 214, which will indicate the citations awarded.
  3. Fire Department Members who have received citations from other departments (police, fire, EMS) may display their citations on their Fire Department uniform. Any member wishing to display those citations on their uniform must provide the Chief with a copy of his/her award documentation, which will indicate the citations awarded.
  4. EMT’s may wear EMT-D pins on the uniform. This pin will be worn on the right breast centered over the nameplate if worn alone and on the right if worn with another pin.

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