Homegrown Hero
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Vidalia Fire Chief Brian Sikes officially promoted one firefighter and introduced three new firefighters to the city during the Vidalia City Council meeting on May 12.
Lieutenant Kristopher Owens was promoted to Captain during the meeting, as Sikes complimented Owens’ hard work with the Department over the past 5 years. “Kris has done a great job with us since he’s been here. He’s gone to school; he’s worked his way up the ladder through our matrix program that we have,” Sikes emphasized.
The occasion was commemorated by a ceremonial pinning, as Owens’ mother pinned him with his new ranking.
In addition to the promotion, Chief Sikes also introduced three newly hired firefighters to the Department: Apparatus Operator Robert King, Apparatus Operator Jonas Blackwell, and Firefighter Chris McLendon.
“They’ve been with us several months now. They all come to us with several years of experience, and we are blessed to be able to hire certified people,” Sikes remarked.
Public Comments
Vidalia Lions Club President Garrett Wilcox addressed the Council on behalf of the Club, as he thanked the city for their assistance in cleaning up and repairing structures at the Vidalia Onion Festival Arts and Crafts Festival grounds after Hurricane Helene. “There is no way we could have done it by ourselves,” he emphasized.
Other Business
Vidalia Mayor Doug Roper appointed Councilwoman Jennifer Evans as the continued from page
new Mayor Pro Tem. The Council presented Pineland Behavioral Health Center employees with a proclamation declaring May Mental Health Awareness Month.
ESG CEO Clay Sykes and members of the Dixon family presented Vidalia High School Class of 2025 Graduate Aiden Harvill with the Ronnie A. Dixon Memorial Scholarship.
The next council meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 9.
NEW VIDALIA FIREFIGHTERS – Vidalia Fire Chief Brian Sikes introduced three new hires to the Vidalia Fire Department. L to R: Chief Brian Sikes, Firefighter Chris McLendon, Apparatus Operator Robert King, Apparatus Operator Jonas Blackwell.Photo by Makaylee Randolph
