Keesler Federal holds 10th annual First Responders of the Year Awards

BILOXI, Miss. (WXXV) — First responders from the three coastal Mississippi counties were honored for their dedication and bravery at Keesler Federal Credit Union’s 10th annual First Responders of the Year Awards.

First responders, friends, and family filled the ballroom at the IP Casino and Resort on Wednesday to celebrate this accomplishment.

Thirty-five first responders from Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson counties were recognized by Keesler Federal for their outstanding service, exceeding their call of duty to protect and serve their communities.

“It’s important that they get recognized for the responsibilities they have and how they serve the community,” said James Hollingsworth, Board Chairman of Keesler Federal Credit Union. “We had over 1,000 applications to be in the competition itself, so this is first responders, fire, police. 1,000 people put applications in to be selected, so that’s pretty big.”

The recipients of this award are local police officers, firefighters, EMT’s, paramedics, and many others.

Also in attendance was Saints legend Devery Henderson, who handed out each award.

Each and every nominee was handpicked by their department for their service in the field during emergencies, or through their community outreach efforts.

“It is a pretty big award. I’m feeling pretty lucky,” said Lieutenant Marcos Chacon with the Pass Christian Fire Department. “It’s been a long year. I just got promote to lieutenant, so this is a big accomplishment for me. Having to grow up into these footsteps that I’m now taking place into.”

“Specifically speaking on what got me to this point, the case that I worked, It’s definitely a breach of fresh air to actually get a win not only here, but in a court setting,” said Corina McSwain, Detective Lieutenant with the D’Iberville Police Department. “It definitely took a lot of work to get to this point, and I’m just grateful that someone was able to recognize me for what I’ve done and accomplished.”