Avalon Volunteer of the Year

06-11-13

Avalon Station's

Volunteer of the Year

Glen Gustafson

Avalon Sheriff's Station and the community they serve appreciate the time and effort of

its many volunteers. "The dedication and commitment of these men and women, who

volunteer their time to help serve the citizens of Avalon, is truly amazing. They are

there for us and the community whenever we need them and never ask for anything in

return, said Captain Doug Fetteroll.

The entire cadre of station volunteers was recently treated to dinner at the Lobster Trap

during Volunteer Appreciation Week as a small token of appreciation for what they do.

Each year, one volunteer is recognized as the "Volunteer of the Year" for going above

and beyond in their efforts to serve the community. This year's "Volunteer of the Year"

award was presented to Glen Gustafson.

For the past six years, Glen has been a fixture at Avalon Station as a leader and an

integral part of our Disaster Communications Services (DCS) Unit and our Community

Emergency Response Team (CERT). Glen has a passion for operating Ham radios and

thoroughly enjoys working with other volunteers who share his unique skill set.

After the Island Fire in 2007, when Glen saw the damage to the Island's communication

system and the potential for the loss of life, he decided to pursue his interest in Ham

radios for the safety of the community.

Glen privately shared a comment with Captain Fetteroll, but Fetteroll was so impressed,

he felt it was worth repeating as it showed the kind of people Glen and his wife, Jan,

are, "My wife and I agreed that if an emergency occurred here on the Island, we wanted

to stay and become part of the emergency response effort, instead of being evacuated."

The fact that one volunteer was specially recognized does not take away from the

efforts of all of the other station volunteers who deserve our appreciation and thanks for

their hours of service without expectation or receipt of compensation.