The City of South Lake Tahoe is proud to announce that South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue Chief Jeff Meston is the recipient of the Ed Bent Training Excellence Award in recognition of being the Outstanding Fire Instructor of the Year at the California Training Officers Symposium held this week in Fresno, California.
Each year during the California Training Officers’ Fall Training Symposium a fire service instructor is presented with the Ed Bent Training Excellence Award in recognition of being the Outstanding Fire Instructor of the Year. The award was created many years ago on behalf of Ed Bent for his contribution as a founding father of statewide training and curriculum for the California Fire Service.
Veteran Firefighter Ed Bent was a leader in establishing modern training and standards for California firefighters. As the State Fire Marshal, California established statewide policies and programs for new firefighters, including a fire academy and certification system. Mr. Bent wrote training texts for dealing with hazardous materials, building collapses and other safety issues. He taught classes for firefighting agencies in Western states and spoke at seminars for professional groups, including the Western Fire Chiefs Association and the National Fire Protection Association. Following his retirement in 1983, the California Training Officers Section of the California Fire Chiefs Association, where Chief Meston serves as the President Elect, established the Ed Bent Training Excellence Award, which is given annually to top firefighting instructors in the state.
City of South Lake Tahoe City Manager Nancy Kerry stated, “As always, I am not surprised Chief Meston was nominated and chosen for this award. Chief Meston has a rich history as an instructor, both with those in the fire service and citizens, throughout his career. Under his leadership, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue developed the City’s STAT program which trains our local citizenry on disaster response. He’s an exemplary leader and trainer and we are fortunate to serve alongside him here at the City. Please join me in congratulating Chief Meston!”
