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County honouring 911 heroes at Tri-Service Public Safety Awards ceremony

April 24, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Simcoe County Tri-Service Public Safety Awards ceremony is marking its 15th year of recognizing and celebrating the dedication of the region’s public safety communicators.

The ceremony took place at the County of Simcoe Administration Centre on Thursday, Apr. 16.

This annual event honours the call-takers, dispatchers, supervisors and support staff whose actions and expertise make an immeasurable impact every day.

This year, the ceremony recognized two young 911 callers whose actions saved lives and helped emergency services obtain the critical information when it was needed.

Public safety communicators are often the calm voice during someone’s most difficult moment, ensuring critical information is relayed quickly and accurately to emergency personnel.

“Public safety communicators are the heroes who are on the other end of the line when a person calls 9-1-1, ensuring that help is within reach,” said Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke. “As we celebrate the 15th year of this ceremony, we are proud to recognize their exceptional efforts and grateful for the work they do each day to keep our communities safe.”

Three awards were given to communicators, and two youth awards were presented.

Communicator of the Year for Public Safety Communications Award

Denise Horn, a communicator with the Orillia Fire Department, is the recipient of this award.

Denise consistently demonstrates strong decision-making skills in complex situations and when determining required next steps, often thinking ahead and asking the right questions.

She is calm and clear on the phone or radio, no matter what the severity of the incident is, or how many incidents she is handling.

Support Staff for Public Safety Award

This award went to Melissa Soule, a valuable member of the emergency services team from Midland Fire Services.

Melissa demonstrates sustained excellence over time, not just during isolated events. She maintains professionalism under pressure, particularly during high-stress or time-sensitive situations and is trusted by both leadership and staff to manage confidential and critical information appropriately.

Her exceptional attention to detail, accountability, and dedication reflect the core values and professionalism expected of emergency services support staff.

Simcoe County Public Safety Communications Team Award

This award was presented to Barrie Fire communicators Tracey Hyder, Ashlee Hebner, Benoit Osborne, Kirsten Heard, and Amanda Balch for their actions during a severe winter storm, which created dangerous travel conditions across Simcoe County.

The storm left more than 200 motorists stranded on roadways in Springwater.

During the height of this incident, the Communications Centre experienced a CAD system outage, requiring the team to immediately transition to a fully manual, paper-based operation.

The team coordinated responses for stranded motorists, supported fire operations on severely congested roadways, and maintained situational awareness without automated tools.

This response highlighted the team’s ability to collaborate, innovate, and maintain service continuity during system failures, ensuring public safety even when conditions were at their worst.

2026 Youth Awards

Youth awards were nominated by Wasaga Beach Fire and Georgian CACC.

Charlotte Bieniek

On the afternoon of July 4, 2025, eight-year-old Charlotte Bieniek demonstrated extraordinary courage and composure during a life-threatening emergency on the Nottawasaga River.

While paddleboarding with her mother, Charlotte noticed her mother stop paddling and was struggling to respond.

Recognizing the danger, Charlotte tied her board to her mother’s, stabilized her, and paddled against the current for approximately 500 meters to reach the boat slip.

Charlotte pulled the board up as far as she could, climbed the bank, and called for help.  When her mother lost consciousness, Charlotte returned to the water, placed her in the recovery position, secured the boat, and ran to alert her grandparents.

She retrieved critical medical information, including transplant history and medications.

Charlotte’s calm, logical actions saved her mother’s life.

Hannah

Hannah called 911 and identified herself as a young teenager.

She reported that a vehicle had pulled into her driveway and the driver knocked on her door, asking her to call an ambulance. The person at the door said their mother was having a heart attack.

Despite her young age and chaotic circumstances, Hannah remained calm, answered all questions clearly, and followed instructions while on the phone with 911. 

Hannah demonstrated exceptional composure, accurately following instructions and assisting with life-saving measures until EMS arrived.

Her bravery, maturity, and ability to follow and relay critical instructions were instrumental in the care provided before EMS arrived.

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