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Spotlights » Arie Noordsij, '80, named Firefighter of the Year
Arie Noordsij, '80, was named 2009 Firefighter of the Year for the City of Port Richey, Florida. He was honored during the city's September 12, 2009 Heroes Awards Banquet which was established in honor of first responders who died in the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Noordsij is a full-time security officer with University Community Hospital in Carrollwood, FL, and a volunteer firefighter for Port Richey.
The city's fire chief nominated Noordsij citing his dedication, experience, and educational background. The prestigious award hadn't been given since 2003, and the distinction is even rarer given Noordsij's volunteer status.
"Arie began with the Port Richey Fire Department in October 2008, and brings a lot of experience and knowledge with him. This doesn't mean he has stopped learning. Since joining our fire department, he has completed over 100 online FEMA courses. He is consistently at the fire house for trainings and meetings and rarely misses an emergency call," said Fire Chief Timothy Fussell.
Noordsij earned a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from GVSU in 1980, and worked as a paid on-call firefighter for the City of Wyoming, Michigan from 1978 - 1996. He received his certification as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in 1980 and his basic firefighter certification in 1982.
Despite his distance from the university, Noordsij is deeply committed to his alma mater. He is a GVSU Alumni Ambassador, assisting with the university's admissions efforts. He also donated a pint of blood and volunteered 6 hours with the Port Richey Fire Department in the name of Grand Valley during GVSU's alumni Community Outreach Week in March of 2009.
Added October 2009
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