City officials awarded Lt. Dewayne Fast with the Dunedin Firefighter of the Year award on Nov. 15.

"To become the Firefighter of the Year in this city takes a special person," Mayor Dave Eggers said at Thursday's city meeting.

Fast, a 16-year veteran, was publically lauded for his eagerness to help his peers, his direct approach to problem solving, and for using his personal tools to design and build a command console organizer for the district chief's vehicle. The end result was said to be better than a customized product available commercially and it saved the city $1,500.

"We have a special place in our heart for Dewayne," Commissioner Julie Ward Bujalski said. 

Fast thanked his peers for voting him into the prestigious award, his wife and two daughters for supporting him, and his father. 

"He passed these skills on to me," Fast said.