Lucas County Health Center (LCHC) hosted Public Safety Day on Sunday, Oct. 4, bringing members of the community together to learn more about and show their support for local fire, law enforcement and EMS departments.
The event also marked the presentation of LCHC’s first Hometown Hero Award, an award created to recognize individuals who selflessly give their time to serve and support the Lucas County community.
Throughout the past year, community members were invited to nominate individuals who they believed went above and beyond to make Lucas County a safer and stronger place. A selection committee made up of a retired police officer, retired firefighter and community member reviewed the nominations without knowing the identities of the nominees and selected this year’s recipient.
While one individual was selected as the 2026 Hometown Hero, the award is also about recognizing everyone who was nominated. Each nomination represents someone who has made an impact on our community and inspired another person to take the time to say, “Thank you for what you do.”
Congratulations to Our 2026 Hometown Hero: Steve Davis
After reviewing all of this year’s nominations, the selection committee selected Steve Davis as the 2026 Hometown Hero Award recipient.
Steve’s nominations included:
He is always willing to help the county whether that is through being a firefighter/fire chief, working as an EMT through the Lucas County Health Center and being a great civilian looking out for each other. He goes above and beyond to make sure EMS and fire has trainings, new and improved equipment that is beneficial to helping our county in a time of need even while working another job. He is very nice and willing to help teach the younger generations coming into the role of fire or EMS. He shows great determination for our county! On fire calls he jumps right in to help and will take charge and lead the firemen’s.
He is always putting everyone in the community first. He shows up to every fire call, works on the ambulance part time and has another job at Hy-Vee. He will leave his family during holidays and dinner to serve those in his community. He is always first on scene and last off.
He helped myself and coworkers gain confidence and skills within the EMS department. Always encouraged me as well as other staff to keep going and not to give up. When issues came up he would do his best to help resolve the issue and if he didn’t know how he would find out how in a timely manner to resolve it. He is always happy and tries to lighten up other people’s day if they are having a bad day to get a smile on their faces.
He is someone everyone can rely on. He is always there to lend a hand and be there for any stranger on their worst day. His dedication in multiple department does not go unnoticed.
Congratulations, Steve, and thank you for your dedication to Lucas County and the people you serve.
Recognizing Our 2026 Hometown Hero Nominees
While Steve Davis was selected as the 2026 Hometown Hero, we are equally grateful for every person who was nominated. Each nomination represents someone who has made a difference in Lucas County and inspired another person to take the time to recognize their service.
Lori Graves
Lori was nominated for her dedication and professionalism as a dispatcher.
Her nominations included:
She is a professional and dedicated dispatcher and is well deserving of this award.
She is the best dispatcher there is. There has never been a time that I have ever needed help that she wasn’t top notch. During the last incident, my dad was life flighted after an accident. Due to various reasons, we had no clue what hospital they were taking him to. After 30 minutes of contacting hospitals and ambulance personnel, I called Chariton Police. Within 3 minutes, she knew exactly what hospital my dad was going to. She took time to figure this out and her calm, caring voice helped more than words can say.
As many know, Lori retired this past spring, but the impact she had on our community was abundantly clear over the years. We are grateful for her years of service.
Brian Beaty
Brian was nominated for his willingness to help others and his dedication to responding whenever he is needed.
His nominations included:
He’s always willing to help people, never backs down from anything, and still manages to put family first, even with a busy schedule.
Brian is well known for his willingness to help at house fires, grass fires, and any call that comes across his radio.
Thank you, Brian, for all you do for our community.
Ben Shelton
Ben was nominated for his many years of service and his compassion for the patients and people he serves.
His nominations included:
He has been serving this community since he was 19. He puts the patient first always and always puts them at ease with his caring and humorous compassion. Most of our elderly patients know him and speak highly of him. He is the best at his job, has amazing IV skills, and is always there to teach anyone who wants to learn. I nominate him for being an outstanding co-worker and a hometown hero to many.
I know whenever I need help, as a coworker, he will be there. He has also helped with my autistic cousin since he was young and always shows him kindness, dignity, and support. I have seen how he interacts with patients in many areas. He is one of a kind!
Thank you, Ben, for all you have done over the years to care for our community.
RayDean Burdess
RayDean was recognized for his dedication to both his community and the fire department.
His nominations included:
He shows a dedicated involvement in not only his community, but on the fire department. He takes great care in every call, and truly loves his community. He is the kindest most helpful guy. He does just about anything for anyone. He consistently and actively responds to emergency calls regardless of time of day or personal situations, including but not limited to leaving family events, dinners, and outings. He is always putting the good of others before himself, even when it means losing quality time with his wife and two kids. He’s all in, and deserves the recognition!
He is a hard working individual and always puts others before himself and has devoted his time to be on the volunteer firefighter department.
He is such a hardworking individual who puts others before himself, he is such a great father, brother and friend.
He is a very devoted father and husband! I have seen him grow so much in the past few years, he works so very very hard at every single thing he does! He is very compassionate and caring person and he pours himself into every thing he does!
He has been an outstanding member in the community and will go out of his way to make something difficult work no matter the time needed. He is so dedicated to his family, work and volunteering for the firefighters!
Thank you, RayDean, for all you do for our community.
Dustin Wickett
Dustin was nominated for his dedication to protecting the Chariton and Lucas County community.
His nomination included:
He goes out of his way to provide protection to the community of Chariton and Lucas County. He has always been a man of high morals and principles. He helps on a daily basis while on his routine patrol. He often times sees people at their worst and helps them in a time of need. He makes the community a safer place.
Thank you, Dustin, for all you do for our community.
Frank Cortes
Frank was nominated for a courageous act that helped save the lives of his neighbors.
His nomination included:
On the afternoon of February 27, he was arriving home from work. As he turned into his neighborhood, he saw smoke coming from under the front porch of his neighbor’s home. Both cars were home and it was a quick decision as to whether he would attempt to extinguish the fire first or rouse his neighbors. He leapt onto the front porch and pounded on the door. The homeowner was home and his partner and their 5-year-old son were sleeping. He urged them to leave their belongings and flee the house with their child. The fire spread quickly from under the porch and soon the home was engulfed in flames. The family hurried to safety without injury. Without the courageous action of this individual, it could have been a very different story. The home burned completely to the ground very quickly and the family lost everything that wasn’t already on their backs. The home and both vehicles were completely destroyed. His quick response saved not only the lives of those within the home, but the neighborhood. The fire was of such intensity that homes across the street had windows cracked by the extreme heat.
Thank you, Frank, for stepping in and taking lifesaving measures. We are proud to have you in our community.
Rich Hamilton
Rich was nominated for decades of service through the towing industry and his commitment to helping people when they need it most.
His nomination included:
He not only grew up watching but learned the tow truck trade at a very young age, many nights falling asleep at the back door so he wouldn’t miss a tow truck call in the middle of the night. He and Hamilton Towing have answered the call for decades and are behind the scenes when disaster strikes. Rain, snow, heat, day or night he is there to ensure your property is removed from the roadway safely in any circumstance!
Thank you, Rich, for all you do for our community.
Nominate a Hometown Hero
The Hometown Hero Award is open to both public safety personnel and civilians. Firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMS personnel and civilians can all be nominated. The only requirement is that the individual serves Lucas County.
If there is someone who goes above and beyond, gives their time to help others, or makes a difference in the lives of people in our community, we encourage you to nominate them for next year’s Hometown Hero Award.
Every nomination is an opportunity to tell someone, “Thank you for what you do.”
We are grateful to everyone who took the time to nominate someone this year and to all of our 2026 Hometown Hero nominees for the ways they serve our community.
Congratulations to Steve Davis, our 2026 Hometown Hero, and thank you to all of our nominees!