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Words
can’t possibly describe the work that Tony has done for the Phoenix Fire
Department, and the citizens of Arizona. He
has seen his share of fires and worked through the same dangerous calls that
many firefighters have.
Tony actually started his career as a Volunteer for the Cottonwood Fire
Department back in 1982. He obtained his EMT certification and also volunteered
for the Verde Valley Ambulance Company. Tony was only nineteen when he got his first
fulltime firefighter position with the Verde Rural Fire District, where he worked
for the next ten years.  During
this time he rose to the rank of Captain and was among the first group from this
department to receive Paramedic certification. Tony went on to become the
department's training officer and taught Firefighter I & II classes at the
local Yavapi College. It was
in 1994 when Tony began his career with the Phoenix Fire Department. He is now
in his thirteenth year and is a Captain/Paramedic. As a member of the Honor
Guard, Technical Rescue Team, and USAR Team, Tony is well-respected for his
accomplishments.
What
makes him our winner this year is his COMPASSION. It is not that we are not
proud of what he does on the job, but we are especially impressed by what he
does when he is not on duty!
Tony
received four nominations for this award. One
wrote:
“As a Phoenix Firefighter, Tony
is well-respected among his peers and superiors. His level of integrity is
unsurpassed. His compassion on the job with citizens is moving, always
maintaining a positive approach, even while the circumstances he is dealing with
are often very demanding.”
I
believe it is this compassion that led him to become a volunteer at the Foundation for Burns & Trauma over seven years ago.
Maintaining his true character, Tony became involved with Camp Courage
and immediately identified several
safety issues and then found himself in the newly created position of safety
officer. Tony’s contributions did not stop there. 2006 was Tony’s second
year as the volunteer camp director, a task requiring hundreds of hours of
planning, chairing a committee, implementing programs, and providing leadership to
volunteers as well as campers, all with the focus and determination of a champion.
Volunteering
is tireless, ensuring that the burn survivors and their families' lives are
enriched. One nominee said that he
always asks, “What’s going to be best for the kids?”, and he knows that’s
really what this camp is all about.
 Tony’s
ambition for educating the Arizona community is also remarkable. He uses his degree in Fire Science and his Masters
Degree in Education & Leadership to prepare for speaking engagements at
media appearances, other fire departments, and civic group events. This helps
to educate the community on burn prevention and raises funds to support the
camp. A one-week camp for one child costs $1,000!
Tony
uses his Bachelors Degree in Management to help find ways to creatively raise
the many thousands of dollars needed
each year.
With Firefighter
Mure’s help, the Foundation stays involved with several events throughout the
year to take care of their needs; a beer booth at the Cardinal games, golf
tournaments, a corn maze haunted house, and the very creative Festival of Trees
black tie event. This is where elaborately decorated trees are auctioned off for
as little as two hundred or as much as six thousand dollars. Tony says, for six
thousand dollars he will both deliver and set up the tree the very next day,
ensuring it will be ready for Christmas!
Tony Mure epitomizes the character and charm of Arizona firefighters, and
demonstrates true leadership, which we are very proud of. He is the type of person who has so much passion for his
profession. He
takes it to a whole new level. He
is a firefighter that goes beyond his everyday job of saving victims, and takes
action to help burn victims during the initial emergency, in the hospital,
throughout the recovery process, and beyond. His actions do speak louder than any
words!
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