A group of Public Safety and Water Resources employees received STARS Awards in June for rescuing a kitten caught between a wall and an HVAC unit. 

The City recognized Officer Richard Whitley, Officer Eric Nelson, Sgt. Marja Atchley, Richard Crick, Mike Adams, Brandon McCullough, Robert Odom and Jeffrey Plaisted, all from the Police and Fire Rescue departments, for demonstrating exemplary service in the rescue of the kitten at Birchwood Apartments on May 31. 

"When others were willing to give up and leave the kittens for dead our departments persevered and saved lives. I believe this is an example of going above and beyond normal job duties to provide exemplary service," dispatcher Amber Smith said in the nomination narrative presented to the STARS Committee.

The First Responders were called the complex on Lascassas Pike around 2:40 a.m. Thursday, May 31, Smith recounted.

"At first, the Fire Department was having a hard time getting the kitten out and advised that maintenance was aware and refusing to do anything," Smith said. "They also advised that the kitten would not last much longer."

PAWS was called and told about the situation, but said there wasn't anything they could do, Smith said.

The firefighters on scene didn't give up on the kitten and called in help from the police department.

"Officer Whitley and Officer Nelson and Sgt. Atchley responded and along with the Fire Department was able to rescue the kitten," Smith said. "While rescuing the kitten they discovered more kittens and were able to rescue the others."

Mayor Shane McFarland recognized the Public Safety employees during the June 21, 2018, meeting of the Murfreesboro City Council with the STARS award for Outstanding Performance:  “Succeeding Through Attitudes Reflecting Service Excellence.”  

The STARS Service Excellence program is intended to recognize outstanding employees who embody the city’s standards for service excellence and exemplify the city’s core service values. The purpose of the STARS award is to recognize and reward those employees who go above and beyond their normal job duties in providing outstanding customer service to internal and external customers.                                    

Water Resources employees honored previously

Three employees in the City of Murfreesboro Water Resources Department have been recognized with the STARS Award for service excellence.  Monte Casto, Shift Supervisor, and Greg Sandidge and Brandon Lassiter, both Maintenance employees, were named STARS award recipients for June 2018.  

Mayor Shane McFarland recognized the three Water Resources Department employees during the June 14 meeting of the Murfreesboro City Council with the STARS award for Outstanding Performance:  “Succeeding Through Attitudes Reflecting Service Excellence.”  

Casto, Standidge, and Lassiter received the nomination from Joe Russell, Assistant Plant Manager for the Stones River Water Treatment Plant. Casto, a Shift Supervisor, has worked for the City since April 2007.  Standidge was hired September 2015. Lassiter was hired May 2017. 

The nomination stemmed from action taken by the three employees in response to a chemical spill. The three were nominated by Russell in the following narrative:

"On March 28, 2018, during the delivery of Sodium Permanganate the fill line to our bulk tank cracked and broke off," Russell said.

Instead of panicking, the men leapt into action and stopped the leaking pipe and tanker by turning off valves and isolating the leak.  

"They then created a containment area by blocking and damming drains that could have taken this chemical to the river and caused environmental issues such as killing of fish and aquatic life," Russell said, adding they counteracted the chemical with another chemical, rendering it safe.

"They didn’t allow a drop to make it to the drains," Russell said. 

The truck driver didn't escape the spill unscathed. 

During the spill he was splashed with the permanganate and was rushed into an emergency shower to remove the chemical off himself. 

"While the driver did have a change of clothes, the three were all willing to provide him with their own clothing they had in their lockers, if needed," Russell said. 

Congratulations to both Water Resources Department and Public Safety employees for being named recipients of the STARS Award for Outstanding Performance.