EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville Firefighter Joey Cruz was honored with an Employee Excellence Award last week for his fire safety outreach to preschoolers at the Edwardsville YMCA. The award recognized Cruz’s interactive and educational sessions designed to teach young children about fire safety.

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Edwardsville City Finance Director Jeanne Wojcieszak nominated Cruz, highlighting his recent presentation to the YMCA preschool.

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“His presentation was not only informative but also engaging, age-appropriate, and interactive,” Wojcieszak said. She added that this type of outreach “strengthens community trust and exemplifies the values of service, education, and prevention that are core to the department’s mission.”

The award was presented to Cruz in a surprise ceremony at the main fire station.

The honor was formally announced at Tuesday’s Edwardsville City Council meeting.

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