About the Award
The IAFC Ben Franklin Award for Valor, sponsored by Motorola Solutions, is the IAFC's most prestigious award. Since 1970, the award has recognized the spirit of service, courage and heroism that is a proud tradition among the world's fire and emergency service. The program is named for one of the first fire chiefs in the United States, Benjamin Franklin. An inventor, statesman and humanitarian, Mr. Franklin was a prime contributor to the wealth of tradition that symbolizes the fire and emergency service worldwide.
Sponsored by:
Presented annually at Fire-Rescue International (FRI) by the IAFC and Motorola Solutions, the award honors a firefighter for his or her expert training, professional service and dedication to the duty displayed in saving human life. But the program is more than that. It helps raise public awareness and support for the fire and emergency service.
All active firefighters career or volunteer, whether on or off-duty, are eligible for award consideration. They need only to be nominated by their chief for an incident in which they saved a human life.
Nominations for 2022 are now open.
- An individual or a team of up to four may be nominated.
- All nominations are reviewed by a select committee of IAFC members.
- The incident must have occurred no earlier than April 1, 2020 and no later than December 31, 2021.
The nomination deadline is June 15, 2022.
Nominate: Ben Franklin Award for Valor
Questions? Contact: BenFranklinAward@iafc.org.
IAFC Ben Franklin Award for Valor Winners
2020 and 2021 Honoree
No award was presented in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.
2019 Honoree
California Fire Chief David Hawks Honored For Rescue Mission
2018 Honorees
Oregon Firefighters Honored for Daring House Fire Rescue
2017 Honoree
Ohio Crew Honored for Heroics in Retirement Community Fire
2016 Honorees
USA-1, Fairfax County (Va.) Fire and Rescue Department Urban Search and Rescue
USA-2, Los Angeles County (Calif.) Fire and Rescue Department’s Urban Search and Rescue
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2015 Honoree
Virginia Beach Crew Receives Highest Honor for Complex Mass Casualty Rescue
2014 Honoree
Kaua'i Fire Crew Saves 121 Hikers Stranded by Flash Flood
2013 Honoree
Arizona Fire Chief Honored for His Quick Thinking During Dangerous Rescue
2012 Honoree
Colorado Fire Crew Faces Perfect Storm in Dramatic Rescue
2011 Honoree
Australian Firefighter Receives Franklin Award for Valor
Additional Past Winners
2010: Kaua'i (HI) Fire Department
2009: Miami Dade (FL) Fire Rescue
2008: City of Watertown (NY) Fire Department
2007: Colorado Springs (CO) Fire Department
2006: Navy Fire and Emergency Services, Naval Station Rota, Spain
2005: Cheterfield County (VA) Fire and EMS
Complete List of Historical Winners (pdf)