Howard County officials gave heartfelt thanks to some of their finest Tuesday evening.
Chief Tommy Sullivan and 10 members of the Howard County Volunteer Fire Department received special recognition for their role in fighting the recent Alon Refinery fire during at an appreciation dinner at KC’s Steakhouse.

Sullivan and his firefighters played a central role in combating the Feb. 18 blaze, extinguishing a potentially catastrophic fire near the central “cat cracker” unit, as well as safeguarding several oil storage tanks.

“They are the unsung heroes of Howard County,” County Judge Mark Barr said. “They’re just a bunch of regular old guys you meet on the street every day ... They may be volunteers, but they’re professionals in every other way. They knew what they were doing.”

All members of the HCVFD received letters of commendation from the county, while 10 received the Medal of Valor for “service above and beyond” in fighting the fire, Barr said.

Those 10 HCVFD firefighters were Jerry Crawford, Mitchell Hooper, Codee Barraza, Ryan Kennedy, Justin Jernigan, Paul Starr, Josh Sullivan, Eric Barber, Zach Johnson and Kem Hooper.

Chief Sullivan was complimentary of all his firefighters, not just the ones specially honored.

“Just to show up that day took a huge amount of courage,” Sullivan said. “I’m proud of all of them.”

And Sullivan was also appreciative of the county’s pat on the back.

“I’m sure I speak for everyone in the department when I say, ‘Thank you,’ for all of this,” he told Judge Barr.

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331, ext. 234 or by e-mail at