First Responder Friday honors Firefighter of the Year John Long of Clay County

By April Davis, News 104.5 WOKV

January 26, 2024 at 10:04 am EST

Clay County Firefighter John Long is the 2023 Firefighter of the Year Clay County Firefighter John Long is the Florida 2023 Firefighter of the Year.

By April Davis, News 104.5 WOKV

January 26, 2024 at 10:04 am EST

wokvjax — Florida State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis recognized Clay County Fire Rescue Firefighter John Long as the 2023 Professional Firefighter of the Year at the Fire Service Awards in Tallahassee Tuesday.

“There are so many deserving professional firefighters that stand with me and deserve the recognition,” Long said, “I especially want to thank my family for all their support and love over the years. Thank you to the Clay County Fire Rescue, their support has been incredible as well as Local 3362. I also want to thank The Florida Professional Firefighters under the leadership of Pres Bernoska. I thank you for your confidence in me. I am so proud to be a member of the elite FEMA Florida Task Force 1 from Miami Dade Fire Rescue. They took a chance on me years ago and I AM PROUD to be a part of that team.”

Governor Ron DeSantis signed a resolution recognizing this designation.

April Davis, News 104.5 WOKV

April Davis is WOKV’s News Director and Morning Co-anchor of Jacksonville’s Morning News on News 104.5. April joined WOKV in 2023 after more than 20 years as a reporter, anchor and manager at TV and radio stations in Alaska, Alabama, the Carolinas, Colorado, and Georgia.