(AGENPARL) - Roma, 9 Settembre 2024 - (AGENPARL) – lun 09 settembre 2024 Issued: Sep 9, 2024 (12:23pm EDT)
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EPA Pacific Southwest Region Emergency Response Team Earns Prestigious Public
Service Award for Maui Wildfires Response
EPA Clean School Bus Team was honored as a finalist for the Science,
Technology, and Environment award
WASHINGTON?— Today, Sept. 9, the Partnership for Public Service announced
it had awarded the?Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal in Safety,
Security, and International Affairs to Steve Calanog, Tara Fitzgerald, and
Pete Guria from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Region 9
office, covering the Pacific Southwest. Calanog, Fitzgerald, and Guria –
representing the hundreds of EPA employees nationwide who were part of the
Maui wildfires response – earned this honor for their work to remove tons of
hazardous materials from homes and businesses affected by the Maui wildfires
while respecting local cultural norms, setting new standards for federal
response teams that followed. EPA’s Clean School Bus Team, led by Karl
Simon, Christine Koester, and Matt Lakin from EPA’s Office of Air and
Radiation and Region 9, were also honored as finalists in the Science,
Technology, and Environment award category. 
“We are so proud of the Maui Wildfire Team for winning a 2024 Samuel J.
Heyman Medal and the Clean School Bus Team for being a finalist. These teams
represent every corner of our agency and highlight the critical role we play
in helping communities recover from natural disasters and protecting public
health and the environment,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe.
“Both EPA teams are in company with incredible civil servants from across
the federal government whose accomplishments represent the pinnacle of public
service, innovation, and commitment to saving lives and improving public
health and wellbeing.” 
The Maui Wildfires Emergency Response Team was recognized for directing more
than 300 EPA personnel to remove hazardous material, provide water
infrastructure assistance, and – in an effort that is continuing at present
– offer sustainability advice during the recovery process. On Aug. 8, 2023,
high winds and dry weather caused wildfires to develop in L?hain?, Upper
Kula, Upper Makawao and Olinda on the island of Maui. These wildfires affected
approximately 1,550 parcels, 2,200 structures and were among the deadliest
U.S. wildfires in at least the past 100 years. EPA personnel worked with
federal, state, and local government partners, as well as the community, on
response and recovery efforts. EPA crews removed more than 200 tons of
hazardous materials from 1,400-plus properties in fire-impacted areas. They
provided on-the-ground guidance and technical assistance for stormwater,
wastewater, and drinking water for the County of Maui.?And they gathered –
and acted on – guidance and advice from local communities on how to
undertake response activities in a sensitive manner, in acknowledgement of
L?hain?’s historical and cultural importance.?
The EPA Clean School Bus Team was recognized as a finalist for their work in
designing and implementing a program that funds new electric and
cleaner-energy school buses, reducing pollution and improving air quality for
children in schools across the nation. With $5 billion from the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Bill, the EPA’s Clean School Bus team has worked with school
districts across the country and many public and private entities to design
and implement a successful funding program that has issued almost 1,000 awards
to more than 1,200 school districts, totaling more than $2.7 billion in
investments.
The Sammies are awarded annually by the Partnership for Public Service. They
are designed to highlight excellence in our federal workforce and inspire
other talented and dedicated individuals to go into public service. The
achievements of the 2024 winners span many critical areas of our
government’s work, including removing tons of hazardous materials from the
Maui wildfires, developing new AI tools for patent and trademark systems, and
creating the world’s first tornado-resistant building codes. This year’s
honorees also pioneered policies to improve government services and the
customer experience, revolutionized bee disease diagnosis and treatment, and
helped prevent fatalities from roof falls and underground mining disasters.
More information on EPA’s Response to the Maui Wildfires. 
More information the EPA Clean School Bus Team. 
More information on the Service to America Medals.
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