Newport lifeguards, firefighters honored at chamber dinner

Emergency workers were treated to grub and gratitude at the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce’s 18th annual Fire and Lifeguard Appreciation Dinner last week.

The awards event was held Sept. 17 in the rose garden at the Newport Beach Marriott hotel.

The award for lifeguard supervisor of the year was given to Capt. Boyd Mickley, who took a lead role in renaming Newport Beach’s lifeguard headquarters for Ben Carlson, the first Newport lifeguard to die in the line of duty.

Andy Matsuyama was honored with the seasonal lifeguard of the year award. This summer, Matsuyama, 25, took on a new assignment as a dispatcher at the lifeguard headquarters.

Casey Blythe, a nine-year veteran of the Newport Beach Fire Department, was named firefighter of the year. During his tenure, Blythe has received a unit citation for his part in saving a 28-year-old woman in cardiac arrest and has been working on a surf rescue program for the department.

— Jeremiah Dobruck