August 27, 2010 > Fire Fighter of the Year award Fire Fighter of the Year award By Meenu Gupta Photo Courtesy of Aisha Knowles, Alameda County Fire Department Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty recognized Deputy Fire Chief Demetrious Shaffer as the recipient of the 2010 Fire Fighter of the Year award from the Alameda County Fire Department. "The award is a small but heartfelt way to recognize the contributions of our public safety personnel," said Haggerty. Deputy Chief Shaffer has worked in fire services for 25 years and previously served as Fire Department Chief of Newark. Due to ongoing budget deficits, Newark Fire department consolidated with Alameda County Fire Department May 1, 2010. Consolidation resulted in staffing changes and at that time, Shaffer became an Alameda County Deputy Fire Chief.