The City Council on Monday recognized Mission Viejo’s top employees of the year. They are Daniel Hernandez, Deputy Jarrett Kurimay and Fire Captain Brad Haldeman. Each individual does exemplary work and is an example for others to follow.
Daniel was named the City of Mission Viejo’s Employee of the Year because he has put his heart and soul into his 16-year tenure with the City. A Public Services Contracts Administrator, Daniel displays outstanding public service, integrity, teamwork and innovation. He is a role model for others. In his position, he handles an array of work requests from staff and the public like plumbing, HVAC, risk management and electrical repairs. He supervises the daily in-house and contract janitorial and custodial cleaning at City facilities, performs special event functions and other duties as needed. A dedicated employee, Daniel always goes above and beyond the call of duty and often covers co-worker shifts when folks are sick and adjusts his work schedule to accommodate the public when making repairs or performing improvements to City facilities.
Daniel is also passionate about the community and devotes his time as a dedicated volunteer for the Mission Viejo Activities Committee.
Deputy Jarrett Kurimay is a 16-plus year Orange County Sheriff’s Department veteran was named Mission Viejo Police Services’ 2011 Employee of the Year for his strong worth ethic and commitment to the City. He and his K-9 “Kilo,” an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois/Dutch Shepherd mix, have faithfully served the citizens of the Mission Viejo for the last 4 ½ years.
Known as a “hard-charger” who makes the most out of every day, Deputy Kurimay is an exceptional patrol deputy and outstanding K-9 handle. One of only two K-9 deputies in South Orange County, Deputy Kurimay is also called upon to help neighboring cities when in need. Out of the 120 deployments so far this year, this dynamic duo took part in more than 70 narcotic searches, 16 K-9 demonstrations and three criminal arrests, which included two dog bites from Kilo. The dog, who was born in Holland, joined the Sheriff’s Department when he was nearly 3 thanks to a donation from the Mission Viejo Elks Lodge. Since covering Mission Viejo, he has located stolen property, hidden evidence, weapons and mass quantities of narcotics. He’s also responsible for roughly $1 million in cash seizures.
Fire Captain Brad Haldeman, Mission Viejo’s top 2011 OCFA Employee of the Year, has been serving Mission Viejo for 2 years and has been with the Fire Authority since 1997. He is known for his leadership skills, dedication, perseverance and vast experience.
He is responsible for the daily supervision and operational readiness of a three-person fire engine and two-person paramedic van assigned to OCFA Fire Station 31 on Olympiad Road. Each 24-hour shift, Captain Haldeman ensures that his personnel and equipment are ready to respond to any type of emergency – whether it’s a medical aid in someone’s home, traffic accident or structure fire. He gives direction to his crew, develops a plan to handle the emergency and coordinates any additional resources that may be needed. Along with these essential duties, Captain Haldeman has donated hundreds of hours to research and construct a state-certified hazardous materials training site at OCFA’s Regional Fire Operations Training Center in Irvine.
