BRIDGEPORT - Former Bridgeport resident Mark Foster received the Firefighter of the Month Award for the month of June for the entire Columbus Fire Department, which consists of about 1,800 firefighters.
Foster is the son of Walter and Sandra Foster of Bridgeport. He started his career as a volunteer firefighter for the Bridgeport Fire Department.
Foster is a 23-year veteran firefighter at the Columbus Fire Department and was assigned to Ladder Truck 1 in 1989. A ceremony for Foster was held June 26 at fire station 1300 in Columbus.
Mark is a member of the division's Honor Guard. He is also a rescue technician and trained as an alternate for the Incident Support Unit of the Columbus Fire Department. He volunteers for several of the department's "Christmas in April" projects and helped build playgrounds for his community.
He graduated from Bridgeport High School in 1986 and attended Belmont Technical College in 1987. He is a recipient of the Columbus division's Fire Service Award of Merit, the Distinguished Service Award and two Battalion Chief's Commendations.
He and his wife, Molly, have two children, Samuel, 7, and Claire, 5.
The Firefighter of the Month Program is sponsored by the Insurance Professionals of Columbus with support from the National Safety Council Central Ohio Chapter.
