Firefighters packed Mentor City Hall's Council meeting room Tuesday evening.

Most of them were from the Mentor Fire Department but officers from Willoughby Hills, Kirtland, Willoughby and Concord Township were there, as well.

And everyone in the room -- even those who never wore turnout gear or hosed a flame -- rose to give Mentor Fire Chief Richard Harvey a standing ovation when he received a resolution from City Council, congratulating him for winning the Ohio VFW's Firefighter of the Year award.

"I am so humbled and so honored by this award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which are very dear to my heart," Harvey told the audience.

The chief saved a special "thank you" for his family, noting that they were all nurses and firefighters.

"They've taught me so much about taking care of people," he said.

Bud Spreng -- the commander of the VFW George E. Hayward Post 9295 in Mentor and the man who nominated Harvey for the award -- thanked the chief for his decades of service.

Spreng also thanked Deputy Chief Robert Searles, who helped gather a lot of biographical information on the chief and did it surreptitiously so Harvey could be surprised by the award.

"Searles did a lot of background work behind the chief's back," Spreng joked.

Mentor City Manager Kenneth Filipiak thanked all the firefighters who filled the room. He said awards like this reflect the way the firefighters -- both in Mentor and Lake County -- cooperate.

"It's important to know these awards are team efforts, ultimately," Filipiak said.