LUBBOCK, Texas — On Wednesday, Lubbock Fire Rescue (LFR) announced the upcoming retirement of Firefighter Matt Dawson, effective on April 11, 2022.
Dawson was critically injured in January 2020 while working the scene of a traffic accident in far North Lubbock. Fellow LFR Firefighter Lt. Eric Hill and Lubbock Police Department Officer Matt Nicholas Reyna both lost their lives in the line of duty in that same incident.
“We have made the difficult decision for Matt to retire from Lubbock Fire Rescue,” @DawsonStrong972 said. “This is a very emotional decision for us both, but especially for Matt.”
Below is the announcement that was posted on social media by LFR:
Lubbock Fire Rescue would like to make an important announcement, Firefighter Matt Dawson will be retiring from LFR on April 11, 2022. Matt began his career with the department in June of 2014 at Fire Station 1. He then transferred to Station 2 in 2015 where he began his journey to getting his Instructor certification and training members of LFR. Matt has a drive and passion for teaching, which he put into practice by educating many people in the community about fire safety and he is always ready to help people learn. In 2018 Matt got his paramedic certification while on shift at Station 2. On January 11th, 2020 Firefighter Matt Dawson was critically injured while working a vehicle accident. He has been through tremendous adversity and has made incredible progress in his recovery. Lubbock Fire Rescue would like to thank Firefighter Dawson for all of his service and dedication to the citizens of Lubbock as well as everyone in the Fire Department over the last seven years!
Below we have also added a statement from the Dawson Family:“
We would like to announce the bittersweet retirement of Lubbock Firefighter Matt Dawson. Matt began his career June 2nd, 2014 at station 1. He later transferred to station 2, where his passion for teaching ignited. Matt worked hard to achieve his Fire Instructor I certification along with becoming a paramedic in 2018 while on shift. Matt has such a passion for serving his community and caring for people. We want to thank our fire family and the amazing community of Lubbock for all of the support we have received the last 2 years.”
