Valdosta Mayor Pro Tem Alvin Payton, Jr. and Utilities Director Henry Hicks honored Robert Devlin as the May 2015 Employee of the Month at the May 21 City Council meeting. Devlin received a framed certificate and his name appears on a plaque displayed inside of City Hall. At the meeting, Devlin also received a check for $200, which he donated to the Valdosta Fire Department’s Give Burns the Boot fund to help local burn survivors.

As a Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator since October 2011, Devlin’s city responsibilities include monitoring the control panels and adjusting valves and gates to regulate wastewater flow, collecting water samples from various areas of the system for laboratory testing, maintaining a daily operation log, recording meter readings, and performing routine maintenance of the plant grounds. 

Recently, while Devlin was driving the Mud Creek tractor, he witnessed an accident at the intersection of Forrest Street and Perimeter Road, which he later learned involved a stolen vehicle. Devlin quickly stopped the tractor and used his radio to contact a nearby employee to instruct them to call 911. He then proceeded to the first vehicle involved in the crash, who was a young lady startled by her activated airbag. Devlin assisted her out of the car to safety, and quickly turned to assist another citizen involved in the accident. The occupants of the stolen vehicle were apprehended shortly after the accident for trying to escape on foot.

Devlin’s quick action in providing aid and comfort to the accident victims until paramedics arrived was the result of his kind spirit, in addition to the training he has received as a volunteer firefighter.  

The City of Valdosta applauds Robert Devlin for his dedication to the city and its citizens and for being named the May 2015 Employee of the Month.