Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical’s Jim McSwain was surprised Saturday evening with the honor of being named the 2003 state fire chief of the year.

“I was stunned. I’m just the one who gets the recognition for the work everyone else does,” said McSwain, who received the honor at the Kansas Fire Chiefs’ Assn. banquet in Arkansas City.

An association spokesman said McSwain was selected for the honor because of his work with the fire chiefs’ association and for his involvement in bringing Lawrence to “Class 2 status.”

Fire and casualty insurers rate each city’s fire defense on a scale of one to 10, with one being the highest class. Lawrence was the first city in Kansas, and is one of only two cities in the state, to reach Class 2 in fire defense.

During his 25-year career at the fire department, McSwain also led the merger between the Douglas County Emergency Medical Service and the Lawrence Fire Department.

“It’s very nice to be honored by your peers,” McSwain said. “It just goes to show that it’s the people that work around you and work with you that make things like this happen.”