Jonathan Reese, the battalion chief of the Middletown Fire Department, received the 2024 Firefighter of the Year Community Service Award from the Portsmouth Grange for his outstanding service to the community.
Reese began as a firefighter/EMT in Middletown 17 years ago. During that time, he received a Bachelor of Science in fire science at Providence College and became the fire inspector in 2012. In January 2016, Reese was promoted to captain and in September 2020 he became the battalion chief. Since 2015, he has been an instructor at Rhode Island Fire Academy in Exeter. He is also a past president of the Church Council for St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Charlestown.