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Kelly Knepper Named Franklin County’s February Employee of the Month

Commissioners

February 18, 2022

Three men stand together indoors; the middle man holds a framed certificate.
Pictured (from left): Franklin County Commissioner John Flannery, February 2022 Employee of the Month Kelly Knepper and Commissioner Chairman Dave Keller.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.– The Franklin County Commissioners proudly presented the February 2022 Employee of the Month award to Kelly Knepper at their public meeting Feb. 16. Knepper has been employed with Franklin County since July 2002 and currently serves as an incident support team officer with the Franklin County Department of Emergency Services (DES).

February’s Employee of the Month recipient was determined by the Special Thanks and Recognition (STAR) Committee, which received a total of six nominations for the February award, including two for Knepper.

When nominating a coworker, employees are asked to share a specific event or circumstance that makes an individual deserving of Employee of the Month. Knepper’s nominations heralded his efforts to replace an aged DES emergency vehicle that was critical to the department’s operations. Not only did those efforts prove successful, they have also potentially saved Franklin County taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.

“Kelly’s search led him to a used Ford Heavy Duty pickup truck owned by the South Central Task Force (SCTF) of Pennsylvania and assigned to Penn State Health. Penn State Health no longer needed this vehicle for its operations and it was found to be in excellent condition as well as a very suitable replacement for the DES vehicle,” said the nomination form. “Because Franklin County is an active SCTF member, SCTF transferred ownership of the truck to Franklin County at no cost. Kelly’s diligence resulted in saving the county at least $50,000 and quite possibly more if a brand new emergency vehicle had been procured.”

The nomination continued, saying, “Kelly’s dedication and determination in leaving ‘no stone unturned’ resulted in Franklin County DES obtaining an emergency vehicle to further serve and assist the citizens and visitors of Franklin County at no additional cost to county taxpayers. His tenacity has helped ensure DES has the appropriate tools to fulfill its assignments and mission.”

Another nomination noted that, “Kelly’s efforts have kept the DES deployable resources mission-ready for immediate activation to support all-hazards emergency response for Franklin County and surrounding communities. Additionally, Kelly is called on to support activations of the Franklin County Emergency Operations Command and is responsible for making sure that the county is postured to staff and execute the full spectrum of county responses of disasters.”

Knepper’s outstanding characteristics are attributes that have not gone unnoticed by his peers. The nomination form describes him as resourceful, persistent, and a team player who is hard working, dedicated and trustworthy.

The Franklin County Commissioners are grateful to Knepper as he exudes a high standard of customer service, excellence and respect to the employees and residents of Franklin County.