You might know one of those people who run toward danger. You know—the ones who don’t give a thought to themselves. They just go. If you’re really lucky, one of them might have come to your rescue.
We’re all lucky that these real-life superheroes, three of whom are the NACS Foundation’s 2026 First Responder of the Year winners, are members of our communities. The NACS Foundation’s 24/7 Day and the awards acknowledge the efforts of these brave, tireless individuals.
Convenience stores and first responders are intertwined. They’re both there when you need them, no matter the time of day or the situation. 24/7 Day was created eight years ago to recognize this relationship.
“First responders are one of our main customer groups in the small hours. Our 24/7 operations at convenience stores allow them to be used as safe spaces for customers, especially first responders, to get a healthy snack, caffeinate or connect with others,” said Kevin O’Connell, executive director of the NACS Foundation. “In disaster or emergency scenarios, they are also often a home base for teams to set up operations, host blood drives or be a place to find or bring donations.”
Karen Shepherd
After going on about 4,000 calls as a member of the Volunteer Fire & Rescue Protection District, Karen Shepherd is stitched into the fabric of the town of Pattonsburg, Missouri, population 350.
“Anyone who lives in Pattonsburg has known her [for] all of their lives,” said Kristen Nalle, The Gas Spot’s Missouri district manager and someone who has firsthand knowledge of Karen’s importance in the community. “It’s always Karen. ... She’s just here, she’s here. And that’s who you call.”
Karen got that call—not an official one through the fire district, but a personal call— when Kristen’s son was in a critical ATV accident with his twin. Karen was there before the team dispatched through 911 could arrive at the scene. She stabilized the boy, who was critically injured, before he was airlifted to a pediatric trauma center in Kansas City.
“We got a sense of security after [Karen] showed up,” said the boy’s dad, Brad Nalle.
Answering the call when someone’s in need is Karen’s MO. You could say it’s in her blood: Her dad was fire chief, and her brother was a firefighter for 25 years. She’s been a volunteer for 26 years, 23 of those as an EMT-B. Her kids have joined in, too: One is a firefighter, another is fire chief, and a third is a firefighter and EMT.
Karen received 25 nominations for First Responder of the Year, and it took 10 hours one day at The Gas Spot to collect everyone’s testimonials. The accolades were consistent:
“There’s not one person that doesn’t know who she is and what she does, so everybody loves her.” “As long as I’ve known her, she just does what’s right.” “She has an amazing heart and will do whatever she can to help someone.” “The question is, what hasn’t she done for the community?”
Tiffany Fraley, CEO of InConvenience Inc., operator of The Gas Spot, underscored the importance of Karen’s actions and her presence in the community.
“We don’t just operate in these communities. We’re part of them,” Fraley said. “Karen stepped in during one of the scariest moments imaginable and helped save our team member’s child. That kind of service and compassion leaves a lasting impact, and we loved seeing her recognized for the 26 years she’s dedicated to the Pattonsburg community.”
Karen is grateful for all the recognition, but “I’ve always just been one to help,” she insists.
One facet of her role not mentioned in the nominations is the fact that she amplifies women’s voices. Sometimes women aren’t believed when they say they need to go to the hospital, she said; she makes sure they get the care they need.
Kristen Nalle, whose son Karen helped to save, knows Karen will do that for anyone. “She would literally drop everything, no matter what she is doing, to come serve you, help you, in any way,” she said.
“It’s just the way the community works,” Karen said. “If you see someone on the side of the road, you have to ask them if they need any help.”
Carl Nielsen
The explosion of horizon biofuels in July 2025 rocked the local community of Fremont, Nebraska, and made national news. The response, which involved multiple local and state firefighting teams, demanded an experienced, organized first responder as its head of incident command. That person was Carl Nielsen.
Carl, fire chief of the Fremont (Nebraska) Rural Volunteer Fire Department since 2020, marked 30 years with the department in 2025. He became a firefighter at age 18. Like Karen Shepherd, being a first responder is in Carl’s blood: He’s a fifth-generation firefighter, following in the footsteps of his dad and grandfathers. He grew up two blocks from the firehouse.
He’s also an operations manager with travel center operator Sapp Bros. When Carl joined the company in 2018, he alerted his coworkers about his other job. The day Carl got the call about the explosion, he happened to be in a meeting with his boss. “I told him I had to go,” he said. “I’d warned him such a thing could happen.”
Upon arriving at the scene, which he called “mass chaos,” the first thing Carl had to do was get things under control. He formed a unified command, leading eight local fire departments, multiple law enforcement agencies, the county emergency management and the FEMA-funded Nebraska Task Force 1. He also kept the mayor informed about progress at the site.
A critical point in the response came during the first day, when the command was focused on fire suppression. The explosion had been caused by a dust fire, and it needed to be contained with a constant stream of water. However, the trucks pumping the water would need to leave the site to refuel. Carl averted that break in the response by calling his coworkers at Sapp Bros. and asking them to send fuel trucks to the site.
Carl was at the scene for almost two days straight, going home only to sleep for a few hours. It’s an example of how Carl “leads by example, consistently putting the needs of others before his own,” said his wife, Becky, in her nomination form.
“Everyone in that command deserves a piece of this award,” Carl said of all the departments and teams that responded to the explosion. While he acknowledges that the award is proof that people recognize the importance of first responders, being one of the winners was still a surprise.
“I didn’t in a million years dream this [award] would happen,” he said. “But I didn’t dream of a call like that, either.”
Ryan Sheridan & K-9 Dembe
Ever hear of “officer friendly”? Talk to Sgt. Ryan Sheridan for a few minutes, and you’ll realize you just met him.
The congenial, humble sergeant has been in law enforcement for two decades. He joined the Albemarle County Police Department in Charlottesville, Virginia, after transferring from Newport News, Virginia, in 2011. He’s been partnered with Dembe, a Belgian Malinois, since 2022. Dembe is his second K-9 partner.
Ryan was nominated by his own department for, among many other things, his “extraordinary dedication and professionalism” and an impressive 373 responses to calls for service in 2025. Many of those calls involved urgent support to other officers. He also seized sizable amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine (sniffed out by Dembe), assisted in the apprehension of nine violent offenders and recovered multiple firearms.
Ryan is also a natural at forming partnerships that benefit his department and his community. His work with the U.S. Marshals Service and the Virginia State Police led to “the successful resolution of numerous complex investigations,” his nomination said. Ryan and Dembe were presented with their award on 24/7 Day at The Market at Mill Creek in Charlottesville.
Along with being recognized as First Responder of the Year, Ryan and Dembe were named 2025 Officer of the Year by their department.
“To be recognized, with people seeing your work, and seeing it all on paper myself—it’s humbling,” Ryan said. “I’m very fortunate.”
He shifts much of the credit for his efforts and awards to Dembe and his fellow officers. “I’m just doing my job,” he said. “I’m glad to put the dog and the department in the light.”
Having a K-9 partner means being assigned to a special unit. As part of that, Ryan and Dembe went through training together to solidify their partnership, and Dembe lives with him. “It’s really nice having him at home,” Ryan said.
As for the “Officer Friendly” designation, Ryan might say that title should go to Dembe, who he called “a happy dog.”
“Dogs don’t get as long of a career as we do, so I want to spotlight him as much as possible,” he said.
For Ryan, becoming a police officer wasn’t the result of a family history in law enforcement. It came from somewhere else entirely: Watching Clint Eastwood films and old episodes of “Gunsmoke,” featuring James Arness’s Marshal Dillon.
“I grew up watching cowboy movies! I wanted to be a cowboy since I was 8 or 9 years old,” Ryan said. Being a police officer was about as close as he could get to that. It seems to have worked out for him—and the communities he serves—just fine.
