Three people affiliated with the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management have been named the winners of instructor-of-the-year awards for 2012.

The recipients had been nominated by their peers and were honored at a ceremony earlier this month.

The Fire Instructor of the Year Award went to Sterling Volunteer Fire Chief Bill Graham. He has been an instructor for more than 10 years, teaching fire suppression classes for new firefighters and all the way up to those at the officer level.

"It's great to be recognized by my peers," Graham said. He added that he likes being an instructor because he finds that he learns from his students.

Mike McDonald, who has been working in Loudoun County for nearly five years, was named the Basic Life Support Instructor of the Year. A registered nurse and paramedic, he said he enjoys seeing students have the "ah-ha moment" when they learn new things.

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"I like being able to give information to other people," McDonald said.

Dr. Elise Wallo, who has been teaching in Loudoun County for the past few years, was honored for her instruction about advanced life support.

Wallo said she mainly teaches paramedics, who will discuss specific cases with her when they bring patients into the emergency room.

"I actually do a lot of what we call 'bedside teaching,' " she said.

njagoda@washingtonexaminer.com