Carlsbad’s business community paid tribute to the men and women of the city’s fire and police departments who battled the Poinsettia fire, which struck Carlsbad on May 14. The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce is giving pocket knives to all Carlsbad firefighters and police officers who assisted in the firefighting effort. Fire Chief Mike Davis as well as Battalion Chiefs Mike Lopez and Michael Calderwood received the tokens of appreciation at the Chamber’s Executive Committee Meeting on Wednesday, June 18. “We wanted to recognize our first responders in an appropriate and meaningful way,” said Ted Owen, president and CEO of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. “Instead of providing them with a banquet or a certificate of appreciation, we decided to go with these knives. They are equipment that they can use every day.” The knives were secured through sponsorships from some long-time chamber members including Grand Pacific Resorts, Tip Top Meats & European Delicatessen and Westfield Carlsbad. SD Trophy engraved each knife with a message of appreciation. *** Pictured above, from left, are Stephen Flurh, development director for Westfield; Carlsbad Fire Battalion Chief Mike Lopez; John Haedrich of Tip Top Meats; Chamber of Commerce Chairman John Osborne; Fire Chief Mike Davis; Battalion Chief Michael Calderwood; Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall, Tim Stripe of Grand Pacific Resorts and Councilman Michael Schumacher.