On Wednesday, Sept. 2, the Fairfax County Volunteer Fire Commission honored recipients of the 2019 Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service Awards. The ceremony was held at Public Safety Headquarters. "Each of these individuals demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the FCFRD through hundreds of hours providing fire and emergency medical services or through other roles that support the goals of the FCFRD," stated a Sept. 5 News and Information notice from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department. The individuals came from various volunteer fire and rescue departments throughout Fairfax County.

"Each year our 750 volunteers collectively perform 200,000 hours of service in the communities in Fairfax County," said Mike Wendt, President of the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Association. "The annual Volunteer Service Awards are a way for us to recognize the outstanding contributions of our current and future fire service leaders," he said.

Chief Timothy G. Fleming of the Franconia Volunteer Fire Department received the first-ever Fire Chief's Career Achievement Award. According to the award nomination letter by The Volunteer Fire Commission, Chief Fleming worked to improve the Fire and Rescue Department countywide as Chairman of the Volunteer Fire Commission. The letter said in part: "During his tenure, he worked with five divergent Fire Chiefs, navigating a changing landscape and making sure the volunteer system was represented and improved."

During Fleming's term as Chairman, some of the many initiatives and accomplishments included revision and implementation of the Volunteer Utilization Plan; increased utilization of volunteers because of changes to career staffing of EMS units; a comprehensive review of the volunteer system, The Ludwig Study: the successful creation of formal agreements between the 12 Volunteer Fire Department's and the County and improved recruitment and retention efforts to grow the volunteer system.

“I am honored to have such exceptional volunteers as members of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue’s combination career-volunteer system. Their hard work plays an integral role in helping support the department’s goals. These individuals, and all our volunteers, have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the department. I cannot thank them enough for their dedication to FCFRD and the communities they serve,” said Fire and Rescue Department Chief John S. Butler.

The 2019 Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service Awards

Fire Chief's Award: John Hootman, McLean Volunteer Fire Department

Volunteer Firefighter: Jack Prudence, Vienna Volunteer Fire Department

Administrative Member: Valentin Neacsu, Vienna Volunteer Fire Department

Administrative Member: Valentin Neacsu, Vienna Volunteer Fire Department

Administrative Officer: Kelsey Lanza, Vienna Volunteer Fire Department

Volunteer BLS Provider: Kerin Hamel, Great Falls Volunteer Fire Department

CERT Member: Susy Ledgerwood, Dranesville District

Volunteer Operational Officer: Al Woolf, Centreville Volunteer Fire Department

Special Recognition Award: Dave Presson, Bailey's Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department

Volunteer EMS Provider: Gus Sawatzki, McLean Volunteer Fire Department

Volunteer ALS Provider: Barry Brown, Burke Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department

Administrative Officer: Kelsey Lanza, Vienna Volunteer Fire Department