| On October 4, 2012, four members of the Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Department traveled to the National Fire Academy in Emmittsburg Maryland to provide support for the Annual National Fallen Firefighter Memorial Weekend sponsored by the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation. Every October, the Foundation sponsors the official national tribute to all firefighters who died in the line of duty during the previous year. Thousands attend the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmittsburg, Maryland.
Tom Hayden, Michael Gaylor, T.J Hayden and Dylan Smith were part of a team of over 100 fire service personnel from all over the country who volunteered to provide support over the 4 day event. They were assigned to the Logistics Section led by Logistics Chief Thomas Hayden, (retired Prince Georges County Battalion Chief and current Huntingtown VFD member) and provided logistical support to the operations section, family services section, foundation staff and other elements of the incident management team. The members provided a combined total of 170 hours of staffing during the four day period.
This year's premier event, the Sunday National Memorial Service, had to be moved from the memorial site to the nearby Knott Arena located at Mount St Mary's College due to inclement weather. This required that the entire production of equipment and supplies be relocated Saturday night after the Candlelight service was held.
The hard work and efforts of the Huntingtown VFD Team were noticed by many leaders of the American fire service. Several complimented them on their dedication and professionalism. John McGrath, Chief of the Raleigh North Carolina Fire Department and the overall Incident Commander for the memorial weekend stated, "These three young men (TJ Hayden, Dylan Smith & Mike Gaylor) represented not only the Huntingtown Fire Department but the American fire service in the most important and sacred event that the fire service has. The Huntingtown Volunteer Fire Department is fortunate to have members of this caliber and the foundation is grateful for their commitment to honoring our fallen heroes."
From the leadership and membership of the Huntingtown VFD, we thank you for your services! |
