| For the 2nd year in a row, 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, TJ Hayden, Tim Bevard and Matt Montgomery were part of a team which volunteered to provide support during the entire event. They provided logistical support to the operations section, family services section, foundation staff and other elements of the incident management team.
From the leadership and membership of the Huntingtown VFD, we thank you for your services!
Mesage from Chief Siarnicki to the volunteer support staff:
When the Federal Government shut down last week forcing us to scramble to make Memorial Weekend 2013 happen, Chief John McGrath told me that despite such a major obstacle, "this would be our finest moment". It was an extremely accurate prediction.
As we all know there is only one measure for the success of Memorial Weekend. That comes from how it's viewed by the survivors we host. The comments that have come in so far, including some you can view for yourself on the NFFF Facebook page, clearly show that this was another extremely moving and memorable weekend. We may have anguished over a lot of difficult decisions and worked much longer than normal hours to deal with some very unusual challenges, but the survivors, as it should be, never saw us sweat. They saw, as survivors have every year, a poignant and loving tribute to their firefighter.
All of this is really a tribute to you. Our survivors and the public will never know how hard you worked under difficult and challenging conditions. But I know, the rest of the Foundation leadership knows and we hope you know that this was our finest moment. It's something we all should be proud of.
We know we did not do this alone. The assistance received from fire and EMS departments in the region and from our command team were extraordinary. There were so many resources committed to us that I'm afraid if I start listing them, I will leave someone out. You all know who you are and your commitment to the Foundation and the survivors at a time of need will not be forgotten.
Our immediate neighbors, to include: Frederick County, Howard County, the Town of Emmitsburg, the Daughters of Charity, Mount St. Mary's University, Vigilant Hose Company and the Emmitsburg Volunteer Ambulance Company opened their hearts and buildings to us so that we could provide the services and programs we promised.
Our corporate partners, as always, helped fund the weekend activities and provide personnel to work the various activities we offer to our survivor families.
Probably the most extraordinary moment of a most extraordinary weekend was the one that was most in doubt. This was when the survivors were taken Saturday evening through the gates of the closed NETC campus to visit the Memorial. That would not have happened without our good friends Chief Ernie Mitchell, United States Fire Administrator, W. Craig Fugate, Administrator of FEMA, and The Honorable Steny Hoyer of Maryland's 5th District. Along with a core team of individuals who work within the FEMA and USFA systems that helped make sure the families had a most beneficial visit to the memorial grounds.
Through the many long nights and days, our staff, contractors, returning survivors and Memorial Weekend volunteers accepted all of the changes in stride. You thought strategically and executed plans creatively. You used your brains and brawn to get the job done efficiently and professionally. But probably most importantly you maintained the sense of humor, compassion and perspective so needed to make all of this work
I am confident that, because of you, the survivors left Emmitsburg on Sunday with the assurance that they – and their firefighters – will never be forgotten. They remain Forever in Our Hearts |
