The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce honored Upcounty Police Officers, Firefighters and Paramedics at their 19th Annual Public Safety Awards Breakfast.
The event was held on Friday, August 8 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg. This year we honored 57 of the County’s, National Institute of Standards and Technology Fire Department & the City of Gaithersburg’s finest men & women in following categories: Citation for Bravery, Distinguished Service Citation and Meritorious Service Citation.
Over 200 people were in attendance as several members of the Gaithersburg Police Department, Montgomery County Police 5th & 6th Districts & Montgomery County Fire & Rescue and National Institutes of Standards and Technology Rescue Services were recognized for their service. This annual awards program provides the business community with an opportunity to publicly thank those who help maintain the quality of life in the Gaithersburg and Germantown area.
The Chamber recognizes the heroic deeds of our local law enforcement and fire-rescue workers in four categories: Medal of Valor, Citation for Bravery, Distinguished Service Citation & Meritorious Service Citation. These men and women go above and beyond the call of duty to serve our local community and the GGCC wants them to know we appreciate them and their hard work.
“We are honored to have these heroes in our community, the very least we can do is to thank them for their service,” said Marilyn Balcombe, GGCC President.
Fifty-seven Public Safety Officials were awarded in total in cases ranging from a residential shooting involving a police officer, a mother who was performing an exorcism on her children, children who were stuck in an icy pond, and a head-on automobile collision were a [patient was ejected from an automobile.
Each awardee received a citation from Senator Brian Feldman, Senator Roger Manno and Congressman John Delaney, as well as a token of our appreciation.
For the seventh year in a row, Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling, www.pdrmontgomery.com, was the Title Sponsor of the event. For more than 40 years, Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling craftsmanship and care has helped families and businesses overcome the devastating setbacks inflicted by fire, flood and wind.
“Once again we salute all the first responders in Montgomery County for their unwavering dedication to keep our citizens safe. So many times we forget how important it is to thank the men and woman who give us the comfort that our family is safe. Congratulations to all of this year’s award winners,” said Tom Plant, Paul Davis Restoration and Remodeling Managing Partner.
Other Public Safety sponsors include:
Shining Silver:
- City of Gaithersburg
- The Gazette
- Hughes Network Systems, LLC
- Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union
- Montgomery County Employee Federal Credit Union
Table:
- Asbury Methodist Village
- Berman, Sobin, Gross, Feldman & Darby LLP
- Gaithersburg Police Foundation
- Holy Cross Hospital
- Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus
- Kaplan University
- Lerner Enterprises / Black Hills Development
- OBA Bank
- PEPCO
- Robert Cowdrey
- Shady Grove Adventist Hospital
- Therrien Waddell, Inc.
- Walmart
Public Safety Official Sponsor:
- A Cat Clinic
- GeneDx
- Lerch, Early & Brewer, Chtd.
- Linowes & Blocher, LLP
- Maryland Leadership Workshops
- Randy Scritchfield, CFP
- Robert Cowdrey
- Scheer Partners, Inc.
- Sonabank
- Strive Business Solutions, LLC
Gift:
- Buca di Beppo
- Cafe Rio
- Copper Canyon Grill
- Corner Bakery Gaithersburg
- Largent’s Restaurant & Bar
- Melting Pot Gaithersburg
- Pasha Restaurant
Official Photography Donated by / Sponsored by:
- Sugarloaf Photography by Fabrizio
Elected & public safety officials in attendance included:
- Representing Congressman John Delaney’s office Kevin Mack
- Representing State Senator Ben Cardin’s office Ken Reichard
- State Senator Brian Feldman – District 15
- Representing Senator Barbara Mikulski’s office, Laurie Edberg
- State Delegate Charles Barkley – District 39
- Montgomery County Councilmember Phil Andrews
- City of Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz
- City of Gaithersburg Councilmember Cathy Drzyzgula
- City of Gaithersburg Councilmember Henry Marraffa
- City of Gaithersburg Councilmember Michael Sesma
- Upcounty Regional Services Center Director Cathy Matthews
- Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief Luther Reynolds
- Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief Darryl McSwain
- Montgomery County Fire Department Chief Steve Lohr
- Montgomery County Fire Department Operations Chief Scott Goldstein
- Montgomery County Police Sheriff’s Darren Popkin
- Montgomery County Police Sheriff Chief Deputy Mark Bonanno
- National Institute of Standards and Technology Fire Chief Stephen Shahan
- National Institute of Standards and Technology Director of Emergency Services Mark Spurrier
- Montgomery County Police, 5th District, Commander David Gillespie
- Montgomery County Police, 6th District, Lt. David McBain
- Gaithersburg Police Department Police Chief Mark Sroka
- Gaithersburg Police Department Commander Robert Wilkes
- Gaithersburg Police Department Commander Tom Stanton
- Gaithersburg Police Department Lt. Curtis Pettaway
- Gaithersburg Police Department Corporal Shawn Eastman
- Germantown Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. Fire/Rescue Chief Joe Chornock
- Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Fire Department, Inc. Deputy Chief Ken Knopp
Barbara Crews, Assistant Executive Director, Community Relations from Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus & GGCC Board member. was the master of ceremonies.
City of Gaithersburg Police Officers Chris Leach & Nathan Provost & Montgomery Count Police Officers Sergeant Robert Lumsden, Officer Matthew Stoycos, Officer Andrew Ingalls and Officer Amy Krone were awarded the Distinguished Service Citation at the GGCC’s 19th Annual Public Safety Awards breakfast on August 8, 2014. They were awarded the citation for their life-saving tactics involving Officer Chris Leach who suffered a deep laceration when he responded to a call involving a dispute between two juveniles. These officers were not only able to save Officer Leach’s life but were able to control the scene and administer first aid to one of the juveniles who suffered injuries as well.
(photo by Sugarloaf Photography by Fabrizio)
To see all the event photos, visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ggchamber/.