August 18, 2014 | by Sonya Burke

Honoring Our Public Safety Heroes (PHOTOS & VIDEO)

For three years, I have been honored to cover the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce’s Public Safety awards ceremony. This is an annual event that takes place, traditionally, on the first day of the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair at the Heritage building and it’s designed for the local business community to thank our county’s first responders for their bravery and service.

I always look forward to this event because you get to meet some of our county’s unsung heroes. I am not alone, this year’s event set a record for attendance with over 200 people in the crowd.

GGCC Executive Director Marilyn Balcombe even joked during introductions that attendees could thank her for the cardio workout, before breakfast, as the hike from parking was long for some.

Some of the stories shared during the awards presentation are heartbreaking, and that’s why the men and women honored at this event are so extraordinary.

I asked both Balcombe and Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz why this annual event means so much to them personally. You can view their responses in this MyMCMedia Extra video, below:

As the Mayor mentioned, some of the Upcounty calls for service this past year have been high profile and often made the local news. There was a clerk stabbing at a local 7-11, a shooting at a police officer’s home, an exorcism where two children died in Germantown, an icy sediment pond with kids in the water in Gaithersburg, a fatal fire and there were other dramatic calls for service. You may not remember those calls or think about them on a daily basis until you are at an event like this.

For those who missed this event, you can find links to all the awards presented on the MyMCMedia website beginning with our two-minute recap. I hope you will take the time to listen to these stunning stories and watch the tributes that are so deserving for our county’s first responders. These men and women deserve our attention and gratitude everyday.

Related:

GGCC Public Safety Awards Breakfast Slated for August 14th

The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce will honor Upcounty police officers, special operations teams, firefighters and paramedics at their 20th Annual Public Safety Awards Breakfast. The event will be held on Friday, August 14 from 7:30-10:30 a.m. at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, Harvest Building, 16 Chestnut Street, Gaithersburg. This year we will honor the county’s, National […]

In this MyMCMedia Extra video, the distinguished service citation is presented to Officer Sean Wade, Officer Justin Haire, Officer Alexander Patapis and Officer Michael Power for their response to a fatal stabbing and shooting at an officer’s house. Take a look: Related:

In this MyMCMedia Extra video, Gaithersburg Police Chief Mark Sroka presents the Meritorious Service Citation to police interns Anthony Jones and Orlando Jarquin. Take a look. Related:

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)

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 […]

For 19 years, the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce has recognized the men and women who are sworn to protect and serve the Upcounty by hosting the Public Safety Awards Ceremony and breakfast. MyMCMedia’s Sonya Burke reports that this year there was a record turnout for the event that is held traditionally on the first day […]

In this MyMCMedia extra, Sergeant William Knowlden, Officer Lee Meyer, Officer John Christ, Officer Fernando Puig, Officer Brian Fockler, and Officer Alex Waddell are awarded the citation for bravery for their response to a horrific murder scene in Germantown. Related:

In this MyMCMedia extra, the distinguished service citation is presented to Volunteer Chief Alan Hinde, Battalion Chief Douglas Hinkle, Captain Woodward Carter, Captain Edward Norris, Lt. Brent Frain, Lt. John Horrell, Lt. Daniel Hudson, Lt. Brian Kane, Firefighter Eric Smolinsky, Firefighter Bryan Rojtas, Firefighter Aaron Baginski, Fire Rescue Mark Hopkins, Fire Rescue Brian Alleman, Fire […]

In this MyMCMedia extra, the citation of bravery is presented to firefighters Sarah Baker and Allen Durham at the Gaithersburg-Germantown Public Safety Awards ceremony on August 8. Related:

In this MyMCMedia extra, Montgomery County 5th District Police Officer Kim Curry, Officer Mary Davis, Officer Scott Macgregor, Officer Michael Murphy and Officer Chris McCormick are recognized with the distinguished service award. Take a look: Related:

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About Sonya Burke

Sonya Burke is the Multimedia Manager at Montgomery Community Media (MCM). You can email story ideas at sburke@mymcmedia.org or reach her on Twitter @SonyaNBurke.

View all posts by Sonya Burke

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Honoring Our Public Safety Heroes (PHOTOS & VIDEO)

GGCC Public Safety Awards Breakfast Slated for August 14th