June 14, 2017 – Several RVFD members were honored at the Rockville Public Safety Awards Luncheon, sponsored by the Rockville Chamber of Commerce, held at Lakewood Country Club.
A HUGE and heartfelt congratulations to the following RVFD members. The citations from the program are below:
Fire Chief Scott Emmons – Distinguished Service Citation:
Chief Scott E. Emmons joined the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department over 27 years ago. Not only does he make a contribution to day-to-day fire-rescue operations, but he also has served for the past seven years as the department’s fire chief — arguably a full-time position. He is one of the longest continuously serving chiefs in the modern history of the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department.
Chief Emmons joined the department in 1993 after moving from Connecticut. He attended college while living at the firehouse, serving every night as a volunteer firefighter/EMT. He served in every operational position from sergeant to the highest operation rank – fire chief, taking on the most difficult tasks. He did all of that in a highly professional manner, but without pay.
Chief Emmons is best described as a “chief’s chief” for his hands-on approach to leadership, management and operations. He shows his knowledge and skills by doing, not by telling others what to do. He responds to hundreds of emergency calls every year as the fire chief and commands some of the biggest and most complex incidents in and around the county.
Not only does he serve as chief for the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department, but he regularly rosters as the Volunteer Duty Operations Chief for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, of which Rockville is a member along with the 18 other volunteer departments and the county government. He is one of only a dozen volunteer and career chief officers qualified and certified to hold the position.
Chief Emmons is one of only a small group of the thousands of volunteers who ever attain the rank of fire chief. Each year he is one of the fire department’s top responders on calls and top providers of hours served, and is always at the station working on issues.
He took a personal interest in the financial workings of the RVFD several years ago and is an expert in funding streams. Each month he reviews and often corrects financial issues and payments. 13 Chief Emmons recognizes the greatest contribution a leader can make is preparing and teaching the leaders of the future, so his top priority is growing the ranks of the department. He has trained, mentored and promoted one of the largest groups of new officers in the department’s history, assuring the continued success of the department long after he steps down as chief.
Chief Emmons works for a major police force in the area, coordinating terrorism response with the federal government and traveling the world teaching law enforcement professionals. He also furthers his own education.
For his unparalleled vision, commitment to the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department and almost 30 years of active service, Fire Chief Scott E. Emmons is awarded the Distinguished Service Citation.
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EMS Captain Kathy Dayton – Distinguished Service Citation:
Kathy Dayton joined the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department 14 years ago and has been serving the residents of Rockville and Montgomery County with distinction ever since.
Not only does Capt. Dayton make a contribution in day-to-day fire and rescue operations, but she also serves in administrative positions that are vital to the survival of the department.
She has volunteered thousands of hours for the people of the community through her service to the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department.
Capt. Dayton joined the department in 2003, quickly working her way up through the ranks, taking the required training and becoming qualified to hold the positions of Emergency Medical Technician, master medical attendant, Emergency Medical Services lieutenant and, currently, EMS captain.
With a special interest in training and a background in teaching, Capt. Dayton created an opportunity to help other members learn and grow professionally. She became a CPR instructor, an EMT instructor and lead in the Basic Life Support program. For her own education, she completed over 1,600 hours of training on her own time and became nationally certified as a paramedic. Less than 5 percent of all fire and rescue providers reach that level of training. She does all of this without pay.
Since 2004, Capt. Dayton coordinates Every 15 Minutes, a program designed to dramatically portray the dangers of drinking and texting while driving. Each year, the program impacts the lives of thousands of high school students in the Rockville area through school-based educational programs and the staged “crash” put on by the fire department.
Professionally, Capt. Dayton is the coordinator of the Fire Science and Emergency Services and Emergency Preparedness Management programs and, for 12 years, a professor at Montgomery College. She holds a master’s degree from Trinity College.
For her unwavering dedication to the residents of Rockville and Montgomery County through her service to the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department, Kathy Dayton is awarded Distinguished Service Citation.
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Other awards:
Sabrina Snell – Meritorious Service Citation
Alain Pankopf – Meritorious Service Citation
Derek Winikoff – Meritorious Service Citation
Analis Amaro – Meritorious Service Citation
All riding volunteers of the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department have a minimum standby or on-duty requirement of 600 hours per year, in addition to extensive training they must complete. However, some of them go well beyond the minimum. It is not unusual for them to give over 1,000 hours each year.
In 2016, Rockville volunteers provided area residents with 112,273 hours of staffing. The cost to taxpayers for that amount of service would be astronomical if they were paid firefighters and rescuers.
The fire department members who have given the most standby hours in 2016 are:
- Sabrina Snell (live-in): 2,534.
- Alain Pankopf (non-live-in): 1,895.
The top responders, who have run the highest number of calls, are:
- Derek Winikoff (live-in): 752.
- Analis Amaro (non-live-in): 410.
For their countless volunteer hours of training, dedication and service to the community, Sabrina Snell, Alain Pankopf, Derek Winikoff and Analis Amaro are awarded the Meritorious Service Citation
