On September 6, 2024, Firefighter I Meera Patel received the Anne Arundel County Volunteer
Firefighter Association’s Greg Croft Rookie of the Year Award for 2024. Meera also received the
Rookie of the Year Award from the Maryland State Firemen’s Association on June 18, 2024.
Meera joined the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company (OVFC) in January 2023. She is in the Air
Force on active duty and stationed nearby at Fort George G. Meade. She easily blended into the
fire company due to her military background. Her enthusiasm and desire to serve were evident
from her very first day. Even before she started training or could ride, she came to the fire
station to get to know the members, help with station chores, and get familiar with the
operations.
She took the Firefighter I class as soon as possible, completing that course in May 2023. However, Hazardous Materials Operations “Haz Mat Ops” is also required to be a Probationary Firefighter. When there were no Haz Mat Ops classes available locally, Meera literally went the “extra mile” and went to Anniston, Alabama to take the course, making her eligible to respond on calls. When the Anne Arundel County Fire Department (AACoFD) raised the operating standard to require at least three firefighters on a fire engine to be Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), Meera once again went beyond the norm and found an EMT class that was already underway and got permission to join at Week 4. She worked very hard to catch up with the course materials and completed the course with high grades. She is now a
National Registered EMT and certified as a Firefighter I in AACoFD. She also recently completed Firefighter Survival and Rescue and plans to take the Emergency Vehicle Operator course soon to become an ambulance driver. Later she will take Firefighter II.
Although Meera has only been a member for 17 months, she has become a key member of OVFCs operations. She spends much of her free time on duty at the fire station. In 2023, she was on duty at the station for 92 shifts totaling 890 hours, which doesn’t include the many hours she spent in classes. She responded to 275 fire calls and 27 ambulance calls, making her the #4 responder for 2023 even though she didn’t start riding until late May. Now that she is qualified to respond on both fire engines and the ambulance, she has stepped up her participation even more this year. Through May 31 of this year, she has worked 84 shifts totaling 949 hours and responded to 231 fire calls and 36 ambulance calls, making her the #3 top overall responder.
In addition to Meera’s outstanding contributions to emergency operations, she has also joined OVFCs Honor Guard and assisted in fire inspections and public fire education activities. Lastly, she is a caring team member, making sure all her crew members receive special recognition on their birthdays.
The OVFC is very fortunate to have enthusiastic and capable young members like Meera Patel to maintain the vitality of the organization. She has clearly gone beyond normal expectations to contribute to the fire company and serve the community.
If you wish to become a member of the OVFC please visit our membership page –> HERE.
