On October 4, 2024, Firefighter I Wade Fitzpatrick received the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association’s Outstanding Member of the Third Quarter of 2024.
Wade is an enlisted member in the U.S. Army on active duty and stationed nearby at Fort George G. Meade. He joined the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company (OVFC) in June 2022. He quickly blended into the organization since he was already an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in New York. He completed the training requirements to transfer his EMT certification to Maryland, took the required Incident Command System courses as well as Hazardous Materials Awareness, and started training on the ambulance in January 2023.
He actively pursued his training on the ambulance and was fully cleared as an Ambulance Technician in February 2023. Wade also pursued the process to become an ambulance driver. He took the Emergency Vehicle Operators Course in March 2023 and was cleared as an ambulance driver in October 2023. Realizing that he could still do more to help the company and the community, he completed Firefighter I in December 2023 and Hazardous Materials Operations in March 2024, and was cleared to ride the fire engines in June 2024.
Firefighter Fitzpatrick typically puts in a full 24 hours on Saturdays. He tries to run at least half the day as a Firefighter and half as an EMT but due to staffing requirements, he usually must spend more than 12 hours and sometimes the full 24-hour shift on the ambulance. He never complains or cancels his shift, even though a full 24 hours on the ambulance can be very tiring. Wade is also now taking the Firefighter II course to advance his skills even more. Wade enjoys helping other EMTs get trained and cleared, as well as mentoring new ambulance drivers with their clearance process.
The OVFC is very fortunate to have enthusiastic and capable members like Firefighter I Wade Fitzpatrick to provide essential services to the community.
If you wish to become a member of the OVFC please visit our membership page –> HERE.
