On February 10, 2026, Chief Chuck Tucker accepted the VFW Post 304 Annapolis Firefighter of the Year Award for 2025 on behalf of Probationary Firefight Kirill V. Kleymenov.

Located next to Fort Meade, the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company (OVFC) is very fortunate to recruit dedicated military members like U.S. Air Force Specialist Kirill Kleymenov. Kirill joined OVFC in November 2023.

Kirill assimilated into the organization very quickly due to his military background and was very eager to learn. He began his training by taking CPR/AED in December 2023 as well as required on-line courses on the Incident Command System. He then enrolled in the Firefighter program (135 hours) which he completed in April 2024, followed by Hazardous Materials Operations in October 2024. After taking the required training course, Kirill
completed our internal clearance process to respond on OVFC’s fire engines. Through September 30, 2025, Kirill was on duty for 36 shifts totaling 389 hours and responded to 88 fire calls. Kirill has also actively participated in other company functions and meetings. He is a very valuable member.

If you wish to become a member of the OVFC please visit our membership page –> HERE.

On February 10, 2026, Stephanie Fitzpatrick received the Harry L. Cooper VFW Post 160, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) of the Year award for 2025.

Stephanie joined the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company (OVFC) in August 2023 with a strong desire to serve her community by providing emergency medical services. She completed her EMT certification in February 2024 and followed shortly with completion of the Emergency Vehicle Operator’s Course (EVOC) in June 2024. Her commitment to professional growth and willingness to take on new responsibilities have quickly made her a dependable and respected member of our EMS team.

Stephanie has demonstrated remarkable dedication and reliability. She consistently staffs both the Saturday and Sunday duty crews, often filling in on short notice to ensure full coverage and uninterrupted service to the community. Her flexibility and commitment to teamwork exemplify the spirit of volunteerism that is central to OVFC’s mission.  In late 2024, Stephanie joined the EMS Committee, further expanding her involvement beyond direct field operations. Her contributions to this committee reflect her interest in improving EMS readiness, training, and overall operations within the company. 

Through September 2025, Stephanie responded to 118 EMS calls and has volunteered an impressive 383 staffing hours. These numbers underscore her consistent and active engagement in serving Odenton and the surrounding areas. Stephanie approaches every shift with professionalism, compassion, and enthusiasm. She is known by her peers for her calm presence during emergencies, her eagerness to learn, and her willingness to mentor and support newer members. Her dedication to patient care and to the success of her team makes her an invaluable asset to the fire company.  Stephanie’s work ethic, reliability, and spirit of service embody the highest standards of volunteer emergency medical service.

If you wish to become a member of the OVFC please visit our membership page –> HERE.

On February 10, 2026, Cathy Bigler received the Walter-Howard-Shaw VFW post 327 Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) of the Year Award for 2025.

Cathy first joined the fire service in September 2023 as a member of the Arundel Volunteer Fire Company, where she began her journey in emergency medical services. She earned her National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT) certification in March 2024 and subsequently joined the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company (OVFC) on June 11, 2024. That same day, she completed the Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (EVOC), further enhancing her operational readiness as an ambulance driver.

Cathy quickly became an active and dependable member of OVFC. In 2024, she responded to 55 ambulance calls (in addition to an unknown number while serving at Arundel). Her strong work ethic and dedication to excellent patient care have been consistently evident.

Since joining the OVFC, Cathy has demonstrated exceptional commitment to both her patients and her peers. From January through September 2025, she completed 63 shifts totaling 364 volunteer hours and responded to 118 ambulance calls. Her steady participation, enthusiasm, and positive attitude make her a valued and respected member of the EMS team.  Cathy’s professionalism and compassion reflect the highest standards of the emergency medical services profession. Whether responding to a critical medical emergency or assisting in routine patient transport, she consistently provides quality care and serves as a dependable partner to fellow providers.  Her continued dedication to training, reliability in response, and strong patient advocacy made her an outstanding candidate for the VFW Post 327 EMT of the Year Award.

If you wish to become a member of the OVFC please visit our membership page –> HERE.

On February 10, 2026, Omar Kaleem received the Harry L. Cooper VFW Post 160 Firefighter of the Year Award for 2025.

The Odenton Volunteer Fire Company (OVFC) can only survive if members of the community step up and join the company. This requires people to dedicate a significant portion of their time (and themselves) to the company. OVFC is very fortunate that Omar decided to join the company. He was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in Maryland. He was always looking for a way to give back to the community when he found OVFC and joined in July 2023. He quickly integrated into the company and has become an invaluable member of the Saturday Day crew.

Omar has completed all the requirements necessary to be qualified to ride a fire engine, which included CPR/AED, Hazardous Materials Operations and Firefighter I. After getting cleared to ride in July 2024, he responded to 79 fire calls in 2024. Through September of 2025, he responded to 109 calls and worked 36 shifts totaling 303 hours.

Omar is continuously looking to grow as a firefighter and enrolled in an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class as soon as he could. He is currently progressing through the course, balancing that coursework with riding the fire engine on Saturdays. He has started his student rides on the ambulance and is excelling in class.

Firefighter Kaleem always makes his Saturday shift and helps the crew round out. He has started taking new members under his wing, and trains them to meet the extremely high standard that the Saturday crew requires. This allows the shift officer to focus on other duties, making the entire shift more efficient in the process. Saturday Day shift needed a member to step up into the mentor role for new people, and Omar has stepped into that roll.

If you wish to become a member of the OVFC please visit our membership page –> HERE.

Colonel John G. “Jack” Hulet, USA (Ret) passed away on December 30, 2025, at the age of 83, following a lengthy illness. Jean, his loving wife of 43 years, was at his side.

Throughout his lifetime, Jack has positively touched so many lives. Be it teaching ROTC cadets how to be outstanding officers, mentoring less experienced military who served beside him, encouraging Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) students to provide the best care to their patients, or encouraging his wife to take the next step in her career despite how difficult the challenge may have been, Jack was always there to help, encourage, and mentor. His favorite phrase with his EMT students when they were not giving it all they had was, “you can’t cure stupid”.

Born in Pottsville, PA in 1942, Jack began his military career in January 1968 as an enlisted Private (E1). He retired in October 1996 from the Pentagon at the rank of Colonel (06) and was immediately recalled to active duty by the Army G-1, Major General Timothy Maude who was tragically killed on 9/11. As General Maude’s special assistant to the director of military personnel and policy, Jack’s recommendations affected the career management of more than 750,000 Army Reservists. As a retiree recall, Jack was on duty at the Pentagon in the Army G1 section on September 11, 2001. While many of his coworkers died, Jack’s life was spared. He was one of the initial first responders on the scene that day, providing medical aid to the many injured when terrorists crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon.

Always a strong advocate for volunteer fire and Emergency Medical Service (EMS), Jack began volunteering at his hometown fire company, Yorkville Hose Volunteer Fire Company, Pottsville, PA in 1964 where he was a life member. During his volunteer career with Yorkville, Jack became a licensed EMT-B. Starting with his time at Yorkville, Jack has dedicated over 50 years of his life to emergency medical services.

In the early 1980s, the Army moved Jack to the Philadelphia, PA area. While assigned to the 79th Army Reserve Command in Willow Grove, PA and then Drexel University ROTC, Philadelphia, PA, Jack joined the Manoa Volunteer Fire Company in Havertown, PA where he volunteered evenings on the company’s Basic Life Support (BLS) unit. At the same time, he completed a master’s degree equivalent program with the National Defense University, Washington, DC, never compromising his EMS volunteer role. Certified as a NREMT-B and an EMT instructor by the Pennsylvania Department of Health Division of Emergency Health Services, Jack also began teaching EMT-B in the Philadelphia, PA area.

When the Army transferred Jack to Fort Meade, MD and then the Pentagon, Jack became affiliated with Maryland EMS, serving as a BLS unit EMT, and then an EMT instructor. He initially joined Ferndale Volunteer Fire Company where he volunteered on the BLS unit at least one night a week for many years. After a 10 or more-hour day at the Pentagon, he would get off the MARC train and go directly to the fire station on his duty nights where he volunteered religiously for several hours. During this time, he also completed a second master’s degree equivalent program, graduating with the designation distinguished graduate from the Naval War College in Annapolis. Jack later transferred his affiliation from Ferndale to Odenton Volunteer Fire Company where he was a life member. While at Odenton, Jack was part of the Saturday night ambulance crew for several years. He had excellent patient care skills and compassion, which led him to become a Maryland EMS instructor, instructor mentor, and instructor evaluator for the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute. He served several years as the EMS coordinator for the Maryland Renaissance Festival. He contributed many hours to developing EMS training videos, textbooks, presentations, and practical scenarios.

With an unending dedication to EMS, Jack was provided a once in a lifetime opportunity by the All-American Environment Services & HAZMAT Institute to serve as a senior instructor trainer for BOMBA, the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia. While there he taught a full EMT course to the Malaysian firefighters and then returned to Malaysia to teach an EMT instructor course. Throughout his Maryland EMS career, Jack was associated with several Fire and EMS organizations including: the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications; Maryland State Firefighters Association (MSFA); Anne Arundel Community College EMT faculty; Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association; Anne Arundel County Fire Department BLS Training Center; National Association of EMS Educators; International Association of Fire Chiefs; National Association of Emergency Medical Service Educators; Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute; American Heart Association; Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS), MIEMSS Pediatric Emergency Medical Advisory Committee; Maryland Pediatric Education for pre-hospital providers steering committee; MIEMSS BLS Committee; and several other MIEMSS committees.

In 2024, Jack was inducted into the MSFA Hall of Fame. He played a key role in Emergency Medical Services delivery, education, and policy across Maryland for nearly 20 years. His other recognitions include the Leon W. Hayes Award for Excellence in EMS, Francis L. Brannigan Instructor of the Year Award; American Red Cross Hometown Heroes Award / Firefighter Award; Anne Arundel County 100 Club Firefighter / EMT-B Award: Northern Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce Firefighter of the Year; Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association Hall of Fame; and top responder and outstanding service awards from multiple fire companies throughout his career. After many years of teaching CPR, EMT-B courses, and select classes for MFRI, Anne Arundel Community College, and Anne Arundel Fire Department career classes, Jack continued to mentor EMT-B students, serve on several committees and panels at MIEMSS, and write EMT-B practical examination scenarios. He continued to serve as a MIEMSS coordinator and evaluator for state practical examinations, and as a support instructor for EMT-B, Protocol Updates, EMT Refresher Training, and CPR for as long as his health would allow.

In addition to his wife, Colonel Jean M. Hulet, USA (Ret), Jack is survived by his loving feline family, Rudy, Olivia and Sniper, as well as a daughter, Jill Sottile, Pennsylvania, and granddaughter Katie Sottile, Massachusetts. Jack was preceded in death by his parents, John and Anna (Becker) Hulet of Pottsville, PA.

On December 9, 2025, Mark Telfer received the North Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce award.

Mark has been a member of the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company for over 23 years. He has played critical roles in both our administrative functions and emergency operations. He is certified as an Emergency Medical Technician, Fire Officer III, Fire Service Instructor III, and Fire Apparatus Driver Operator. He steadily progressed through the chain of command, becoming Assistant Chief in 2016 (through 2023). He has served on numerous committees, including Apparatus, Bull Roast, EMS, Quartermaster, Facilities, and Planning.

Although he is no longer an officer, Mark continues to be an active responder and mentor for younger members. He comes in on Saturdays to drive the all-volunteer-staffed engine and willingly comes in at other times when needed. He is one of our main trainers for new apparatus drivers.

Mark is Chairperson of our Facilities Maintenance Committee. Our large and aging property requires considerable work to support our evolving mission and staffing. He leads a team of other company members who are skilled in various building trades. For FY 2026, the committee will oversee about $80,000 in facilities maintenance and improvement projects.

Mark’s reliability, hard work, and willingness to take on any task have made a lasting impact on our organization.

If you wish to become a member of the OVFC please visit our membership page –> HERE.

On October 14, 2025, Life Member and Firefighter III Martin A. Hammond, III (“Marty”) received the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association’s Outstanding Member of the Third Quarter of 2025.

Marty joined the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company (OVFC in April 1994) as he was graduating from high school. He achieved Firefighter II certification in less than two years and averaged 400 fire and ambulance responses annually for five years.

Marty was hired by the Anne Arundel County Police Department in October 1998. As is common, he had to scale back his operational participation at OVFC. However, Marty continued to maintain his certifications, complete all required training and satisfy all OVFC membership requirements. During this period, he was chairperson of the Social Committee for over 15 years and was also on the Membership Committee for two years, including chairperson for one year.

Marty returned to operational status in October 2023 after nearly a 15-year hiatus and retirement as a police officer. He worked aggressively to refresh his skills, get familiar with our current equipment, and learn the latest policies and procedures. He began the process to be certified to drive OVFC’s two fire engines and 100’ ladder truck.  In May 2024, Marty was certified to operate OVFC’s engines and a month later our ladder truck. He then became the volunteer apparatus driver on the Monday night crew, enabling a second suppression unit to be placed in service when volunteer staffing was available.

Marty ran for the Board of Directors and was elected in December 2024. When Marty took over as the hall manager, he worked with the company lawyer and several other people to kick into high gear the rental of our hall after a long period of not renting the hall because of previous problems.  Largely due to Marty’s efforts, OVFC is now able to rent its facilities to the general public, which will be a great source of revenue. 

Marty is a one-man social committee. He has brought back the tradition of the company Super Bowl Party at the station and coordinates OVFC days at Navy football home games. He is a motivating force in the company. He has increased the operational capabilities, enhanced our administrative functions, and boosted our morale. 

If you wish to become a member of the OVFC please visit our membership page –> HERE.

In March 2025, the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company’s (OVFC) full-time career staffing increased from 1 to 5, to ensure round-the-clock service to the citizens of Odenton and surrounding communities. But with 5 career firefighters and up to 10 volunteers on any given shift, our living quarters, where on-duty crews spend their time between emergency calls, have gotten crowded. We also now have an additional emergency vehicle – advanced life support ambulance Medic Unit 28 – to house in our already-full apparatus bay.

To assist us with these logistical challenges, the OVFC is pleased to announce that we have received a $150,000 grant from Anne Arundel County for a feasibility study to explore our options for expanding our living quarters and apparatus bay space. A few of our local government officials attended our company meeting on September 9 to witness OVFC President Erika Nesvold officially sign the grant agreement (Ethan Hunt on behalf of County Executive Steuart Pittman, Delegate Andrew Pruski, Senator Dawn Gile, County Council Representative Julie Hummer). We’d like to offer our sincere thanks to all of our representatives in the State and County government for supporting us as we work to accommodate our increased staffing. We also appreciate the patience of our hard-working career and volunteer crews, who have made the best of their crowded situation with good spirits and a positive attitude, never losing sight of the OVFC’s mission to provide uninterrupted fire, rescue, and EMS services to our community.

If you wish to become a member of the OVFC please visit our membership page –> HERE.

Life Member and Past Chief, Donald “Don” R. Evick, of the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company (OVFC), received the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association’s (AACVFA) Fire, Rescue, EMS Individual of the Year award on September 5, 2025. Don has faithfully served the fire company for 38 years and cumulatively the AACVFA and the Maryland fire service for 47 years.

Don’s work experiences with the US Corps of Engineers have truly benefited the OVFC, as Don has served as a company advisor on projects such as OVFC’s major kitchen renovation, HVAC maintenance program, bay door and floor replacements, roof repairs, and capital projects.

Don has done a phenomenal job leading the OVFC awards committee. He has identified all available County, State, and National organization awards for which OVFC members may qualify. This is a time-consuming process, but because of Don’s diligence, OVFC members have received countless awards.

As chair of the AACVFA Outstanding Member of the Quarter committee over the last five years, AACVFA has received 40 nominations and made 20 awards to members of eight different companies.

Don served as OVFC Chief from 2010-2011. He was an active Chief who regularly rode the right front seat with the duty rew. As Chief, Don was an active member of the AACVFA Chiefs Committee and always stood strong for volunteerism in Anne Arundel County. Although Don no longer rides apparatus, he remains dedicated to the OVFC and wears many hats supporting operations and administration.

Until 2025, Don chaired the maps committee for operations. He is technical advisor to the Mailout and Photo Fund Drive committees. He is Chair of the Governance Committee, which is responsible for reviewing, revising, and creating new elements to the OVFC bylaws, rules, regulations, and policies to ensure a cohesive governance model for fair, effective, and efficient business and operational functions.

Don spent numerous hours updating the OVFC Uniform Policy. Most notably, he identified the proper uniform ribbons for members receiving national, state, county, and local awards. There is considerable research given before any new ribbons are awarded, and Don is to be commended for his efforts in identifying the ribbons. Don works with the Public Relations committee to identify award write-ups that are worth posting in the different venues. He is one of the most detail-oriented members of the OVFC. He makes sure everything is precise and follows up until the task is completed.

Don received the OVFC President’s Award in 1998 and 2018, and the Chief’s Award in 1992 and Don was inducted into the AACVFA Hall of Fame in 2016 and received the AACVFA Outstanding Member of the Quarter award in 2018.

If you wish to become a member of the OVFC please visit our membership page –> HERE.

On 5 September, Probationary Firefighter (PFF) Javier Packer of the Odenton Volunteer Fire Company (OVFC) received the Greg Croft Rookie of the Year Award for 2025.

Javier was voted into the OVFC in October 2023 and promptly joined the “Alpha Crew” that mentors’ new operational members. He was very anxious to learn and become a part of the organization. He enrolled in the first available Firefighter I class in 2024, which he successfully completed in April 2024. He also completed Hazardous Materials Operations and other required courses such as Incident Command System and CPR/AED. He worked aggressively to get cleared to ride on the fire engines and began responding as a Probationary Firefighter in July 2024. Javier will be taking the Emergency Medical Technician class in the fall.

PFF Packer is a member of the Sunday night duty crew but comes in at other times during the week to supplement staffing. Since being cleared to ride a year ago, he has responded to 314 fire calls (as of 31 May). During this same period, he has been on duty for 132 shifts totaling 1508 hours, which is a testimony to his commitment to learn and serve. At a recent company training drill, he outworked most of his peers on basic firefighting skills. He is eager to help the new members taking Firefighter I to master their skills. He recently received the Outstanding Member of the Fourth Quarter of 2024 from the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighters Association.

In addition to his operational contributions, Javier is also an active member of our Public Information and Social Media Committee. He takes photos of company events, such as awards presentations and promotion ceremonies, for posting on the company website, social media pages, and local news outlets.

The OVFC is very fortunate to have enthusiastic new members like Probationary Firefighter Javier Packer to maintain the vitality of the organization.

If you wish to become a member of the OVFC please visit our membership page –> HERE.