Whiteford volunteers honored at annual banquet

Members of the Whiteford Volunteer Fire Company had a lot to be thankful for when they convened the company's annual awards banquet Saturday night.

Along with celebrating its remarkable volunteers, the company's membership also commemorated an unforgettable day that resulted in a life saved.

The company's most notable achievement of 2011, however was that no members lost their lives.

"Last year marked the first of the last several years that we could say this and we are so very pleased to announce such good news," stated the banquet's program.

A fantastic accomplishment, indeed, as the company responded to 91 mutual aid calls for service within Maryland and Pennsylvania and provided more than 2,900 volunteer man-hours on more than 250 fire and rescue calls.

The company also paid tribute to those involved in an incident in July that started out with a man unconscious and not breathing in a bank and ended with one very thankful resident.

During the morning of July 25, 2011, volunteers were dispatched to the PNC bank on Whiteford Road for a cardiac arrest call.

When EMS units arrived they found 56-year-old Mark Robinson had collapsed and bank employees attempting to resuscitate him with CPR.

Luckily, on his way to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, Robinson was successfully resuscitated.

"We are links in the chain of life," Williamson said. "There is no higher calling …than to save the life of another human being."

Robinson, fully recovered, emotionally thanked the company for its help, then helped give out awards to the men and women who helped save his life.

Several dedicated members earned top honors Saturday evening, including two rookies.

Kyle Harrington was named Firefighter of the Year.

Chief John Williamson Sr. said Harrington "turned into one of our most valuable assets."

"There has been no job too small or too big," Williamson continued, and for that the company has "the utmost appreciation for him."

Williamson also "[couldn't] say enough" about Firefighter Rookie of the Year Justin "Cookie" Roberts. He did say, however, that he and the entire company were "very, very proud of him."

Roberts was also a top fire and EMS responder for the year, with 132 fire calls made out of a total of 269 and 31 EMS calls out of 653.

Whiteford's other top fire and rescue responders for last year were Larry Holbrook with 212 calls, Janet Holbrook with 178; Jeff Petty with 171; Joe Davis with 149, Drew Pritt with 144; John Williamson Sr. with 118; Matt Maxwell with 107; Dan Lemmon with 105; Wes Roberts with 102; Robert King and Jason Mills both with 101; and Jake Hurley with 100.

EMS Responder of the Year Lindsey Leedy arrived at Whiteford after volunteering with a few other companies, EMS Chief Cort Adams said.

"It was obvious they knew exactly what they were doing," he said before calling out Leedy's name. Eventually, she found her niche and hasn't "looked back since they started," Adams continued.

Zachary Adams was named EMS Rookie of the Year because, Williamson said, he "showed a significant amount of promise and certainly a lot of ability."

Both Leedy and Adams were top EMS responders for 2011, with 99 and 58 calls, respectively.

Rounding out Whiteford's top EMS responders for last year are Cort Adams with 96; Wes Roberts with 83; Drew Pritt with 72; Joe Davis and Jake Hurley with 66; Brian Ireton with 59; Robert King with 44; Sarah Fedele with 41; Marianna Adams with 26; and Jennifer Porrovicchio with 25.

In a special surprise, Whiteford's chiefs came together to honor EMS Chief Adams and his extraordinary leadership.

Adams was presented with a special service award for his consistent achievement in his management of the company's emergency medical services.