On Monday, June 15, local firefighter and Captain, Christopher Scully of Hollywood was awarded Fire Fighter of the Year from the state of Maryland.

According to his Chief, Robb Albert from the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department, “Captain Scully is one of the most productive members I have ever had the privilege to work alongside of. He is a proven leader and a much respected member of our department.”
 
Albert went on to state that Scully was a great mentor to the department’s young members and that he continually try's to find ways to improve the department.
 
“The membership is very proud to have Chris as one of our very best to protect and serve the citizens of St. Mary's County,” added Albert.

During the stirring ceremony, it was mentioned that throughout the 2008 year, Scully had many different accomplishments.

“Many changes were in store as a new chief entered office for his first term. Chris became instrumental in helping to lead the charge. Chris was tasked with the establishment of a program in which our members on the second drill of each month would be responsible for inventory checks, apparatus check-outs, and the overall repair and replacement of damaged or missing equipment,” said Albert.

The program and effort led by Scully proved to be a huge success. “Today, Chris still leads the way for this program’s success. On his own on any given day, you will find Chris going thru the apparatus to make sure that we are ready to respond to the next emergency,” he added.

For many years, the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department had a very successful fire prevention program. As in most fire departments, call volumes rise, more fund raising is needed to offset the higher cost of new equipment and family demands increase, leaving little time for these important programs.

“Chris had seen the need for change. During the year, Chris kept track of all fire prevention activities. This proved to be a difficult but rewarding task. Chris was able to put together a fire prevention book that had been lacking in our department for many years. His efforts provided the department with an Honorable Mention Award at the 2008 MSFA convention. He continues this program today with a great deal of success,” stated Albert.

Albert had known of the need to update a great deal of the department’s standard operating procedures and that there needed to be something done about not only updating the important documents, but to implement them throughout the department.

“Chris proved once again to be a valuable assistant with this endeavor. His input and knowledge proved to be key in the establishment of several changes. Many of the policies we have in place today are a direct reflection of Chris's efforts.”

Albert explained that many operational changes were made in the beginning of 2008. One of these changes was at the Chief Engineer position.

“During this time, the new Chief Engineer had many changes in mind to better serve the department with our large apparatus fleet,” said Albert.

However, many of the maintenance records and repair facilities were in desperate need of a makeover. Implementing the needed changes proved to be too much for one person to handle by themselves and Scully offered his assistance.

“With his help, we now have a more modern record keeping system, a repair and maintenance schedule, as well as an upgraded and repaired apparatus fleet.”

During the 2009 HVFD banquet, Scully was awarded the Firefighter of the Year and a Unit Citation Award for his quick action at the scene of a CPR Save at an area business. During the installation of officers Scully was appointed to rank of Squad Captain. Firefighers from around the state agreed and honored Scully this past Monday.