Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber Honored 106 Public Safety Officials

Gaithersburg, MD - Tuesday, August 14 - The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce honored 106 Upcounty Police Officers, Special Operations Teams, Firefighters and Paramedics at their 17th Annual Public Safety Awards Event on Friday, August 10 at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.

Over 180 people were in attendance as several members of the Gaithersburg Police Department, Montgomery County Police 5th & 6th Districts & Montgomery County Fire & Rescue and Volunteer Fire & Rescue were recognized for their service. This annual awards program provides the business community with an opportunity to publicly thank those who help maintain the quality of life in the Gaithersburg and Germantown area.

The Chamber recognizes the heroic deeds of our local law enforcement and fire-rescue workers in four categories: Medal of Valor, Citation for Bravery, Distinguished Service Citation & Meritorious Service Citation. These men and women go above and beyond the call of duty to serve our local community and the GGCC wants them to know we appreciate them and their hard work.

“The entire membership and the Board of the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce expresses its thanks and deep gratitude to all of our fire fighters, police officers and other public safety personnel who serve and protect our community every hour of every day,” said Trina LaPier, The Gazette & GGCC Board Chairwoman.

Sixty-nine public safety Officials were awarded with the Distinguished Service Citation, thirty-one with the Citation for Bravery, five with the Meritorious Service Citation and Volunteer Master Firefighter James Cruzan was awarded with a Medal of Valor from State Senator Rob Garagiola’s office.

For the fifth year in a row, Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling, www.pdrmontgomery.com, was the Title Sponsor of the event. For more than 40 years, Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling craftsmanship and care has helped families and businesses overcome the devastating setbacks inflicted by fire, flood and wind.

“Every year we look forward to being part of the Chamber's Public Safety Awards program. What greater service is there than to protect our families from harm? We at Paul Davis Restoration congratulate this year's winners and we appreciate all of our first responders for keeping us safe,” said Tom Plant, Paul Davis Restoration and Remodeling Managing Partner.

Other Public Safety sponsors include: A Cat Clinic, Buca di Beppo, BlackFinn Restaurant & Saloon, Buca di Beppo, Capital Bank, Chuck Jones, City of Gaithersburg, Crime Solvers of Montgomery Co., MD Inc., Crown Trophy, Gaithersburg Police Foundation, Hilton Gaithersburg—Rooks Corner Restaurant, Hughes Network Systems, Johns Hopkins University - Montgomery County Campus, Kaplan University, Mary Ann Britton, Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union, Montgomery County Employee Federal Credit Union, OBA Bank, Potomac Pizza, Sandy Spring Bank - Montgomery Village Branch, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, SportClips Gaithersburg Square, & Therrien Waddell, Inc.

Elected & public safety officials in attendance included: State Delegate Charles Barkley - District 39, Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice, From Councilmember Craig Rice’s Office Senior Legislative Aide Rose Taylor, Representing Councilmember Marc Elrich, Legislative Aide Mara Parker, City of Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz, City of Gaithersburg Councilmember’s Cathy Drzyzgula, Michael Sesma & Ryan Spiegel, Montgomery County Chief of Police Thomas Manger, Montgomery County Fire Department Chief Richard Bowers, Montgomery County Police Sheriff Darren Popkin, Montgomery County Police, 5th District, Commander Luther Reynolds. Montgomery County Police, 5th District, Assistant Chief Wayne Jerman, Montgomery County Police, 6th District, Commander Willie Parker-Loan, Montgomery County Police, 6th District, Lt. Mark Plazinski, Montgomery County Police, 6th District, Lt. Dan Waring, Montgomery County Police, Special Operations Division, Director Darryl McSwain and Gaithersburg Police Department Police Chief Mark Sroka.

Ron Dimaranan, Director of Business Development at Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union & GGCC Board Member, was the master of ceremonies.

The Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce is located at 910 Clopper Road, Suite 205N, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. To learn more about the GGCC visit us at www.ggchamber.org or find us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gaithersburg-Germantown-Chamber-of-Commerce/64339954570.