On Saturday, February 25, 2023, the Ridge Volunteer Fire Department and the RVFD Auxiliary installed their 2023 Administrative and Operational Officers, and recognized several members for their contributions during 2022.
The year 2023 marks Ridge VFD’s 75th year of service to St. Mary’s County’s First District. During the banquet, a special 75th Anniversary book was presented to each member, showcasing pictural and written history of our service. In addition, a slide show of emergency calls, social events, and special moments from our past was played during. Special thanks to Keith Raley and the 75th Anniversary Committee for their hard work and the great trip down memory lane!
Philip "Heavy" Ridgell, Past President of the Southern Maryland Volunteer Firemen’s Association, swore in the Administrative Officers, Board of Directors, Operational Officers, and Engineers. Becky Wathen, Past President of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Maryland State Firemen’s Association, swore in the Auxiliary Officers.
2023 Board of Directors Matt Ridgell Scot Best Bonnie Ridgell Johnny Wathen Brian Cooper Philip "Heavy" Ridgell Allen Raley John Keister Francis Raley Rob Dodge John "Peanut" Gatton
2023 Administrative Officers President - Matt Ridgell Vice President - Scot Best Secretary - Bonnie Ridgell Assistant Secretary - Carley Hadley Treasurer - Johnny Wathen
2023 Operational Officers Chief - Brian Cooper Assistant Chief - John Keister Deputy Chief - Bradley Cooper Captain 4 - Danny Gatton Captain 4A - Francis Raley Captain 4B - Allen Raley Lieutenant 4 - Jannet Keister Lieutenant 4A - Scot Best Lieutenant 4B - Rob Dodge Lieutenant 4C - Charlie Russell Health/Safety Officer 4 - Phil Cooper Incident Safety Officer 4A- Tom Trossbach Incident Safety Officer 4B- Philip "Heavy" Ridgell Water Supply - Johnny Morrison Chaplin - David Cullison PIO/Fire Prevention – Scot Best Chief Engineer - John "Peanut" Gatton Engineer - Ron Hafner Engineer - Darius Hawkins Engineer - Charlie Langley Engineer - Johnny Morrison Engineer - Keith Raley Engineer - John Ridgell Engineer - Tony Ridgell Engineer - Robbie Wood
2023 Auxiliary Officers President - Debbie Fairfax Vice President - Jessica Snyder Recording Secretary - Darlene Wood Corresponding Secretary - Lisa Gibbs Treasurer - Dawn Gatton
After the swearing in of the Officers and dinner, the awards ceremony followed with acknowledgement of members’ achievements. Congratulations to the following 2022 award recipients:
President's Award: Bonnie Ridgell
Chief's Award: Francis Raley
Rookie of the Year: Robb Bickel
Engineer of the Year: Johnny Morrison
Firefighter of the Year: RJ Dodge
Life Saving Award: Scot Best, James Clark, Bradley Cooper, Johnny Morrison, Francis Raley, Heavy Ridgell
Joseph C. Titus Public Safety and Fire Prevention Award: Scot Best
Top 10 Responders (includes stand-by support): 1. Keith Raley (250 alarms) 2. Heavy Ridgell (245 alarms) 3. Scot Best (201 alarms) 4. Johnny Morrison (196 alarms) 5. Danny Gatton (194 alarms) 6. Francis Raley (182 alarms) 7. Ron Hafner (176 alarms) 8. Jimmy Cooper (174 alarms) 9. Tyler Gatton (159 alarms) 10. Brian Cooper (156 alarms)
Top Apparatus Responders (rode apparatus to the incident): 1. Danny Gatton (144 alarms) 2. Brian Cooper (114 alarms) 3. Scot Best / Keith Raley (111 alarms) 4. Ron Hafner (101 alarms) 5. Francis Raley (100 alarms) 6. Johnny Morrison (97 alarms) 7. Bradley Cooper (84 alarms) 8. John Keister (79 alarms) 9. Jannet Keister (73 alarms) 10. Robb Bickel (62 alarms)
Life Membership (25 years): Bradley Cooper, Ray Mercure
Length of Service Awards: 5 years: Chris Bender, Rob Dodge 10 years: JC Trossbach 15 years: Jordan Andrews, Mike Combs, Alex Pulliam, Paul Tennyson 25 years: Steve Bradburn 30 Years: Ron Hafner 40 Years: Howard Fenhagen, Bruce Raley, Mike Ridgell 45 Years: Bobby Balta, John “Peanut” Gatton 50 Years: Keith Raley 55 Years: George Gatton, Emerick Norris 70 Years: James Raley
Auxiliary Length of Service Award: 15 Years: Ashley Andrews, Bonnie Ridgell
Auxiliary Service Member Award: Tony & Cheryl Ridgell
Auxiliary Member of the Year: Jessica Snyder
Auxiliary President Debbie Fairfax and Vice President Jessica Snyder presented the Department with a check in the amount of $50,000, to be used towards stereo/sound system upgrades and the new boat lift.
The Officers and members of the Ridge VFD and Auxiliary would like to thank our Master of Ceremonies, Former St. Mary's County Commissioner Dan Raley for the laughs, Rita B Catering for the amazing food, DJ Wild Wes for the great tunes, and Mary Franklin for the great pictures. A special thanks to the members of Second District Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad for covering our area during the installation. |