Rockville Honors Bravery and Service at the City's Public Safety Awards

Officer Chris Day expected to get a quick wash of his Rockville City Police cruiser at Flagship Car Wash on Hungerford Drive on the evening of Dec. 29. He found himself on the scene of an emergency situation.

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Day rushed to where the Grand Cherokee had struck a utility pole guide wire, putting it in park and turning off the engine before crawling underneath the unstable vehicle to tend to the men, who were pinned underneath.

Realizing the men could not be moved without lifting the vehicle, Day called for help. One of the men died.

On Wednesday, Day was honored for risking his safety and controlling what could have been a chaotic scene as the incident unfolded during a holiday season rush hour.

Day was one of 14 members of the city’s police department honored Wednesday at the 22nd annual Rockville Public Safety Awards at Lakewood Country Club. He was one of 10 department members to receive the Distinguished Service Citation. Four other department members received Meritorious Service Citations as part of the 31 honors bestowed upon county and city public safety professionals and volunteers, including members of the city’s fire, police and public works departments and of the county sheriff’s department.

After the ceremony Day called the citation “a tremendous honor,” but was quick to say that he did what officers are called to do.

“It’s one of those things where we’re doing our job,” he said. “It means something to be awarded, but it’s what we get paid to do.”

Rockville Volunteer Fire Department Deputy Chief William Dunn was also honored, with a Distinguished Service Award, for his role in managing the scene of the Flagship Car Wash incident and for assuming command of the scene when .

EMS Capt. Kathleen Dayton received a Distinguished Service Citation for her role in responding to an overturned SUV on southbound Interstate 270 on June 27.

Unbeknownst to the EMS units transporting patients from the scene was that the patients were transporting illegal fireworks and at least one had a loaded handgun and had threatened to shoot police or fire and rescue personnel if they attempted to unarm him, according to the commendation read during Wednesday’s ceremony. The crews only learned of the danger after police stopped the two ambulances on I-270 and apprehended the armed man.

Firefighter and paramedic Elliott Richardson, paramedic Avital Cooperman, firefighter Alex Phillips, firefighter and EMS candidate Tammy Farrugia and EMS candidate Nathan Orenstein were also honored for their roles in the incident response.

Dayton also received a Meritorious Service Citation for her role coordinating .

Harry Thomas, a longtime member of the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department, received the 2011 Community Service Award for his contributions to the department and for his civic activism, which includes once serving as president of the Twinbrook Citizens Association.

Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio recalled Thomas calling her at 3 a.m. on June 7, 2009 to tell her that the historic Chestnut Lodge on West Montgomery Avenue was ablaze.

“I always depended on Harry to tell me when something terribly important was happening to the city,” Marcuccio said of Thomas, who often testifies on fire safety and other concerns during the Citizens Forum segment of Rockville City Council meetings.

Thomas credited the people around him, including Rockville City Police Chief Terrance N. Treschuk, with spurring on his activism.

Deputy Sheriff Norman Adams, firefighter James Cruzan and Rockville Volunteer Fire Department President Eric Bernard each received the highest honor, the Citation for Bravery, for their potentially life-saving actions in emergency situations.

Washington Post columnist John Kelly read descriptions of the acts for which this year’s honorees were recognized. The ceremony also included the city police department color guard and stirring a cappella renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful” by Lt. Zach Grant of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department.

“Every time I come to this event I leave in tears,” Marcuccio said.

For a complete list of those honored on Wednesday click here.