Odenton Volunteer Fire Company Member is Rookie of the Year

On June 18, 2024, FFI Meera Patel received the Past President C. Oscar Baker Rookie of the Year Award for 2024 from the Maryland State Firemen's Association.

Meera joined OVFC in January 2023. She is in the Air Force on active duty and stationed nearby at Fort George G. Meade. She easily blended into the fire company due to her military background. Her enthusiasm and desire to serve was evident from her very first day. Even before she started training or could ride, she came to the fire station to get to know the members, help with station chores, and get familiar with the operations.

Meera took the Firefighter I class as soon as possible, completing that course in May 2023. However, Hazardous Materials Operations is also required to be a Probationary Firefighter. When there were no “Haz Mat Ops” classes available locally, Meera literally went the “extra mile” and went to Anniston, Alabama to take the course, making her eligible to respond on calls. When the Anne Arundel County Fire Department (AACoFD) raised the operating standard to require at least three firefighters on a fire engine to be EMTs, Meera once again went beyond the norm and found an EMT class that was already underway and got permission to join at Week 4. She worked very hard to catch up with the course materials and completed the course with high grades. She is now a National Registered EMT and certified as a Firefighter I in AACoFD. She also recently completed Firefighter Survival and Rescue and plans to take the Emergency Vehicle Operator course soon to become an ambulance driver. Later she will take Firefighter II.

Although Meera has only been a member for 15 months, she has become a key member of the operations. She spends much of her free time on duty at the fire station. In 2023, she was on duty at the station for 92 shifts totaling 890 hours, which doesn’t include the many hours she spent in classes. She responded to 275 fire calls and 27 ambulance calls, making her the #4 responder for 2023 even though she didn’t start riding until late May. Now that she is qualified to respond to both the fire engines and the ambulance, she has stepped up her participation even more this year. Through March 31 of this year, she has worked 63 shifts totaling 674 hours and responded to 167 fire calls and 16 ambulance calls, making her the #3 top responder. In addition to Meera’s outstanding contributions to OVFC’s emergency operations, she has also joined the Honor Guard and assisted in fire inspections and public fire education activities. Lastly, she is a caring team member, making sure all her crew members receive special recognition on their birthdays.

The fire company is very fortunate to have enthusiastic and capable young members like Meera Patel to maintain the vitality of our organization. She has clearly gone beyond normal expectations to contribute to the fire company and serve the community.