September 19,  2008

For immediate release

NEWS RELEASE

Contact

Kumar Vaswani
301-326-7883
media@bccrs.org

Rescue Squad Volunteer David Chaconas Inducted
into Montgomery County Volunteer Fire/Rescue Hall of Fame 

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad Past President and Master Firefighter David T. Chaconas was inducted into the Montgomery County (Maryland) Volunteer Fire/Rescue Association’s (MCVFRA) Hall of Fame at its annual convention, held September 18 in Damascus, Maryland.

Master Firefighter Chaconas was cited for his “selfless devotion to the County’s volunteer fire/rescue service as a leader, operational officer, and mentor . . . and for tirelessly working for more than three decades for the public’s safety and the betterment of the volunteer fire/rescue service.” The MCVFRA also cited Master Firefighter Chaconas for “adhering to core principles of integrity, compassion, dedication to task, inclusiveness, and consensus building.”

A Bethesda, Maryland, native, Chaconas has been a member of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad since 1973. He has held every rank in the organization up through Deputy Chief.  In 1990, Chaconas was elected to the Board of Directors, on which he served for 18 years, including as President from 2001 to 2008.  Chaconas has led or participated in almost every aspect of the Rescue Squad’s operations and management as a line and command officer, as a Board member, and as President. Even as President, Chaconas continued to maintain his certification as a Master Firefighter/Rescuer and Emergency Medical Technician and regularly responded on incidents.

As President, Chaconas presided over a number of significant events, ranging from the routine to the extraordinary. Some examples are the Squad’s response on September 11-12, 2001–a 24-hour period during which 70 Rescue Squad volunteers and staff responded to the Pentagon, as well as to Arlington County and the District of Columbia, while also covering its first-due area in Montgomery County; the acquisition and financing of new apparatus; and the growth, by leaps and bounds, in the Squad’s volunteer recruitment and retention efforts.

Chaconas played a critical role in custom-designing a number of the Rescue Squad’s heavy rescue squad trucks and was instrumental in the Squad’s acquisition of cutting-edge rescue technology.  He also supervised the renovation of its headquarters in 1997–an $800,000 undertaking that overhauled almost every system in the station.

Chaconas has received numerous other commendations, including the Hiram Musgrove Award, the Rescue Squad’s highest award.

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad (BCCRS), one of the nation's most advanced and best trained rescue squads, is a volunteer-run, community-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides no-cost professional emergency medical, rescue, and fire services to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Maryland, area and Upper Northwest Washington, D.C. BCCRS raises almost all of its $1.9 million operating budget from individual donors, foundations, and businesses. Contributions to BCCRS are tax-deductible as allowable by law.  BCCRS volunteers and staff respond to more than 10,000 calls annually, including illnesses, injuries, heart attacks, vehicle collisions, house fires, and many other emergencies.

The Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association (MCVFRA) was founded in 1922. Its goal is to represent, and advocate on behalf of, the 19 independent fire/rescue departments in Montgomery County and to improve the delivery of fire/rescue service to County residents.

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