Contact: Peter Morris,
Assistant Chief
301-652-0077

BETHESDA-CHEVY CHASE RESCUE SQUAD
HONORS DONALD LEE FITZGERALD FOR 50 YEARS OF SERVICE

April 28, 2001; Bethesda, MD The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad honored former President and Chief Donald L. FitzGerald last night for 50 years of service at a surprise gathering in the station's banquet room of more than one hundred past and present Rescue Squad members, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service personnel, friends, family and other guests.

Donnie FitzGerald, or "Fitz" as he was known by his friends, joined the Rescue Squad in May of 1951 as a young eighteen year-old. He was a local boy who was born in Washington, DC and grew up on Wilson Lane in Bethesda. He attended Gonzaga High School in the District and the University of Maryland. Once he joined the Rescue Squad, he was quick to obtain his Basic/Advanced First Aid course, and firefighter status, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant a mere eight months after being inducted into the organization. Like many other men in the community at the time, FitzGerald's life was interrupted by the Korean War. In the late summer of 1952, he resigned his rank and membership for two years to join the Armed Forces. He returned to Bethesda in the spring of 1954 and resumed his active role at the Rescue Squad.

From that point on, FitzGerald's commitment to the Rescue Squad was flawless. In his fifty years, he held every rank possible and did so with distinction. He served as a sergeant and lieutenant for two years each, a captain for one year, assistant chief for one year, deputy chief for three years and finally, chief for one year. He also served as a member of the Rescue Squad's Board of Directors for 30 years, including six years each as vice president and president.

FitzGerald has been recognized numerous times for his outstanding devotion to emergency services. In 1969, he received the Rescue Squad's Hiram Musgrove Award, the department's highest recognition for outstanding service. FitzGerald's excellence, however, was not just recognized by the Rescue Squad. He was inducted into the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire Rescue Association's Hall of Fame and into the Maryland State Firemen's Association's Hall of Fame in 1993 and 1994, respectively.

Donald FitzGerald remains an active member at the Rescue Squad in many ways today. He maintains his Integrated Emergency Command Structure certification as an Emergency Medical Technician in the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. He serves as president of the Rescue Squad's Alumni Association, which he established in 1985. Finally, as a personal donation, he handles the landscaping and lawn maintenance of the Rescue Squad's grounds - a job he has undertaken for the last 25 years.