On Saturday May 21, 2022, the members of the Burtonsville Volunteer Fire Department, past and present, and their families gathered to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the BVFD at the Lone Oak Brewery in Olney, Maryland.

75 years ago, a relatively small group of concerned citizens met to discuss how to better keep their community safe. By the end of that meeting, 18 people had contributed $1,800 to start the Burtonsville Volunteer Fire Department. 

Since then, the BVFD has been serving Burtonsville and the surrounding area proudly, and last weekend we celebrated the accomplishments of our members and the Department as a whole. 

Throughout the afternoon Chief Michael Ryman and President Chester Cadogan presented awards as announced by Vice President Tami Bulla. Members were recognized for reaching various milestones in their length of service, being top responders for either Fire or EMS calls, and for being distinguished leaders and trainers. 

One such leadership award is the Chief Mike Kerr Leadership and Service award. This award is presented once every 5 years if there is a qualified candidate who has been with the department for at least 10 years. The qualifications for this award embody the attributes that Chief Michael Kerr provided to the BVFD throughout his 28 year tenure as an active member.  This year, the Chief Kerr award was presented to Firefighter Mark Bulla.

Firefighter Bulla has been a member of the Burtonsville Volunteer Fire Department since December 1980. Throughout the last 42 years, he has served on the Board of Directors as Treasurer and Secretary, as well as President during the year the Department moved into the current station. He was recognized by the MCVFRA as firefighter of the year in 2016, and still actively rides to this day.

Special thanks to the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department who fulfilled our required staffing that day to allow all of us to gather and honor the legacy of the department and celebrate the current and future members.