Awards & Achievements

• 1938 – 1956 Robert S. Hall
• 1957 – 1958 D.P. Dawson
• 1959 – 1961 Wallace M. Ward
• 1962 William Spicer Sr.
• 1963 Wallace M. Ward
• 1964 Bill Stevenson
• 1965 – 1966 Al Bourne
• 1967 Bill Bradley
• 1968 Thomas Nary
• 1969 – 1970 David Frederick

• 1971 – 1972 William Spicer Sr.
• 1973 David Kerlin
• 1974 – 1975 David Frederick
• 1976 Bob Haggerty
• 1977 Tom Bradshaw
• 1978 – 1979 William Spicer Sr.
• 1980 – 1982 Michael Johnson
• 1983 Edward Miller
• 1984 Raymond Martin
• 1985 – 1986 Edward Miller

• 1987 – 1989 Michael Johnson
• 1990 – 1991 Mike Ross
• 1992 – 1995 Michael Johnson
• 1996 – 1998 George Hooper
• 1999 – 2002 Mike Ross
• 2003 – 2004 Clancy McQuigg
• 2005 – 2010 Debbie Haight
• 2011 – 2016 Billy Spicer
• 2017 – 2018 Chris Hehr
• 2019 –  Dave Williams

• 1938 – 1939 Fred M. Lynn
• 1940 – 1948 J.A. Musselman
• 1949 – 1956 R.W. Hall
• 1957 – 1959 Wallace Lynn
• 1960 – 1963 Warren Limerick
• 1964   Lawrence Hahn

• 1965 – 1967 Warren Limerick
• 1968 – 1975 Roger T. Furr
• 1976  James Rice
• 1977 – 1982 William Spicer Jr.
• 1983 Paul Rogers
• 1984 – 1987 Harry Burdette

• 1988 – 1995 William Spicer Jr.
• 1996 – 1997 Charles Reavis
• 1998 – 2009 Ricky Arrington
• 2010 – 2019 Jim McAllister
• 2020 – 2021 Rick Michael
• 2022 – Wayne Haight

The Betty Limerick Award is OWL’s highest award. It is presented at our annual installation of officers event to show appreciation from the department to a member who has provided extended service well beyond their assigned duties. The Department President, Chief, and the President of the Auxiliary select the recipient. A member may only receive the award once in a lifetime. 

This award was established in 1971 and named in honor of Betty Limerick. According to our historical documents, on June 6, 1957, Limerick, an auxiliary member, began serving as a night  dispatcher. She dispatched calls from her home on F Street in Woodbridge. Eventually she began answering calls for help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When a call came in, Limerick activated the sirens that notified volunteers to respond. 

When Prince William County Administration created a Department of Fire and Rescue in 1966, a 911 system was also installed and Limerick was added to the payrolls. She continued to dispatch OWL Units. She served for a total of 14 years. 

• James D Frederick (1971)
• Robert F Arrington Sr (1972)
• William H Spicer Sr (1973)
• Richard A Sloss (1974)
• Paul F Garavagiia (1975)
• Robert L Frederick (1976)
• Roger “Tommy” Furr (1977)
• Kenneth P Saxe (1978)
• Jack Gardner (1979)
• Hein “Dutch” Leverstein (1980)
• Dewen G Hicks Jr. (1981)
• Harry C Burdette (1982)
• Richard Arrington (1983)
• Michael Johnson (1984)
• William H Spicer Jr (1985)

• Irene Frederick (1986)
• F George Hooper (1987)
• Edward L Miller (1988)
• Arthur A. Marek (1989)
• Robert G Sharpe Jr (1990)
• Bonita F Joseph (1991)
• John M McGovern (1992)
• Jennifer L Marek (1993)
• Shelia N Johnson (1994)
• Deborah Dodge (1995)
• Maureen Yannuzzzi (1996)
• Robert Arrington Jr (1997)
• Henry J Neyhouse (1998)
• Heather Lukes (1999)
• David C Lukes (2000)
• Francis Spicer (2001)
• Jonathan B Covey (2002)

• Brian Gardner (2006)
• Mark Chandler (2007)
• Susan Wessolleck (2008)
• Bill Golden (2009)
• Kelly Shaw (2010)
• Robert L Brown (2011)
• Daniel J Thompson (2011)
• Ed Craig (2012)
• George W Smith (2013)
• David P Williams (2015)
• Kara J Simmons (2016)
• Ernest Desantis Jr. (2017)
• Michael Clark (2018)
• Scott Shaw (2019)
• Steve Godin (2020)
• Melissa Payne (2021)
• Debbie Haight (2023)
• Ben New (2024)

Presented to a member or members of OWL VFD found to have performed an act of heroism and/or self-sacrifice providing Fire service in the line of  duty. This award recognizes individual achievement or meritorious action by members of the department.

This Fire Valor award is named in honor of William H. Spicer, Sr. Nicknamed “Blue”  after his love for Bluefish fishing, Spicer volunteered with OWL for 35 years. He served as the department president in 1962, 1971, 1972, 1978, and 1979.  He had also served on the board of directors and as captain of the rescue squad, which he helped establish. He was named Firefighter of the Year in 1959, was presented with the Betty Limerick Service Award in 1973, and was chosen as the Man  of the Year in 1983 by the Prince William Chamber of Commerce. 

Spicer was an Occoquan resident from 1955 until his death in August 1990. In October 1990, the newly built Station 12 on Montgomery Avenue in Woodbridge was named the Spicer Station in his honor. 

• Warren E Limerick (1958)
• William H Spicer Sr. (1959)
• Hobart Umbarger (1961)
• Betty Limerick (1963)
• Clifford F Reedy (1964)
• John Helsey (1965)
• Wilbur B Clarke (1966)
• Claude M Green (1967)
• Allen H Bourne (1968)
• W David Kerlin (1969
• William H Spicer Jr. (1971)
• Billy Joe Hall (1972)
• Roger T Furr (1973)
• Richard Sorter (1974)
• Richard A McAvoy (1975)
• R George Hooper (1976)
• Dewey G Hicks Jr. (1977)
• Paul A Rogers (1978)
• Richard L Arrington (1979)
• Jeffrey Schlilly (1980)
• Darryl D Klopp (1981)
• Michael L Rohs (1982)
• Diane Whitney (1984)
• Thomas Hubbard (1985)
• Buddy Hartberger (1986)
• Carl F Persing (1987)
• Norman Taylor (1988)
• Arthur A Marek (1988)

• Robert G Sharpe Jr. (1989)
• Ian O’Bryne (1990)
• Daniel McMasters (1990)
• Robert Kehler (1990)
• Craig Barrett (1990)
• Tim Van Duessen (1990)
• Jonathan Covey (1991)
• Carlton Burkhammer (1991)
• David Zader (1991)
• Ian O’Byrne (1991)
• John Moore (1992)
• Brian Gardner (1994)
• Joey Welborn (1994)
• Ron Miller (1994)
• Jon Covey (1994)
• Jason Mehmeyer (1994)
• James Baxter (1994)
• Mara Sweet (1994)
• Jeff Johnson (1994)
• Joey Welborn (1994)
• Jason Falcone (1994)
• Mike McCranie (1994)
• Darrell Steepleton (1998)
• Michael Skeele (1998)
• Joseph J Zarkauskas (1999)

• Russell E Dodge Jr. (2001)
• Christine M Connally (2002)
• Eric S Craven (2003)
• Michael Nazionale (2003)
• David Halman (2003)
• Jonathan B Covey (2003)
• James F McAllister (2004)
• John M Roberts (2004)
• Richard Boyd (2005)
• David Williams (2005)
• Travis Pell (2005)
• John Lynn (2005)
• Mike McCranie (2006)
• Brian Wery (2007)
• Wayne Haight (2007)
• William Weatherford (2007)
• Steve Godin (2007)
• Gary Markum (2007)
• Jason Grimes (2007)
• Justin Williams (2007)
• Kurt Bolland (2008)
• Jason Lowery (2009)
• John M McGovern III (2009)
• Carlyle H Smith (2016)
• Mark Chandler (2021)
• Kurt Bolland (2021)
• David Crane (2021)
• Steve Parrish (2021)

Presented to a member or members of OWL VFD found to have performed an act of heroism and/or self-sacrifice providing EMS service in the line of duty. This award recognizes individual achievement or meritorious action by members of the department.  

• Patrick A Gaughan (1977)
• Mike Yankaskas (2021)
• Ethan Goldenberg (2021)
• William Flynn (2021)

Presented to a member at the discretion of the Chief as a recognition of their appreciation for a member’s service and dedication. 

• Carlyle Smith (2007)
• Russ Fries (2008)
• Bill Golden (2008)
• Cynthia M Young (2011)

• Carrie Constable (2012)
• David P Williams (2014)
• Luis A Vitela (2015)
• Robert L Brown (2016)
• Steve Godin (2017)

• Richard Michael (2018)
• Sabrina Brandon Ricks (2019)
• Nate Rees (2020)
• Chris Weber (2021)
• Ashley Whitmore (2022)
• David H. Williams (2024)

Presented to a member of OWL VFD rescue squad who, during the year, shall have displayed an outstanding effort to the betterment of the rescue service through training, devotion to duty, assignments, and the overall service to the rescue squad.

This EMS Service Award is named in honor of Richard A. McAvoy, a former member who was known for his dedication of service. McAvoy was awarded the William H. Spicer, Sr. Firefighter of the Year award in 1975. This is a Fire Valor award that recognizes individual achievement or meritorious action while in the line of duty.

• Shirley Hooper (1976)
• Rita Arrington (1977)
• Linda M Gauthier (1978)
• Eugene Feinberg (1979)
• Julie Hill (1980)
• Robert Brunner (1981)
• Doug Goulla (1982)
• Karen Fox (1983)
• Bonnie Joseph (1984)
• Aerta Bellefleur (1985)
• Larry Lee (1986)
• Eric D Simmons (1987)
• Andrea Lee Mason (1988)
• David A Bellefleur (1989)

• Cindy Roberts (1990)
• Brian D Gardner (1991)
• Adriene L Smith (1992)
• Scheila L Northam (1993)
• Judith Barrett (1994)
• Michael Barnett (1995)
• David Janey (1996)
• Heather Lukes (1997)
• T J Bishop (1998)
• Carl E Schatz (1999)
• Scheila L Lowery (2002)
• Edgar W Burnette Jr (2003)
• Stephen W Widdell (2004)

• Stephen W Widdell (2004)
• Larry Jackson (2011)
• Robert Brown (2012)
• Cynthia M Thackwray (2013)
• Tammy Hill (2014)
• Stephanie M Powers (2015)
• Stephanie M Powers (2016)
• Stephanie M Powers (2017)
• Tammy Hill (2018)
• Sandra Williams (2019)
• Melissa Westphal (2020)
• Myriam “Aundrea” Bonilla (2021)
• Michael Yankaskas (2023)
• Tammy Hill (2024)

Presented to a member who continuously upholds the virtues of the Department, the Community, and their family. 

• Richard Arrington (2009)
• Gerald A. Carroll (2010)
• Steven R Godin (2011)
• John M McGovern III (2012)
• Derick N Ondra (2013)
• Rebecca L Barnes (2014)
• Wayne A Haight (2015)
• Harry and Susan Wessolleck (2016)
• Francis and William Spicer (2017)
• Kurt Bolland (2018)
• Sara Baldwin (2019)
• Mark Chandler (2020)
• George and Anna Smith (2021)
• Scott Shaw (2023)

Presented to the administrative member or members of the OWL VFD, who have displayed outstanding performance in the administrative support of the Occoquan- Woodbridge- Lorton Volunteer Fire Department.

• Theresa A Mahan (1997)
• William P Mahan (1997)
• Stephen K McGraw (1998)
• Roger E Donais Jr. (1999)
• Barry R King (2000)
• Katherine G Ludwig (2001)
• Cindy A. Roberts (2004)
• Katherine Ransom (2005)
• Heather Lukes (2006)
• Harvey Simonsen (2007)
• Heather Carroll (2008)
• Mike McCranie (2009)
• Wayne A Haight (2010)

• Melissa L Payne (2011)
• Cyndi Miller (2012)
• Mark A & Michelle E Bauer (2013)
• Alexander Desmond (2014)
• William A Golden Jr. (2015)
• Richard H Michael (2016)
• Rebecca Barnes (2017)
• Anna Smith (2018)
• Stacey Godin (2019)
• Meredith Maple (2020)
• Sue Wessolleck and Stacey Godin (2021)
• Brenda Kuhn (2023)
• Cynthia Thackwray (2024)

Presented to an active Fire crew member who is judged to be the most outstanding crew member in the past year.

The Fire Crew Member of the Year award is named in honor of Fred M. Lynn, who was a longtime resident of Prince William County. He was an OWL  Charter Member and served as the department’s first chief. Fred M. Lynn Middle School is also named in his honor.

• Wayne Burnette (2002)
• Josh Culp (2003)
• Matthew Haight (2005)
• William Campbell (2012)
• Dontrell M. Royal (2013)
• Dawn F. Olopoenia (2014)
• Jeffrey W Gallagher (2015)
• Jacqueline Carranza (2016)
• Scott Shaw (2017)
• Jeffrey Gallagher (2018)
• Mark Chandler (2019)
• Jared Lawrence (2020)
• Gustavo Coelho (2021)
• Kavious Manley (2022)
• Rich Lawson (2024)

Presented to an active EMS crew member who is judged to be the most outstanding crew member during the past year. 

This award is named in honor of Bonnie F. Joseph, who is a former Rescue Chief and Life Member.

• Anastasia V. Semenova (2013)
• Sherrie A Halpin (2014)
• Timothy R Hupp (2015)
• Cassandra C Noda (2016)
• Sybil Meeley (2017)
• Sandra Williams (2018)
• Mike Yankaskas (2019)
• Lillian O’Keefe (2020)
• Melissa Westphal (2021)
• Myriam “Aundrea” Bonilla (2023)
• Arjuna Yost (2024)

Presented to an active Fire Fighter crew member who is judged to be the most outstanding crew member during the past year. 

• David Crane (2019)
• David H. Williams (2021)
• Peter Langone (2022)
• Malak Hassan (2024)

Presented to an active EMS crew member who is judged to be the most outstanding crew member during the past year. 

• Lisa Chickerling (2019)
• Ethan Goldenberg (2020)
• David “Erik” Smith (2021)
• Leo Greenwald (2022)
• Braden Dasher (2024)

Presented to a member of the OWL VFD who is judged to be the most outstanding Junior in the past year (January through December).

• Herb Ley (1991)
• Jason Wehmyer (1992)
• Heather Worth (1993)
• David Halman (1994)
• Jonathan Zarkauskas (1995)
• David Struble (1996)
• Michael Nazionale (1997)
• Rebecca Sluys (1998)
• Christopher K Valentine (2000)
• Kurt A Craven (2001)
• Brittany D Lyons (2002)

• Amy Olson (2003)
• Brandon Hope (2004)
• Aaron Hope (2004)
• Justin Williams (2005)
• Jason Dalal (2007)
• Dontrell Royal (2008)
• Jamieson Jewett (2009)
• Carol Earhardt (2010)
• Noah Wing (2014)
• Heba Kamal (2021)
• Andrew Sager (2022)
• Riley Gardner (2024)