Recently volunteer Fire Chief John Morrison of Vienna was named the Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year by the International Association of Fire Chiefs. John was instrumental in the development of a Volunteer Management System uniting all 12 Fairfax County volunteer fire departments into a single portal to share resources, metrics and information.
The IAFC has honored one volunteer and one career firefighter annually since 1996. The Fire Chief of the Year award goes to a person who has “shown exemplary contributions in the areas of leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, public service, and contributions to the fire service,” according to the IAFC. The other honoree, James Clack, of the Ankeny, Iowa Fire Department, is Career Fire Chief of the Year.
Morrison has been with the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department for 23 years. Starting as a volunteer at age 16, he quickly became an emergency medical technician (EMT). He was promoted to firefighter in 2002 and became volunteer chief in 2010.
As fire chief, he oversees operations and training of the department’s 60 and counting volunteers. By building relationships with both volunteer and career personnel, the department has increased operational and training hours by 44 percent over 10 years.
Morrison is also a planning section chief for Virginia Task Force 1, Fairfax County’s urban search and rescue team. Since 2005, he has taught entry level, Firefighter I and Firefighter II classes at the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy.
His development of a Volunteer Management System (VMS) gave departments a single place for operational, training, and administrative data. This system has united all 12 Fairfax County volunteer fire departments into a single portal to share resources, metrics and information. Aside from his volunteer fire work, he is a senior lead technologist at Booz Allen Hamilton.
Credit: Vienna Patch, August 6, 2019
Rachel Haines
Story of Service: Rachel Haines
Rachel Haines came to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the United Way of Southwest Virginia (UWSWVA) as they had just received funding for three new initiatives (credential study, a speakers’ bureau, and internships). At first it was a challenge to comprehend the scope of the region’s 19 cities/counties and 92 schools, but Rachel successfully navigated the area’s various unique communities and their needs. Rachel serves as a Youth Success Coordinator for UWSWVA’s Ignite Program. Ignite is the only regional workforce development program in the K12 school system providing career awareness and hands-on skill development to more than 30,000 students...
Mechele Hairston
Story of Service: Mechele Hairston
Congratulations to Mechele Hairston of Chesapeake - winner of the 2021 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Adult Volunteer! When two Hampton Roads neighborhoods lost their last remaining grocery store, the largely minority population of nearly 18,000 citizens faced dire food scarcity challenges. Michele Hairston served as a driving force that led to the free food distribution of 25,000+ pounds of food over a two-weekend period. But it was her ongoing efforts on behalf of Impact Southside and the Solid Rock Worldwide Outreach Ministry that she made an even greater impact. In 2020, Mechele and a volunteer army...
Deenia Carico
Story of Service: Deenia Carico
AmeriCorps State Member of the Year (Robert E. Wone Award for Exemplary Service) Deenia Carico, Carroll County Public Schools Lift Up AmeriCorps, Hillsville Following a lifetime of service in teaching, Deenia continued her passion for education by joining AmeriCorps where she serves by tutoring at Oakland Elementary in Galax. In her fourth year of service, Deenia has a strong collaborative relationship with the teachers at her school and has successfully trained three new AmeriCorps members. She is also passionate about serving her community -- not only taking each of the National Days of Service to heart, but also active in...
Becky McCully
Story of Service: Becky McCully
As one of our January 2024 Serve Virginia Honor Roll honorees, Becky McCully's volunteer service in the theatre and choral programs at Patrick Henry High School (PHHS) in Ashland, Virginia, has had a profound impact on both students and the broader community. Beyond the tangible contributions to the success of productions, she has played a pivotal role in creating a vibrant and inclusive artistic environment. She has been volunteering at PHHS since 2021 but previously volunteered by mentoring theatre students when she lived in Texas. By offering her time and expertise, she has provided essential support to students, helping them...
Bruce Lamond
Story of Service: Bruce Lamond
Bruce Lamond is a second-year Virginia College Advising Corps adviser at Mecklenburg County High School, which just opened in 2022. He served in the Marine Corps for several years before graduating from the University of Virginia in 2022. During his military service, Bruce became passionate about youth mentorship, prompting him to pursue a degree in Youth and Social Innovation and to step into several student support roles at UVA. “I learned about AmeriCorps and VCAC in my senior year of college when an assistant director of VCAC presented on the program in one of my classes,” recalls Bruce. “As soon...
Jean Schiro-Zavela
Story of Service: Jean Schiro-Zavela
Congratulations to Jean Schiro-Zavela - winner of the 2020 Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Adult Volunteer! Since 2011, Jean has dedicated 1,700 hours of volunteer time to Britepaths, a financial literacy program in Northern Virginia. Jean volunteers providing administrative support to the organization and is responsible for entering all of the data needed to implement, assess, and report on the program. In the first 11 months of 2019, Jean was instrumental in documenting and tracking the 900 individuals who attended free financial literacy education classes or who met with a financial planner. Additionally, she entered data for...
