Police, firefighters, medics and sheriff’s personnel went to extreme lengths last year to keep the public safe locally and in the hurricane-damaged Caribbean.
The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce honored scores of first responders at its 40th annual Valor Awards on March 9 at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner.
The event, presided over by master of ceremonies Chris Lawrence of NBC4, saw the awarding of a rare Gold Medal of Valor to Fairfax County’s urban search-and-rescue team, Virginia Task Force 1.
In the effort to save lives and alleviate suffering in parts of the Caribbean ravaged by Hurricane Irma, Virginia Task Force 1 last September deployed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where members established a base of operations and conducted search-and-rescue operations in the Virgin Islands.