FHExpo16: NFFF Names 3 Recipients of Arthur J. Glatfelter Distinguished Service Award

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation today honored Gerard F. Scannell, Chief A. Marvin Gibbons and Hal Bruno with its Arthur J. Glatfelter Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to support and further the mission of the NFFF and Glatfelter’s legacy.

During the Firehouse Expo opening ceremonies, NFFF Executive Director Ron Siarnicki explained the extraordinary achievements of these three men and why they were selected for the honor.

Gerard F. Scannell worked hard all of his life to address job-related hazards. He served as the head of the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, part of the Department of Labor. He was a former OSHA official and director of safety and environmental affairs for Johnson & Johnson. Scannell was with the National Safety Council for years and was committed to reducing firefighter deaths and injuries. He served as both vice chair and chairman of the NFFF and worked with the board of directors to remodel the national memorial in 2003.

For more than 60 years, Hal Bruno served as an active member of the fire service community, giving selflessly as a dedicated volunteer firefighter, advocate, commentator and leader. He is renowned for his commitment to fire safety initiatives and his compassion for the members of the fire service and their families. Bruno was appointed chairman of the NFFF in 1999, a distinction he held until his retirement in 2008. Under Bruno’s leadership, the NFFF expanded services and resources for the survivors, including workshops, conferences and scholarships. He guided and supported the Foundation in developing safety initiatives for firefighters and advancing safety practices that will help to reduce the number of line of duty deaths and injuries.

Chief A. Marvin Gibbons—past president of the Maryland State Firemen’s Association (MSFA) and a man whose impact on the fire service was felt nationwide—was a member of the Hillandale Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., in Montgomery County, MD. Chief Gibbons was instrumental in establishing the National Fallen Firefighter’s Memorial erected at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD. The memorial, and the annual ceremony that recognizes those individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their fellow citizens, was truly one of his proudest achievements. In 1990, Chief Gibbons was honored with an award for outstanding service from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for his work in overseeing the design and construction of the Memorial.

The award is named after Art Glatfelter (1924–2013), who was a champion of the U.S. fire service as the founder of VFIS—the first insurance company of its kind founded in 1969 to meet the insurance needs for volunteer firefighters.

Glatfelter was a native Pennsylvanian, a United States Marine, a leader in the insurance industry, a horseman and a champion of the arts in his beloved community of York, PA. Siarnicki said Glatfelter was loved by many and admired by all who served with him in any capacity. He was truly a Renaissance man—an individual of courage, wisdom and vision. He was a passionate leader and mentor who had a goal to make the world a better place.

Glatfelter greatly admired the courage of firefighters, and he displayed this admiration by dedicating much of his time and fortune to advancing the mission of the NFFF to prevent line-of-duty deaths and to take care of the survivors of firefighters who fall in the line of duty. Further, Glatfelter helped with the founding of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in 1981 and served on the NFFF Board of Directors between 1995 and 2005. He enthusiastically supported the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend as a great demonstration of the support NFFF provides to fallen firefighters and their families and coworkers. As his final gesture of commitment, Glatfelter generously remembered the NFFF in his last Will and Testament.

Glatfelter also supported the fire service at the national level by co-founding the Congressional Fire Service Institute (CFSI) with former Congressman Curt Weldon. In this capacity as a founding director of CFSI, he helped steer and influence federal policy regarding fire service issues.

Glatfelter was posthumously honored as the namesake of the first Arthur J. Glatfelter Distinguished Service Award at Firehouse Expo 2015.