LIBERTYTOWN, MD – A section of a state highway in Frederick County has been dedicated to Libertytown Firefighter Michael Powers.
Signs along MD. 26 were placed in the area where Powers answered his final alarm on June 25, 2019.
He was assisting at a vehicle crash when he suffered a massive heart attack. Despite immediate care from medics and his own crew, Powers was pronounced dead at Frederick Health Hospital.
“I saw him bend over and thought he was picking up some of the debris from the previous wreck. But he didn’t come up. He just collapsed,” Chip Jewell, president of the Libertytown Volunteer Fire Department, said during a ceremony at the firehouse Friday.
On that fateful day, Jewell recalled his conversation with his longtime friend about how much longer they would be responding to emergencies. Powers was 70 and he was 67.
When the tones dropped for the crash that afternoon, it was their third call in a span of hours.
The crowd that included Powers’ family, friends, fellow firefighters and elected officials was silent as Jewell remembered his friend’s dedication to the fire service.
Powers, who had stepped back from driving apparatus, had returned to that duty just months before because the department was so short of qualified drivers.
“He didn’t want the engines to fail. So, he stepped up to be a driver again He said he’d do it for a few more months until additional career staff arrived…
Maryland Senator William Folden said he was honored to have sponsored the "Hero’s Highway Act” which pays tribute to firefighters, first responders, police officers and the military.
Folden said he was especially proud to promote the dedication of the section of highway as he knew Powers and was proud to call him a friend.
He noted that Powers’ entire life was about service – to his country, his family, his fire service family and the community.
Linda Powers fought to find the words to describe her appreciation for Jewell, Folden and others who made the effort to recognize her husband.
“When Chip asked me, I was really surprised. I told him we would love it. It would be such an honor. And, it is. I just can’t thank them enough.”
Powers' death hit Laura Gray especially hard.
When she joined Libertytown, he was the first one to step up to show her the ropes.
"He welcomed me and became a mentor. I learned so much by following his lead," she said adding that Powers was often the driver when she was on ambulance duty.
In addition to emergencies, she said he was fun to work with at the department's various fund-raising events.
Patti Powers Haller was in awe of the gesture for her brother. “I just can’t believe this. The senator and county officials were here. And, all the people from the area and firefighters came out too. We loved it. But you know Mike would have said: ‘This isn’t necessary…’”
