Jonathan L. Hartley
Odenton Volunteer Fire Company

Jonathan (Jon) L. Hartley joined the OVFC in 1991 and is a Life Member with over 29-years of dedicated service.  He has been instrumental in both operations and administrative functions.  Jon has been the regular driver of Truck 28 on the Tuesday overnight duty crew for 27-years, and rarely misses a duty night.  He is one of the senior drivers and one of the few select members who are empowered to train new ladder truck drivers.  Jon also volunteers to take Truck 28 on special details and transfers if needed.  If Truck 28 is out of service, he drives the second engine or the ambulance as needed.  Jon responds on an average of 80 emergency calls per year and is on stand-by at the station during an additional 50 calls per year.

Jon is also a key component of the administrative functions.  He has been Financial Secretary on the Board of Directors for ten years.  He works hand-in-hand with the Treasurer to keep the financial affairs in good order.  This is no small task as the fire company processes several hundred financial transactions each year in dozens of separate accounts.  He is also a long-serving member of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Banquet Committee.  Jon is an Information Technology professional and he uses his expertise to keep OVFC’s many information systems operational and reliable.  He works for a company that rewards its employees for their volunteer service to their communities.  Jon logs his time spent serving OVFC (normally 12-plus hours a week) and his employee makes a generous donation to the fire company each quarter.

In addition to his operational and administrative responsibilities, Jon is one of the lead funnel cake makers at the annual carnival.  This stand is one of the most profitable OVFC operated activities at the carnival.  He works every one of the seven nights.  He stops at the station on his way home from work every day to make sure the stand is prepared to open, and later spends about five hours each night working over the hot fryers to make hundreds of delicious funnel cakes for the customers.

Jon’s sustained contributions to the operations and administration of the OVFC has made the fire company stronger, which in turn strengthens the volunteer fire service in Anne Arundel County.