Saturday, May 4, 2019 kicked off the start of a busy weekend for the fire and rescue departments in the Southern Maryland area. Members, family members and guests gathered at the Ridge Volunteer Fire Department on Saturday afternoon for a beautiful memorial service honoring those members who had passed in 2018. The memorial service was followed by a dinner meeting where the newly elected officers of the Southern Maryland Volunteer Firemen's Association were voted in and awards were presented.

Mechanicsville's Fire Prevention Officer Theresa Palmer won several awards for fire prevention including the Roland B. Duke Award which is the highest award a department can receive. Others receiving awards were Wayne Copsey and Paul Colonna who received recognition for 50 years of service.

Sunday, May 5, 2019 members participated in the firemen's parade in Ridge. The Mechanicsville Volunteers took Car 2, Utility 2A, Engine 23, and Engine Tanker 224.

Many hours were spent preparing the apparatus to peak shape. Especially on Engine Tanker 224 as its 18 years old and the members cleaned it in extreme depth.

The volunteers were awarded for the following in the parade:
-Judges Award for the Ladies Auxiliary
-2nd Best Appearing 1250GPM Engine(Engine 23)
-Best Appearing Command Unit(Car 2)