The Honor Guard was formed many years ago by now retired Sergeant Mike Lavelle as the Officer in charge. At that time, there were only three members in the unit. In 1990, Captain Griff Livingston was asked if he would take on the enormous task of reforming the Honor Guard. An Information Bulletin was distributed to the stations and interested personnel were directed to apply.

Approximately 15 DFRS personnel applied and were accepted as members of the Honor Guard. Captain Jim LaMay took on the role of assisting Griff with the formulation, oversight and drilling. MFR Wayne Koontz was asked to become the Drill Instructor (DI) for the group. Wayne was asked to take a group of dedicated individuals and transform them into a well disciplined precision team. The many tedious and painstaking hours of drilling have resulted in the consistent performance of each member of the Honor Guard.

One of the most rewarding and challenging times for the Montgomery County Fire Rescue(MCFR) Service Honor Guard was when the team traveled to Fort Myer to practice and drill with the Presidential Honor Guard; better known as the "Old Guard." The "Old Guard" provided some of the best training and experience ever offered to the MCFR Honor Guard. The members truly enjoyed the experience and made numerous friends with the "Old Guard." A plaque and several other "Department trinkets" were given to the members of the "Old Guard" for their assistance with our training.

Over the years, the MCFR Honor Guard has participated in many fire service funerals and color details. We have traveled across the state and assisted many other local jurisdictions with funeral services for fallen comrades. On several occasions, members have traveled to New York City, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh to represent the Department at line of duty funeral services. This is one of the primary reasons the Honor Guard was formed. However, our primary mission is here in Montgomery County to assist the personnel of MCFR should there be an unfortunate line of duty funeral service or to help a fellow brother or sister in their time of grief should they lose an immediate family member.

The Honor Guard team has traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio during FDIC to participate in the "National Honor Guard Competition". The MCFR Honor Guard placed third in a highly competitive event. The team and the Department were extremely proud and excited about the results. The team has also participated in numerous parade details and placed first as "Best Marching" unit.

Honor Guard at FDIC competition

Annual events that members of the Honor Guard participate in are:
• National Fire Academy Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Emmitsburg, Maryland
• Maryland State Memorial Service at Dulaney Valley, Maryland
• IAFF Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service in Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Colors presentation at the Washington Redskins home games
• Maryland State Firemen’s Association Honor Guard Competition

IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Service

Honor Guard Competition - Ocean City, MD

The members of the Honor Guard continue to be dedicated to the profession and to those that serve in the fire rescue service. Dedication, Desire, and Determination to service exemplify the attitude of Honor Guard Team members. We practice hard to maintain our precision moves.

Probably the most memorable service for the Honor Guard would be the funeral service for Montgomery County’s Sergeant E. Helbert. The service was heart wrenching and emotional for all the Honor Guard members. Another significant event that the MCFRS Honor Guard participated in was the line of duty death of Sergeant John Carter of the District of Columbia Fire Department. The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services Honor Guard played a significant role in the planning and implementation of the funeral service for Sergeant Carter.

Some other memorable color presentations that the Honor Guard has done are those for the Washington Redskins Games and the Baltimore Orioles games. This was a great experience for the Honor Guard Team and the Department.

Presenting the Colors for the Baltimore Orioles

The MCFRS Honor Guard continues to strive for excellence. In 1997 Captain Livingston retired and Captain Greg DeHaven assumed the role of Honor Guard Team Commander. The team hosted the 1999 Emergency Services Honor Guard Competition and Learning Symposium in conjunction with the MSFA Annual Convention in Ocean City, Maryland. There was one day of competition and one day of learning workshops and seminars.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Honor Guard continues to facilitate and participate in the annual Honor Guard Competition during the Maryland State Firemen’s Association Convention in Ocean City, Maryland. The Dover Air Force Base Honor Guard are the judges for this annual event.

A Fundamental Training Program (FTP) has been developed and is run anytime the team takes on additional members.The FTP is an intense weeklong orientation and drill program used to introduce potential new members to the precision drill procedures required of the Honor Guard. The first FTP ran in October, 1999. From the start of the program Captain Tyrone DeMent has taken the lead role as our primary Drill Instructor (DI).

In 2005 Assistant Chief Greg DeHaven assigned the Operation Section to Captain Tyrone DeMent. Captain DeMent’s responsibilities include scheduling and running team meetings/practices, managing the FTP program, event coordination and personnel accountability to name a few. Captain DeMent has earned the respect of his peers as well as members of other Honor Guard Teams’ regionally.

Captain Dement accepting the American Flag

The Honor Guard Team is very busy providing support for ceremonial and funeral events all year long. The team has logged over one hundred events in the year 2005 alone. We have always received solid support from the Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service organizational leaders both career and volunteer. Most recently, Fire Chief Thomas W. Carr and John Sparks, President of MCFFA Local 1664.

The members of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Honor Guard thank the Department for the opportunity to serve the men and women of the Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service. The Honor Guard members are proud "to serve with compassion, dedication and a commitment to excellence".