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Submission Requirements

  • Submit using the below link, details describing how your nominee meets or exceeds the nominee requirements.  In addition, provide answers to each of the following questions listed below.  Attach any supporting materials, i.e., newspaper articles, educational brochures/handouts/flyers and pictures to the Committee, nominating one (1) individual or (1) group as the awardee(s).

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  1. Why does this nominee deserve special recognition as the Fire Chief James E. Jarboe Public Safety Lifetime Achievement Award?
     

  2. Describe the achievements of the nominee must fall within the following, Fire Marshal, Fire Investigator, Fire Inspector/Code Enforcement, and Fire Protection Engineer.

3. What have they done to support fire and/or life safety programs in their area? (Include achieved outcomes, statistics, and behavior changes from the public and the organization)

 

4.  What innovative approach is used by this nominee?

5. Identify the leadership skills this nominee has shown.


6. What obstacles or challenges, if any, has this nominee encountered, and how were they
handled? 


7. Three (3) or more years of experience in public fire and/or life safety.


8. Individual and or group nominations are accepted.

 
9. Serves communities within the Mid-Atlantic area.

Award Committee Contact

E-Mail: jarboe.award@fabscom.org

Presented at the Mid-Atlantic Life Safety Conference

                                                   James E. “Jimmy” Jarboe, former fire chief and 65-year life member of the Takoma Park Volunteer Fire                                                     Department, passed away after a brief illness on September 10, 2022 in Bethesda, Maryland at the age                                                     of 84. Chief Jarboe, who retired as fire chief in 2008, joined the fire department in 1956. At the time of                                                     his passing, he was the only member in the history of the Takoma Park Fire Department to hold every                                                       rank – Private First Class, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, and Fire Chief. 

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                                                   In 1959, Chief Jarboe was hired as a career firefighter with the City of Takoma Park, a career that                                                               spanned nearly 30 years. During his time as Fire Chief, he was instrumental in creating the foundation                                                       to ensure that fire and life safety prevention was made prevalent. Seeing the importance of                                                                         maintaining fire and life safety within the city it transformed to ensure that the State Fire Codes were                                                         met via the inspection processes that were put in place to ensure that the residents and business of                                                         the city to ensure their safety was met. Following his retirement in 1988, he continued serving the department as a volunteer and as a recognized state and national leader in public fire prevention. Chief Jarboe was awarded the Firefighter of the Year honor in 1993 by the Maryland State Firemen’s Association. 


Together, with his late father, AJ, and deceased brothers John, William, Robert, and Theodore, they combined for nearly 150 years of service with the Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department. 

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Throughout his career, Chief Jarboe received many awards and accolades for his innovative approach to supporting and promoting fire prevention to both the young and the old. In 2000, he was named the Mid-Atlantic Life Safety Educator of the Year and had been a committee member since 1959. In 2004, Chief Jarboe was named to the Maryland State Firemen’s Association Hall of Fame and recipient of the Marbery F. Gates Service Cup Award in recognition of his devotion to public safety. In his “spare” time, Chief Jarboe served on many state and county fire safety committees as well as the City of Takoma Park Independence Day committee.
He loved to interact with children and adults, especially during his many years of volunteer service at the Montgomery County Fair. 

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Chief Jarboe was also a life member and officer with the Takoma Park Lions Club, where he coordinated the club’s participation in the annual Halloween parade, Thanksgiving Day meals for families, and the Toys of Tots program. 


The Fire Chief James E. Jarboe Public Safety Lifetime Achievement Award embraces the importance of advocacy and leadership on behalf of all firefighters and emergency services personnel. These key attributes epitomize Mason’s legacy as a fire service leader.

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