(Enlarge) Hereford Volunteer Fire Company Chief Chuck Bollinger was named Firefighter of the Year by the Baltimore County Volunteer Firemen’s Association. (Photo by Brendan Cavanaugh)

The next time Hereford's fire siren goes off, think of Chuck Bollinger. He'll be getting out of bed in the middle of the night, putting down his fork in the middle of a meal or putting his television on pause in the middle of a show.

Since he started keeping track in 1994, Bollinger has answered the siren's call 6,654 times. He has responded to more calls than any other Hereford volunteer firefighter in 10 of the last 15 years.

That consistent effort and leadership roles he's taken at the Hereford Volunteer Fire Company earned Bollinger "Firefighter of the Year" honors at last month's awards banquet, sponsored by the Baltimore County Volunteer Firemen's Association, held at Arcadia Volunteer Fire Company.

"Since we're volunteers, we have the option not to answer a call. But I'd never just sit home and not go out. I couldn't do it," Bollinger said. "I do tend to get fanatical about things."

Bollinger, 47, lives almost a mile from the Hereford station with his wife, Debbie. He keeps sweatpants, shirt and socks on a chair next to his bed, so when the siren sounds at night, he can be dressed and out the door in no time.

For Hereford to successfully answer a call, it must have four firefighters ready to ride the engine within three minutes of a call. Even though Bollinger has a fulltime job in information technology with Social Security Administration, last year he responded to 597 of Hereford's 811 calls for assistance.

"I'm basically a volunteer firefighter trapped in a government worker's body," he said. "When the call comes, you don't know if you'll be gone a few minutes or a few hours. People at my job are understanding. If I've been up all night, I can catch up on sleep and then work from home. And Debbie is the best. She's one-of-a-kind."

Debbie has a good attitude and is flexible when the siren summons Chuck.

"I knew what he did before we got married and I have more admiration than frustration," said Debbie, who volunteers as Hereford fire company's chaplain. "With a microwave and TiVo, it's not bad if he's not gone too long."

She said this year's Thanksgiving dinner was one of the few holiday meals they've completed recently without interruption.

Bollinger has never been injured on a call beyond a few bumps and bruises and has not had to deal with a fire fatality. He has, however, been on the scene of fatal car accidents.

"Sometimes they just stay with me and I keep thinking about them when I get home," he said.

Bollinger said his younger brother, Danny, is the fire fanatic in the family. Danny joined the Hereford fire company when he was 16 and is now a paid firefighter assigned to Station 60, in Parkton.

Chuck was a student at Virginia Tech when he decided to join Hereford, too. After college, Bollinger moved to Virginia for several years. He lived in three towns and signed up to be a volunteer firefighter in each one.

He moved back to Maryland in 1993 and has volunteered at Hereford ever since. He is currently the fire chief, a position he's held for a total of 10 years since 1993.

"Chuck puts his heart into the fire service," said Hereford fire company's president, Wayne Smith, who nominated Bollinger for the award. "With his knowledge of firefighting and administrative ability, he was the perfect choice."

The Baltimore County Volunteer Firemen's Association president, Joel McCrea, who volunteers at Long Green fire company, presented Bollinger with a plaque at last month's banquet.

"Chuck goes above and beyond what's required," McCrea said. "He has done a lot with his own company, and has recently stepped up to help our association, too."

Bollinger is the new vice president of operations for the volunteer association.

About 3,300 volunteer firefighters from 35 volunteer fire companies in Baltimore County belong to the association.

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