On Sunday, October 19,2014, members of the Leonardtown V.F.D., its Auxiliary, and family members and friends of Past Chief John F. “Jake” Mattingly gathered at the fire station to recognize the contributions that he has made to the department during his many years of active service. The event was also to officially dedicate the new Seagrave Pumper Tanker, recently placed in service, in honor of Jake’s service to the department.

Jake served the Leonardtown Vol. Fire Department for over twenty-six {26} years as an active member joining the department on January 21, 1952. During this time he held many officer positions up to and including serving as Fire Chief from 1962–1965 and 1967–1972. He was serving as fire chief in April of 1963 when one our department’s largest and most devastating woods fire ravaged St. Mary’s County. Companies from all three Southern Maryland counties and several from Prince George’s county responded to assist. In all it was estimated that 1,000 firefighters battled this blaze which burnt approximately 1000 acres. He effectively managed this major incident and gained the respect of the fire service community for his noteworthy actions and leadership. Jake’s most memorable fire was the Steuart Petroleum fire in Piney Point. Lightning had struck a fuel tank on the evening of May 15, 1973. Jake’s quote “It set the tank on fire. We were down there all night long. The sides of the tank were glowing red.” The tank held 2.5 million gallons of aviation fuel, but only the top sections of the tank caught fire. Some of those men who fought those fires alongside Jake are here today with us, and I am sure they will be sharing their memories of those major incidents with us all.

Jake’s knowledge and talents were not just observed on the fire scene. He was instrumental in many of the accomplishments of the department. He served on the building committee that was responsible for the planning and design of our current fire station that was dedicated in 1965. He was always looking for new tools and firefighting techniques in order to improve our department’s operational skills. For this reason, he chaired several of our new apparatus committees. An example of ideas he suggested was when he recommended the first use of skid loads for hand lines to our operations, a practice used throughout the fire service today. He also was responsible for the purchase of our first new four wheel drive brush unit in 1968 after years of using old army surplus vehicles modified for the fire service. In 1971, Jake served as chairman of the new engine committee that would bring the first diesel power fire engine to our station, Engine 17. He was a familiar face during the annual carnival managing the beer stand with all of his regular crew.
Jake was a strong advocate for training and in 1968 he was instrumental in the development of a new training concept called “Regional Schools”. Promoting regional training, he was able to have the Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute conduct the first such school in Leonardtown.
Chief Mattingly also served for many years as a delegate to the Southern Maryland Volunteer Firemen’s Association and the Maryland State Firemen’s Association and attended their meetings and conventions. And in 2013, Jake was inducted into the Southern Maryland Volunteer Firemen’s Association Hall of Fame.
While Jake has been retired from active membership in the department, he regularly stops by the fire station to keep up on activities of the department. He continues to share stories of the past, much to the enjoyment of the new members. He still is today a true asset to our department, St. Mary’s County and to Southern Maryland.
Jake was joined by his son Kevin, a member of the department, to place the plaque that we will be proudly displayed to honor Chief Mattingly’s fulfillment of the department motto of “Faithful to Duty”. Congratulations Chief.