The Zembower Fire Service Training Award was established in 1976 by Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Zembower in memory of his late parents, Mr. & Mrs. Cromwell Zembower of LaVale, and accepted by the MSFA Executive Committee. Cromwell Zembower was a Past President of the MSFA and a member of the Training Committee for many years. The Zembower Fire Service Training Award is based on the average number of formal training hours per active member for fire and rescue training completed in the fiscal year before the award. The original award was based solely on the formal training offered by MFRI, however, in 1995 the award was changed to include formal training offered by other recognized agencies.
The Zembower Fire Service Training Award will be retired to the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute and two new Fire Service Training Awards will be established for 2025. This was approved by the MSFA Executive Committee on December 15, 2024. One Award will be presented to a company/department with an active operational membership of 1 to 99 and the Second Award will be presented to a company/department with an active operational membership of 100 or more.
The Fire Service Training Award will consists of a trophy, which is presented to the winning company/department at the Annual MSFA Convention. The company/department is permitted to display the trophy until the next convention. The trophy is then returned for presentation to the next recipient. The department surrendering the trophy is then presented with a plaque for permanent display. First and Second runner-up awards will also be presented.
