Deputy Fire Marshal Ernst noted for being top sleuth as firemen hold beach gala in Ocean City

EDWARD ERNST NAMED DEPUTY STATE FIRE MARSHAL OF THE YEAR

          OCEAN CITY, MD (June 16, 2014) – Deputy State Fire Marshal Edward Ernst assigned to the Western Regional Office of the State Fire Marshal, has been named the recipient of the coveted, “2013 Deputy State Fire Marshal of the Year” award.

State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci made the presentation during a ceremony at the Maryland State Firemen’s Association annual convention in Ocean City on June 16, 2014.

Deputy Ernst was nominated by his supervisor, Deputy Chief State Fire Marshal Jason Mowbray.  Ernst was lauded for his many achievements in 2013, such as; conducting 95 initial fire and explosive investigations, maintaining a 56% criminal case closure rate and conducted 163 fire safety inspections.

He was also the lead investigator on a multi-county arson spree involving 42 fires set in vehicles, barns, homes, garages and trash containers.  Deputy Ernst worked feverishly alongside a team of Deputy State Fire Marshals, Maryland State Police, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives and the Washington County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Their outstanding efforts resulted in the arrests of the eight individuals responsible for setting these fires.

While off-duty, Deputy Ernst observed suspicious persons leaving a local bank and continued to follow them while updating the 911 center of their activities, leading to their felony arrests for robbing the bank.

All of these tasks were accomplished while maintaining his normal workload as an on-call Bomb Squad Technician and serving on the Drug Enforcement Agency Western Region “Clan Lab” Response Team.  Deputy Ernst also performed multiple public safety demonstrations throughout the year and serves the community as a volunteer firefighter at the Volunteer Fire Department of Halfway.

This highly respected investigator has excelled in each and every aspect of his career and is a model employee for the Office of the State Fire Marshal.  Since joining the Office of the State Fire Marshal he has proven himself to be a dedicated and well respected addition to the agency.

“Deputy Ernst exemplifies the overall desire and commitment our investigators and bomb technicians embrace to ensure the safety of all Maryland’s citizens”, stated Fire Marshal Geraci.