(Washington, DC) Fire & EMS Chief Dennis L. Rubin and a host of neighbors and officials in and around Brookland and Catholic University were on hand Saturday, June 7th – as Engine Company 17’s building was dedicated to the memory of Jackson Gerhart.

Gerhart, a retired DC Firefighter, was killed in the line of duty in 2004 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania battling a fire in his volunteer capacity. Gerhart was the longest serving firefighter in the history of Engine 17 (32 years), and shortly after his death, many of his friends and colleagues began the effort to rename Engine 17 in his honor.

“I can think of no more fitting way to honor a man whose contributions to this community were so great,” said Chief Rubin, a personal friend and coworker of Gerhart’s in the early days of their career. “When you think of this firehouse, you think of Jack.”

Many of Gerhart’s family members attended the event, which featured the traditional Emerald Society Pipe and Drum tribute and the presentation of a Mayoral proclamation.

Gerhart, the longest serving firefighter in the history of Engine 17 (32 years), is honored at a dedication at the Brookland area Engine 17.