Former Fire Chief David B. Gratz inducted into National Fire and Emergency Services Hall of Legends, Legacies, and Leaders

October 2014 - Officers of the SSFD would like to announce that one of Silver Spring's own, the late Chief David B. Gratz, was inducted this past October 2014 into the prestigious "National Fire and Emergency Services Hall of Legends, Legacies, and Leaders." The announcement was posted in the National Fire Heritage Center Newsletter October 2014 http://thenfhc.org/

Chief Gratz started his fire services journey as a volunteer with Silver Spring in the late 1940's holding many positions in the department, the county, the State, plus also nationally and internationally, too. Most will agree that he put the SSFD on the map in the world of fire protection, fire safety, and firefighting. He was chief of SSFD from 1961 to 1973 and retired in 1977. He was president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs from 1975 to 1976. Chief David B. Gratz of the Silver Spring (MD) Fire Department died November 5, 1998.