Emergency Medical Services
Commendation Medal - 2009
Lieutenant Matthew P. Malof
Fairfax County Fire Station 5
Lieutenant Matthew Malof is committed to providing the citizens of Fairfax County with the best possible emergency medical services. His efforts "above and beyond the call of duty" are the reason for honoring his decision making and patient care.
Asst. Chief of the Fairfax County Fire Dept. , David Rohrer (left) and Lieutentant Matthew Malof after receiving the EMS Commendation Medal
This year, Matt responded to an early morning call for a woman who was having severe difficulty breathing. The patient steadfastly refused to go to the hospital because she was the sole caretaker for her husband and handicapped granddaughter. Rather than processing paperwork and leaving her to care for herself, Matt's out of the box solution was to request additional fire department personnel to stand by with the family until the Fairfax County Adult Protective Service could respond during normal working hours. At that point, the patient finally agreed to go to the hospital for the necessary treatment. Even though Matt's shift ended at 0700 hours, his care for this patient and her family did not. Matt called back to check on his patient and her family multiple times the next day to ensure they were receiving the needed care.
This is the level of care every patient and family member receives from Lieutenant Malof; countless other stories demonstrate this same level of dedication.
Lieutenant Malof is a great paramedic and a great Medic Lieutenant. His duties include training, mentoring and supervising current medics and medic interns. He also spends a great deal of time working with the interns on calls and reviewing the calls post-incident. He spends extra time at the station to ensure the the interns are ready for the field and that they are prepared to take their paramedic exam.
On duty or off, Lieutenant Malof assists the citizens of Fairfax County with their EMS needs, and recognizes the critical needs of the whole human being. Recently, Matt ran a call for a homeless man having a diabetic emergency. While treating the patient, he talked to the man about how he arrived on the streets. The homeless man was a Marine who fell on hard times after leaving active duty. The veteran had been robbed of his money and identification, and could no longer find employment; he needed assistance to regain his identification. The homeless man was stuck in a "Catch 22" situation and unable to pull his life together. Matt arranged with the hospital staff to get the homeless man a shower, and returned the next morning to help him acquire citizenship documentation and DMV identification. Matt paid required fees and assisted the veteran in negotiating the bureaucratic mazes of the county courthouse and state DMV. Without Matt's off duty help this military veteran would have continued stumbling through the shadowy world of homelessness, instead of regaining his confidence and again becoming a contributing member of society.
Lieutenant Malof's generosity and kindness is not limited to the citizens of Fairfax County. Every year he participates in the Central Virginia Burn Camp where he supplies food and cooks meals for all the campers. He also makes sure that he is available every year to assist at the Muscular Dystrophy Association Camp in Southern Maryland where his attendance with a fire truck and a dunk tank are truly enjoyed.
Lieutenant Malof gives every situation his full and professional attention whether it is on an emergency call, training a new intern, or giving off duty time and assistance to our citizens. He exemplifies the Fire and Rescue Department's vision statement of being "Dedicated to being the best community-focused fire and rescue department, ensuring a safe and secure environment for all." It is with great pleasure the Fairfax Resolves Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution honors Lieutenant Malof for his leadership and exemplary Emergency Medical Services to all with whom he comes in contact.