080526 Montgomery County Receives National and State Achievement Awards

Montgomery County Receives National and State Achievement Awards

Montgomery County, VA – Montgomery County recently reported that they received national and state Achievement Awards for their “Coordinated Crisis Response: Montgomery County’s Hurricane Helene Boil Water Advisory Management” and for its “MCPS Teen First Responders Academy: Building the Next Generation of First Responders.”

The county was recognized by the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) for their “Coordinated Crisis Response: Montgomery County’s Hurricane Helene Boil Water Advisory Management.” After Hurricane Helene, heavy sediment in the New River disrupted regional water treatment operations and, according to the press release, Montgomery County “rapidly established a multi‑agency Water Task Force to coordinate operations and communications across jurisdictions. The task force included local governments, state agencies, healthcare providers, utilities, and public information officers.” The Task Force ensured consistent communication, protected public health, minimized misinformation, and maintained community trust.

NACo also presented Montgomery County with an Achievement Award for the “MCPS Teen First Responders Academy: Building the Next Generation of First Responders.” This Academy addresses a growing need for fire and emergency medical services personnel, specifically volunteers. In the fall of 2025, Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery County Fire and EMS partnered to launch the MCPS Teen First Responders Academy and provided hands-on sessions to students so that they could “gain insight into the responsibilities, skills, and teamwork required of first responders.”

The VACo Achievement Awards program is a competitive annual awards initiative open to local government members of the association. The NACo Achievement Awards program is a non-competitive awards program recognizing innovative county government programs in 18 categories covering a wide spectrum of county responsibilities.

Read Montgomery County’s press release here.

Explore the NACo awards here.

Review the VACo awards here.

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