W. David Gott, 27, died in the line of duty on Friday December 9, 1988 in a tragic motor vehicle accident. He was returning from a call in his personal vehicle when a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction crossed the center line and hit him in a near head on collision.

David was a lifelong Calvert County resident and was well known for his easy going manner and his love of a challenge. He grew up around the firehouse since his father Warren was also a volunteer firefighter. David joined the Prince Frederick Volunteer Fire Department in 1980. During his eight years of service, he held offices in administration as well as suppression. He served as the Department’s Secretary / Treasurer for two years and was also on the Board of Directors. At the time of David’s death, he held the position of President and Captain of the Department and had just been elected to serve as Deputy Chief for the coming year.

David’s commitment and dedication to his community and the Department over those 8 short years provided the justification for his induction into both the Southern Maryland Volunteer Firemen’s Association Hall of Fame and the Calvert County Volunteer Firemen’s Association Hall of Fame. His memory has also been honored through the establishment of the Department’s annual W. David Gott Memorial Training Award for the member with the most training hours for the year and The Southern Maryland Volunteer Firemen’s Association’s W. David Gott Memorial Award which is given at their annual convention to an individual who contributes the most in Fire Prevention for his or her community or county. These two memorial awards were very appropriate given David’s love and passion for Fire Training and teaching the importance of Fire Prevention to the public.

At the time of his death, David was a well respected Correctional Officer at the Southern Maryland Correctional Camp in Hughesville.