Ready for Service: New Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad

Many were on hand as Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad (WVRS) officially dedicated Rescue Squad 742 and put the unit in service following today's 1:00 p.m. ceremony. Rescue Squad 742 will provide vital emergency services to the residents and businesses of the Wheaton community and Montgomery County. The Rescue Squad will respond to incidents that range from structural fires, vehicle extrication's, technical rescues and other types of complex, emergency incidents that require the technical services and advanced capabilities provided by specialized heavy rescue squads.

The Rescue Squad replaces a vehicle with over two decades of service and 192,000 miles logged. Purchased with support from community donations and grants, Rescue Squad 742 is one of the most advanced vehicles of its type in the region. The truck was custom build and features three winches, a 9,000 watt light tower and extrication tools powered by dual hydraulic generators. 

WVRS is located in the heart of the growing, thriving, multicultural community of Wheaton and responds to over 11,000 emergency calls annually in partnership with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. The WVRS has served the community since 1955 through generous donations of its neighbors and the surrounding community. Visit: www.wvrs.org for more information.

Montgomery County’s 911 System Has Been Restored

Montgomery County’s 911 system continues to function properly after being down for approximately two hours last night and into this morning.

During an emergency, the public should contact 911 for an emergency response from police, fire and emergency medical services.

If A CALLER  HEARS a busy signal or IS unable to get through on 911, the CALLER should contact 311 OR THE CLOSEST local fire station or police DISTRICT station.

Fire Stations:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcfrs/connect/phone.html

Police Stations
Rockville Station 240-773-6070
Bethesda Station 240-773-6700
Silver Spring 240-773-6800
Wheaton 240-773-5500
Germantown 240-773-6200
Gaithersburg 240-773-5700

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week April 10 - 16

It’s National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. We love and appreciate our 911 and dispatch staff who are vital links in times of crisis.

The below video comes from inside our section at the Public Safety Communications Center. If you ever have to call 911, and let us hope you never do, this is where you call would go. This is also where our fire trucks and ambulances are dispatched from to get you help as soon as possible.

Poll Result: Does Your Child Know Home Address And How To Call 911

Last Wednesday, we honored a wonderful seven year old girl who was able to call 911 to help her dad, who was experiencing a medical emergency, out. A great story you can learn more about here: Seven Year Old Everyday Hero Honored For Making The Right Call.

As a result we decided to take a poll, via our @MCFS Twitter page, and ask the below question re kids and calling 911. We are happy to see that 70% know their address and how to call 911.

Three percent indicate their child does not know either but will teach them right away. We will assume that the seven percent who know how to call 911 but do not know their address will be taught their address. Very nice to think that, as a result of the poll, some kids will be taught a valuable safety lesson that could save a life; much like seven year old Jenna did!

Of course, we here at MCFRS hope that no one ever has to call 911 as it means someone may be hurt and/or experiencing a fire.

For those w/kids: Does your child know home address & do they understand how & why to call 911? #SpringIntoSafety

— MontgomeryCo(MD)Fire (@mcfrs) March 31, 2016

Seven Year Old Makes The Right Call

A seven-year-old Silver Spring girl who recently called 911 will meet the MCFRS call taker/dispatcher who assisted with the call. The young girl made the right call and got help to her home quickly.

She and her family will hear the 911 audio tape for the first time and have an opportunity to meet the call taker/dispatcher as well as tour the MCFRS dispatch and communication area.

The youngster and her family will meet MCFRS dispatchers at the Montgomery County Public Safety Communications Center, located at 1300 Quince Orchard Boulevard in Gaithersburg at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 30.

If needed, can you make the right call? When calling 911, know what to expect. Learn more here: What to Expect When You Call 911
     
Below is an excerpt from the 911 call.

Video And 911 Audio - Baby Boy Born Along I-270

Some video and 911 audio from yesterdays (3-26-15) birth along I-270. Congratulations to the Nelson family!

Article from the Washington Post: Roadway delivery: Breech baby born along Interstate 270 in Montgomery

Safety Saturday!

This may be a sight you will see in your neighborhood later today. Our Firefighters going door to door to hand out safety tips and offer to check smoke alarms! ‪

This is part of our Summer of Safety program.  Have a great, and SAFE, weekend!

Remember.................

Learn Your Address - An Activity for Kids!

Houses have numbers instead of names. Firefighters and police use those numbers to find houses in an emergency so they can help you. The number you see on the front of your house is your home's first name. The street name or number is your home's last name. The home's first name and last name together make up your address. This house's first name is: 5677 (first) Piringer Street SW (last).

Instructions

 Download (PDF, 160 Kb) and print this page and have a grown up write your house's name (address) on the lines below. Read it out loud.

First Name (House number) -

---

Last Name (Street) -

---

Now copy your address. Color the house above the same colors as your home.

---

---

---

Help us help you - please make sure your house numbers are visible from the street and help your child learn his/her address and phone number. Hang this sheet up near your phone while your child is learning.

Can we find you in an EMERGENCY?

In an emergency, police, fire and rescue workers depend on house numbers to find YOU as quickly as possible. Finding your home - especially at night - can be challenging if address numbers are unreadable, hidden, unlighted or have missing numbers and may delay emergency responders from getting to you as quickly as possible.

Are your house numbers visible from the street? Are they set on a background of contrasting color? If your house is hidden from the street, are your numbers attached to a visible fence, mailbox or gate? Is your mobile home identified with your house number? If you live on a corner, does your house number face the street named in your address?

If you've answered "no" to any of these questions, please follow the guidelines below to make sure your house number is easy to read:

1. Numbers must be visible from the street. Existing residential home numbering can be 3 1/2 inches high, however new residential homes must be at least 5 inches high and if you replace existing numbers they must be at least 5 inches high.
2. Numbers should be placed on a contrasting background, with a reflective coating on the numbers for easy visibility at night.
3. Repair or replace aging address number placards, especially on mailboxes that are a distance from the front of the residence.
4. Prune any bushes, tree limbs or other growth that has covered your house numbers.
5. Numbers should be placed on or beside the front door. If your door is not easily seen from the street, put the numbers on a post, fence or tree at the driveway entrance so they can be clearly seen from the street. In addition to numbers on the front door of your house, if you have a rural-style mailbox, reflective and contrasting numbers should be placed on both sides of the box so they can be seen by an emergency vehicle approaching from either direction.

Montgomery County Code on Addresses

1. The owner of any structure presently existing or constructed in the future must display Arabic numbers designating the address assigned to the structure by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, or by the municipality in which the structure is located. Numbers must be at least five (5) inches high for single-family detached and attached residences and at least six (6) inches high for commercial, industrial or multifamily structures. However, if the numbers designating the address of a single-family residence on April 5, 1988, were at least three (3) inches high, those numbers comply with the size requirement of this section as long as they remain in place. Address displays must be posted on a contrasting background displayed in a conspicuous place that is unobstructed and clearly readable from the street named in the official address of the structure. Where a structure has more than one (1) address or where more than one (1) structure shares a common entry or driveway, numbers must designate the addresses in sequence.
2. An agency of the county must not require a permit for a sign containing only the address of a residence if the sign is smaller than a maximum size set by the county executive by regulation.

Firefighters and Fire Chief Bowers to Tackle County's Tallest Tower To Honor 9/11 Fire Fighters On Saturday

On Saturday more than 50 members of MCFRS, including Fire Chief Richie Bowers, will climb 110 stories at the North Bethesda Market East Tower in honor of our 343 colleagues who died in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

The event, which was organized by Firefighter TJ Monahan of Station 33 in Potomac to commemorate next month's 10th anniversary of the tragedy, is a fundraiser for the International Association of Fire Fighters' Burn Foundation. It is the first firefighter stair climb in the Washington region, according Ron Benedict, the Fitness Team and Grants Coordinator for IAFF who's been helping plan the event.

The apartment tower at North Bethesda Market, the tallest building in Montgomery County, is the equivalent of 25 stories from ground level.

"I'd heard of other stair climbs around the country that other firefighters do, and I thought it fitting to do something locally to honor the 343 firefighter lives lost in New York on 9/11, almost a decade ago," Monahan said. "I began searching for the tallest building I could find, and found it virtually in my backyard.  To 'climb the World Trade Center,' we'll be going up and down four times, plus 10 extra stories at the end."

Many of the participants will make the climb in full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) with Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), about 60 lbs. worth of gear. In addition to raising money for the Burn Foundation in memory of our fallen brothers and sisters, the event will give participants the opportunity to realistically gauge their personal performance expectations during an actual high-rise incident--without the benefit of elevators.

The event begins at 9 a.m., Aug. 20, at North Bethesda Market, 11418 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, Md. Stop by to lend support and cheer for those tackling the tower climb. The event is hosted by IAFF and IAFF Local 1664, and sponsored in part by North Bethesda Market and The JBG Companies.

Donations to the IAFF Burn Foundation in support of the stair climb can be made at the event or online at http://www.active.com/donate/FFStairClimb.