Burtonsville Volunteer Fire Department EMS Update

By: Tami Bulla
       President, BVFD

The brand new Ambulance 715 was placed in-service on Thursday, April 7, 2016.

A matching new Medic Unit will soon be placed in-service as well.  The new units are Freightliner M2 PL Custom Ambulances with all of the latest safety features.  All EMS Unit drivers are completing a brief familiarization check-off prior to operating the new units.  The BVFD has placed Ambulance 715 in-service 67 nights, so far, this year. Our EMS Team continues to grow and currently has over 17 active Aides and Drivers.

Unit Specs:

Engine - Cummins ISB 240 HP
Transmission - Allison 3000 EVS
Wheelbase - 168"
Module Length - 170"
Interior Height - 72"
Warning Lights - (4) Whelen 700 Series Super-LED grille lights, Whelen 700 Series Super-LED front and rear intersection lights, Whelen 900 Series Super-LED body warning lights, Whelen 4500 LED lighbar on rear of body
Audible Warning - Federal Signal PA300 electronic siren, Whelen Alpha SL electronic siren, (2) Cast Products 5403 100-watt siren speakers, (2) Hadley E-Tone air horns
Electrical System - PL Custom 12-volt electrical system w/Lifetime Warranty, Vanner 1050CUL-DC 1,050-watt inverter w/55-amp battery charger
Lighting - (10) Whelen LED dome lights, (4) Whelen 900 Series Opti-Scene LED scene lights, Whelen Fluorent LED strip lights in exterior compartments, LED rope lights in interior cabinets
Stretcher - Ferno Washington 35A - Soon to be replaced with BVFD purchased Hydralic Stryker coots.
Additional - Double wide 36" CPR seat, Slide-out tool board w/(2) Zico SCBA brackets, Glove box holders over side and rear entry doors, PL Custom oxygen monitoring system, Zico electronic oxygen tank lift, Pro Air Germicidial air purification system, turn signal indicators in ceiling above rear doors, multiple USB charging outlets, backup camera w/7" LCD monitor, Sigtronics US-12S vehicle intercom system, Plymovent exhaust adapter.

2nd Alarm Apartment Fire

From 2nd Alarm Apartment Fire last night 4/25/15 - 3904 Blackburn La; 4-story apartment building. Probable Cause, improperly discarded smoking materials. Damage estimate of $450k; 12 families displaced with one minor injury. Photo via Burtonsville VFD Facebook Page

I Called for an Ambulance. Why is There a Fire Engine Outside?

By Lieutenant Robert Furst

Currently, in The 1st Battalion, there are six fire engines staffed 24 hours a day 7 days a week with four firefighters one of whom is a paramedic. These fire engines are housed at Downtown Silver Spring (1), Hillandale (12), Burtonsville (15), Four Corners (16), Montgomery Hills (19), and Colesville (24). Officially, they are named ALS First Response Apparatus (AFRA). On the radio, they are called Paramedic Engines.

As seen in this picture, the fire engines are equipped with a full complement of Advanced Life Support (ALS) equipment. This includes a cardiac monitor with 12-Lead capability with the ability to transmit said ECGs to the receiving hospitals. Also carried is a complete set of emergency medications and equipment with which to start IVs and place advanced airways in patients. For patients with trouble breathing, all of the paramedic engines carry a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device. The AFRA carries everything a medic unit carries and complies with the minimum requirements for ALS units in the State of Maryland.

These four person paramedic engines serve multiple purposes. They can respond as the first paramedics to arrive on the scene while awaiting a medic unit, thus providing emergency medical aid minutes sooner (every second does count), or they can respond to satisfy the assembly of one or two paramedics and a transport unit on the scene of a medical emergency. If the paramedic is required to upgrade the ambulance, and help render aid to the patient enroute to the hospital, the fire engine will remain in service with a staffing of three firefighters.

The four person staffing is also instrumental in significantly reducing the amount of time to place an attack line (fire hose) operational to start to extinguish a fire sooner. This was proven in a National Instituteof Standards and Technology (NIST) study and in the recent battalion drills.