Family

By: Lieutenant Rob Furst

One attribute of the fire department is that you have two families; your blood and marriage family and your fire department family. In times of need, both families (blood and FD) will provide support at full force for their brother or sister.

Such is that case for MFF Brian Vane (Fire Station 1-A). His son requires treatment for a medical condition. This treatment includes a brief hospitalization. Brian's shift came to his side to provide support and a brief reprieve from hospital food. Brian and his (blood) family were very appreciative of the surprise visit.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery for young Blake!  #Blakestrong

Brian (far L) and shift mates.

New Promotions

MCFRS is pleased to report the following personnel have been promoted to the rank of Master Firefighter:

• James M. Riddle 
• Jaymie R. Birney
• Sean T. Murphy

Congratulations and be safe in your new assignment!  Bill D

More Medals For MCFRS Competitors At World Police & Fire Games

Captain Penny Ingles earned 2 Silver Medals during Tuesday's Track and Field events, being held at George Mason University. She had a new personal record in the Javelin throw and Long Jump events.

These two silver medals bring her medal count to 4 ( 1 Gold and 3 Silver).  Good job Penny!

Let The Games Begin!

Firefighters from across the world are descending on the Washington-Metro Area today to participate in the World Police & Fire Games.  Opening ceremony is at RFK Stadium at 6 PM with a fan fest area that opens at 3 PM.  The games run through July 5th at venues across the metro area.

Approximately 40 MCFRS personnel will be participating!

GOOD LUCK to all of our firefighters who are participating!

Photo courtesy of Master Firefighter Tim Beatty.

World Police & Fire Games Just One Week Away

In one week firefighters from across the world will be descending on the Washington-Metro Area to participate in the World Police & Fire Games.

A good number of MCFRS personnel will be participating as well.  Below is the top that will be worn by our folks during the opening ceremony next week.  On the back it says, "MCFRS- Maryland."

GOOD LUCK to all of our firefighters who are participating!

Congratulations To Recruit Class 40

Acting Fire Chief Scott Goldstein to welcome 43 members of Recruit Class 40 to MCFRS after 26 weeks of training! Graduation Ceremony TODAY at 2:00 p.m. at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg.

Congratulations and stay safe!

Recent Promotions

Fire Chief Steve Lohr is pleased to announce that the following personnel have been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant:

• Andrew D. German
• Christopher J. Reilly
• Kelly A. Mullendore
• Kristy M. Furst 
• Sean P. Hall
• Timothy A. Burns 

Congratulations to all in your new assignment and, as always, be safe!

Rookie Firefighter/EMT Delivers Baby Boy

By: Captain Ivan Browning

On Wednesday morning, October 22, at 8:52 AM Paramedic Engine 717 and Ambulance 728 were dispatched to the intersection of Woodfield Road and Brink Road in Company 17's area.  Montgomery County PD was on the scene with a husband and wife in which the wife was in active labor.  PE717 arrived first to find a female with contractions in a very short timeframe apart from each other and began initial patient assessment and care.

FF1 Jared Morris and FF2 James Taylor arrived on the ambulance, gained the pertinent information and quickly loaded the patient in A728 where they initiated transport to a local hospital.  FF1 Morris took assumed patient care and initiated all the necessary steps per department protocol.  At approximately two minutes prior to arriving at the emergency room, FF1 Morris noticed crowning and continued with the delivery protocol.  As FF2 Taylor was backing into the ER bay, the newborn baby boy began to cry and Mother and Son were transferred to an awaiting ER staff.

A job well done for a Firefighter/EMT with less than two months in the field!  The shift at Fire Station 28 celebrating by presenting Firefighter Morris with a celebratory balloon suitable for the occasion.

Photo Courtesy of Capt. Ivan Browning

A Happy Ending

By Master Firefighter Franco Martinez

A funny thing happened on the way to picking up dinner for Silver Spring Fire Station 16 this past Saturday. 

As we were grabbing the dinner ingredients a Mom with her child come up to Firefighter Jon Merrell and I and said (pointing at Jon) "I know you, you delivered my baby in the back of the ambulance" and then proceeded with a big hug and verbal thanks to Jon.

As you can see, 11 months later a beautiful bouncing baby girl is doing just fine.  Needless to say this made our day!

Photo Courtesy of Master Firefighter Franco Martinez

Go PINK With MCFRS & Raise Funds For A Great Cause

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue has joined the national campaign for the fourth year in an effort to raise awareness about the cause and money for cancer research and programs.

Breast cancer is not gender specific and firefighters in Montgomery County will be trading their traditional on-duty shirts for ones in support of breast cancer awareness throughout the month of October.

The general public can join the cause and show support by purchasing a tee shirt, sweat shirt or hat similar to what our fire and rescue personnel will be wearing during breast cancer awareness month. Photos of the gear are below.  

To learn more and order your own apparel please go here: Breast Cancer Awareness

Station Maintenance

By Master Firefighter Tim Burns

When not responding to emergency calls our firefighters keep busy with a variety of duties at the local firehouse. Every day the employees that work in these stations are responsible for accomplishing a number of assigned tasks, one of which is station maintenance.

Here you will see members of company 16 A-Shift conducting monthly station maintenance on their bunk room and bathroom/locker room. Since they spend 1/3 of their lives in these facilities, it benefits them to keep them as clean as possible. Often times you will notice that living areas in some stations are comparable to the firefighter's homes in terms of their upkeep.

Montgomery County Firefighters Go Pink

A nice story by County Cable on our Firefighters Breast Cancer Awareness Initiative.

Firefighters Raises Over $196K for MDA

Every year around Labor Day, MCFRS personnel participate in the Fill the Boot campaign to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  This year was no different as over a three day period last week firefighters, when not responding to emergency calls, were out in force at various intersections collecting donations from a lot of very generous people.   

According to Master Fire Fighter Donnie Simmons, who heads up the effort for International Association of Firefighters Local 1664, approximately $196,101.00 was raised for this worthy cause! 

None of this would be possible without the generosity displayed by our wonderful County residents!  THANK YOU!

Fire Station 24 B-Shift (photo courtesy of L-1664)

Fire Station 16 Hosts Local Community Group

By: Battalion Chief Mark Davis

On July 25th, Silver Spring Fire Station 16 on the A-Shift hosted students from an entry-level English as a Second Language Class. The 17 students who attended learned about fire safety and injury prevention as well as the services provided by MCFRS. The students were from Cameroon, Congo, Haiti, Guatemala, Peru, Dominican Republic, and El Salvador. Captain Dee Richards and her crew at Fire Station 16 did a great job helping to further the student's knowledge about life safety issues in their home. 

Photo courtesy of ESL Instructor Karin Schach

1st Battalion Donation to The Don't Panic Foundation

July 13, 2013 - Battalion Chief Mark Davis (BC701-A Shift) presents Captain Jason Giza with a $450.00 donation for The Don't Panic Foundation. Captain Giza is President of the foundation. The funds were raised through the sale of the 1st Battalion Leads The Way framed photographs as well as the sale of 1st Battalion patches and window decals. This is the second of such donations to The Don't Panic Foundation this year, bringing the total to $750.00.  Photo and story courtesy of BC Mark Davis. 

Promotions

Fire Chief Steve Lohr is pleased to announce the following promotions.

The following personnel have been promoted to the rank of Captain:

• Anselmo A. Bencosme
• James J. Carpenter
• Joel A. Shackett
• Kenneth R. O'leary
• Paul E. Donaghue
• Pedro J. Meneses
• Richard C. Anthony
• Sean P. Bryan
• William Phelps
• Jason Giza

The following personnel have been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant:

• Anthony (Jake) E. Hoover
• Ashley B. Robinson
• Clinton D. Kraft
• Michael F. Doyle

The following personnel have been promoted to the rank of Master Firefighter:

• John J. Dunlavey
• Nelson Ortiz-Cruz
• Wayne A. Montano

Congratulations to all and be safe!

MCFRS Announces Promotions

Fire Chief Richard Bowers is pleased to announce the following promotions within MCFRS:

The following person has been promoted to the rank of Captain:

• Rhonda B. Weaver

The following person has been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant:

• David J. Kennedy

The following person has been promoted to the rank of Master Firefighter:

• Brett J. Carter

Congratulations to all and be safe!

Inspiring The Next Generation While Keeping The Community Safe

Master Firefighter Damian Langston walks some
children around Paramedic Engine 724

By: Lieutenant Robert Furst

Every Saturday afternoon, firefighters and EMTs in the 1st Battalion canvas the community to hand out informational materials and check residences for working smoke alarms. Occasionally, this leads to one of the most enjoyable moments of our work days: showing children the fire truck.

Children marvel over the size of the apparatus along with the shiny and clean condition of the equipment. To be frank with you, most of the personnel of The 1st were the same way when we were kids, and we like to reminisce about those times. It is our hope that we can brighten the day of the children and maybe lead some of them down the path to becoming the next generation of 1st Battalion Firefighters.

Recruit Class 37 Getting Fit!

By: Lieutenant Pedro Meneses

Cardio is an integral part in fighting fires. In the video below, Recruit Class 37 is finishing up a 30 minute slow run. To their surprise, when it was all done, they had completed 2.5 miles.

Some had never run that far but when you run as a group and feed off each other anything is possible!

Happy Holidays from Our Family to Yours! Make it a safe one!

Happy Holidays from Our Family to Yours! Make it a safe one!

 

 

Fire Station 18 A Shift 2012 Photo Courtesy of Firefighter Pete Andreallo

Source: sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net via MontgomeryCo(MD)Fire on Pinterest