Digging Out Your Car? Make Sure You Take Care of This Hidden Danger!

photo of rear of car with tailpipe clear of snow

Prior to starting your vehicle, first make sure that the exhaust pipe is not covered or encased with snow, even if the vehicle is unoccupied and you are just warming it up.

Remember, the snow piled around your car can trap carbon monoxide coming from the exhaust. It can quickly incapacitate you before you realize what's happening. When the tailpipe is blocked, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly carbon monoxide fumes will be forced back into the passenger compartment and could overcome a person in a matter of seconds. 

The very first action you should taking when digging out a vehicle is to clear away the snow from the tailpipe a distance of at least 3 feet and keep checking that it remains clear which you shovel out your car. Never let children sit in an idling car while shoveling. Clear snow from the exhaust pipe and leave the engine off until the car is ready to roll. 

Car re-covered in snow after plow

County residents who park on streets or in apartment and townhouse complexes need to be especially vigilant. Parking conditions are often changing due to the complexity of plow operations and the potential for obstructions to tailpipes/exhaust systems as snow gets relocated and piled up in many parking lots.  Many times, people are returning to different spaces and parking conditions may have been altered by weather, plows, etc. 

Reminder: Never warm up your car in the garage!

Digging Out Your Car? Make Sure You Take Care of This Hidden Danger!

photo of rear of car with tailpipe clear of snow

Prior to starting your vehicle, first make sure that the exhaust pipe is not covered or encased with snow, even if the vehicle is unoccupied and you are just warming it up.

Remember, the snow piled around your car can trap carbon monoxide coming from the exhaust. It can quickly incapacitate you before you realize what's happening. When the tailpipe is blocked, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly carbon monoxide fumes will be forced back into the passenger compartment and could overcome a person in a matter of seconds. 

The very first action you should taking when digging out a vehicle is to clear away the snow from the tailpipe a distance of at least 3 feet and keep checking that it remains clear which you shovel out your car. Never let children sit in an idling car while shoveling. Clear snow from the exhaust pipe and leave the engine off until the car is ready to roll. 

Reminder: Never warm up your car in the garage!

Child Passenger Safety

Need to have a car seat installed/checked/inspected?

Montgomery County residents may click here to schedule an appointment.

Fire Chief to Recognize “Everyday Hero”

Fire Chief To Honor Everyday Hero

Unit Citation

By: BC Mark Davis 

It is very fitting that units from the 1st Battalion receive Fire Chief Steven E. Lohr's first Unit Citation for exemplary work at a townhouse fire that occurred on March 17th in Co 12's first-due response district. Crews from E712, E715, and T715 rescued a woman trapped on the second floor of a townhouse fire. An adult male had already jumped from the second floor prior to the arrival of FD units. Ambulance 712 and Medic 712 provided excellent medical care and both victims survived the event with minimal injury. BC Mark Davis was the Incident Commander.

1st Battalion units made a true difference that day!

 (L to R) Front: BC Mark Davis, FF Raymond Briscoe, MF Jude McDowell, LT James Snyder, FF Kevin Benns, FF James Proctor, MF Michael Ryman, FF Lauren Wickson. Back: Division Chief Scott Goldstein, FF Brent Sheely, FF Patrick Paradise, MF Marvin Robinson, Fire Chief Steve Lohr, FF Chad Goyette, AC Steve Jones.

MCFRS Significant Incident Map

Sunday, April 7 – Saturday, April 13

View MCFRS Significant Incident Map in a larger map

Probationary Firefighters Of The 1st Battalion

By: Battalion Chief Mark Davis

 

The 1st Battalion has seen its share of Probationary Firefighters over the years - many have gone on to become outstanding officers, Master Firefighters, and paramedics. Presently, there are SEVEN Probationary Firefighters assigned to the ...1st Battalion's A-Shift...and we took a moment the other day to get them all together for a group photo at Station 12.

It has been many years since we have had so many rookies on one shift in the 1st Battalion. When a new recruit firefighter graduates from recruit school - they must serve one year as a Probationary Firefighter (PFF). During that year they are assigned a preceptor who helps guide and mentor them through numerous practical skill and written assignments.

At the end of their probationary year, the PFF's must pass a comprehensive written and practical skill exam. When successful - they are granted "Merit System Status" and full employment.

The 1st Battalion is considered a "premier" probationary assignment because of the level of fire and EMS activity in the battalion and because of the comradarie of the men and women assigned there.

(L to R) Front Row: PFF Jeffrey Broyles (16A), PFP Aaron Branch (1A), PFF Matthew Machala (2A) - all three are graduates of Recruit Class 35. Back Row: PFF Jeffrey Henckel (15A), PFF Robert Travers (24A), PFF Paul Welsh (19A), and PFF Alex Akman (12A) - all four are graduates of Recruit Class 36.

Many thanks to Captain Couse (12A) for organizing and taking the photo.

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.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!  Make sure it is a safe one!  

Photo Courtesy of Firefighter Howard Sperling

Chief Bowers Presents the Distinguished Service Citation

On August 10^th the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce hosted a public safety awards breakfast at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.  During this event, Fire Chief Richard Bowers presented the Distinguished Service Citation to members of Companies 29, 34 and Battalion Chief 705 for their response to a traffic collision this past February 19th.

Video of the presentation is below.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for Travilah Fire Station #32

Travilah Groundbreaking Invitation

MCFRS Recruiting Section Will Be Attending A Job Fair On Friday, June 15 in Silver Spring

The MCFRS Recruiting Section will be attending a job fair on Friday, June 15 at the Silver Spring Civic Building, located at One Veterans Place in downtown Silver Spring.   The job fair will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m.  The job fair is part of a celebration to recognize Caribbean American Heritage Month. 

Although MCFRS is not currently accepting applications, the recruiting section will be available to answer questions regarding our hiring process, benefits and work environment. Please stop by and see us.  More information can be found at:  Montgomery County Celebrates Caribbean American Heritage Month 

Practice Makes Perfect!

By: Lieutenant Pete Hageman
       Fire Station #3 D-Shift


During the week of May 22-24 Station 3A,B,C and D Eng3ine, Res3cue, Lad3der trained on the City of Rockville climbing wall at 860 Avery Rd. With 2 Rock climbing walls in the first due, personnel increased their operational awareness on Rescues from difficult climbing techniques, personal rope skills, top belay, grigri belay, ATC belay and pick offs. All enjoyed the alternative rope training. Thank you to the City of Rockville for allowing us to utilize their recreational facility.

The Elders

Note: the below is from a blog written by Pam Boe who is a volunteer Paramedic and is married to one of our career Fire Captains.  This provides you a glimpse into other aspects of public safety life - continuing education and re certification training.  The learning and training never stop!  Our folks are always working hard to be prepared and ready to respond to all sorts of emergencies here in the county.

And some of our folks work hard to become, and maintain, certifications as instructors going that extra mile!  They not only teach a curriculum but they also pass along invaluable real world experiences that may help save a life one day!

Thanks to Pam and her blog, Mama Boe, for allowing us to "reprint" this here.

-Bill D


It takes an innate ability to read an audience to be a decent classroom instructor. Especially when your students are:
1) Adults,
2) Very Bright,
3) In your class mandatorily to maintain their certification, and,
4) Medics.



I don’t know that I would have the courage to lecture such a roughened, seasoned, bunch of extreme, living-on-the-edge-for-a-career kind of people.




(Heck I’m amazed I have the courage to show up at all, even just to sit in the back.)
But these guys do:



Joe, Adam, and Ty….Decades of experience between them. Hundreds of lives saved or healed for the better because of them, personally. Thousands of lives affected positively because of the medics they teach and train.

To be able to teach a subject is to have mastered it. To be able to teach it in a way that keeps the student not only interested, but also entertained, is a talent.

In this particular case, everybody wins. The teachers, for the mastery… the students, to grow their skills and knowledge… and the citizens they serve, for they will get better care for it.

Most people don’t realize how much work goes into and behind each and every 911 call that goes out. It’s not as simple as getting into an ambulance and picking the patient or victim up. Hours and hours of training go into it.

Why?

Because the medics want to do a good job?
Because the medics don’t want to be caught with their pants down?
Because the medics are afraid of litigation?
Because the medics have some kind of ‘Hero’ or ‘God’ complex?

No.

It’s simply because they care.

Training Exercise – Rappelling From Aerial Tower 703

Personnel from Rockville Station 3B and 3D shift took advantage of Thursday's beautiful weather and engaged in a training exercise rappelling from Aerial Tower 703.

Click on the photo to see more pictures from the training.

Personnel involved were Captain Norris, Lieutenant Hageman, Master Firefighter (MFF) Walls, MFF Ward, MFF Damico, Firefighter (FF) Lann (Tower driver training and photographer), FF Veronesi (New Tower driver), FF Maggie Stottlemyer, FF Leister, FF Viands, FF Funes, and RVFD volunteer Brianna Seymour.

Personnel learned techniques in rappelling from rappel racks, 8's, and tandem Prusik belays while enjoying the view from 100 feet above Rockville's Town Square.

MCFRS personnel train frequently on all of the basics so we are ready to respond to, and take care of, a wide variety of emergency situations that could impact our County and its residents. Click on the photo to see more pictures from our training day.  

Stay safe!

Lt. Pete Hageman, 3D

Confined Space Rescue January 17th 2012

Thought I would share some photos from an incident who responded to the other day.  It was a confined space rescue for an injured worker in an underground 10,000 gallon heating oil tank that was being cleaned and “filled”  
Click on the photo below to be taken to a photo album from the incident.

Below Grade Rescue

At 8:52 AM units from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue responded to a call at the intersection of Mid County Highway & Washington Grove Lane for a report of a man who had fallen into a 16 foot trench. 

It took approximately 24 fire fighters a little under an hour to remove the individual from the trench.  He was transported to an area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

A couple of photos from the scene below.

Courtesy of Capt. Oscar Garcia

Courtesy of Fire Fighter Sean Carroll

Morning Equipment Check

The below video is courtesy of Fire Fighter Robert Evans III as he was conducting a morning equipment check of Engine 726 recently. 

Each and every morning at every County fire station, our Fire Fighters check out the fire trucks and their tools to make sure they are in proper working order.  We want to make sure we are always prepared to help when you need us!

In the video, Fire Fighter Evans is showing us just a small piece of what he, as the Engine driver, checks out in the morning.  Have to make sure those lights and sirens are in working order!  Obviously, there is a whole lot more he checks out.  

MCFRS At The County Fair

If you happen to stop by the Montgomery County Fair today through Saturday, take a minute to look us up and stop by our booth/display. As in years past we will have fire trucks, fire fighters, a moon bounce (run by our CERT partners), and an activity tent where you can pick up important fire and injury prevention information.

Also in the tent will be a coloring area where kids can show off their artistic side by using crayons to fill in a fire safety coloring book. They will also have a chance to draw a home fire escape plan as well! For those drawing a home escape plan, a nice red fire hat will be theirs!

Hope to see you there!

MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT AUTOMATIC FIRE SPRINKLERS

Automatic sprinkler systems have enjoyed an enviable record of protecting life and property for over 100 years. Yet, there are still common misunderstandings about the operation and effectiveness of automatic fire sprinkler systems:

Myth 1: "Water damage from a sprinkler system will be more extensive than fire damage."

Fact: Water damage from a home sprinkler system will be much less severe than the damage caused by water from fire-fighting hose lines or smoke and fire damage if the fire goes unabated. Quick response sprinklers release 8-24 gallons of water per minute compared to 50-125 gallons per minute released by a fire hose.

Myth 2: "When a fire occurs, every sprinkler head goes off."

Fact: Sprinkler heads are individually activated by fire. Residential fires are usually controlled with one sprinkler head. 90% of all fires are controlled with six or fewer heads and a study conducted in Australia and New Zealand covering 82 years of automatic sprinkler use found that 82% of the fires which occurred were controlled by two or fewer sprinklers.

Myth 3: "A smoke detector provides enough protection."

Fact: Smoke detectors save lives by providing a warning system but can do nothing to extinguish a growing fire or protect those physically unable to escape on their own, such as the elderly or small children. Too often, battery operated smoke detectors fail to function because the batteries are dead or have been removed. As the percent of homes in America that were "protected" with smoke detectors increased from zero to more than 70%, the number of fire deaths in homes did not significantly decrease.

Myth 4: "Sprinklers are designed to protect property, but are not effective for life safety."

Fact: Sprinklers provide a high level of life safety. Statistics demonstrate that there has never been any multiple loss of life in a fully sprinklered building. Property losses are 85% less in residences with fire sprinklers compared to those without sprinklers. The combination of automatic sprinklers and early warning systems in all buildings and residences could reduce overall injuries, loss of life and property damage by at least 50%.

Sources:

• National Fire Protection Association
• Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association