At approximately 7 pm on Wednesday, February 24, MCFRS crews were dispatched to the 2400 block of Briggs Road for a report of a basement wall collapse with a person trapped. The MCFRS Technical Rescue Team was sent as well.
Upon arrival, rescue crews found an 86 year old male occupant of the home who was trapped by rubble from a basement wall that had collapsed at the height of the dangerous storm sweeping through the area. The resident had gone to the basement of the home to check on the sump pump and while doing so the wall gave way and collapsed on him.
Crews quickly stabilized the scene and extricated the patient who was then evaluated and transported to a local hospital with serious, non-life threatening lower body injuries.
Building inspectors were called and determined that the house was unsafe to occupy. Red Cross also responded to scene and is assisting the two occupants of the home.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue responded to several significant incidents yesterday, Tuesday, February 2. Below is a brief synopsis of each along with photos and/or videos.
Car Crash Into A Garage
At approximately 2:30 p.m. MCFRS Units were dispatched for a report of a car that crashed into a house in the 4300 block of Sunflower Drive.
Units arrived on scene to find a car that had veered off the roadway, up a driveway, into a park car and into an attached garage of the home.
Two occupants were in the car with the driver, a 92-year-old male, being trapped.
Firefighters were able to quickly extricate the trapped driver and transport him, and the female passenger, to a local hospital with serious injuries. Photos below.
Anyone who witnessed, or has information about, this collision is asked to call the Montgomery County Police Department’s Collision Reconstruction Unit at 240.773.6620.
Multiple Vehicle Crash on Northbound I-270
At 4:15 p.m., MCFRS Units were dispatched for a report of a crash involving multiple vehicles on Northbound I-270 between Route 28 and Sam Eig Highway.
Firefighters arrived on the scene and found four vehicles crashed as a result of two separate incidents. There were several injuries including two people who were trapped and subsequently extricated by MCFRS personnel.
Several people were transported to area hospitals all with non-life threatening injuries.
Unknown Odor in the Home
Around 6 p.m. last night, Rockville City Police (RCPD) were handling a “check on welfare” concern at a home in the 1900 block of Valley Stream Drive in Rockville. Upon entering the home, officers encountered an unknown chemical odor and immediately exited the home.
The MCFRS Hazardous Materials Unit (HazMat) and the MCFRS Bomb Squad were called to assist in the investigation of the possible, and unknown, hazardous condition. Both RCPD Officers were also checked by MCFRS EMS personnel on scene as a precaution and deemed unharmed. The street was closed off and residents were told to shelter in place as a precaution.
HazMat team members donned their protective equipment and made entry into the single-family home. Upon investigation, it was found that no one was at home and the odor appeared to be coming from insecticides and other household items. As well, no explosives were found.
This
morning at 10:02 am MCFRS units were alerted to an auto fire at Rockville Pike
and Grosvenor Lane. Montgomery County Emergency Communications Center also advised
responding units that there was possibly one person trapped in the vehicle.
MCFRS units arrived and found an auto fire that was well involved but found no
one trapped inside the vehicle. The sole occupant of the vehicle was standing
by near the fire uninjured.
After the fire was extinguished the driver of the vehicle was asked about how
the fire started. He said that he was stopped at the traffic light and when the
light turned green the vehicle would not accelerate. Bystanders in other
vehicles started to point at him and the front of his vehicle. The gentleman
did not realize his vehicle was on fire until the smoke started to enter the
passenger compartment of his vehicle.
He
said he attempted to unlock the vehicle door with the electric lock switch but
they did not work. At that juncture, he said he panicked and did not think to
manually unlock the door.
Bystanders on the scene stated that two African-American males came to the occupants’
aid and broke out the rear driver's side window. The two men removed the driver
from the burning car. Upon the arrival of fire department personnel, these two
Good Samaritan’s were not on the scene.
MCFRS
would like to learn the identity of these two heroes in order to honor their heroic
deed. If you have any information
regarding this, please email fire.pio@montgomerycountymd.gov
Do not have a Twitter account but want to receive Montgomery County Fire and Rescue’s tweets via text? No problem.
A Twitter feature called Fast Follow make it possible for those with a cell phone and a text messaging plan to receive tweet’s on their phone. Understand that Text messaging rates apply.
Here is how you do it:
Text “follow @mcfrs” to 40404. You will get a text message back indicating you are now following @MCFRS. The text will also provide guidance on how to stop the text messages if you no longer wish to receive them.
If you follow, you can expect to receive all of the latest news, updates, and safety tips from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue.
New equipment may be one of the most vital life-saving pieces
on County ambulances
The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service was awarded a
$1,192,800 Federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant to replace dated cardiac
defibrillators with the most advanced generation of cardiac
monitor/defibrillator equipment on the market. The County will provide a
matching amount of $298,200 towards the purchase of the equipment.
Cardiac monitors/defibrillators are indispensable and vital to first
responders. The equipment is utilized in conjunction with State and County
protocols to deliver advanced cardiac support and to obtain electrocardiograph
assessments in order to determine the most appropriate course of treatment. The
equipment may be used as an initial diagnostic tool or as a source of
continuous information to evaluate a patient’s response to treatment. It will
allow first responders to quickly diagnose a patient in the field, provide
quick access to clinical information and faster treatment while simultaneously
transmitting critical patient information directly to the hospital’s emergency
department prior to and during patient transport. The equipment (known as
Lifepak 15s) also has additional life-saving technology that features
integrated carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring that measures vital blood gases and
CO levels in the blood resulting in quicker diagnosis and patient
stabilization.
Early defibrillation is a critical component in treating cardiac patients and
the Cardiac Monitors/Defibrillators are essential in cardiac arrest emergencies
and other potentially lethal cardiac rhythms which require an electrical
intervention. With an EMS call
volume of over 80,000 incidents each year, protecting and saving lives is
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue’s core mission and the ability to upgrade our
inventory of cardiac monitor defibrillators through the grant award will be
instrumental in continuing to offer the best and most advanced emergency
medical care to the residents of Montgomery County and its visitors.
The equipment (known as Lifepak 15s) has capabilities that are superior to the
current model and will allow first responders to detect and treat cardiac
events, monitor heart rhythms, blood pressure and oxygen saturation, diagnose
heart attacks, shock hearts back into normal rhythms, provides external pacing
and defibrillation for difficult-to-defibrillate patients. The units also have
additional life-saving technology integrated that features a carbon monoxide
(CO) monitoring feature that measures vital blood gases and CO levels in the
blood which facilitates a quicker diagnosis and patient stabilization.
“I know how important this funding is to Maryland
communities – often it’s the difference between life and death. First responders protect our homes and
communities, and the federal government has a responsibility to protect them by
providing them with the tools they need to do their jobs safer and smarter,” said
Senator Barbara Mikulski. “Every day when our first responders report for duty,
they don’t know what they will face. That’s why I fight every year for the
equipment, training and staffing our protectors and communities deserve.” “When a natural disaster occurs or we are faced with a terrorist attack, it
is our first responders who provide the first line of defense for our
citizens,” said Senator Ben Cardin. “This federal funding is an important
investment in keeping Maryland
families and businesses safe if, and when, a disaster strikes. It ensures that
our first responders have the resources they need to protect us and the
equipment and training they need to do their jobs.”
“I am pleased that this grant will enable us to do more to support the critical
missions of our firefighters in MontgomeryCounty by providing them
with funding for 40 new cardiac monitors/defibrillators,” said Congressman
Chris Van Hollen. “This new equipment will help ensure that our community’s
emergency responders have the full array of tools that they need to do their
jobs and keep our fellow citizens safe.”
The units cost over $37,000 each and, with daily opportunities to put the new
equipment with its expanded capabilities and technology to work, the average cost
per use is less than $8.00 over the course of the equipment’s life span. By
upgrading the department’s cardiac monitors, first responders will have a very
dynamic and advanced tool to provide the assessment and treatment of the most
critically ill and injured patients which, ultimately, will translate into lives
saved.
“I want to thank
Senators Mikulski and Cardin and Congressman Van Hollen for their efforts to
provide this grant to MontgomeryCounty for more advanced
cardiac defibrillators,”said County Executive Isiah Leggett. “This new equipment will help our first
responders save even more lives, and for that we are grateful.”
“Over half of the
department’s cardiac defibrillators have been in use since 2002 and exceed the
recommended replacement schedule. These new monitors are state-of-the-art and
will allow us to provide the highest level of service and to achieve our most
important job - - saving lives,” said Fire Chief Richard Bowers. “Every day,
our first responders put their lives on the line to protect our residents and
it’s crucial that they are equipped to handle any emergency. This is a great
investment to better serve the residents of Montgomery County and those in the
region.”
