UPDATED to Include Mayday Video and Audio: Smoke Alarms Awaken Sleeping Occupants To House Fire

Updated 12/26/14

Just before 1 AM on Monday, December 22^nd fire and rescue units were dispatched to the 2200 block of Kings House Rd. for the report of flames coming from the house. Units from Burtonsville Fire Station 15 arrived on the scene and confirmed heavy fire from the structure. 

The occupants of the house were safely outside the home upon MCFRS arrival and indicated that they were awakened by the smoke alarms sounding thus allowing time to exit the burning home. Working smoke alarms save lives!

Due to the heavy fire conditions firefighters requested a 2^nd Alarm to assist.  At some point during fire suppression operations a Mayday was declared because a firefighter had fallen through a hole on the first floor into the basement. The firefighter was quickly located, rescued and evaluated and suffered no significant injury with no transportation to the hospital required.

Approximately 75 firefighters responded to the scene and brought the fire under control.  The fire is believed to have originated in the basement with the cause currently listed as undetermined.  Two adults were displaced and one cat is currently unaccounted for.  Damages were estimated at $600K to the structure and $200K to the contents of the home.

After the fire had been extinguished a high pressure pipe, below ground under a fire hydrant, broke and began leaking in the 14900 block of Peach Orchard Rd.  WSSC was contacted and responded to the scene to address. 


Video via Brett Russell Youtube Channel

A Rapid Intervention Company (RIC) Training Evolution

By: Lt. Pete Hageman

Part of the MCFRS Rookie Probationary training package includes running simulated scenarios that involve following a hose line in smoke, search and rescue, and different rescue drags.  So at Rockville Station 3 today, crews completed a Rapid Intervention Company (RIC) training evolution to meet these objectives.

Click on photo for more

A RIC is a crew of firefighters whose assignment at a fire scene is to be on stand-by, and at the ready, to leap into action if a firefighter (FF) or two become trapped inside a structure during a fire incident. 

The evolution involved crews entering into a “Mayday” situation (firefighter trapped) with a RIC pack and Thermal imager going down into the basement of Station 3 following the hose line.  Face pieces (worn on a FF’s face to breath air from an air pack) were blanked so zero visibility, which occurs in real fires, was obtained.  Once the crews found the downed firefighter he was rescued first to the bottom of the stairs, and then while running low on air, up a flight of steps to the outside in an area of refuge. 

The training drill was successful and all learned the enormous exertion it takes to extract a downed firefighter from a structure fire.