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.

Public Safety Headquarters Open House This Weekend!

Come on out and see us at the Public Safety Headquarters Open House this weekend!  Learn more below.

Public Safety HQ Open House by Montgomery County (MD) Fire and Rescue

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. 

A Battalion of Training

By: Captain Jason D. Blake, NREMT-P

In-Service Training Coordinator Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service

The Montgomery County Fire Rescue Training Academy (MCFRTA) operates seven days and six nights a week with over 6,000 students being trained in Fire, Rescue, EMS and other fire service related training each year.

The County is divided into five battalions, managed by a Battalion Chief. On average there are six firehouses with approximately 60 personnel working. On any given day at the MCFRTA there are 60-80 students being taught a wide variety of fire service training topics. There are days when there is an equivalent of a battalion of people training at the academy.

The MCFRTA does initial training for new members of our career and volunteer fire service and refresher/recertification/update training of all of members. Basic and advanced emergency medical training is required of all our personnel and you will find a wide variety of experience and rank in our classes. Assistant Chiefs and Battalion Chiefs, with years of experience, running scenario based training with firefighters with 3-5 years on the job.

The department’s specialty teams, (Hazardous Materials, Urban Search and Rescue, etc) train at the academy to keep their skills proficient.

The MCFTRA hosts regional and national classes on a regular basis to keep our personnel up to date, and proficient, on all of the latest information and skills as it relates to making sure we are ready to respond to any type of emergency situation. The classes include Fire, EMS, Rescue and Management course given through the National Fire Academy, International Association of Firefighters, International Association of Fire Chiefs or vendors. 

Montgomery County Police Department's 90th Anniversary Celebration Community Blood and Food Drive

Congratulations to our partners in public safety, MC Police, on their upcoming 90^th Anniversary celebration!

To celebrate, the department is spearheading a Community Blood and Food Drive on Friday, October 19 here at our public safety headquarters.  Please see below flyer to learn more and consider giving the gift of life and/or a non-perishable food item.

I can not think of a better way to celebrate this impressive milestone of proud tradition and service to the Montgomery County community!  Bill D

Revised

TGIF Tip: MCFRS Social Media Platforms

TGIF everyone!  Thanks to all of you who keep up with us via our various social media platforms.  I hope you find them interesting and informative.

We are always seeking ways to add to, and improve, our social media platforms.  As a matter of fact, look for a “Tweetchat” in the near future to solicit your input to help us improve.

 

In the interim, below, please see links to all of our social media platforms we currently utilize.  Hopefully you find at least some of them useful and utilize the sites to get much of your information as it relates to Montgomery County Fire & Rescue.

Hoping you have a Happy and SAFE weekend!

-Bill D

•         MCFRS on FaceBook

•         Chief’s Blog

•         MCFRS on LinkedIn

•         MCFRS on Screenr

•         MCFRS on Twitter

•         MCFRS Virtual TV

•         Scribd

•         Flickr

•         Pinterest

•         MCFRS Digital News

•         Ustream

Fire Chief Bowers Announces New Promotions

Fire Chief Richie Bowers is pleased to announce the following promotions.

 

The following person has been promoted to the rank of Battalion Chief:

Matt Carrigan

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

Jeffrey J. Ewart

Congratulations to both!  Be safe in your new assignements!

MCFRS Hockey Team Participating In Charity Hockey Tournament

The MCFR Lucky Hooligans are an ice hockey team made up of 20 Montgomery County Firefighters and one guy who's not!

The Hooligans will be placing two teams in the Annual DC Fire Burn Tournament to benefit the burn foundation. The tournament starts today, Friday afternoon, and goes through Sunday with Championship games Sunday afternoon. Come support your Hooligans as they take on other area (and some non-area) public safety teams. Here is the website for the tourney: http://www.dcfirehockey.com/tournament/index.htm

Schedule is as follows:

Friday March 30-
3:00pm MCFR Hooligans 1 vs Arlington
8:30pm MCFR Hooligans 2 vs Arlington

Saturday March 31-
2:10pm MCFR Hooligans 1 vs Hyattsville
8:00pm MCFR Hooligans 1 vs MCFR Hooligans 2 (The Showdown at Sundown!!!)

Sunday April 1-
2:00 PM MCFR Hooligans 2 vs Baltimore City

Games will be played at The Gardens Ice House in Laurel, MD.

13800 Old Gunpowder Rd, Laurel, MD 20707 · Get Directions

All In A Days Work

When not fighting fires or responding to calls for emergency medical care, the women and men of MCFRS stay busy with a variety of non emergency duties.  A very important duty is to help educate people of all ages about the dangers of fire and how to prevent them or, if the worst happens and there is a fire, how to properly react and get out of the home safely.  

A couple of days ago Lieutenant Sam Villani, Fire Station 5-D Shift, and crew stopped by a local day care to teach the kids about fire prevention and to show them how a fire fighter gets dressed to go into a fire.  Assisting Lieutenant Villani is Fire Fighter Andrew Randolph while Master Fire Fighter Wayne Malcolm works the camera.

Can we find you in an EMERGENCY?

In an emergency, police, fire and rescue workers depend on house numbers to find YOU as quickly as possible. Finding your home - especially at night - can be challenging if address numbers are unreadable, hidden, unlighted or have missing numbers and may delay emergency responders from getting to you as quickly as possible.

Are your house numbers visible from the street? Are they set on a background of contrasting color? If your house is hidden from the street, are your numbers attached to a visible fence, mailbox or gate? Is your mobile home identified with your house number? If you live on a corner, does your house number face the street named in your address?

If you've answered "no" to any of these questions, please follow the guidelines below to make sure your house number is easy to read:

1. Numbers must be visible from the street. Existing residential home numbering can be 3 1/2 inches high, however new residential homes must be at least 5 inches high and if you replace existing numbers they must be at least 5 inches high.
2. Numbers should be placed on a contrasting background, with a reflective coating on the numbers for easy visibility at night.
3. Repair or replace aging address number placards, especially on mailboxes that are a distance from the front of the residence.
4. Prune any bushes, tree limbs or other growth that has covered your house numbers.
5. Numbers should be placed on or beside the front door. If your door is not easily seen from the street, put the numbers on a post, fence or tree at the driveway entrance so they can be clearly seen from the street. In addition to numbers on the front door of your house, if you have a rural-style mailbox, reflective and contrasting numbers should be placed on both sides of the box so they can be seen by an emergency vehicle approaching from either direction.

Montgomery County Code on Addresses

1. The owner of any structure presently existing or constructed in the future must display Arabic numbers designating the address assigned to the structure by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, or by the municipality in which the structure is located. Numbers must be at least five (5) inches high for single-family detached and attached residences and at least six (6) inches high for commercial, industrial or multifamily structures. However, if the numbers designating the address of a single-family residence on April 5, 1988, were at least three (3) inches high, those numbers comply with the size requirement of this section as long as they remain in place. Address displays must be posted on a contrasting background displayed in a conspicuous place that is unobstructed and clearly readable from the street named in the official address of the structure. Where a structure has more than one (1) address or where more than one (1) structure shares a common entry or driveway, numbers must designate the addresses in sequence.
2. An agency of the county must not require a permit for a sign containing only the address of a residence if the sign is smaller than a maximum size set by the county executive by regulation.

News Advisory: Firefighters Going Door-to-Door in Gaithersburg Neighborhood Today Checking Smoke Alarms After Two-Alarm Fire

Media Advisory Door to Door Feb 17

NO “Texting” or “Holding and Talking on a Cell Phone” While Driving Starts TODAY!

While I am positive most all of you out there NEVER text or talk on a cell phone (using hands free device the exception) while driving, I thought it prudent to make sure everyone know about the new law that goes into effect today, October 1st.  Basically, no "texting” or “holding and talking on a cell phone” while driving.

The exact wording of the law:

“Prohibiting a driver of a motor vehicle that is in motion from using the driver's hands to use a handheld telephone except to initiate or terminate a wireless call or to turn on or off the handheld phone; providing that a violation of the Act may be enforced only as a secondary violation; establishing penalties of $40 for a first offense and $100 for a second offense; prohibiting a driver of a school vehicle or a holder of an instructional permit or provisional driver's license from using a handheld phone while driving; etc”.

Makes sense to most all of you who follow us on this blog or our other social media outlets.  : )

For more information, several news links are available:

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/25196021/detail.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/24/AR2010092406295.html

http://handsfreeinfo.com/maryland-cell-phone-laws-legislation

http://www.drivinglaws.org/maryland.php

http://mlis.state.md.us/2010rs/billfile/sb0321.htm

As always, stay SAFE!

Bill Delaney

Our latest innovative way to reach out to the community!

Check out our latest innovative way to reach out to the community! http://screenr.com/D0B


You can also view this on our YouTube site: MCFRS-TV

Let us know what you think: Email Bill