Thursday, May 23, 2013
The surviving man was flown by helicopter to a trauma treatment center in Baltimore.
One man died and another was severely injured in the collapse of a portion of a parking garage under construction at the Westfield Montgomery mall Thursday afternoon, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service officials said. The 50,000- to 55,000-pound slab collapsed on a ramp between the second and third levels of the garage near the Macy's department store, said Assistant Chief Scott Graham, a fire and rescue spokesman. The survivor was trapped for four hours before rescuers could free him, Graham said. He was flown by helicopter to the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. He was alert and communicating with rescue and medical staff, Graham said. Both men are believed to be construction workers, and …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Metro suspended rail service between Takoma and Forest Glen stations Tuesday evening.
Update Service is back to normal at the Silver Spring Metro station, Metro announced via Twitter at 10:40 p.m. Tuesday. Original post A fire on the tracks that sent billowing smoke over downtown Silver Spring forced the evacuation of the Silver Spring Metro station at the peak of Tuesday evening’s rush hour. No one was injured as firefighters brought the fire under a Red Line train under control quickly, said Assistant Chief Scott Graham, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. NBC4 video from the scene showed thick white smoke after the fire was extinguished. The fire was in electrical insulation and connectors on the tracks, Graham said. Red Line service was suspended between the Takoma and Forest Glen stations, …
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Thomas W. Carr Jr. was the first to lead a restructured county fire department.
Thomas W. Carr Jr., a 31-year veteran of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service who served as its first countywide chief, died Wednesday in Charleston, SC, the county fire and rescue service announced in a news release. He was 59. Carr suffered from complications from multiple system atrophy, a rare neurological disorder that causes symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease. Ill health forced Carr to retire as chief of the Charleston Fire Department last year, the release said. Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) appointed Carr the first chief of a unified county fire and rescue service in 2004. His appointment followed passage by the County Council of controversial legislation that led to reform of the department’s …
Monday, April 22, 2013
MCFRS Chief Richard Bowers explains when to use each emergency number.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Chief Richard Bowers used the Chief's Blog to communicate the situations that warrant a 911 call. Bowers outlined six situations when residents should call 911: These tips are being shared as part of National 9-1-1 Education Month.
Friday, April 5, 2013
The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service publishes an online newsletter using paper.li.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service is active on social media. The department uses its Twitter account, Facebook page and blog to communicate with the public. On Wednesday, MCFRS tweeted a link to their paper.li page, which produces a newsletter-style page with recent stories by and about MCFRS. Click here to read the "Montgomery County Fire & Rescue News Page." #MoCo Online examines Montgomery County on social media. Click here for more.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Fire officials: Upgrading to the new cardiac monitors—known as Lifepak 15s—will save lives.
The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service was awarded a $1.2 million federal grant to replace old cardiac defibrillators, MCFRS announced Thursday. Fire Chief Richard Bowers said more than half of the department’s cardiac defibrillators have been in use since 2002, longer than recommended. Fire officials said upgrading to the new cardiac monitors—known as Lifepak 15s—would save lives. The equipment enables 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 before arriving at the hospital. Funds are from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s …
Friday, December 7, 2012
Accident happened near Sangamore Road and MacArthur Boulevard.
A passenger was seriously injured in a Friday morning car collision near MacArthur Boulevard and Sangamore Road, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. Responders were dispatched at 9:14 a.m., according to MCFRS spokeswoman Beth Anne Nesselt. A driver and a passenger in one of the vehicles, both adult males, were transported to the hospital, Nesselt said. The passenger suffered serious, non-life-threatening injuries and was considered a trauma patient, Nesselt said. The driver was transported for an evaluation. The driver of the second vehicle declined transport to the hospital, Nesselt said.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Potomac River rescue teams train to save lives.
When Montgomery County Fire and Rescue services make a Potomac River water rescue, it's usually to help someone on land. Signs near the C&O Canal park entrance at Angler’s Inn mark the Billy Goat trail as one of the most strenuous in the area, but each year warnings are ignored by visitors making it the most prevalent reason Montgomery County’s firefighters are called for water rescues. According to the National Park Service, the first section of the trail “marked with blue colored blazes on trees and rocks, is a 1.7-mile trail over extremely difficult and dangerous terrain.” Inexperienced or unfit hikers are urged to chose a different trail. Still, not everyone heeds these warnings. “We’ve seen everything from 80-year-old grandmothers to …
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
A two-alarm fire on the roof of the furniture store closed Rockville Pike into Town Center at the height of Wednesday evening's rush hour.
A two-alarm fire Wednesday night at the Marlo Furniture at 725 Rockville Pike did significant damage to the store's roof and snarled traffic in Rockville Town Center at the height of the evening rush. Two firefighters were injured. The call for the fire came in at 6:15 p.m. County and Rockville City police closed Rockville Pike at Wootton Parkway, rerouting traffic around the northbound route into the city's downtown. An NBC4 helicopter captured video of the rooftop blaze. Two firefighters suffered heat-related non-life threatening injuries while putting out the blaze, said Assistant Chief Scott Graham of the county fire and rescue service. The store was evacuated, Graham said. No civilians were hurt. Firefighters extinguished the fire, …
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Alert Montgomery: Residents could see military helicopters, mock victims.
Don’t be alarmed if you notice a bit more activity than usual in the sky or around health care facilities across the county on Thursday. The county will participate in a mass casualty drill from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to test emergency response at Maryland hospitals, according to a statement from Alert Montgomery issued late Wednesday afternoon. The statement read: “This exercise will simulate the movement to and treatment of mock victims, at the following hospitals in the county:" “Residents may notice additional military helicopter activity throughout the county,” the statement said. “The exercises will not affect normal hospital operations.”
Joe Thomas
3:00 pm on Friday, May 24, 2013
For God's sake it was not a "parking garage collapse". One small layer shifted out of place. Yes there was a fatality but it was not a parking garage collapse. Typical media hype. more ›