LVRS - February 2007

February 2007

South Laurel Apartment Fire

In the early morning hours of Feb. 27, 2007. RE 49, A498 and Chief 49(Acting) were alerted to an apartment fire on South Laurel Drive. Making a quick assessment and attack of the fire floor, crews were able to keep the fire to one apartment. Staying for investigations, units from 49 cleared within 2 hours.

Rollover on the Parkway

Sunday, February 25, 2007 - SQ49 and CH49 were alerted to a roll over with entrapment on the B&W Parkway in AA County on the early hours of Feb 25, 07. Units operated for 5 hours assisting police with the investigation and the priority 4 recovery.

Two days in a row.... same call... same location

Water Rescue Team to Anne Arundel County for the Water/Ice Rescues

On Feb. 15th, and then again on the 16th, LVRS was alerted to Anne Arundel County Box 27 for the technical rescue (the second one was one address over from the first). In each case, an individual had been out walking with their dog when the dog (and subsequently the individual) slipped on the icy surface and fell about 60 feet down an ice covered slope along the Patuxent River. LVRS was requested to provide both water rescue assistance, as well as to rig up a rope hail system to allow crews to access the patients and then haul them back up the slope. In both cases, the calls were more rope rescues than water rescues, pointing to the importance of having all our water rescue personnel fully cross-trained. Kudos to firefighters Dodd, Gibson, Haggerty, and Howe for the successful outcome on both calls.

Fire at the Bay N Surf Restaurant

On Febuary 15th just before 6 am Rescue Engine 49 responded to another fire in Laurel. This one a two alarmer at a restaurant in the 14000 block of Baltimore Ave. Upon arrival firefighters found heavy fire conditions from Side Charlie of the structure, and the men quickly placed a line in service to begin fire attack. The RE49 crew operated for 4 hours, and no injuries were reported.

More info & pictures

Building Fire - 5000 Block VanDusen Road

Feb: 11, 2007: 5000 Block of VanDusen Road. Abandoned building, no hydrates. RE49, CH49, CH49A operated for approximately 3 hours.

More Pictures

It’s That Time of Year Again

No…. not tax time. That comes every year, and though painful, it still is pretty predictable. This isn’t predictable (didn’t occur at all last year), and can be deadly rather than just painful.

With the onset finally of average and then below average temperatures, the area’s smaller waterways finally froze over enough to allow our annual ice rescue certification classes and drills to occur. On Saturday February 10, 2007, 16 members of the Laurel Volunteer Rescue Squad and other stations within Prince Georges County conducted Coldwater/Ice Rescue training at Laurel Lakes in Laurel, MD. LVRS and the county fire department each have an ice rescue instructor, to allow these classes and certifications to be done locally. The trained personnel and specialized equipment that come out of this training are the first wave of rescue in the event of a mishap occurring on or through ice.

Winters in our area do often get cold enough for ice to form, but rarely stay cold long enough for the ice to become safe to hold the weight of even a small child. Although it is infrequent that we are called upon to perform an ice rescue, members must be constantly prepared for this potential seasonal emergency. The surrounding metro-Washington area has many large and small bodies of water that can briefly freeze up in winter, posing significant safety hazards for those who venture out on the weak ice. As of the time of this writing, LVRS has already been involved in three ice/coldwater rescue calls this winter alone, and thankfully each has had a positive outcome.

Firefighters and EMS crews were instructed during the classroom portion on the basics of safety, emergency medical treatment, and planning for coldwater or ice rescue situations. Following this, members proceeded to Laurel Lakes along Cherry Lane in Laurel for practical in-water training. Firefighters donned new, specialized ice rescue suits and rotated through a number of evolutions where various methods were used to rescue victims and back them to the shore.

Even the ice present now isn’t safe in many areas, even after the two-week long spell of frigid weather. It won’t take but a few warm days to melt away much of the ice cover currently in place, and before we know it spring will soon be here. Until then, however, the members of the Laurel Rescue Squad and Prince Georges County Fire/EMS Department urge all citizens, young and old, to guarantee their safety from ice or coldwater by staying off of all potentially dangerous ice.

2 Alarm Building Fire

Photos courtesy of Doug Walton, LVFD

Friday 09 Feb 2007 - Rescue Engine 49 & Chief 49B, along with units from 10 and Howard County, were alerted for a fire in a vacant building in Howard County. Chief 49B & RE49 were on the scene for approximately 3 hours.