Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service
The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS), officially the Montgomery County Department of Fire and Rescue Services (DFRS), is the public safety agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for Montgomery County, Maryland. The services are provided by a combination of paid county personnel and volunteer members of the various independent, non-profit volunteer fire and rescue corporations located throughout the county.
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Agency overview | |
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Staffing | 1,200+ career |
Fire chief | Scott Goldstein |
EMS level | ALS |
Facilities and equipment | |
Battalions | 5 |
Stations | 38 (figure includes volunteer corporation-owned firehouses, county-owned fire stations, and fire stations located on federal facilities) |
Engines | 36 |
Trucks | 17 |
Rescues | 6 |
Website | |
MontgomeryCountyMD.gov/MCFRS |
History
![](../I/m/FEMA_-_4358_-_Photograph_by_Jocelyn_Augustino_taken_on_09-12-2001_in_Virginia.jpg)
1990s
The MCFRS went to Oklahoma City in 1995 to conduct USAR operations after the Oklahoma City bombing.[1]
2000s
In 2001, the MCFRS went to Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia aboard RideOn buses to assist in urban search and rescue (USAR) efforts immediately after the September 11 attacks.[1]
In 2004, the County Council passed legislation to reorganize the Fire & Rescue Service by placing all personnel, career and volunteer, under the command of a single fire chief. However, actual services are delivered from the 19 local fire and rescue companies, who own and operate 25 of the fire stations in the county. The county uses an incident command system to coordinate the efforts of paid and volunteer personnel at the scenes of emergencies. Montgomery County works closely with and has mutual aid agreements with Washington, D.C., Fairfax, Frederick, Howard, and Prince George's counties.
2010s
During an emergency that would require a response from multiple agencies, dispatchers are quickly able to identify what county a particular piece of apparatus came from. As well as a fast response time with other jurisdictions. A typical example would be: "Alarm" Engine 436 Engine 409 Engine 411(Fairfax) Engine 707 (Montgomery) Engine 202 (Alexandria) Rescue 417 Tanker 712 Medic 409 Battalion Chief 703 and 704 Channel 4-Delta For a working fire 1111 address court. Caller advises smoke and fire from windows 21:11.
Stations and Apparatus
The county is broken into five battalions, with a total of 36 fire stations and 2 rescue companies.
Station | Company | Battalion | Engine Company or Paramedic Engine Company | Special Service Units | EMS Units | Other units | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Silver Spring VFD | 1st Battalion | PE701 | M701, A701, A701B | DCN701 | ||
2 | Takoma Park VFD | 1st Battalion | PE702 | A702, A702B | |||
3 | Rockville VFD | 3rd Battalion | PE703, PE703B | AT703, RS703 | M703, A703, A703B, A703C, M703B, ALS703 | SU703, UT703B, UT703C | |
4 | Sandy Spring VFD | 4th Battalion | PE704 | A704 | W704 | ||
5 | Kensington VFD - Old Town | 4th Battalion | PE705, PE705B | M705, A705, A705B, ALS705 | B705, CT705 | ||
6 | Bethesda FD | 2nd Battalion | PE706 | T706 | A706 | ||
7 | Chevy Chase FD | 2nd Battalion | PE707 | HM707, UT707 | |||
8 | Gaithersburg-Washington Grove VFD | 3rd Battalion | PE708 | PAT708 | M708, M708B, A708, A708C | CT708, B708, UTV708, BUTV708 | |
9 | Hyattstown VFD | 5th Battalion | PRE709, RBE709 | A709 | B709, B709B, W709, UTV709 | ||
10 | Cabin John Park VFD | 2nd Battalion | PE710, E710B | T710 | A710 | B710, SW710, SW710B | |
11 | Glen Echo FD | 2nd Battalion | PE711 | A711, A711B, ALS711 | UTV711 | ||
12 | Hillandale VFD | 1st Battalion | PE712 | M712, A712 | BC701 | ||
13 | Damascus VFD | 5th Battalion | PE713, E713B, BE713 | M713, A713 | B713, W713 | ||
14 | Upper Montgomery County VFD | 5th Battalion | PE714, RE714, BE714 | M714, A714 | UTV714, B714, BT714, BT714B, W714 | ||
15 | Burtonsville VFD | 1st Battalion | PE715, E715B | T715, RS715 | M715, A715 | B715 | |
16 | Silver Spring VFD - Four Corners | 1st Battalion | PE716 | T716 | A716 | MAU716 | |
17 | Laytonsville VFD | 5th Battalion | PE717, EW717, BE717 | RS717 | A717 | B717, CT717, W717 | |
18 | Glenmont (MCFRS) | 4th Battalion | PE718 | AT718 | BC704, EMS704, CP718 | ||
19 | Silver Spring VFD - Montgomery Hills | 1st Battalion | PE719 | AT719 | |||
20 | Bethesda FD - Midtown Bethesda | 2nd Battalion | PE720 | BC702 | |||
21 | Kensington VFD - Viers Mill Village | 4th Battalion | PE721 | A721 | |||
22 | Kingsview (MCFRS) | 5th Battalion | PE722, BE722 | A722 | MAB722, MCSU722, W722, B722 | ||
23 | Rockville VFD - Twinbrook | 3rd Battalion | PE723 | AT723 | M723, A723 | ||
24 | Hillandale VFD - Colesville | 1st Battalion | PE724 | AT724 | A724 | B724 | |
25 | Kensington VFD - Aspen Hill | 4th Battalion | PE725 | T725 | ALS725, A725, A725B | SU725, BT725 | |
26 | Bethesda FD - North Bethesda | 2nd Battalion | PE726 | A726 (BCCRS) | MAB726, MCSU726 | ||
27 | Public Safety Training Academy (MCFRS) | E727 | CP727 | ||||
28 | Gaithersburg-Washington Grove VFD - Derwood | 3rd Battalion | PE728 | A728 | HM728 | ||
29 | Germantown VFD | 5th Battalion | PE729, E729B | RS729 | M729, A729, A729B | BS729, BT729 | |
30 | Cabin John Park VFD - Potomac | 2nd Battalion | PE730 | M730 | W730, B730, BS730, BS730B, SW730, SW730B | ||
31 | Rockville VFD - Quince Orchard | 3rd Battalion | PE731 | T731 | M731 | BT731, BS731, W731, TR700, TR700B, SU731, UTV731 | |
32 | Travilah (MCFRS) | 3rd Battalion | PE732 | A732 | BC703, EMS703, SA700, DC700, CP732 | ||
33 | Rockville VFD - Potomac | 3rd Battalion | PE733 | A733 | B733, CT733, MAU733 | ||
34 | Milestone (MCFRS) | 5th Battalion | PE734 | T734 | A734 | BC705 | |
35 | Clarksburg (MCFRS) | 5th Battalion | PE735 | AT735 | A735 | ||
40 | Sandy Spring VFD - Olney | 4th Battalion | PE740 E740B | AT740 | A740 | B740, BS740, BT740, CT740, UTV740, BUTV740 | |
Rescue Co. 1 | Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad | 2nd Battalion | RS741, RS741B | M741, M741B, M741C, M741D, ALS741, U741 | |||
Rescue Co. 2 | Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad | 4th Battalion | RS742, RS742B | A742, A742B, A742C, A742D, ALS742, ALS742B | UT742, UTV742 | ||
50 | Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Naval Support Activity Bethesda Fire Department) (Federal) | 2nd Battalion | E750, E750B | M750 | BC750 | ||
51 | National Institutes of Health FD (Federal) | 2nd Battalion | E751 | AT751 | A751 | HM751 | |
52 | Naval Surface Warfare Center (Naval Support Facility Carderock Fire Department) (Federal) | 2nd Battalion | E752 | UT752 | |||
53 | National Institute of Standards and Technology FD (Federal) | 3rd Battalion | E753, E753B | A753 | B753, HM753 | ||
54 | Fort Detrick Forest Glen Annex Fire and Emergency Services (Federal) | 1st Battalion | E754, E754B | HM754 |
Abbreviations:
- A - Ambulance
- ALS - Paramedic Chase Vehicle
- AT - Aerial Tower
- B - Brush
- BC - Battalion Chief
- BE - Brush Engine
- BS - Boat Support
- BT - Boat
- BUTV - Brush Utility Task Vehicle
- CT - Canteen
- CP - Command Post
- DC - Duty Operations Chief
- E - Engine
- EMS - EMS Duty Officer
- EW - Engine Tanker
- HM - HazMat Unit
- M - Medic Unit
- MAB - Medical Ambulance Bus
- MAU - Mobile Air Unit
- MCSU - Medical Care Support Unit
- PAT - Paramedic Aerial Tower
- PE - Paramedic Engine
- PRE - Paramedic Rescue Engine
- RE - Rescue Engine
- RS - Rescue Squad
- SA - Safety Officer
- SU - Support Unit
- SW - Swift Water
- T - Truck
- TR - Technical Rescue
- UTV - Utility Task Vehicle
- W - Tanker
See also
- Fire departments in Maryland
Further reading
- "Council Approves Changes to Fire & Rescue Services" (PDF) (Press release). Montgomery County Government. May 4, 2004. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
- "Bethesda Fire Department, Inc. - History". Bethesda Fire Department, Inc. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
- "Glen Echo Fire Department - about GEFD". Glen Echo Fire Department. Archived from the original on 2006-07-15. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
- "Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association - about us". Montgomery County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
- Parrish, Warren (June 9, 2004). "County volunteer firefighters endorse restructuring law". The Gazette Newspapers. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
References
- 911NewsCoverage (4 July 2014). "ABC (WJLA) 9-11-2001 News Coverage 11:00 PM - 12:00 AM" – via YouTube.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. |
- Official website
- Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service at the Wayback Machine (archived January 14, 1998)
- GWGVFD at the Wayback Machine (archived June 5, 2002)