Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department

The Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department (PGFD) is a combination career/volunteer county-level agency that provides "..fire prevention, fire protection, emergency medical services, rescue services and community outreach programs" for residents of Prince George's County, Maryland.[2] The department is composed of volunteers from 33 fire companies throughout the county, that are represented by the Prince George's County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association, as well as career firefighters affiliated with the Prince George's County Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association[3], IAFF Local 1619. According to the Firehouse Magazine 2010 Combination Fire Department Run Survey, the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department covers a response area of approximately 580 miles, protects approximately 900,000 people, and has an annual operating budget of $132 million. Prince Georges County Fire/EMS Department responded to 148,506 calls in 2016 according to the 2016 National Run Survey[4]. 29,702 of those calls were fire related and 118,804 that were EMS calls, making Prince Georges County Fire/EMS Department the busiest combination fire department in the United States to submit statistics.

Not to be confused with Prince George County Fire Department (Virginia)
Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department
Semper Eadem
(English: "Ever the Same")
Operational area
Country United States of America
State Maryland
County Prince George's County
Agency overview
Established1966 (historically 1742)
Employees1,100 volunteer personnel
720 career personnel
80 support personnel[1]
StaffingCombination (professional and volunteer)
Fire chiefTiffany D. Green
EMS level38 BLS, 16 ALS
Facilities and equipment
Stations48 Stations Organized into 7 Battalions
Engines71
Trucks22
Squads11
Ambulances54
Fireboats3

History

In 1742, the town of Bladensburg became the first governmental entity to pass a fire prevention ordinance. The simple ordinance stipulated that all residential and commercial buildings had to be equipped with a smoke chimney. In 1886, the town of Hyattsville organized the first volunteer fire company in the county. With a donated budget of $27, the fire company bought a two-wheeled hand truck equipped with a barrel, pump, and hose. Two years later, in 1888, the town of Upper Marlboro organized the Marlboro Fire Association following two major town fires. John C. Wyvill had the first fire station built at a cost of $342.

It wasn't until the 1930s that the County organized its fire services at is known today. The University of Maryland created a Fire Service Extension to train firefighters and is widely regarded as a focal point for fire training for departments located east of the Mississippi River.

In 1966 the county incorporated paid firefighters within its volunteer force based on the Yarger Study which stated:

  • At least two "paidmen" at each station.
  • All paid firefighters should be county employees.
  • A unified command structure should be developed under the direction of a County fire chief.
  • Fire communications should be consolidated under the County fire chief.

The Department of Fire Protection was created on June 14, 1968 which consumed all other previous fire organizations under a single command.[5]

In May 2009, the PGFD received local media attention following a massive natural gas explosion at a Forestville stripmall. PGFD Captain Robert Rouse (Engine 823) was one of 8 firefighters and 1 gas worker injured during the event.[6][7]

List of fire chiefs
  • Lawrence R. Woltz
  • Frank Briguglio
  • M.H. (Jim) Estep
  • Steven T. Edwards
  • Lemuel A. Roberts
  • AD. Bell, Sr.
  • Ronald J. Siarnicki
  • Ronald D. Blackwell
  • Lawrence H. Sedgwick, Jr.
  • Eugene A. Jones
  • Marc S. Bashoor
  • Benjamin Barksdale

Organization

The Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department is composed of 4 distinct commands, Emergency Operations, Administrative Services,Support Services, and Volunteer Services. Each of the commands are headed by a Deputy Fire Chief (formerly known as Lieutenant Colonel) who reports directly to the Fire Chief.[8]

Operations

The Emergency Operations Command (EOC) is the largest and most visible resource to the public. The EOC includes daily operations and of all emergency services, both Fire and EMS. The EOC incorporates both sworn career and volunteer Firefighter/EMT's. The EOC is further split into Northern and Southern Divisions. The dividing line between North and South within the fire department is Pennsylvania Avenue or Maryland Route 4. Within each division there are a set of battalions. Battalions 1,2,4,and 6 are located in the Northern Division and Battalions 3,5,and 7 are located within the Southern Division. "The PGFD's busiest service areas are located within Battalions 1,3,and 5 which includes the area commonly bordered by the District line to the west, Central Avenue to the north, the Capitol Beltway to the east, and Allentown Road to the South. These areas represent better than 60% of the PGFD's total calls for service, as they contain the highest population densities."[8]

Battalions

The Prince George's County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department is organized into seven battalions. A breakdown of the battalions along with their communities and stations within the county is as follows:

Battalions in Prince George's County

The Administrative Services command includes Human Resources, Logistics and Supply, Fiscal Affairs, Facilities and Resource Planning, and Apparatus Maintenance. The Administrative services command incorporates both sworn career firefighters and career civilian employees.

The Special Operations Command includes The Office of the Fire Marshal, Risk Management and Safety, Professional Standards, The Fire/EMS Training Academy, and Technical Services. Technical Services includes, but is not limited to the department's HazMat Team, Bomb Squad, and specialty rescue companies.

Glenn Dale Station 18
Bowie Station 19
Laurel VFD Engine 103 in 2012.
Beltsville VFD Truck 31
Laurel VRS Squad 49

Special designations

Company 15 - Fire Investigators & Bomb Squad

Companies 56/57 - Water Rescue & Recovery Team
Dive Unit, Dive Support Unit, 22' Boston Whaler, (2) 14' Support Boats, 2 Fireboats

Company 62 - Apparatus Maintenance

Company 65 - Fire/EMS Training Academy

Consolidated or disbanded fire stations/companies

Company 2 - Cottage City Volunteer Fire Company
Consolidated into Company 55

Company 3 - Mount Rainier Volunteer Fire Company
Consolidated into Company 55

Company 4 - Brentwood Volunteer Fire Company
Consolidated into Company 55

Company 6 - Hillside Volunteer Fire Department
Disbanded in 1999. This station was located at 1234 Larchmont Avenue in Capitol Heights. When the new station on St. Joseph's Drive in Largo opened it was given 6 as its number designation

Company 22 - Tuxedo-Cheverly Fire Station
Station Closed; Company Number Retired.

Company 53 - Special Operations Division (Haz Mat/Bomb Squad)
Services relocated to other stations/offices.

Equipment
A PGFD EMS Ambulance in 2012

The PGFD is a progressive agency with a full complement of modern fire training, equipment, and vehicles. PGFD predominately uses volunteer owned apparatus, as volunteer agencies within PGFD often purchase their own apparatus. Two-thirds of all suppression apparatus in Prince George's County are volunteer-owned. 69 of 90 engines within the PGFD are owned by volunteer organizations, and 14 of 25 aerial apparatus are owned by volunteers. Ambulance units respond to Basic Life Support calls and are staffed with certified Maryland EMTs. Medic units respond to Advanced Life Support calls such as respiratory problems or cardiac arrest, and are staffed with certified Maryland Paramedics. Engine companies respond to both EMS calls and fire calls. Ladder companies respond to calls involving fires or an odor of gas within a structure. Rescue squads and rescue engines respond to incidents generally described as more life-threatening such as motor vehicle crashes or entrapments. A special service unit(Truck/Tower/Rescue/Rescue Engine) can act as Rapid Intervention Team units on a working fire if needed. The Rapid Intervention Team is normally the 4th due engine combined with the special service apparatus dispatched once a working fire is confirmed.

PGFD issues every Firefighter/EMT a Cairns Metro 660C helmet, but firefighters can purchase their own Cairns Sam Houston Model N6A1, Cairns Classic 1000 and 1010, Cairns 1044, and the Morning Pride Ben 2 Plus Fire Helmet if they choose. Every Firefighter/EMT is also issued a coat, Nomex hood, pants, gloves, rubber boots, and face piece. PGFD uses Scott Safety 5.5 Self Contained Breathing Apparatus for their breathing apparatus, and the Scott AV-3000-HT for their individual firefighter face piece.

Blue Helmet - EMS provider only

Red Helmet - A Firefighter that does not have a Firefighter I certification from MFRI yet; they can do anything except go inside structure fires.

Yellow/Black Helmet - Firefighter/EMT

White helmet w. regular coat - Company officer (Captain, Lieutenant, etc.)

White helmet w. white coat - Chief officer (Chief, Deputy Chief, etc.)

Run Statistics

According to a 2016 Prince George's Fire Department Run Survey[9]

  • The Busiest Station was Silver Hill Fire/EMS Station 829
    • Station 829 responded to 17,173 calls
  • The Busiest Ambulance was Silver Hill Ambulance 829
    • Ambulance 829 responded to 5,431 calls
  • The Busiest Paramedic Ambulance was Forestville Paramedic Ambulance 823
    • Ambulance 823 responded to 3,809 calls
  • The Busiest Engine was Paramedic Engine 842
    • Engine 842 responded to 3,965 calls
  • The Busiest Truck/Tower was Berwyn Heights Truck 814
    • Truck 814 responded 1,182 calls
  • The Busiest Heavy Duty Rescue Squad was Morningside Rescue Squad 827
    • Rescue 827 responded to 1,770 calls
  • The Busiest Medic Unit was District Heights Medic 826
    • Medic 826 responded to 3,872 calls
  • The Busiest Haz-Mat Unit was College Park Hazmat 812
    • Hazmat 812 responded to 136 calls
  • The Busiest Battalion Chief was Battalion Chief 883
    • Chief 883 responded to 1,597 calls

Calls by Station (In order by 2016 Call Volume)[9]

StationCalls
Silver Hill

829

 17173
District Heights

826

 15413
Largo/Kettering

846

 10446
Landover Hills

830

 10210
Clinton

825

 9922
Chillum

844

 9262
Oxon Hill (Glassmanor)

842

 8600
Chapel Oaks

838

 8578
Springdale

806

 8336
Forestville

823

 7622
Fort Washington

847

 7369
Morningside

827

 7098
Oxon Hill

821

 6874
Kentland

833

 6849
College Park

812

 6822
Bladensburg

809

 6640
Laurel Rescue

849

 6591
Glenn Dale

818

 6573
Chillum-Adelphi

834

 6496
Laurel Fire

810

 6455
Hyattsville

801

 6042
Calverton

841

 6042
Capitol Heights

805

 5893
Allentown Road

832

 5524
Berwyn Heights

814

 5215
Greenbelt

835

 5144
Northview

816

 4943
Beltsville

831

 4589
Brandywine

840

 4473
Upper Marlboro

820

 4426
Bunker Hill

855

 4083
Pointer Ridge

843

 3964
Croom

845

 3748
Branchville

811

 3501
Ritchie

837

 3329
Riverdale

807

 3197
Bowie - RT 450

839

 3141
W. Lanham Hills

848

 3085
Bowie Old Town

819

 3013
Accokeek

824

 2692
W. Lanham Hills

828

 2673
Riverdale Heights

813

 104
Baden

836

 1048
Boulevard Heights

817

 977
Seat Pleasant

808

 793
National Harbor

858

 311
Special Events

853

 207

Standard response guidelines

Units are dispatched hierarchically according to route-to-incident, unit type, staffing, and a number of other factors associated with Calculated Routing, the system which determines which units will be dispatched to an incident in the following order[10]:

  1. Engines
  2. Trucks/Towers
  3. Rescue Squads
  4. Engine Tankers
  5. Rescue Engines
  6. Mini-pumpers & Brush Trucks
  7. Tankers
  8. BLS and ALS transport units
  9. Battalion Chiefs
  10. EMS Duty Officers
  11. Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Units
  12. Technical Rescue Units


Minimum staffing is also dictated in General Order 03-11[10] which roughly follows National Fire Protection Association standards:

  • Engine Company: 3 personnel
  • Truck Company: 4 personnel
  • Rescue Squad: 4 personnel
  • Rescue Engine: 3 or 4 personnel depending on whether the unit is providing service as an engine or a rescue squad
  • Engine Tanker: 3 personnel
  • BLS ambulance/ALS transport unit: 2 personnel
  • Specialty Units: varies

Call Types
  • Local Alarms
    • Local Alarm (Respond/Proceed): 1 Engine
    • Rescue Local: 1 Engine, 1 Rescue Squad/Rescue Engine, 1 Ambulance
    • Rescue Local with Entrapment (Upgrade): 1 Engine, 1 Rescue Squad/Rescue Engine, 1 Medic Unit,1 BLS Ambulance, 1 EMS Supervisor, 1 Battalion Chief
    • Ambulance Local: 1 Ambulance
    • Medical Local: 1 Engine or 1 Ambulance, 1 Medic Unit
    • Medical Local (Shooting/Stabbing): 1 Engine, 1 Ambulance, 1 Medic Unit
    • Working Code (CPR in progress): 1 Engine, 1 Ambulance, 1 Medic Unit, 1 EMS Supervisor
    • Haz-Mat Local: 1 Engine, 1 Haz-Mat Unit
  • Street Assignments: 2 Engines, 1 Truck/Tower, 1 Special Service (Tower, Truck, Quint, Rescue Engine or Rescue Squad), 1 Battalion Chief
    • Street Assignment (In Non-Hydrated Areas): 2 Engines, 1 Special Service (Truck or Rescue Squad), 1 Tanker, 1 Battalion Chief
    • Haz-Mat Street Assignment: 2 Engines, 1 Special Service (Truck or Rescue Squad), 1 Haz-Mat Unit, 1 Ambulance, 1 Medic Unit, 1 EMS Supervisor, 1 Battalion Chief
  • Box Alarms: 4 Engines, 2 Trucks, 1 Special Service (Truck or Rescue Squad), 1 Ambulance, 2 Battalion Chiefs
    • Box Alarm (In Non-Hydrated Areas): 4 Engines, 2 Trucks, 1 Special Service (Truck or Rescue Squad), 3 Tankers, 1 Water Supply Unit, 1 Ambulance, 2 Battalion Chiefs
    • Haz-Mat Box Alarm: 4 Engines, 2 Special Services (Truck or Rescue Squad), 1 Haz-Mat Unit, 1 Ambulance, 1 Medic Unit, 1 EMS Supervisor, 1 Haz-Mat Coordinator, 2 Battalion Chiefs
  • Working Fire(Upgrade):1 Engine, 1 Truck, 1 Medic Unit, 1 Safety Officer, 1 Volunteer Safety Officer, 1 EMS Supervisor
  • Task Force Alarm(Optional Upgrade): 2 Engines, 1 Special Service (Truck or Rescue Squad)
  • 2nd Alarm: 4 Engines, 2 Trucks, 1 Special Service (Truck or Rescue Squad)
  • 3rd Alarm: 4 Engines, 2 Trucks, 1 Special Service (Truck or Rescue Squad)
  • 4th Alarm: 4 Engines, 2 Trucks, 1 Special Service (Truck or Rescue Squad)
  • 5th Alarm: 4 Engines, 2 Trucks, 1 Special Service (Truck or Rescue Squad)
  • Airplane/Train Crash: 2 Engines, 1 Rescue Squad, 1 Haz-Mat Unit, 1 Foam Unit, 1 Brush Unit, 1 Ambulance, 1 Medic Unit, 1 EMS Supervisor, 2 Battalion Chiefs

A Street Assignment is an odor of natural gas inside of structure, investigation of something burning inside of structure, electrical socket sparking, chimney fire, and other similar things.

A Box Alarm is the report of smoke or fire in ANY structure, such as a house, building, apartment, condo, townhouse, or school.

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-03-27. Retrieved 2008-12-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. http://www.co.pg.md.us/Government/PublicSafety/Fire-EMS/index.asp?nivel=foldmenu(1)
  3. http://www.pgcvfra.org/
  4. Roche, Kevin (July 2017). "2016 National Run Survey Part 2" (PDF). Firehouse Magazine.
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-06-17. Retrieved 2008-12-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. http://www.gazette.net/stories/05082009/prinnew174942_32546.shtml
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-05-10. Retrieved 2009-05-12.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-12-11. Retrieved 2011-11-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. Pgfd (2017-02-21). "Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department: PGFD 2016 Run Statistics". Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
  10. Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department; Marc S. Bashoor (15 January 2016). "Standard Response Dispatch Procedure". Standard Response Dispatch Procedure (PDF) (General Order 03-11 ed.). Communication and Information Management/Technology Division. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
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