Over the past weekend of July 17-19, 2009, the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad kept busy with numerous calls for service and station-wide improvements. Friday night began with a thorough washing and cleaning of the frontline apparatus. The Mac received several hours of attention in house to replace a broken solenoid controlling the air horn.

On Saturday, the kitchen was cleaned thoroughly by the weekend duty crew and stragglers staying over from Friday night. Around 1900 hours the squad and ambulance ran a first due restaurant fire at The Chicken Place on the 2800 block of University Blvd. in downtown Wheaton. The squad was first on the scene and initially evacuated patrons still eating despite smoke pouring out of the kitchen. Next, the crew helped find the source of the fire and open up the surrounding walls and ceiling. The fire was quickly knocked and the squad returned to service by 2030 hours.

RS742 crew: Chief Allan Platky, FF Andrew Young, FF Jeidy Hernandez, FF Mark Reddish
A742F crew: President (HVFD) Russell Hartung, EMT Devon DeCarli

On Sunday afternoon, the rescue squad and ambulance ran another first due fire in the apartments on the 11600 block of Elkin St. The squad crew again was the first arriving unit on the scene. While, initially dispatched as an adaptive for a confined over fire, the squad crew found fire in the kitchen with heavy smoke conditions throughout the apartment. Engine 705 filled the box bringing Chief 742 to the scene who took command of the incident. The squad crew performed a quick primary search of the apartment, helped remove residents from neighboring apartments, pulled hose for the engine company, controlled utilities and hooked walls and ceiling. The fire was quickly brought under control and the squad picked-up shortly thereafter. Later in the evening the station ran a call for multiple pedestrians struck by a car on Georgia Ave. at Blueridge Ave. The patients were treated and transported by the dozen of volunteers staffing the station Sunday night.

C742: Chief Allan Platky
RS742 afternoon crew: Capt. Todd Sniffin, FF Andrew Young, FF Karla Martinez, FF Stefhan Dassoulas
RS742 evening crew: FF Andrew Young, FF Bucky Dimopoulos (UMCVFD), FF Rhonda Cohen, FF Jeidy Hernandez, FF Daniel Brandt (KVFD), FF Mark Reddish
M742C crew: PMIC Ray Colvin, FF Veronica Gallagher, EMT Grace Igot, EMT Jacob Marx
A742E crew: EMT Devon DeCarli, RJ Samaroo, Kelly McGovern

Thanks to the Wheaton residents and businesses whose enduring support makes it possible for the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad to provide free and professional service to the City of Wheaton and Montgomery County.

Around 1930 hours on Sunday, July 11, 2009 county dispatchers received multiple calls for a top floor apartment on fire on the 8800 block of Piney Branch Road in Takoma Park. RS742 responded on the original box assignment. While responding the squad followed the column of smoke in from Four Corners. The crew arrived on scene, hoofed it up 12 floors and proceeded to search the fire floor. Heavy fire was found in a single apartment. The crew forced several doors and search the apartments on the floor. The crew sheltered one occupant in place and assisted two other victims off the floor down a staircase. The fire went to a second alarm bringing in dozens of units from Silver Spring, Kensington, Hillandale and Prince Georges county. The squad was back in service by 2130 hours.

RS742 crew: D/C Erik Karlsons, Lt. Steven Cox, FFII David Marx

News coverage: Gazette

Around 1345 hours on the afternoon of Thursday, July 2, 2009 county dispatchers requested Wheaton’s ATV for a bicyclist down on Rock Creek Trail in the vicinity of Aspen Hill. Within 15 minutes the ATV was en route. Upon arrival off of Oriental Ave., ATV742 drove a quarter mile into the woods to assist with the patient being treated by M725 and A721. The ATV crew assisted packaging and removal of the patient from the scene.

AT742 crew: D/C Jacob DeGlopper, FFII Aaric Wright

The past week starting June 22 was busy for the Wheaton Volunteers. The department sent units to assist at the Metro incident on Monday, ran a couple vehicle collisions with entrapment including the double fatal on Friday in Chevy Chase and dozens of EMS calls for service. On Sunday, the busy week concluded with a request to assist the police around 1430 hours. County police had received a call regarding a possible armed burglary on the 11100 block on Veirs Mill Rd. Wheaton’s Rescue Squad was requested for forcible entry equipment and a search line. The squad crew along with Kensington’s M705 then made up the fire/rescue assignment for the ERT response. MCPD secured the building and entered the apartment. Unfortunately, county police did not apprehend the assailant or find the resident who had called. Luckily, the resident was later located unharmed.

RS742 initial crew: Capt. Todd Sniffin, FFIII Karla Martinez, FFIII Andrew Young
RS742 relief crew: D/C Steve Sobolewski, Capt. Kris Hoxha, FFII Jeidy Hernandez

News coverage: Washington Post

Around 1930 hours on Friday, June 26, 2009 county dispatchers received a report of a tree down on a car on Connecticut Ave. near East West Highway. M742C was dispatched on the call from Aspen Hill as the first due medic. Company 7 arrived on the scene and confirmed several trapped in a minivan under a tree on Connecticut Ave. M742C was the first medic unit to arrive on scene. M742C’s officer, PMIC Colvin, was designated the Triage officer and began assessing the several patients extricated by bystanders and the multiple patients still trapped. PM Colvin transferred triage officer responsibilities to the EMS duty officer via face-to-face handoff once he arrived on scene. M742C’s crew then focused their attention on the priority 1 patient still trapped in the vehicle. The patient was extricated from the vehicle by RS741 and T706. M742C’s crew then treated the patient on scene and transported to a local trauma center. Unfortunately, two patients died on scene as a result of the collision.

M742C crew: PMIC Ray Colvin, EMT Sean Howley, EMT Colin Dunn, Mishian Lehmann

News Coverage: Washington Post, NBC4, ABC7, Gazette