Around 2000 hours on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 C742, RS742B and E718 were investigating an AFA in the 11400 block of Georgia Ave. when county dispatchers sounded Box 25-08 for the apartment fire with people trapped on the 14200 block of Georgia Ave. in Aspen Hill. While RS703 was dispatched on the initial assignment, RS742B cleared their call and were added to the run and arrived on scene with RS703.

Both squad crews were assigned to search the three story garden apartment. RS742B searched the fire apartments and luckily everyone had gotten out safely. The crew also searched exposure Delta, hooked walls and ceilings to check for extension. After splitting into two crews they also worked with PEPCO and WGL to cut utilities. As Command requested the evacuation tones for the fire building, the squad crew made their way onto the roof of exposure Delta with saws to assist with the ventilation efforts. Rescue Squad 742B worked with E718 on the roof to cut a trench and open up a large hole to ventilate the fire floor and provide access for the master stream operations.

The incident went to 4 alarms and took two hours of interior and exterior work to bring the fire under control. M742C and A742F were dispatched on the RID and 2nd alarm and subsequently assigned to the rehab sector. Luckily there were only minor civilian and firefighter injuries during the incident. The fire displaced roughly 40 residents from the complex.

C742: Chief Allan Platky
RS742B crew: MFF Adam St. John, FFIII Andrew Young, FFII Matt Jorge, FFII Jeidy Hernandez
M742C crew: PMIC Jason Buc, EMT Vibeka Mikkelsen, EMT Sean Andrews, EMT Matt Rife
A742F crew: EMT Mike Belan, EMT Brie Phillips, EMT Dominic Goodall, Christina Deady

News Coverage: Fox5, Washington Post