Shortly before 18:00 hours this Memorial Day , the box was sounded for the report of heavy smoke and fire coming from a structure in the 1300 Block of New York Ave., Northeast. Truck 15 arrived a short time later with heavy smoke and fire showing, Battalion Fire Chief 1 ordered companies coming in to lay dual lines. The Foam Unit Task Force was sounded followed by a Second Alarm. In addition Foam 345 from Reagan responded to supply additional foam.

Lots more photos by Elliot coming tomorrow.

Memorial weekend plans came to a temporary but abrupt halt for hundreds of travelers after a hazmat situation forced the evacuation of Union Station on Sunday, May 30th.

Units were initially dispatched around 2 PM for an undetermined odor. They encountered an irritating sulfa type smell that had permeated large sections of the busy Amtrak facility.

An evacuation was initiated and a request made for Amtrak to hold incoming trains from entering the station. The cause of the odor was quickly determined to be overheated batteries. It took a little over an hour to the hazmat unit to mitigate the problem and for the building to be ventilated, after which it was reopened for use.

One individual was transported for exposure to the fumes, and several others treated on the scene.

Shortly after 1800 the Fireboat was alerted of the report of a boat explosion at the James Creek Marina in S.W.and requested a full Haz-Mat box assignment for that report . Upon arrival it was reported there had been an explosion that occured while gasoline had been pumping to the boat.The fire was out , but as a precaution Fireboat 2 appliesd a blanket of foam to make sure there would not be a 2nd explosion and any additional fire. After about 45 minutes all units returned to service , and there was one burn victim , however minor in nature.

Keith Nesbitt Technician Engine 2 Promoted to Sergeant ....Congragulations to Sergeant Keith Nesbitt on his promotion to Sergeant . Keith provided a scrumptuous dinner to not only the members of his station, but all the companies surrounding Engine 2 that he worked with ,were also his guests.

The fantastic dinner prepared by Chef Keith and his family was followed by a ceremony by his station members of a few Sergeant items that he will certainly need.

Two civilians suffered minor smoke inhalation after their home caught fire in southeast DC over the Memorial Day weekend.

The blaze erupted around dusk on Saturday, May 29th, in a two story, detached dwelling at 716 Alabama Avenue SE. Flames involved a portion of the first floor.

The fire was quickly brought under control. Both civilians were treated and released on the scene.

Truck 4 and the U.S.Capitol...Truck Co.4 is seen on this cool Tuesday evening respondind to one of the daily runs down the 1000 block of Pennsylvania Ave. with the U.S. Capitol behind them. all the orange cones are from the making of the new bicycle lanes that have also just opened up on Amerca's Avenue.

Engine 2 and Rescue Squad 1’s kitchen recently became a television set for the videotaping of an episode of the Learning Channel’s new food related reality show, “Cupcake Sisters”. The show also provided a fire truck built of cupcakes, as well as dozens of the tasty treats, at the DC Fire and EMS awards ceremony on May 24th.

Thursday, July 1, 2010 12 pm – 2 pm
Phillips Seafood Restaurant
900 Water Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20024
Cost $25 Per Person

Contact DFC Lawrence Anderson at Lawrence.anderson@dc.gov or 240-687-2881
DFC Christopher Jordan at Christopher.jordan@dc.gov or 202-673-2274

Sgt. Mike Lorentz was recently involved in an auto accident and is in need of trades.

Please Contact Sgt. Breen Battalion 5 #4 Aide if you can help.

443-532-8625 or 202-673-3220

The History of the Washington DC Fire Department” book produced by the staff of the DCF&EMS Museum, is in the final printing phase, with delivery now promised by “mid-June,” according to the book’s seller, M. T. Publishing of Evansville, IN. 
     A limited press run of 1,000 copies have been promised, with just over 300 already pre-sold, ensuring that “Fires to Remember” will quickly become a collector’s item.  However, M. T. Publishing has just extended the pre-publication prices to a new May 31st deadline for fire and EMS personnel and their families. 
     To place your order, contact the Museum staff at 202-673-1709 for an order form, or send your check or money order direct to M. T. Publishing Company, Inc., P.O. Box 6802, Evansville, IN, 47719-6802.  Pre-publication prices for the deluxe edition are $39.95 each, or $74.95 each for the deluxe edition bound in genuine leather.  Please add $6.50 for postage and handling, unless you direct that your copy be sent to the Museum and held there for your personal pickup. 
     It should be noted that the “Fires to Remember” book will contain new historic information that has not been in other DCFD history books.  For further information, you may contact Walter Gold, Executive Director of the DCF&EMS Museum at 202-439-1936.

Two victims had to be extricated from one of two vehicles that collided at the busy intersection of 17th Street and Constitution Avenue NW on Tuesday afternoon, May 18th.

The first arriving EMS unit requested a rescue assignment after determining they could not access the patients.

A total of three victims were transported to area hospitals. None suffered life threatening injuries.

At the request of Truck 8, in the 200 Block Of Newcomb St. S.E., the High Angle Rescue Assignment was dispatched to assist with a body recovery. MPD discovered a victim down approximately a forty foot embankment. With no easy way to bring the victim up the steep hill , the members of Squad's 1 and 3 were called upon to complete the mission. The incident was under the command of BFC 3 and the Special Op's BFC.

Engine 23 was dispatched to the 2700 Block of Virginia Ave. N.W. for the report of an injured person. Upon arrival it was learned that a person had fallen down a forty foot embankment and landed at the edge of the C & O canal in heavy mud. At that time Engine 23 requested the High Angle Rescue Assignment bringing Rescue Squad's 1 & 2, Truck 2, BFC 4, Special Op's BFC, DFC Operations, and numerous EMS units . Using ropes and rescue personnel the injured person was brought to the surface and transported to the hospital without life-threatening injuries.

The DCFD hosted a joint Fire Chiefs meeting bringing together Chiefs from England, Canada, and across the U.S. to Washington. On Sunday, May 2nd they were treated to a drill prepared by the Special Operations Division, which involved a full scale rescue on the Anacostia River with a car that had fallen into the river with several persons trapped inside. The incident involved members from the following companies: Rescue Squad's 2 & 3, Wrecker 1, Engine 15, Hazmat 1, K-9 Rescue Team, Fireboats 2 & 3 with the underwater dive teams from DCFD & MPD, US Park Eagle Helicopter, Friendship Fire Association with the Canteen Unit and Special Op's Battalion Chief Wayne Benson. After the spectacular drill, everyone attending were treated to lunch by Mike Skahill and his world famous Bar B-Q team . Everyone who participated did a superb job and their efforts will certainly now be carried throughout the world.