Just around 1750 hours, Rescue Squad 1 was alerted to respond to Kenilworth Avenue and Monroe Street in Bladensburg for a reported vehicle down the embankment.
Chief 9's initial report indicated a car approximately 100-feet down the embankment with an injured person. Squad 1's crew of four arrived shortly thereafter and went to work.
HVFD Photo
The crew quickly stabilized the vehicle with step chocks and the chain come along as other members of Squad 1 and Company 9's crew set up a 3:1 hauling system. Once the vehicle was stabilized, two ground ladders were used for traction and a stokes basket was lowered down to the vehicle.
The patient was placed on a backboard and into the stokes basket. With over a dozen personnel operating on the scene, units were able to space crews alongside the stokes basket. While utilizing the 3:1, crews were able to guide the stokes up the ground ladders to the street. The patient was handed over to paramedics and transported.
The entire extrication from arrival to the patient in the back of the EMS unit was about 12 minutes.
Rescue Squad 1 has been undergoing maintenance the last few weeks and returned to service this week.
Just after 1500 hours Truck 1 was alerted to 8139 15th Ave for the apartment fire. Engine 34 arrived with a three story garden apartment initially with smoke showing from the second floor. After further investigation, crews on scene found a room off. Truck 1 arrived completed searches and opened up while the exterior crew laddered the building. Command held Engine 34 and Truck 1 for the investigators.
Shortly after returning from the apartment fire in 34's area, Engine 1 (second due) and Truck 1 (second due) were dispatched to 5506 Baltimore Ave for the car wash on fire. Company 7 arrived with heavy smoke and fire from the rear. Engine 1 positioned on 44th Ave and advanced a line to the exposure as a result of the volume of fire on side charlie. Engines 9 and 7 knocked the bulk of the fire while Engine 1 found no extension the the exposure. Company 1 returned to service shortly after the fire was deemed under control.
At 0133 hours Truck 1 was dispatched for the apartment fire at 502 Greenlawn Dr, in Company 44’s area. Truck 1 responded to the call as the 2nd due truck with 6 personnel. Paramedic Engine 44 arrived with smoke showing from side Alpha while Truck 1 took positioning in the alley on side Charlie.
The interior truck crew found the fire in the kitchen area of apartment 301, completed the primary search of the fire apartment and secured utilities as the fire was quickly controlled. The exterior truck crew laddered the A, B, and C sides of the building, opened the stairwell hatch from the roof and assisted with ventilation. The Truck returned to service at shortly after.
Friday night at 2337 hours, units were alerted to respond to 5804 Annapolis Road for the apartment fire. Upon arrival Engine 93 arrived finding smoke showing from the top floor of a ten story high rise.
Battalion Chief 4 (Chief 1A) established command with fire showing and requested an additional engine and truck for RIT bringing Truck 1 to the scene. Truck 1 operated with Engine 33 until the fire was brought under control and then assisted with overhaul duties. Truck 1 returned to service a short time later.
At 2047 hours Engine Company 1 was alerted to respond to 5400 85th Ave for the apartment fire. Units from Company 28 arrived to find fire showing from two floors of a four story garden apartment. Engine 1 secured Engine 48's line and then advanced a line to the original fire floor to assist units already operating. The crew from Engine 1 operated for a short time on this multi-alarm incident before returning to service.
The Officers and Members of the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department are pleased to announce the delivery of our new 2011 Pierce Arrow XT pumper, dubbed Engine 1.
The new pumper was funded in large part to an Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) federal grant as well as financing support from the City of Hyattsville of which we are greatly appreciative. The unit's call sign will be Engine 801 after being placed in service later this Spring or early Summer. The vehicle was delivered by our Pierce Manufacturing representative Jim Darr of Atlantic Emergency Solutions on Saturday, April 23rd, 2011.
The department's Apparatus Committee did an exceptional job spec'ing a unit that will service the department, the City of Hyattsville and Prince George's County for a long time. The delivery caps a five-year period in which the HVFD has replaced its entire-front line firefighting & rescue fleet -- Engine, Truck & Rescue Squad companies. Plans are currently underway to revamp our EMS fleet as our call demand continues to rise.
At the height of the afternoon shopping rush at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16th, Engine Co. 1 was dispatched for an investigation at the Mall at Prince George's, 3500 East West Highway. On arrival, the officer reported smoke showing from the shipping tunnel exit at the rear of the shopping center, requesting the full box alarm.
Truck Co. 1, Chief 1 and units from surrounding departments responded to assist. The engine company made entry to the tunnel and discovered a massive transformer in the shipping tunnel on fire and smoking. The crew maintained a safe distance while awaiting the arrival of the power company to disable the transformer. A full evacuation of the Mall was undertaken, led by fire department crews, Hyattsville police and Mall security. During the evacuation, the transformer sustained multiple explosions, quickly escalating the situation by creating near zero-visibility conditions in the tunnel and sending smoke throughout the Mall.
Popular firefighting podcast "Firefighter Storytellers" did a comprehensive interview with Hyattsville VFD Chief Emeritus Donald "Doc" Moltrup, including a compelling overview of both his personal history and the last 40 years of the department.
You'll learn how Doc could have just as easily been Chief of Landover Hills (had his family not moved), how he got his nickname "Doc", how his 35 years as Chief evolved -- the ups and downs -- and so much more.
Saturday afternoon Truck 1 was alerted to the 2000 block of Rittenhouse Street for a house on fire. Truck 1 arrived with Engine Co. 44 finding smoke showing from a two story single family dwelling.
The crew from Truck 1 split crews. The interior crew forced entry, completed the primary searches and opened up for the Engine Companies. The driver and tillerman laddered all sides of the house and secured utilities.
Command (Chief 1A) as battalion Chief 884 held Engine Co.44 and Truck 1 to help the investigators. Ambulance 1 also responded on the working fire dispatch.
Friday night Rescue Squad 1 was alerted to the area of Annapolis Road and Landover Road for a building on fire. Company 9 arrived finding a 1 story liquor store with heavy smoke showing. Rescue Squad 1 assumed RIT duties removing bars and assuring means of egress for units operating. Tower 7 located and removed one victim during searches. The victim was transported to PG Hospital where they succumbed to their injuries.
The thoughts and prayers of the officers and members of the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department are with the members of the DCFD and Riverdale Volunteer Fire Department this morning after several DC firefighters were injured battling a house fire in Northeast, including one critically, Charles "Chuckie" Ryan from Squad 3, who is also the Fire Chief and a lifelong member of the Riverdale Fire Department Inc., our closest neighboring department.
As Truck 1 was clearing a small fire in Company 55's area, PSC advised Truck 1 to return for the Rescue Squad and Ambulance for an Auto Accident with Injuries. Rescue Squad and Ambulance 1 arrived at Queens Chapel Road and Buchanan Street and requested the assignment finding one trapped.
The crew from Rescue Squad 1 had the vehicle stabilized, glass taken, roof removed and patient extricated within five minutes. Ambulance 1 and the crew from Engine Company 9 assisted with patient care. Rescue Squad 1 returned to service shortly after.
At 1728 hours Rescue Squad 1 was alerted to the area of 7206 Riverdale Road in Company 28's area for the Personal Injury Accident with one trapped. RS-1 responded on the run with five volunteers and arrived to find a two vehicle accident with one trapped in a sedan.
The crew from RS-1 stabilized the vehicle, took glass, and removed both the Driver and Passenger Sidewalls in under 10 minutes transferring the patient to EMS crews on scene for transport to a local trauma center. Rescue Squad 1 cleared the scene at 1802 hours.
At 0308 hours the box was sounded for 4711 Oliver Street in Company 7's first due for the reported house on fire. Engine Company 1 responded on the run with seven volunteers as second due engine company. Engine Company 7 arrived on scene with a three story wood frame with fire showing from the third floor.
Engine 1 arrived on scene taking its own hydrant. Engine Company 1's crew stretched the 400' up a ground ladder on side D to the second floor. From there the crew operated on the second floor, third floor and attic with Companies 7 and 9 hitting fire in the walls and attic space. Engine Company 1 was ready for service at 0457 hours.
Only a couple hours after clearing the house fire in Riverdale, at 0729 hours Truck Company 1 and Chief 1 as Battalion Chief 884 were alerted to 8148 15th Ave in Company 34's area for the apartment fire. Truck 1 went on the run with seven Volunteers as the First Due Truck Company and Chief 1 running as the 4th Battalion Chief.
Engine Company 34 arrived and gave the updated address and size up of a three-story garden apartment with smoke showing from the rear. Truck 1's crew crew arrived on scene and forced the door to find a fire in the living room. The interior crew performed a primary search and opened up the fire apartment for Engine Company 34. The exterior crew threw multiple ground ladders, took utilities, and had the stick to the roof.
Chief 1 as Battalion Chief 884 had the 15th Ave Command. The fire was knocked in less than 10 minutes with Command holding Engine 34 and Truck 1 to assist the investigators
At 0016 hours, BC884 (801B) and RS801 were dispatched to Eastern Ave and Varnum St. for a report of seven trapped and a car on fire. BC884 was first to arrive on scene and established command being advised that DCFD was also sending a rescue assignment.
Upon arrival a rapid size up was done to find two trapped in separate vehicles and a single patient extricated. The two vehicles were separated by about 200 feet. The squad crew split into two crews. Crew A performed a side removal on a large Range Rover and had the patient extricated in six minutes operating a spreader and combi-tool off the portable Simo Pump.
Crew B went to work on the passenger trapped in a Cadillac Deville which was about 50 feet from the squad. The vehicle's engine compartment was on fire and the patient was heavily pinned by the dash and A post. Crew B immediately went to work stabilizing and extinguishing the fire with a can. E855 pulled up just after RS801. At about this time units from both DCFD and PGFD began to arrive on scene.
Crew B continued to work to remove the doors and roof to assess the damage done to the A post. A dash lift was performed with significant tact due to the difficulty. The car was severely deformed and the patient had a femur fracture and mangled lower legs. The crew from DCFD RS2 worked with RS801 to lift the dash and extricate the patient.
PGFD units on scene were RS801, E855, A855, MD812, EMS 801, Safety 801, and DC 800
DCFD units on scene were RS2, E26, TK15, E17, M14, A26, RS1
The Officers and Members of the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department would like to publicly thank the many departments, organizations and individuals who assisted us after the passing of Deputy Chief Jimmy Hook.
It would be impossible to thank everyone, but we did want to recognize the officers, members and career personnel of the Bunker Hill fire station (Co. 55) for hosting and assisting with the memorial service. Additionally, thanks goes to the Berwyn Heights and College Park Volunteer Fire Departments for providing fill-in crews during our banquet and during the memorial service, respectively.
We'd also like to thank the Chief Marc Bashoor and the Prince George's County Fire & EMS Department for its support following the loss of Jimmy, Likewise, the members Prince George's County, Kentland and Brentwood Ladies Auxiliary and Canteen for providing refreshments after the memorial service and Three Brothers in Bladensburg for the great food.
The leadership of the department is also very proud of the way our members, present and past, came together to remember Jimmy and support everything that needed to get done during a very trying week.
This morning the Engine Company was dispatched to Hamilton Street in the area of Ager Road for a reported building fire. PSC quickly updated the address to 5620 Ager Road. Engine Co. 1 arrived to find a large one story warehouse with smoke showing and advised exterior operations only due to deterioration of the structure. Fire was found in a trash compactor and a van just inside the warehouse with extension to the roof. Engine Co. 1 knocked all visible fire while Tower 7 set up for master stream operations. All operating units were pulled back from the warehouse while Tower 7 knocked all visible fire on the roof. Engine Co. 1 dropped 1600ft of 3", 400ft of 1 3/4" and 300ft of 2" during the fire.
The Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department has established an educational fund to assist Deputy Chief Jimmy Hook's son in the future. Donations can be made payable to to HVFD with a memo for the educational scholarship fund and sent to:
The officers and members of the Hyattsville VFD took a brief break from an otherwise very difficult and busy week to recognize the best within the organization at our annual Hyattsville Public Safety Awards banquet Saturday night at Martin’s in Greenbelt. The event is jointly held with the City of Hyattsville Police and FOP Lodge.
The evening started with a moment of remembrance for Deputy Chief Jimmy Hook, who passed away suddenly earlier this week. Members of Jimmy’s family, including his future-firefighter son Tommy, 11, attended this year’s event. Jimmy, who was a member of the HVFD for ten years this month, was posthumously awarded Life Membership during the ceremony.
With the largest contingent of life members present in recent memory, the department gave out several special legacy awards. Jonathan A. Ransom and Carole Moltrup were presented with 30-year service honors and Donald "Doc" Moltrup received a standing ovation while being recognized for topping 50-years of service this year. Doc was presented with a customized helmet to commemorate the milestone.
Jonathan, the longest-serving President, and Doc, Chief Emeritus, were then given the night’s highest recognition. Beyond their individual accomplishments over their many years of service, the pair was honored for pulling the department through an extremely tough period following the line of duty death of Alan P. Sondej in 1988. At one point, the organization was teetering on the brink of going away. But in the early 1990’s, Ransom and Moltrup together worked to revive the department. They were named as the inaugural class of the new HVFD Hall of Honor.
The HVFD is pleased to announce we have been awarded an Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG). The awards were announced today publicly by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the agency which administers the program.
The grant amount is for $30,000 in equipment from the Operations & Safety component of the program, of which approximately $24,000 is the Federal Share for tools and equipment for the Rescue Squad. We'll provide additional details on that at a more appropriate time.
Thanks to HVFD Members Matt Westerbeck for writing the grant and Matt Davy for coordinating the grant package with FEMA.
The department has submitted grant requests to the program almost every year since the program started in 2001, receiving our first grant in 2007 of $280,000 for the new Rescue Squad, replacing a 1993 unit. In 2009, we were awarded a $260,000 grant for a new engine (replacing 1988 and 1990 vehicles) and $14,000 for a thermal imager. All amounts listed are the Federal Share.
The department also received $244,000 in 2010 as part of the SAFER Awards (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) for a four-year program to provide tuition support to our college live-in program participants. Without the support of these programs and the $800,000+ in funding provided, the department would not have been able to make these critical vehicle and equipment purchases, recruit and support talented volunteer staffing and serve the community as robustly as we do today. The city of Hyattsville continues also be very supportive of the department, assisting us with financing the balance of our engine acquisition.
On vehicle grants we provide a lower match of funds from the HVFD directly and via financing. There is no match for the SAFER grant program.
Among the department's focuses going forward will be securing funds for refurbishment, an addition or replacement of our current facility, which was originally built as a sub-station but now houses a modern fleet of fire, rescue & ems vehicles and a large membership and staff, including over a dozen student live-ins. Last year, 2010, was our busiest year ever with nearly 6,000 emergency responses.
The HVFD is currently accepting applications for Live-In college student members and local fire, EMS & administrative members. For more information & request contact click here.
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The Officers and Members of the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department are pleased to announce the delivery of our new 2011 Pierce Arrow XT pumper, dubbed Engine 1. 
At the height of the afternoon shopping rush at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16th, Engine Co. 1 was dispatched for an investigation at the Mall at Prince George's, 3500 East West Highway. On arrival, the officer reported smoke showing from the shipping tunnel exit at the rear of the shopping center, requesting the full box alarm.
