While Rescue Squad 14 was transferred to Company 23 on the Southside of the county, Rescue Squad 14R was busy back in quarters. At 2059 hours, R Squad was alerted to Baltimore Avenue and Sunnyside Avenue for the vehicle accident. The squad crew found one overturned with entrapment on arrival, and started stabilizing the vehicle. Once stabilized, the patient was quickly extricated.

After clearing the extrication and running a box alarm and medical local in between, the R Squad was alerted at 2255 hours to the 12500 block of Kembridge Drive for the school on fire. Units arrived with smoke showing. The squad crew was initially assigned RIT, but later assisted opening up the roof. Two alarms were eventually summoned to control the blaze.

At 1924 hours, Truck 14 was alerted as the first due truck to the 4700 block of Muskogee Street, in Company 11's area, for the house fire. Public Safety Communications advised units enroute of a possible fire in a bedroom.

Truck 14 with 7 volunteers arrived on scene with heavy smoke showing. Splitting into two teams, the interior team with the officer, barman, and hookman found two rooms off on the second floor, conducted a primary search, and checked for extension. At the same time, the exterior team threw multiple ground ladders on side A, and ventilated vertically and horizontally. Additionally, Chief 14 (Fusco) assisted at the command post and Chief 14A (McCoy) was assigned "Interior".

With an aggressive interior attack and coordination between the engine and truck companies, the fire was quickly knocked and placed under control. Truck 14 was held to conduct overhaul and cleared the scene at 2025 hours.

After clearing accidents on both the Capitol Beltway and Baltimore Washington Parkway, Rescue Squad 14 came upon a third accident on the outerloop of I-495 at Kenilworth Avenue with one overturned, and requested the assignment at 1736 hours.

The squad crew sized up the scene, found an SUV on its roof with one trapped, and immediately went to work. Rescue struts were used to stabilize the car. Next, the driver side doors and B-post were removed to provide patient access. The patient was extricated quickly, loaded into an ambulance and transported to a local trauma center.

Rescue Squad 14 was ready for service at 1803 hours.

With Rescue Squad 14 designated as the northside technical rescue support unit, the volunteers from Berwyn Heights have started to increase our training in the technical rescue disciplines associated with these responses.

For the first formal training, 13 volunteers participated in a Swiftwater Awareness class. The class started with a slide presentation and lecture in the training room at Station 14. Topics covered in the lecture included recognition of various water features, types of personal protective equipment, site control and management, and water rescue priorities. Following the lecture, the volunteers conducted hands-on training at the Dickerson Generating Station's whitewater kayaking course in Dickerson, Maryland. Skills performed included basic survival swimming, throw bag deployment, eddy hopping, setting up and using tension diagonals, and wading techniques.

Plans are in the works to conduct additional technical rescue courses in the near future. Stay tuned for future website updates.

After clearing a technical rescue assignment for a collapse investigation, Rescue Squad 14 and Chief 14 (Fusco) responded to northbound Baltimore Washington Parkway at the NASA exit for the personal injury accident at 2145 hours.

Engine Company 35 (Greenbelt) was first on scene and reported they had one vehicle off the road and in the trees. Chief 35A (Ray) provided an update soon after of one trapped and established command.

Rescue Squad 14 with 8 volunteers and Chief 14 arrived and sized up the scene. What they found was a sedan that veered off the road and wrapped around a tree, pinning the driver heavily. Additionally, all four wheels of the vehicle were found suspended off the ground, with the point of impact on the tree and some brush under the car holding the vehicle in the air.

Command assigned Chief 14, "Extrication", and the squad crew dusted off the tools from the 18 year old, approximately 200,000 mile heavy rescue and started stabilizing the car. To stabilize the vehicle, three box cribs underneath the car and two rescue struts under the rear of the vehicle were used. Once stabilized, the passenger side doors and B-post were removed. On the driver’s side of the vehicle, where the heaviest intrusion occurred, access to both doors was limited and the driver’s door was spread open at the hinges to provide patient access. Next, the roof was removed. Finally, to free the patient’s legs, the dash was lifted with spreaders placed in the center console area.

The patient was removed from the car and loaded into U.S. Park Police Eagle 1 for transport to a local trauma center. Extrication was completed in under 15 minutes.