Prince georges county, md: Multiple extra-alarm fires in progress!!!!!

[FWDbuff]

PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, MD: Multiple extra-alarm brush fires (with exposures) throughout the County. Mutual Aid units responding from several counties away, including Baltimore City and County. Several ARFF units assisting off-road. One Engine Company apparatus rumored to have been overrun by fire. Many engine companies operating with minimal amounts of hose due to hose being abandoned and lost in running fire.

PAGING HARVE WOODS, GIVE US A SITREP WHEN YOU RECOVER!!!!!!

[d_holder86]

you can listen to communications at radio reference. At 1950 they are still workin alot.

[FWDbuff]

Confirming at least two engine companies from Baltimore City (E6, E40) in Pee Gee County.

[hwoods]

Well.....

Several minor injuries, No inhabited structures lost, No Apparatus lost. Some LDH was lost in the Laurel Fire. I was attending a Maryland State Firemen's Association Executive Committee meeting in Talbot County when one of their guys told me they had just been paged to Transfer to Annapolis, which is a 40-45 mile run. After getting several calls from friends, I headed home, then to the Laurel Fire. I'm waiting for a competent estimate on acreage, but I think that it's going to be 4-500 acre Fire. I'll be back with more later.....

[Eng34FF]

We got a couple of requests to transfer to PG, but had to keep our staffing down in our first due. The next department north of us sent their tanker up there for most of the day. The northern end of our county also sent several pieces up to PG.

One of our members is a dispatcher in PG. He said that they had some tankers from as far away as West Virginia. Also said that they called back all paid firefighters and had units from DC, Andrews AFB, and Baltimore City helping out.

[hwoods]

And..........

Things are getting back to normal at this time. The last Apparatus left the Laurel Fire this afternoon after a 31 hour job. Other Large Fires in the General Area include West of Crofton in Anne Arundel County, Near Libertytown in Frederick County, Chalk Point in PG County, Near Henderson in Caroline County, and the huge Piscataway Fire in the southern part of PG. It's starting to sound like the Piscataway Fire will have the highest damage estimate when things are added up. Go to http://PGFDPIO.Blogspot.com for a lot more detail and photos......

[NobodyAnymore]

I know that one of the members of my company was injured and taken to PG General trauma center while working the brush fire, according to what he posted on Facebook anyway.

[slackjawedyokel]

In the late 80s I took a "pilot" class wildland urban interface. The focus was to educate wildland firefighters on the aspects of structural firefighting and vice versa. I apparently never really caught on. I would like to see it revisted and a NFA program developed. The original one somewhat missed its mark a little because while it touched on the "nuts & bolt" aspects. It didnt really address the difference in "mindset" for lack of a better term. There is a whole lot more differences than just the tanker vs tender.

[hwoods]

And............

Now that Mother Nature has blanketed the East Coast with several inches of her "Class A Foam" otherwise known as Snow, I can relax a bit and catch up on things. There were apparently Large Fires all over the Mid Atlantic area, including MD, VA, WVA, DEL, and possibly PA and NJ as well........

Here in this area we did lose one piece of Apparatus, a 2009 Ford Brush Truck. Approximately 30 Structures were Lost with more damaged. Only Two were Occupied Homes, the rest were Sheds, Barns, and a few Vacant Dwellings. The FD Equipment losses include a Lot of Hose that had to be abandoned in order to remove Apparatus that was endangered. There are some melted Plastic Light Lenses and scortched paint jobs out there. Amazingly, despite everything that happened, we only had a few minor injuries among the more than 600 people who were working these Fires. The last time we had anything of this magnitude was on Saturday April 20th, 1963. One thing that is becoming apparent, to me anyway, is that as we have a lot fewer Fires over the years, the Fuel buildup is something to be concerned about. Thanks to those who called or emailed to see if we were OK......

[st42stephenAFT]

There were apparently Large Fires all over the Mid Atlantic area, including MD, VA, WVA, DEL, and possibly PA and NJ as well........

I was listening to some brush fires in my area, Ocean County, NJ, on Friday. Nothing near what you guys had though. Just small burns going. A few mutual aid department's, if that, were involved. Here's a link to the 2 I was listening to:


http://barnegat.patch.com/articles/o...entionally-set


http://www.app.com/article/20110219/...tle-Egg-Harbor

[LaFireEducator]

2 weeks ago we had snow on the ground.

Up until the snow we were running fires, and 3 days after the snow we were right back at it running to 2-3 brush fires a day including a few multi-acre jobs.

My VFD had a 50-acre fire last week. We just ran on another 30 acre plus fire with them today, which will still be burning when I get off of work here in an hour.

And while I was typing this post I received a call from 911 telling me that the Corps of Engineers just lit off an 85-acre controlled burn in the northern part of our district loaded with pines.

It has been very dry here since last spring. We have had a much more active summer, fall and winter fire season than normal, and the weather predicts below average rainfall for the forseeable future..

[hwoods]

Yep...........

I know that one of the members of my company was injured and taken to PG General trauma center while working the brush fire, according to what he posted on Facebook anyway.

I asked, it sounds like he slipped and struck his head. I'm also told he was checked out and released from the Hospital...... Let us know how he's doing.......