Bowie VFD Auxiliary Support Team

On Sunday, April 26, from 10 AM until 4 PM, the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department and the Auxiliary Support Team would like to invite everyone to visit Station 19 during Spring Fling in Old Town Bowie. We will have a fire engine and ambulance on display, plus lots of fire and home safety information available. Members will be available to discuss volunteer opportunities within the Department.

On Wednesday, April 29th, from 5 to 10 PM the members of the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department and the Auxiliary Support Team will be joining Baskin-Robbins in The Shoppes at Highbridge Shopping Center (Highbridge and Route 450) of their second annual 31 Cent Scoop Night. This is a nationwide event to support local fire departments. Bring the family out for a fun evening, meet the folks who answer the call for help in our city, see some of our fire trucks, and of course have ice cream. Please consider making a donation to our Department while you are there. See the Baskin-Robbins website for more information.

On Saturday, March 28, the Bowie Baysox held their 10th annual Family FunFest at Prince George's Stadium. The Bowie Volunteer Fire Department was excited about the opportunity to participate in this great event, and turned out several pieces of equipment, including Canteen 19, Canteen 39, Chief 43A's vehicle, Engine 392, and the Special Events Ambulance. Members had a great time visiting with the public, showing kids the apparatus, and handing out educational materials. The Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department Bomb Squad was also on-hand.

The Bowie Volunteer Fire Department would like to remind the citizens we serve that March is Poison Prevention Month. According to the Home Safety Council poisoning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths in the home. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, 92% of the 2.4 million annual poisoning cases occur in the home. We would like to offer the following suggestions to help keep families safe from toxic and poisonous items in the home.

Household chemicals and cleaning products:

• Know what items are harmful or poisonous.
• Keep items in original containers.
• Read and follow all cautions and directions.

At 2208 on Thursday, February 26, the alarm was struck for a train accident off of Briercrest Court in Company 39's first due. Chief Havens (19) had command of the incident. First arriving units found that a locomotive and 13 coal cars had derailed, but nobody was injured and no diesel fuel was spilled. Units dispatched on the call included Engines 839 (Bowie), 843 (Bowie), and 818 (Glenn Dale); Rescue Squad 818 (Glenn Dale), and Ambulance 439 (Bowie). Chief Havens terminated command and handed the incident over to the CSX trainmaster at approximately 2400.

Canteens 19 (Amy and Mary Locker) and 39 (George Amyx, John Cole, and Glenn Locker) arrived on the scene at 2300, providing water, juice, and coffee to personnel on the scene. Canteen 39 arrived back in quarters at 0015.

Photos taken on the scene by John Cole can be found in the image gallery.

There is a brief news item on WJLA's website about the incident.

On Friday, February 6, 2009, at approximately 10:30, Station 43 (Bowie - Pointer Ridge/Mitchellville) was alerted to respond to a vehicle accident with one overturned on Church Road. Engine 843 arrived on scene to find a two-vehicle accident with one overturned; four people were involved, with two confirmed trapped. Engine 843's officer established command until the arrival of Battalion Chief 802, who assumed command. One patient was airlifted by Trooper 2, and three patients were transported by medic units to local hospitals. Other units responding were Medic 846 (Kentland), Medic 818 (Glenn Dale), Engine 839 (Bowie - Belair), Engine 846 (Kentland), Rescue Squad 818 (Glenn Dale), Rescue Squad 820 (Upper Marlboro), Trooper 2 (Maryland State Police), and EMS 1.

There's also a story about this incident on the Glenn Dale Volunteer Fire Association's website.

The accompanying photographs are courtesy of Mark E. Brady, Chief Spokesperson, Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department.

On Wednesday, February 4, 2009, at approximately 00:15 Engine 843 was dispatched for an investigation at the ezStorage on Crain Highway in Bowie. Upon arrival the officer and crew found smoke coming from a unit and requested the box to be filled. The sprinklers primarily held the fire to the storage unit in which it started. No injuries were reported. Units on the assignment were Engine 843, Engine 846 (Kentland), Engine 820 (Upper Marlboro), Engine 837 (Ritchie), Truck 828 (West Lanham Hills), Truck 826 (District Heights), Rescue Squad 818 (Glenn Dale), Battalion Chief 802, Water Supply 825 (Clinton), Tanker 845 (Upper Marlboro), Tanker 823 (Forestville), Anne Arundel Tanker 3, Battalion Chief 807 (Chief 840), Chief 827 (Operations), Duty Chief 800 (Command), and Deputy Chief 801.

In Maryland, only 25% of all child safety seats are installed in vehicles correctly. Find out about your safety seat and do your part to prevent an injury from occurring. The Bowie Volunteer Fire Department and the Prince George’s County Safe Kids Coalition, Fire/EMS Department, and Police Department are prepared to help you. Car seats will be checked for correct installation between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM on Friday, January 30, at the Pointer Ridge Fire/EMS Station (16408 Pointer Ridge Drive, Bowie, MD). You must make an appointment by contacting Kids in Safety Seats at 800-370-SEAT. Join us as we work to keep the children of Prince George's County safe.

On the evening of Saturday, January 24, 2009, President Jonathan Bigony, Chief Lee Havens (19), Assistant Chief Jonathan Howard (43B), Auxiliary Chair Amy Locker, and several members of the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department attended the 13th Annual Public Safety Officer Night dinner at the Knights of Columbus Sacred Heart Council #2577 in Bowie. The Department officers on hand were proud to receive the Volunteer Firefighter of the Year award on behalf of the whole department, which was presented to the entire Department to honor "The Bowie Volunteer Fire Department for eighty years of service to the City of Bowie and its neighboring communities 1928 - 2008".

Canteen 39 returned to service Wednesday, January 21, following extensive repairs and upgrades to the electrical system. The unit was initially placed out-of-service for a wiring issue with the starting and charging system. While repairs were being made all of the strobe emergency lighting was upgraded to LED. Several potential failure points were identified and repaired as well. The work was performed in-house at Company 39 as part of our ongoing effort to save funds. The project was lead by Jon Bigony (President) and Tim Daly (Chief 39A), with the help of J. R. Bigony and several other members. Thanks to all who contributed to this project.