Bowie VFD Auxiliary Support Team

At approximately 12:17 on May 12 units from the 2nd Battalion were alerted to respond to the 15000 block of Minetta Lane for a townhouse fire. The box alarm consisted of E839 (first due), E819, RE818, Anne Arundel E7, TK 828; TW833; RS 813; and B/C 802. Engine 839 was the first-arriving unit and reported fire showing from a 2-story townhouse. Battalion Chief 802 established command and struck the second alarm, which included E828, E843, E848, AA E5, T814, QT 822, and RS820. Units staged at the Hilltop shopping center.

Auxiliary member Lloyd Bass was notified of the incident and immediately went to Station 39 and proceeded to the staging area with Auxiliary 19, arriving at 13:15. After a lengthy wait he was ordered by Bowie Command to advance to the operations area.

The Auxiliary participated in the EPLEX 2008 Airline Disaster Training exercise at Baltimore-Washington International Airport on Saturday, May 10 2008. Both Auxiliary 19 and Canteen 39 were present, as were Auxiliary members Lloyd Bass, John Cole, Gordon Curtis, Amy Locker, and Glenn Locker. Junior members J.R. Bigony and Mary Locker also attended. Auxiliary 19 and Canteen 39 staged in the rehab area during the exercise. Lunch was served to all Bowie participants at Station 39 after the exercise.

The owners and staff of Auto Tech Car Care of Bowie have supported both the Auxiliary and Bowie VFD for years with maintenance and repair work on Auxiliary 19, Canteen 39, and a number of other Departmental vehicles. We are proud to announce that they have also became the first official sponsor of Canteen 39 with their recent $500 donation! The Auxiliary is very grateful for the generous support that Auto Tech has provided us over the years, and will work hard to insure that their donation is used to support the mission of the Auxiliary and the Department.

The Auxiliary is now a member of the Fire Corps, a partnership between the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Volunteer Fire Council. The goal of the program is to provide support to resource-constrained fire and emergency service departments by using citizen volunteers serving in non-emergency roles. You can see our database entry on the Fire Corps website.

On Sunday April 27th Amy and Mary Locker set up and staffed a table with fire safety information, recruiting materials, candles for sale, and a 50/50 raffle at Co. 19 as part of Spring Fling in Old Bowie from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Jeff Nigro and Shirley Meadows also came out to help.

The March 20, 2008 issue of the Bowie Star features a nice story about Canteen 39. The article includes quotes from Bowie VFD President Jon Bigony, Auxiliary Member George Amyx, and the City of Bowie's public safety coordinator, Alan Creveling.

Photo courtesy of Bryan Haynes⁄The Bowie Star

On March 15, 2008 at 1245 hours Canteen 39 made its first operational run. Canteen 39 responded with 2 volunteers to a detached garage fire at 13907 Woodmore Road in Company 43's area. The unit was on-scene for approximately 2 hours and dispensed 72 bottles of water to units from all three Bowie stations (Cos. 19, 39, and 43), as well as crews from Glenn Dale (Co. 18) and Kentland (Co. 33). The family dog was also provided with bottled water.

Bowie VFD President Jon Bigony will teach a class on Canteen Operations at 0900 this Saturday morning (03/01/2008) at Company 39. Topics include: driver training, using the generator, filling and draining the potable and wastewater tanks, and the operation of the on-board appliances. If you have completed EVOC you may train as a driver. All Auxiliary members are strongly encouraged to attend, as are any Operational members interested in driving Canteen 39.

The Bowie VFD Auxiliary was honored on January 26, 2008 as the 2007 Prince George's County Fire Unit of the Year by the Knights of Columbus Sacred Heart Council 2577.