Hagerstown’s first female firefighter promoted to deputy fire marshal

Deanna Pelton has been a trailblazer in the Hagerstown fire service. Hired in 2006 as the city’s first and only female career firefighter, Pelton will soon join the city Fire Marshal’s Office as its first female deputy fire marshal in department history. “I feel accomplished,” Pelton said Thursday. “I feel blessed to serve under Chief [Steve] Lohr. He’s a great leader. I can say the same for Doug DeHaven, the lead fire marshal. He’s taught me a lot. “And I’ve learned a lot from the guys I work with,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to do this if it weren’t for them. They’ve come alongside me and helped me become the firefighter I am today.” Her first day in the new role will be July 1. Pelton will earn a salary of $71,407. Pelton, 35, got her start in the volunteer fire service in 2000 with Maugansville Goodwill Volunteer Fire Co.
Hagerstown Herald-Mail

Region: Firefighter suing D.C. fire department following life-altering accident in 2017

It's been nearly two years since a life-altering accident for a rookie D.C. firefighter. Dane Smothers Jr. was pinned between two firetrucks as he responded to a house fire in Northeast in August 2017. Now, he's suing the DC Fire Department for a crash that shattered his future on the front lines. The incident nearly killed Smothers, but it also implemented changes that others on the department believe killed another young man trapped in an apartment fire.Smothers says he is taking the department to court because he fears insufficient training could claim someone else’s life. “I was on the red bumper on the back step of the fire engine grabbing a hose and as I begin to turn that's when everything just went dark. My spinal cord was partially severed. Everything on the left side of me was pretty much crushed — broken leg. I'm missing a lung,” said Smothers.
Fox 5 DC

Frederick County Fire chief to retire after 50 years of service

After half a century of service, Frederick County's top fire and rescue official is stepping down. Chief Tom Owens never had to question what he would spend his life doing. "I come from a fire service family, so my career path was pretty much determined at a very young age," Owens explained. At 16 years old, Owens became a volunteer firefighter in Sterling, Virginia and that set the path for his entire 50-year career. On Thursday, Owens announced that career would come to a close. "50 years in the fire service is enough for two people, so it is time for me to move out. You get to a point where your level of professional fulfillment reaches one where you say 'it's just time." Owens announced his retirement alongside County Executive Jan Gardner, and she used the announcement to highlight some of the most significant changes Owens enacted in his four-year tenure as chief of the county Fire and Rescue Services Division.
WDVM-TV

Carroll first responders honored by those they have saved from overdoses

When a dispatcher or a first responder in the field is called for an overdose, they are thrust very suddenly into a situation that can mean life or death. But once the emotion and the fear of the emergency has cleared away, the two parties often never connect again — unless it is during a later overdose. On Wednesday night , the second annual First Responders Appreciation Dinner was held as a chance to acknowledge the compassion fatigue that plagues first responders and thank them for the lifesaving work they do for people battling addiction in Carroll County. Two members of the community who are in recovery shared their stories. For both, there were first responders in the audience who saved their lives by administering naloxone, also known as Narcan, which can reverse an opioid overdose. Lindsey Staymates now spends her time at work and volunteering to help others into long-term recovery.
Baltimore Sun - Metered Site

Garage Fire Extinguished in Riviera Beach

Just after 4:30 p.m. on May 21 the Anne Arundel County Fire Department received a report of a structure fire in the area of Arundel Road and Main Avenue. A neighbor called 9-1-1 reporting smoking coming from the structure. The first arriving firefighters reported smoke from the gables. An investigation was launched and it was determined that a fire started on a second floor work area that they were able to quickly extinguish. The investigation further found that the owner was working in a workshop on the second floor and disposed of hot metal shavings and combustibles in a plastic recycle bin. A total of 31 firefighters were on the scene of the fire and took units 10 minutes to put the fire under control. The estimated dollar damage has not been determined at this time.
Arundel News Network

Baby Born Under Washington Monument Meets D.C. Firefighters Who Delivered Him

It's a monumental day for anyone, but the birth of Zion Payton was especially unique. On Wednesday, D.C. firefighters got to meet the baby they helped deliver in the shadow of the Washington Monument. Akela Crawford was driving with the baby's father, Ron Payton, to a hospital to deliver the baby when finally she told her doctor on the phone, "I don't think we're gonna make it." The two pulled over next to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. As they spoke on the phone, a firefighter visiting from Round Rock, Texas, heard the commotion through the open window of the couple's Chevy Impala ran over to help. Payton, remembered when the good Samaritan approached. "He was like, 'Hey, we heard you screaming, can we help?'"
NBC Washington

Fire breaks out at Frederick County’s China Garden restaurant

An investigation is underway after a restaurant in Frederick, Maryland, was heavily damaged in a Wednesday night fire. Flames broke out at China Garden on Patrick Street sometime after 10:30 p.m., less than an hour after the restaurant had closed. The bulk of the fire was in the kitchen and some areas had smoke damage. A Frederick County Fire spokesperson said it took around 75 firefighters a half-hour to put out most the fire. No one was hurt, but the roof sustained lots of damage. The fire marshal is investigating the cause. China Garden has been in Frederick about 35 years.
WTOP-FM