New school program in Salisbury hopes to address needs of local fire departments

VIDEO: Parkside High School’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program recently announced that they will be offering firefighter and EMT training for the 2024-2025 school year, through partnerships with organizations like Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute and the Salisbury Fire department. It’s a program that previously existed for many years, but a lack of interest from the community forced the county to stop offering it. The revival comes at a time when fire departments across the nation are in desperate need of help. “When I got hired back in 2008, I tested against 60 or 70 other people. We now typically run a test and we have five or six. And of those five or six, one or two may be qualified,” said Captain Donald Messick of the Salisbury Fire Department.
WMDT-TV ABC/CW+ 47 Salisbury

No Injuries Reported After Large Garage Fire in Calvert County

PHOTO: On Sunday, April 28, 2024, at approximately 2:15 p.m., firefighters from Huntingtown, North Beach, St. Leonard, Dunkirk and surrounding departments reported to the 7000 block of Dorothy Drive in Sunderland, for the reported structure on fire. Crews arrived on the scene to find a 2 story detached garage with heavy fire showing. Firefighters extinguished the fire in under 30 minutes and operated on the scene for approximately 2 hours. No injuries were reported. Personnel from Calvert, Charles and Anne Arundel County responded to assist on the scene or to provide fill in coverage due to multiple incidents in Calvert County during this fire. The fire is under investigation by the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Southern Maryland News Net

Fire damages Salisbury house

PHOTO: A Salisbury home was damaged after a fire broke out Sunday evening. We’re told crews from Salisbury, Delmar, Parsonsburg, Pittsville, Mardela, Fruitland, Allen, and Powellville all responded to Hemlock Street for a reported house fire. Firefighters arrived at the scene to find a fire on the second floor. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire, complete searches, and check for extension.
WMDT-TV ABC/CW+ 47 Salisbury

National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend returns to Emmitsburg in May

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) will host the 43rd National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend (Memorial Weekend) on May 4-5, 2024 in Emmitsburg. This year’s national tribute will honor 89 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2023 and 137 firefighters who died in previous years. Detailed information about each of the 226 firefighters being memorialized can be found on the 2024 Roll of Honor. “National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend is a time for our nation to pause and reflect on the heroic efforts and selfless service of the fallen firefighters we are paying tribute to this year,” said NFFF CEO Victor Stagnaro. “We will always remember the bravery, commitment, and sacrifices of each of these 226 heroes—and their families.”
Tri-State Alert

State Fire Marshal Welcomes New Accelerant Detection K9

PHOTOS: Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal welcomed new Accelerant Detection K9, Taylor. Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal announced that the addition of a new Accelerant Detection K9, Taylor. Taylor officially took over the reins of her "sister" Sky, who retired in March. Taylor and her handler, Senior Deputy State Fire Marshal Melissa Decker, graduated from Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives K9 Class yesterday. K9 Taylor will use her unique skills of detecting a variety of ignitable liquids such as gasoline, lighter fluid, paint thinners, and many others. Taylor's "training involved over 10,000 repetitions for odor recognition and detection, making her a valuable asset to the ATF K9 program", says the state fire marshal. Her training process took six intense weeks of training before Decker joined her.
WBOC-TV CBS/FOX 16 Salisbury

Salisbury Paramedic Foundation holds annual 5k fundraiser

VIDEO: Saturday morning, the Salisbury Paramedic Foundation held its first 5k fun-run fundraiser. The event, held at the Salisbury City Park Bandstand, helps raise funds for community projects, scholarships, and automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Salisbury Paramedic Foundation Board Secretary Amanda Adkins said that the foundation will use the proceeds to place AEDs at locations around the county, so that residents are never too far from the help they need in case of an emergency: “We want to put them in areas where there’s a high population of city residents so that in case there is a cardiac event that happens, they have an AED that’s going to be close to them that they can access and then perform CPR through the AED.”
WMDT-TV ABC/CW+ 47 Salisbury