[Scan-DC] Large brush fire Montgomery

[Doug Kitchener]

Great stories, Kurt - esp Trooper 13!  Nowadays the lawyers would all go into cardiac arrest over that kinda stuff!  :)


----- Original Message -----
> From: "Brooks, Kurt" <knbrooks at wusa9.com>
> To: Doug Kitchener <oldsdoug at yahoo.com>
> Cc: Scan- DC <scan-dc at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Sunday, March 10, 2013 6:24 PM
> Subject: Re: [Scan-DC] Large brush fire Montgomery
> 
> Way back in the day, at least 12 years ago, WJZ's Chopper 13 was covering a 
> large, difficult brush fire in Anne Arundel County in the mid evening after 
> dark, about 9pm I recall. AA Co FD got wind that the helicopter was nearby and 
> made a call to the tv station. 
> 
> Within a few minutes of the most remarkable conversation I have heard on a fire 
> talkgroup and a TV station 2 way, I heard an engine set up a landing spot for 
> "Trooper 13" and Roy Taylor put the chopper down near the command 
> post. 
> 
> Then the battalion chief climbed on board and off they went to survey the fire. 
> I am pretty sure the opportunity was taken to record the incident and interview 
> the chief with the on board cameras and tape deck. 
> 
> Notably, this was also assisted by the fact that at the time Roy & I used 
> the Maryland Fire Network's radio system as well as scanners in the 
> helicopter. There were times when we could hear things said on the scanner, then 
> relay info back to a MFN user on the scene, who would flag down a fire officer 
> and relay our message. 
> 
> One incredible use of this side system was that the MD Dept of Environment Spill 
> Trucks had programmed MFN in their radios. Reporting live one day on a fuel 
> spill from a cargo ship at the Domino Sugar pier in Baltimore, Roy had an on air 
> 2 way conversation with the MDE guys describing the situation from the air.  
> 
> It only happened rarely but I have never seen a better example as to why 
> scanning was good, and direct communication even better between civilians and 
> 1st responders. 
> 
> One final story before I go - I was up with Roy for the afternoon flight when we 
> overheard a mutual aid call from Howard Cty to Eastbound 70 in Baltimore Cty - a 
> typical call due to access issues. We were real close so we popped over to take 
> a look well before and ground units were there. Sure enough, it was real bad: 
> several cars, an obvious entrapment. Just then Trooper 3 was flying by on the 
> way home from Shock Trauma. Roy alerted them to the accident so they spun around 
> for a closer look. 
> 
> Because the accident had closed the road, the next thing we see is Trooper 3 
> come in for a landing an taxi up fairly close to the scene. The medic jumps out 
> to start triage several minutes before the first ground units arrive. 
> 
> I swear, the incredulous first unit size up of the accident 'with a Trooper 
> already on the ground' was one of the funnier things I have ever heard. 
> 
> On Mar 10, 2013, at 17:03, "Doug Kitchener" <oldsdoug at yahoo.com> 
> wrote:
> 
>>  MSP helicopter requested to evaluate the extent of the fire... I don't 
> think I've ever heard that before.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>  ----- Original Message -----
>>>  From: Doug Kitchener <oldsdoug at yahoo.com>
>>>  To: Scan- DC <scan-dc at mailman.qth.net>
>>>  Cc: 
>>>  Sent: Sunday, March 10, 2013 4:58 PM
>>>  Subject: [Scan-DC] Large brush fire Montgomery
>>> 
>>>  Large brush fire in Montgomery County, Germantown area, off Indian 
> Grass 
>>>  Court... same area where there was a really big fire a couple of years 
> ago.  
>>>  Probably 10 acres off... at least 3 tankers and half a dozen brush 
> vehicles 
>>>  there now.  Operations on 7-Golf.  I could see the smoke from 
> Montgomery Pillage 
>>>  when they dispatched it.
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