Chief James McClelland was presented the Firefighter of the Year Award for 2003 by the Maryland State Firemen’s Association.
Units from Capitol Heights, Seat Pleasant, Chapel oaks and Boulevard Heights participated in a mock incident at the Capitol Heights Metro Station. The drill was scheduled to demonstrate to a delegation of visitors from Thailand how emergency personnel handled an underground subway incident. The delegation was preparing for how they would deal with emergencies in a subway system to open in their country later in 2004. The simulated incident involved a train derailment in the tunnel between the Capitol heights Metro Station and the Yost Place Fan Shaft. The simulated incident included a fire and mass casualties.
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Volunteer Firefighter Dwayne A. Frost Sr.’s national guard unit was deployed and he was assigned to the force protection detail under Operation Enduring Freedom. His unit was later deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. On this date, Sergeant Frost was seriously injured by shrapnel when a suicide bomber attacked the Humvee he and others were riding in downtown Baghdad, Iraq. Sgt. Frost is still on active duty today serving in the Wounded Warrior Brigade at Fort Belvoir.
Several days of heavy rain followed a heavy snow fall. Ice packs on roofs prevented trapped rain water from draining. Several roof collapses occurred. The most significant was the roof collapse at the Toys R Us store in New Carrollton. The collapse happened during business hours and without warning. It was not known if anyone was trapped under the rubble. Technical rescue teams with cadaver dogs responded to assist in the search effort. The search effort was compounded by broken gas and water lines. Metro Support Unit 5 and Chief James McClelland, responding as the Volunteer Operations Chief, responded on the initial alarm. Truck 5 was later dispatched to assist with a thermal imaging camera. No victims were found.
Truck 5 and Chief James McClelland responded a 4 alarm fire at the Michael’s Arts and Crafts store in Bowie. Chief McClelland, who lives nearby was the first to arrive, reported that the building was fully involved, established the Bowie Command and requested the second alarm. As the incident escalated, Major Marc Bashoor (now Fire Chief) assumed command and Chief McClelland was assigned as the Operations Section Chief. The building was a total loss. The fire loss was estimated at $3,000,000.
Engine 52 and Chief 5 respond to a 3 alarm fire at the abandon Fairfield Farms warehouse, located in the 4800 of Addison Road in Chapel Oaks. The warehouse section of the building was completely consumed by fire and partially collapsed. The engine supplied water to Tower Ladder 7 using the large diameter hose (LDH).
Terrorists attacked the United States. Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York City. One plane crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. and another in a field in Shanksville, Penn. before reaching its intended target. Volunteer firefighters left their work and report to the fire station for staffing, not knowing what to expect next. Engine 52, staffed with career and volunteer firefighters, was transferred to the District of Columbia to protect the Nation’s Capital and filled in at DCFD Engine 15 while some volunteers staffed the remaining units in the station.
In their annual review of national run statistics, Firehouse Magazine identified Truck 5 as the busiest ladder truck in Prince George’s County for 2000 and 104th busiest in the United States.
Crews participated in the first of several live burn exercises at the apartment buildings on Parkway Terrace Drive in Silver Hill. The old 1940 era apartment buildings were being renovated and some demolished for more green space. All fire stations within Prince George’s County and some other jurisdictions participated in these live burn exercises to hone various skills in firefighting tactics and skills evolutions. Several stations were scheduled at the same time so units could respond in as if it were an actual emergency and carry out their assignments. Participating chiefs also used these evolutions to practice their incident command skills.
Past Fire Chief Frank P. Briguglio was inducted into the Founders’ Circle at the Cranford-Graves Fire Service Building.
The Capitol Heights Volunteer Fire Department is a non-profit organization that provides fire and emergency services for the town of Capitol Heights and surrounding communities. We are located about 5 miles from our nation’s capital, in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Our station is staffed both by career and volunteer personnel.