Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department

Located in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department provides primary fire and emergency medical services to the City of Hyattsville (Maryland), the majority (85% to 90%) of the Town of University Park, and several surrounding unincorporated areas including University Hills and the Prince George's Plaza area.

In recent years, with the consolidation of nearby fire stations, that area increased to include additional parts of the Queens Chapel Road corridor towards Washington, D.C.

HVFD has a combination volunteer and career fire station with approximately 60 active volunteer members of the department and five career personnel.

Volunteer officers and members receive no compensation. Career personnel are employees of Prince George's County who provides their salaries and benefits. The department is headed operationally by a volunteer chief, T. David Hang, who is serving his first year as Fire Chief. Hang is the first new chief in over 35 years, following the retirement of Chief Donald "Doc" Moltrup in 2006.

Administratively, the department is run by a president, Matthew Davy, supported by Vice President and life member Thomas Falcone, and Board Chairman Kevin Esser. The ranking career officer in the station is a Captain.

About the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department
The Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department operates two Class A Pumpers (a 1988 and 1990 Pierce Arrow 1250pm, both rehabbed in the late 90's), an 100' tiller Aerial Ladder Truck, two Basic Life Support Ambulances, a Heavy-Duty Rescue Squad, and three support vehicles.

The department's station is located at Queens Chapel and Belcrest Roads. All current apparatus was purchased new since 1988. All current department apparatus is owned by this department and was purchased primarily with funds raised by the department through donations and fund raisers.

Volunteer membership is available to citizens at least 16 years of age who are willing to donate their time and talents to helping the community. Membership categories are available for those who wish to pursue firefighting and emergency medical service (EMS) activities, EMS only, and for those who wise to help with administrative and fund raising activities of the department. Applicants for membership must undergo a background check and physical exam provided by the County before acceptance.

All active members are expected to be at the station for at least one duty shift (night or weekend period) per week. Each duty shift is headed by a volunteer officer.

Our current career staffing normally provides four personnel during the day on weekdays (0700-1500) and two personnel (1500-1700). We often have no career staffing on evenings, weekends or holidays. Included in the 4 career personnel assigned to this station currently is one Captain and one Technician. The Captain reports to the volunteer chief with respect to station activities and is responsible for coordinating the career force. The Technician coordinates with the County apparatus maintenance shop on repair and maintenance issues with our apparatus.

There is a county-wide integrated career/volunteer chain of command. As specified in the County Charter, there is a County Fire Chief, currently Lawrence H. Sedgwick, Jr., who has overall responsibility for fire and ems service in the County. His senior staff is comprised of four deputy chiefs (designated as Lt. Colonels) and seven Bureau Chiefs (designated as Majors) as well as several civilian Bureau Managers. County Fire Department Bureaus include EMS, Fire Rescue Operations, Fire Prevention & Investigations, Communications, Training and Apparatus Maintenance. Operationally, the County is divided into two Divisions, North and South, and seven Battalions.

We are dispatched on emergency calls by a County Fire and Rescue Communications Bureau which is part of a Combined Communications Facility including 911, County police and fire/rescue. Assignment of apparatus to emergency calls is predetermined based on response time and distance. Stations are dispatched by radio with tone alerting for most fire calls and by direct phone line to each station for most EMS calls and other non-fire emergencies. In addition, a printout of each call is received at the station as it is dispatched.

For non-emergency communications within the Hyattsville VFD, the HVFD utilizes e-mail and text alerts extensively.. Information about department activities is also kept current on a members Intranet.

The Fire Chief is elected from among eligible members every other year for a two year term. The Chief is responsible for all operational aspects of the department including direction to the career personnel assigned.

The Chief appoints all other line and staff officer positions from among qualified members. The selection process requires submittal of a resume and memo of interest and an interview by a selection committee composed of senior officers. The selection committee provides recommendations to the chief who makes the final selections.

Officer selections are done annually for terms beginning January 1 of each year. All officers must meet the requirements specified in the County code and virtually all of our officers far exceed the minimum requirements.

Standard Operating Procedures for emergency operations are established County-wide. These procedures are generally developed by joint volunteer/career committees composed of command officers and chartered by the Joint Inner Chiefs Council. This is an adjunct to the Volunteer Chiefs Council composed of the volunteer chief officers of all departments which deals with operational issues. The Chiefs Council is an allied organization with the County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association.

Procedures and changes proposed by the various committees are reviewed and voted on by the full Chiefs Council. Final approval of all operational procedures is by the County Fire Chief.

Facts

 * The HVFD celebrated 115 years of service to the community in 2003.
 * The HVFD has one of the most active student live-in programs in the country, with nationally-recognized fire service leaders amongst our alumni.
 * In 2000, the HVFD hosted the cast of the hit 70's show Emergency! at our Emergency! Fest event
 * The HVFD's volunteers respond to thousands of fire, rescue and EMS emergencies annually? Nearly 80 volunteers responded to calls last year.
 * The HVFD is one of only three volunteer stations in Prince George's County providing engine company, truck company, rescue squad and ambulance service.
 * The HVFD is funded primarily through the support of our community, managing less than 20% of our annual budget through local tax dollars.
 * Hyattsville is one of the fastest growing communities in Maryland, with considerable development in the coming years along the East West Highway corridor.
 * The HVFD's Truck 1 appeared in the last scene of the hit firefighter movie Ladder 49 in 2003, one of only a few non-Baltimore City fire units to be shown in the film.

History
After a catastrophic blaze in March of 1886 that left several hundred acres burned and a path of destruction that left livestock, farm buildings and even the school destroyed, the residents of the area that is now Hyattsville wondered what could be done to prevent such a horrific event in the future.

To that end, a solicitation was started for the purchase of a fire engine. The citizens contributed a total of $27 for that purpose. A hand pump was purchased and a barrel donated; both were taken to the local blacksmith and mounted on a two-wheel truck. A small, garden-type hose was placed on the pump and the village's first fire engine was complete.

The first fire that the little engine (or Barrel, as it was called) responded to was the home or Mr. Addison K. Smith on Railroad Avenue. The fire alarm -- the Presbyterian Church bell -- was sounded at around 10:30 a.m. on October 6, 1888. The engine responded along with all the citizens, who carried every available vessel for holding water.

The home was occupied by Mr. J. F. Marshall, Mrs. Roberts and the Misses Stewart and Berry.

The fire had started in the upper floors. Fireman took their little hose line to the second floor and were making progress until the well supplying the water ran dry, at which point the citizens began to carry out the personal belongings of the occupants.

A call was made to the Washington Fire Department, and an engine was dispatched to the rail yards. A flatcar was moved to the loading dock, but a second call advising of the water condition cancelled the call.

The engine returned to its quarters. The big double house was no an inferno, and the neighbors began to pull down the fence that ran between the fire and the McFarland property.

Who had custody of the engine or where is was stored is unknown, but there must have bene some problem. The Town Commissioners appointed two of their members to the fire department committee. One agreed to house the vehicle and a metal plate with the initials F.D. was placed over the barn door.

Leadership
Line Officers
 * Chief David Hang, Chief of Department
 * Deputy Chief: James Hook
 * Chief Emeritus Donald B. Moltrup
 * Fire Captains: Brian Gray
 * Fire/EMS Lieutanants: Greg Smith, Michael Monroe, David Cooksey, Diane Kelly (EMS Lieutanant)
 * Fire/EMS Sergeants: Nate Stone, Mitch Kannry

Staff Officers
 * 1) Fire Marshall: Danielle Taylor (Fire Prevention/Statistics)
 * 2) Property Officer: Matt Leonard
 * 3) Bunkroom Proctor: Nate Stone
 * 4) Safety Officer: Mitch Kannry
 * 5) Engineers: Mike Monroe (Lead Apparatus Engineer)

Contact Information
6200 Belcrest Road Hyattsville Maryland 20782 Phone: (301) 927-5770