2019 was another great year for YOUR Mechanicsville Volunteers! Our combined membership of Operations, Administrative, and Auxiliary personnel worked well together as always to respond on calls, interact with and educate the community and complete a variety of projects!

Here are some fast facts for 2019 as well as a summary of things that happened during the year!

We were alerted for 353 Rescue/EMS calls and 520 Fire calls.
These incidents resulted in 16 fires and 13 extrication's.

We had 1037 individual unit responses.

Engine Company Responses: 327
Rescue Company Responses: 234
Rescue Engine Responses: 126
Tanker Responses: 85
Brush Truck: 111

We were dispatched for automatic or mutual aid 166 times.
232 of our calls overlapped. That is 26.64%!

Our average dispatch to arrival time was 0:09:49. Due to coverage areas some of our mutual aid responses can be 25 minutes!
Our average dispatch to enroute time 0:02:52.
Our average time on scene 28:03.

Call Type Breakdown:
142 Fire: 16.30%
1 Overpressure rupture, explosion, overheat - no fire: 0.11%
353 Rescue & Emergency Medical Service: 40.53%
153 Hazardous Condition (No Fire): 17.57%
55 Service Call: 6.31%
57 Good Intent Call 6.54%
104 False Alarm & False Call: 11.94%

Your MVFD members attended a total of 10234 hours classes and activities, 5374 hours of those were drills!

2019 Monthly Summary:

In January we began the process of tinting our bay door window glass. This was done to help regulate temperature, utility bills, and protect apparatus paint. We also held our annual Banquet to celebrate the accomplishments of 2018 and swear in our 2019 officers.
Incidents of note were a crash with entrapment on Mechanicsville Rd and we triple pulled to a house fire with Mayday in Hollywood.
MVFD had 73 incidents for the month.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1759/Volunteers-Run-Mechanicsville-Road-Entrapment
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1760/Midday-Triple-Pull

In February Rescue Engine 22 covered Leonardtown Company 1 and assisted with training house burn.
We had 59 incidents for the month including this crash involving a Martz Bus.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1762/MVA-Reported-Serious-Sends-One-to-Trauma-Center

March included this fire on Charlotte Hall Road. https://www.mvfd.com/news/1766/Busy-Day-for-Volunteers
We had 74 incidents. Four Personal Flotation Devices and two 75' rope throw bags were added to Rescue Engine 22.

April started with hose testing. We performed this annual test ourselves pressurizing over 10,000ft of supply and attack hose.
We responded on several extrication's.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1767/Rescue-Squad-Runs-Mutual-Aid-Extrication
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1769/Crews-Run-Entrapment-in-Loveville
This was our busiest month for 2019 with 91 calls.

In May we attended the Annual Southern Maryland Parade.
The volunteers were awarded for the following in the parade:
-Judges Award for the Ladies Auxiliary
-2nd Best Appearing 1250GPM Engine (Engine 23)
-Best Appearing Command Unit (Car 2)
Come Alongs were added to RS2 and RE22 as well as G100 chain to RS2. Some G80 chain was moved to RE22.
Members attended a very informative drill with SMECO regarding electricity, power lines, transformers, etc.
May saw several extrications with one fatal.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1776/Crews-Run-Serious-Accident-in-Charlotte-Hall
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1772/Serious-MVC-in-Thompson%27s-Corner-
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1777/Volunteers-Start-the-Day-with-an-Extrication
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1778/Crews-Respond-to-Fatal-Accident-on-New-Market-Turner-Road
MVFD had 77 calls in May.

June began with our members completing their annually required FIT tests for our SCBA masks.
We started the month with a house fire from Chopticon High School.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1780/Afternoon-House-Fire-in-Morganza---Audio-Added
On 06/19 we attended the Maryland State Fireman Association Parade.
*Best appearing Engine 1250 gpm - Engine 23
*Best appearing Antique - Old Engine 21
*Second best appearing Command Unit- Car 2
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1781/One-Flown-and-Two-Transported-after-Serious-MVA-in-New-Market
The Auxiliary received a certificate of recognition for 3rd place for the prescription safety magazine ad entry. The Auxiliary also received 2nd place for the quilt square for their participation in the fire prevention activity. Judy Copsey received 2nd place for safety magazine ad entry and 1st place for the quit square in the fire prevention activity. All quilt squares were kept by the fire prevention committee to be all sewn together to create a fire prevention quilt.
Crews also attended the Demolition Derby at the Potomac Motor Speedway and completed annual medical protocol updates.
June wrapped up with 60 calls.

In July construction began on the NEW Engine Tanker 24 from Pierce Manufacturing.
We ran 69 calls.

In August we ran 75 calls. National Night Out was a great success as always!
Several of our new members made great strides in completing apparatus riding checkoffs and MFRI courses.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1791/Mechanicsville%27s-Next-Generation-Firefighters
We ended the month with a house fire on Dixie Lyon Rd.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1793/House-Fire-in-Afternoon-Storm

In September our annual home school fire prevention event went well with us seeing over 100 kids.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1804/Annual-Home-School-Fire-Prevention-Event-a-Success
The travailed Raft 2/22 became Boat 2/22, the inflatable Raft onboard RS2 will be identified as Raft 2.
The new Engine Tanker 24 began moving very quickly with progress reports at the factory.
MVFD had 69 calls this month.

October started with a single vehicle rollover.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1797/Rollover-in-Mechanicsville
We also mourn the loss of Past Vice President Bernard “Bernie” Clyde Raley, Sr.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1799/Mechanicsville-Volunteers-Mourn-the-Loss-of-Past-Vice-President-Bernard-%E2%80%9CBernie%E2%80%9D-Clyde-Raley%2C-Sr
We responded on a tree into a structure with report of one person trapped inside.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1803/Tree-Down-into-a-Structure-with-One-Trapped
On 10/28 we took delivery of the new Engine Tanker 24 and began equipment mounting and training.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1761/New-Engine-Tanker-24-Delivered%21
October saw 73 calls.

November started with multiple trailers on fire in Charlotte Hall.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1807/One-Transported-after-Car-Strikes-Residence
Many of our personnel attended a drill at Trooper 7's hanger.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1806/Mechanicsville-Volunteers-Hold-Drill-at-the-MSP-Trooper-7-Aviation-Hanger
The month ended with a oil truck rollover.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1808/Overturned-Oil-Tanker-Truck-in-Mechanicsville
MVFD had 84 calls this month.

In the final month of the year our Officers were elected for 2020.
A vehicle struck a home.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1813/No-Injuries-Reported-After-Vehicle-Strikes-House-in-Chaptico
We ran a house fire in Golden Beach.
https://www.mvfd.com/news/1815/Golden-Beach-House-Fire
We also increased our air monitoring capabilities with a new PID meter to help detect Volatile Organic Compounds.
December totaled 79 calls with 873 total for 2019.