Rescue Day Recap

October 12, 2010

For more pictures of this year's Rescue Day, as well as pictures from our previous open houses, visit our  Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/bccrs

To view a video of last year's Rescue Day, click here.

Mark your calendar for the next Rescue Day, to be held Saturday, October 1, 2011, in conjunction with the Taste of Bethesda, the outdoor food festival held just blocks from the Rescue Squad, and National Fire Prevention Week. 

Rescue Day 2010 drew hundreds of visitors on a sunny October day for tours of the station, demonstrations of lifesaving rescue and medical equipment, fire and rescue safety information for all ages, and a special visit by a helicopter.  This year's theme for National Fire Prevention Week, "Smoke Alarms:  A sound you can live with,"  encourages all Americans to test alarms at least once a month, and to check their batteries and locations.

Inside the Squad's cavernous engine room, visitors explored the Squad's ambulances; learned about the Squad's lifesaving services; enjoyed a model railroad display (along with a railroad safety message), and received free junior firefighter hats, balloons, and other giveaways.  In front of one of the Squad's three Advanced Life Support ("Medic") Units, a Rescue Squad paramedic demonstrated how medics assess and treat patients experiencing critical medical conditions such as  cardiac, traumatic, respiratory, and diabetic emergencies. 

Outside, visitors got an up-close view of "Rescue 15," the Squad's historic 1972 Cadillac ambulance (restored by the Squad's own Alumni Association). 

Visitors viewed the Squad's huge rescue trucks, fire engines and trucks from neighboring fire departments, and police vehicles. In the back parking lot, a Rescue Squad crew used advanced lifesaving tools to cut the roof and doors off a car within minutes of arriving at a simulated vehicle collision with a patient trapped inside. Meanwhile, kids enjoyed what has become a favorite hands-on activity during Rescue Day: using a fire hose to put out a simulated fire. On the front lawn of the station, kids enjoyed playing in a moonbounce.

The highlight of the day was a special visit by U.S. Park Police helicopter "Eagle One," which flew in and landed in the parking lot of the Rescue Squad.   "Eagle One" is used to fly critically injured or ill patients to area hospitals when time is truly of the essence.     The flight medics explained their medical mission, and visitors got an close-up view of the helicopter. 

The Rescue Squad's volunteers–professionally trained EMTs, paramedics, and firefighters who serve the community–enjoyed meeting the public, providing tours and demonstrations, and teaching the public about fire and safety issues.

To read the October 1, 2010, Presidential Proclamation for Fire Prevention Week, visit  http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/10/01/presidential-proclamation-fire-prevention-week .

The Rescue Squad would like to thank the

following public safety departments and organizations for appearing at Rescue Day and for their generous assistance:

Alumni Association of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad

Chef Tom Hirsch and the B-CC Rescue Squad Anastasi Room

Kensington First Aid Corps

Maryland State Police

Montgomery County Police Department

National Institutes of Health Fire Department

National Naval Medical Center Fire Department

Northern Virginia NTRAK Model Railroaders (NVNTRAK)

United States Park Police Aviation Unit

If you have any corrections to this list, please send an email to info@bccrs.org .  

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