April 9, 2002
For Immediate Release

On Saturday, April 13, 2002, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad (BCCRS) will celebrate the opening of a substation in Friendship Heights, which introduces a new type of emergency service to the community. The substation is a joint venture between the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad and the Village of Friendship Heights. It will improve paramedic service to portions of Chevy Chase, Bethesda, Glen Echo, and upper Northwest DC.

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad's Friendship Heights Substation (FHSS) will be home to a Medic Car, which is an emergency vehicle staffed with at least one Paramedic and equipped to handle serious medical emergencies and trauma. Medic cars may also respond to minor emergencies particularly if the unit is only a short distance away from the emergency.

The Medic Car delivery method for paramedic service has not been used in this area before, although it is widely accepted throughout the region; variations of the concept have been utilized with great success in the District of Columbia, northern Montgomery County and in other 911 systems throughout the nation. They are sometimes also referred to as "chase cars" or "rapid response units."

A Medic Car is not capable of transporting patients and is always dispatched with an ambulance. Medic Cars provide flexibility to allow an evaluation of whether or not a particular emergency requires paramedic treatment or not. If skilled Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) care will suffice, the paramedic can relinquish care to the EMTs and become available for the next call much sooner. This improves the efficiency of the fire/rescue system while still maintaining excellent care. The small Medic Car also negotiates residential streets, particularly those with traffic calming devices, in a much more efficient manner than our large vehicles and is very cost-efficient overall.

The Medic Car will be staffed during daytime, Monday-Friday, hours. This time period was chosen because of traffic congestion and high service demands. The Rescue Squad expects to expand the coverage hours as the needs of the community increase. Furthermore, mileage surveys indicate that the Medic Car will improve paramedic response times to homes and businesses along the expanding Western Avenue corridor. In some cases, the Medic Car will also reduce the need for "fire trucks" to respond to medical emergencies where only paramedics and a transport ambulance are required.

The new Medic Car will be a primary provider of Advanced Life Support, or paramedic, service in Friendship Heights and the surrounding communities. The Medic Car will carry the same equipment and skilled personnel that operate from B-CC's headquarters station at Battery Lane & Old Georgetown Road.

The creation of the new substation at Friendship Heights will expand Rescue Squad operations to three facilities. In addition to the Rescue Squad's headquarters station at Old Georgetown Road and Battery Lane, a BCCRS Ambulance is also stationed 24-hours a day at the Bethesda Fire Department on Democracy Boulevard, near Montgomery Mall.

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad has a long history of serving as a bi-jurisdictional provider of ambulance and rescue service in both Montgomery County and the District of Columbia. Rescue Squad Chief Edward Sherburne noted, "often forgotten, is that our first station was on Military Road NW and we have a deep and significant commitment to the citizens of both Montgomery County and the District of Columbia. The Friendship Heights substation is evidence of our continuing commitment to provide excellent service to the communities that border Western Avenue as traffic and congestion increase," Sherburne emphasized.

Background:

The development of the Bethesda central business district, Friendship Heights and the trend towards increased congestion has been a concern of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad for some time. In July 2001, the Rescue Squad began discussions with several community leaders about how best to deal with these problems. This dialogue resulted in a two pronged approach to our combined concerns: (1) the initiation of the Medic Car, and (2) the promotion of Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) programs in several communities. The Town of Somerset, for example, has purchased an Automatic External Defibrillator and will be conducting training with the unit shortly.

On August 13, 2001, the Friendship Heights Village Council granted approval to the Rescue Squad to operate our free paramedic service from a Village owned facility on North Park Avenue. The facility, a converted three-level single-family home, also hosts the Montgomery County Police Field Station and is being provided at no cost to the Rescue Squad. The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Commission granted quick approval because of the community benefit and that no tax funding or County personnel are being utilized for the project. The Friendship Heights Substation is being funded exclusively by philanthropic funds donated to Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad and staffed by our personnel.

Opening the Friendship Heights Substation has been achieved through a combination of reprogramming of the BCCRS budget and a $50,000 loan from a local bank to purchase and outfit a new Chevrolet Tahoe. In total, the Rescue Squad will expend just under $100,000 to start up the sub-station and Medic Car.

The Rescue Squad estimates that operating expenses for the new paramedic service will total approximately $100,000 annually, representing ten percent of the department's FY02 budget. Efforts are underway to raise additional funds to support the long-term operation and expansion of this service as the community needs grow.

B-CC Rescue Squad does not accept any direct tax support from Montgomery County or the District of Columbia; instead the organization relies on contributions from households and businesses within the community. Businesses and community groups in the Friendship Heights area have assisted us with cash and other donations to assist in the opening. For example, the Friendship Heights Rotary Club donated a new 12 Lead ECG Monitor/Defibrillator. The Polinger Companies and Crate & Barrel graciously provided furniture for the facility. Despite these donations, the Rescue Squad is working to secure additional cash donations to support the facility. "This initiative will have positive effects for the citizens of our community by decreasing paramedic response times," said BCCRS President David Chaconas. "B-CC Rescue Squad is a community-based organization that depends on the support of our residents and businesses."

Last year B-CC Rescue Squad responded to over 10,000 emergency calls, including 1,393 unit responses, to the District of Columbia. In 2001, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad headquarters station was one of the busiest fire/rescue stations in Montgomery County. The Rescue Squad is comprised of over 120 active volunteer firefighters/rescuers with required weekly duty, and weekday staff of 11 employees, which includes two County Division of Fire/Rescue Services Paramedics. This year marks the 62nd year of continued service to the community.

The new sub-station and Medic Car went into actual operation on Friday, March 1, 2002, with no fanfare. Over the past month, the Medic Car has been responding to emergency calls on a daily basis. A ceremony honoring the opening of the Friendship Heights facility will be held on Saturday, April 13, 2002 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 South Park Avenue, Chevy Chase, Maryland. The ceremony is part of the Village's annual Community Day and celebrates the 16th anniversary of the community center. The theme of this year's Community Day is "Heroes". Inquiries specifically regarding the Village of Friendship Heights Community Day may be directed to Julian Mansfield, Village Manager, at (301) 656-2797.

The Friendship Heights Sub-Station will be accessible to news organizations anytime prior to 2 p.m. or after 4 p.m. on Saturday. For further information regarding the FHSS and/or the new Medic Car, please contact Assistant Chief Peter Morris at (202) 262-3081.