One Year Anniversary of Fatal Rockville Apartment Fire and Significant Firefighter Injuries

Message From Montgomery County Fire Chief Richard Bowers

Subject: Twinbrook Parkway Significant Injury Report Update


It has been a year since the fire at 12819 Twinbrook Parkway. I am glad to report that as of last Monday, all personnel injured in that incident have returned to full duty.

The purpose of this correspondence is to provide an update on the Significant Injury Report. This fire incident was a complex incident that included a civilian death, severe firefighter injuries, and a catastrophic structural collapse.

Immediately following the fire incident, an investigation panel was assembled that included several representatives from neighboring jurisdictions. It is my intention to provide the final report in June, 2009. I wanted to provide some preliminary report information about the Twinbrook Parkway incident as it is finalized for distribution. In order for a report of this nature to be effective, it must be factual, complete, and accurate. The findings from such a report will be utilized not only as a road map for our department, but will be studied by the fire service as a whole.

Preliminary Report Information Summary

On May 3, 2008 Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to an apartment fire located at 12819 Twinbrook Parkway in Rockville, Maryland. During the incident, a catastrophic floor collapse occurred that injured three firefighters. One firefighter experienced a combination of orthopedic injuries, internal trauma and burn injuries. Two other firefighters suffered multiple injuries including burns.

Following the incident, a Significant Injury Investigation Team was assembled to analyze the events leading to the injuries and associated Department policies and procedures. Specifically, the Team was to examine the following:
The actions of the units and command officers during the incident, up to the mitigation of the Mayday
The circumstances which contributed to the floor collapse
The firefighter injuries

A team approach was employed to examine the events that occurred at this incident and all the information contained in the report is factual and has been validated through a multidimensional approach. The report will outline the detailed analysis performed by the Significant Injury Investigation Team.

Incident Overview

On May 3, 2008 at 00:45 hours the resident of Apartment 203 at 12819 Twinbrook Parkway in Rockville, Maryland was awakened by glass breaking and flames bursting into the bedroom. Soon after his 9-1-1 call, units from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service were dispatched to the address for an apartment fire. Fire Station 23 units arrived first and found heavy fire involvement in an apartment on the second level as observed from Side C of a three story garden apartment building. Units began to advance hose lines, position ladders to balconies and windows and go about the difficult tasks associated with confining the violent fire. Engine 723’s Officer and crew discovered residents trapped on their balconies by heavy smoke issuing from their apartment windows. The crews began rescue operations. Engine 723’s Officer and crew entered the top floor apartment from side A. This placed the crew in the apartment above the point of origin. As Engine 723’s Officer and crew began to advance down the apartment hallway on the top floor apartment they were subject to increasing heat and an environment filled with dense black smoke. Engine 723’s Officer and crew felt the floor suddenly drop. They were caught in a sudden and complete collapse of the floor beneath them.

Engine 723’s Officer and crew suffered a range of injuries from minor to critical. After Engine 723’s Officer transmitted a Mayday, Engine723’s Officer and one of the two firefighters were able to make their way to the window of Apartment 103 and bail out of the burning apartment. Engine 723’s Officer suffered traumatic injuries and severe burns. The first firefighter received injuries from the fall and also suffered burns. The second firefighter was separated from the other two and was missing. Many tense minutes later, crews were able to locate the second firefighter. All three fire and rescue personnel were transported to Washington Hospital Center’s Med Star Burn Unit.

A careful review of the circumstances of the floor collapse and Mayday event identified areas needing improvement. It should be noted that there are positive outcomes associated with the Twinbrook Parkway incident. Just prior to the Mayday, a command team formed which helped to continue operations while the Mayday event was resolved. Firefighter personal protective equipment was donned fully and correctly and worked very well limiting injury to the firefighters. The firefighters received excellent treatment from EMS personnel for their injuries. Orthopedic surgeons who followed the traumatic injuries of one of the firefighters said that effective immobilization prevented a probable paralyzing injury. The fire was limited to two apartments with minor extension into a third apartment.


The Investigation Team identified several key factors that had a positive impact during the incident operations

Personal Protective Equipment
· Injured personnel properly donned their personal protective equipment correctly
· High quality of personal protective equipment limited the extent of thermal injuries

Incident Priorities
· Units rescued numerous civilians who were trapped by the rapidly advancing and intense fire
· Fire was confined to two apartments

Command Support
· A Command Support Team was formed just prior to the Mayday
· The presence of a Command Support Team facilitated the division of responsibilities at the Command Post resulting with an increased ability to effectively manage an active fire ground and firefighter mayday event

Emergency Medical Care
· Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel provided high quality patient care which was effective in preventing further debilitating injuries.


The Team also identified critical factors which adversely impacted incident operations:

· Compliance with established procedures
· Identified gaps in MCFRS procedures
· Incomplete size up and situational reports
· Failures and deficiencies in MCFRS Personnel Accountability System

The Twinbrook Parkway Significant Injury Report contains discussions, findings and recommendations about the incident for organizational improvements at all levels that are aimed at increasing firefighter safety.


Please read this correspondence with your shifts and use it as a learning tool. I look forward to providing the final report in June for the entire service. Please continue to "train, train, train"!


Thank you and take care!

2-Alarm Burtonsville Apartment Fire - $1.3 damage

Four Firefighters Injured - One Resident Hospitalize
Dozens Displaced
Building was site of another fire in February 2008

Multi Alarm Structure fire: 14147 Castle Blvd. Burtonsville Md.
Damage: 1 Million Structure. $320,000 Contents. - Total $1.32 million
Displaced: 24 families - approx 40+ persons
Cause: Under Investigation - accidental
Smoke Detectors: Partial activation
Injuries: One (1) Civilian; Four (4) Fire Rescue


On Saturday, May 2, 2009 shortly after 7:30 AM the Montgomery County Public Safety Communications Center (PSCC) received a call for fire in the apartment building on Castle Blvd. Units from Montgomery and Prince George's County responded. First arriving units were able to see the large column of smoke from a distance and with the further reports from Police and 9-1-1 callers the PSCC started the RID assignment. Units arrived on the scene with a large volume of smoke and fire through the roof. First arriving units reported a clear environment in nearly all of the apartments. With fire in the attic spaces, after a few minutes crews experienced a partial floor collapse and a renewed heavy volume of fire and smoke. Firefighters assisted several residents from the building.

A Second Alarm was sounded bringing units from Montgomery, Prince George's and Howard Counties to the call. Command issued an evacuation and personnel accountability report PAR. One fire fighter received some minor injuries as the roof structure began to fail and pushed the ceiling in on him while he was self-evacuating.

The fire origin and cause has not been determined and remains under investigation. The working theory at this time was a fire occurred in the attic space and progressed unchecked until it broke through the ceiling where it woke a sleeping female occupant of a top floor apartment. The fire from the attic falling into a bedroom in apartment 403 caused enough of a disturbance that the sleeping occupant was jarred awake. She crawled staying low to the door and exited the apartment. She was taken to Med-Star, where she is being evaluated/treated for smoke inhalation. She is in good condition.

Investigators from the Montgomery County Fire and Explosive Investigations (FEI) section believe - "All indications point to a fire that begins in the attic. The fire drops down into the void spaces between the exterior walls and the finished interior drywall. The fire propagates from theses points into the floor joist spaces, wall spaces and back to the attic. The fire remains hidden until it severely compromised the floors on the third and fourth levels. As the building materials degrade the floor, ceiling and roof structures begin to collapse and the extent of the fire becomes more evident. As of this writing the nature is believed to be accidental, and at last count 24 families have been displaced. The Red Cross was on the scene providing disaster relief."

Four (4) fire fighters received minor injuries and had been transported to local hospitals, all are expected to be treated and released. The civilian injury is not as serious as first believed - she is in good condition at MedStar. .

PICTURES FROM 2 ALARM FIRE 14147 CASTLE BLVD

TAKEN BY Charles F Johnson III Photographer from Co. 15 Burtonsville VFD

Bowers to Lead Largest Combo Department

Leggett Names Richard Bowers as Fire Chief

County Executive Isiah Leggett today concluded a nationwide search for a new fire chief by naming Acting Chief Richard R. Bowers, Jr. as Chief of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS). Bowers is a 32-year veteran of the department, and he has filled every rank and leadership role in MCFRS, including the role of Acting Chief since October 31, 2008, when the County’s first and only Fire Chief Thomas W. Carr, Jr. retired.

“Although we conducted an extensive nationwide search for fire chief, it is gratifying to know that our own interim chief beat all other competitors for the job,” said Leggett. “Our residents should take comfort in knowing that Montgomery County’s first class Fire and Rescue Service can only get better under the tutelage of such an experienced and highly-regarded leader in the fire and rescue field.”

Bowers has long been committed to firefighter safety, wellness and training. Under his leadership, the County’s Fire and Rescue Service has managed to facilitate the purchase of 39 new state-of-the art fire engines designed with firefighter safety in mind. The engines are destined for each of the County’s fire stations within the next few months, along with three new heavy rescue squads, nine aerial tower and ladder trucks and several new EMS units and support vehicles. This is one of the largest and most ambitious equipment purchases in the nation, and it includes significant training for all vehicle operators.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to carry out the County Executive’s pursuit of a common good by helping to create safe streets and secure neighborhoods for our residents in healthy and sustainable communities,” said Bowers. “It is extremely gratifying to work in one of the largest, internationally accredited, combination (career/volunteer) fire and rescue agencies in the United States. Montgomery County has some of the most dedicated and skilled firefighters and emergency medical personnel in the world, and I am proud of their injury and fire prevention work and their responses to more than 100,000 emergency incidents a year.”

Bowers finished first in his 1977 recruit class, and was named “Firefighter of the Year” in 1985. He is well respected by peers and possesses strong organizational, communication and customer service skills. His first initiative as Interim Fire Chief was to direct all firefighters to engage in communities as part of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) “Safety in Our Neighborhoods” campaign. To date, 25,000 homes have been visited and about 650 smoke alarms and nearly 800 batteries have been installed or replaced.

Some of Bowers’ other accomplishments include development and expansion of overall MCFRS training and education. Bowers:

· Was instrumental in opening the MCFRS Command Development Center, a unique training facility and one of only a few in the United States;

· Oversaw and coordinated many firefighter fitness & wellness initiatives, including supporting the Fire /Rescue Occupational Medical Services;

· Is a proponent of driver training and programs to reduce frequency of collisions;

· Formalized and expanded MCFRS safety programs while also serving as the regional coordinator for the National Fallen Fire Fighters Foundation; and

· Is a strong advocate of community outreach, fire safety education and injury prevention.

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service operates with a budget of $190 million and is comprised of more than 2,000 career and volunteer personnel. There are more than 40 fire and rescue facilities, including a 56-acre training academy, a state-of-the-art communications facility, and 34 community fire and rescue stations strategically located across the County’s 495 miles which are adjacent to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

Bowers’ appointment must be confirmed by the County Council.