Maryland Wildfire Crew Members Save a Woman’s Life While on Assignment

Strasburg, Va. (July 17, 2012) ─ Members from a 20-person Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wildland firefighting crew saved the life of an unresponsive motorist on July 3 while on a 14-day assignment in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in northwestern Virginia.

“The heroic actions of this group in rendering emergency medical assistance aid and fighting this wildland fire are highly commendable,” said Steven W. Koehn, DNR Forestry Unit Director.

While the team was returning back to their base camp following a full day of firefighting, they came across a non-responsive woman lying on the road near the smoking car. The crew’s paramedics and emergency medical technicians administered medication to restore her breathing while other members extinguished the vehicle fire, provided traffic control and scene security. The woman was later transported by ambulance to the local hospital for further evaluation and treatment. Fire supervisors hailed the crew members as heroes at the firefighting briefing the following morning.

“According to the information we received from the local hospital emergency room following the incident, the woman would not have lived without the emergency medical assistance the crew provided,” said Mark Beals, DNR Forest Service Crew Boss.

The men that rendered the emergency medical care are listed below:

Following the roadside emergency incident, the men continued to fight wildfires in the steep and rugged landscape of George Washington and Jefferson National Forests for 10 additional days in oppressive heat.

DNR Forest Service, under agreement with the U.S. Forest Service, has provided specially trained wildland firefighting personnel and equipment to assist with wildfires throughout the United States since 1974. DNR Forest Service staff has been busy this summer supporting the Nation’s wildland firefighting efforts, sending crews to Colorado, Virginia and Missouri.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages nearly one-half million acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 11 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov