BRUNSWICK, MD – A woman was rescued from her burning home here Tuesday morning by two firefighters
Heavy smoke was billowing from the single-story house, but it wasn’t long before flames were evident on the C/D side, explained Brunswick Chief George Clary.
“Conditions changed really fast. Before I could get out of my vehicle, a woman was beating on my window yelling there was a woman still inside,” Clary said, adding that time was of the essence.
Frederick County Firefighter/EMTs Jennifer Wilson and Chad Johns, the ambulance crew, also understood the urgent situation, and headed in to perform the search and rescue.
“We went in the door on side D, which was open. There was heavy, black smoke,” Wilson said.
Staying low made things a bit more clear, and they found the unconscious woman sitting at the kitchen table.
“We grabbed her, picked her up and carried her out,” she added.
Johns, a firefighter for seven years, said they didn’t have time to wait for a line. “We had to go in. There wasn’t time…”
As Brunswick Firefighter Ben McCarthy got to the door with the line, the patient was already out.
Johns and Wilson started treating the woman, and decided she needed to be transported to a burn center.
She was flown by state police helicopter to MedStar at Washington Hospital Center.
It was the first rescue for Wilson, a firefighter since 2009. While she was pleased with the effort, she was quick to add: “I was doing my job…”
Johns said his training kicked in as they rushed in to search. “It felt good finding and getting her out of there, believe me…”
McCarthy said one of his fellow firefighters partially fell in a hole in the bedroom. “I reached over and grabbed him. He just kind of stood there for a minute…”
Clary said he is pleased with how the operation went.
“We had our ambulance, the engine and truck crews there right away. And, I called for a RIT and extra companies knowing we’d need them…”
Firefighters from neighboring companies including Jefferson, Carroll Manor, Middletown, Rohrersville and Boonsboro as well as Virginia and West Virginia assisted.
It was important to have sufficient manpower as the heat and humidity were high although it was early morning. The rehab team from the Independent Hose Co. provided drinks and snacks.
Careless smoking was determined to have been the cause.
