Region: Firefighters collaborate at World Fire Congress in Washington, DC to keep citizens safer

They have come from as far as Fiji and Croatia and as close as D.C. and Fairfax County, Virginia. Firefighters packed a conference room at the Hyatt Regency in Downtown D.C. on Tuesday for the inaugural World Fire Congress to collaborate and share information to better keep citizens across the world safe. U.S. Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell said 55 countries were represented at the conference. Participants talked about “challenges that we are all facing from a global perspective so that we can see if we can bring together solutions, best practices and find some areas for collaboration going forward,” she said. The summit will focus on four distinct challenges that the firefighting community is seeing across the world: large structure fires, climate change’s effects on the job, personnel health and fires stemming from emerging technologies like lithium ion batteries in electric vehicles.
WTOP-FM 103.5 Washington, D.C.

Online scammer steals $220,000 from Rockville Volunteer Fire Department’s new ambulance fund

The Rockville Volunteer Fire Department (RVFD) was the victim of an online hack last week that scammed the nonprofit organization out of $220,000 in funds raised to purchase two new ambulances, according to a department official. “Last week, we learned of a hack that we understand targeted us, along with multiple fire, rescue and EMS departments – unfortunately, due to its sophistication, we were one of its victims,” RVFD President Eric Bernard wrote Tuesday in an email to MoCo360. “Despite our safeguards, we fell short – and an unknown actor scammed us while we were in the process of buying two new ambulances to better serve Rockville.” Bernard said the RVFD filed reports with Montgomery County police and the FBI and reached out to county government officials.
MoCo360

Video shows woman setting fires to restaurant in south Baltimore

VIDEO: A popular South Baltimore restaurant was the victim of an arson attack Monday morning. Alex Perez, the owner of Papi Cuisine, told WJZ that the fire department called his business partner around 6:45 a.m. after a fire at their business. After reviewing surveillance video from the restaurant's cameras, the owners say a woman was at the scene on camera going in between two dumpsters in the alleyway behind the business before lighting fires. She is also seen throwing a cocktail bomb into their receiving door. Perez says the attack comes on the heels of petitions filed to get him to close his business. "We are resilient. We are just running a business here," Perez said. “We aren't doing anything wrong. When the health department comes, they sign off and see we are doing everything by the book."
WJZ-TV CBS 13 Baltimore

Baltimore County Fire Chief Joanne Rund to retire

Baltimore County Fire Department Chief Joanne Rund on Monday announced her plans to retire later this year. Rund was named fire chief in 2019 after a 32-year career with Howard County Fire and Rescue. She was the first woman to serve as fire chief in Baltimore County. “Leading and contributing to this department’s growth and successes has been the privilege of a lifetime and I am profoundly grateful to the county executive, the administration, county council members, and beyond for your trust and support throughout my tenure,” Rund said in a news release. “As I prepare to turn the page to a new chapter in my career, I am confident that collectively, the Department will continue to realize its unlimited potential in the years ahead.”
WBAL-FM 101.5/AM 1090 Baltimore

Region: Dog rescued from Northeast DC fire

A fire to a three-story building in Northeast DC has left two adults and one friendly dog displaced. DC Fire and EMS responded to the 4500 block of Edson Pl. NE at 10:34 a.m. Friday to put out a first floor fire with a minor extension that reached up into the attic. A firefighter from Rescue 1 rescued the dog, carrying the canine all the way from the third floor. DC Fire and EMS said on X that the Red Cross has been "requested to assist" the displaced adults -- and dog. No injuries were reported.
WUSA-TV CBS 9 Washington, D.C.

1 dead, dozens injured in party bus crash on I-95 in Harford County

One person died and multiple people were injured when a party bus crashed into a guardrail Sunday morning on I-95 in Harford County. Maryland State Police said 24 people were on the bus around 6 a.m. when it lost control and crashed near mile marker 77 along the northbound lanes. One person died at the scene and 23 were taken to hospitals, according to the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company. According to a post by the volunteer fire company on X, formerly known as Twitter, the bus belonged to Just Becuz Entertainment, which is based in Philadelphia. The company's website says it provides transportation from Philadelphia to New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. I-95 northbound in Harford County is back open after it was closed for several hours.
WJZ-TV CBS 13 Baltimore