2021 ANNUAL REPORT

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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

On behalf of the men and women of the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services (DFRS), it is my pleasure to present the Division’s annual report for Calendar Year 2021. Our annual report highlights the many activities and accomplishments of the Division over the last year and profiles the outstanding work of the men and women who provide your fire and rescue services. In 2021, our volunteer and career personnel answered 35,634 calls for emergency service, an average of 98 emergency responses per day. This level of operational tempo requires our organization to maintain a high state of readiness, which is accomplished through regular inspection and testing of our apparatus and equipment, as well as regular training to exercise the technical knowledge and skills of our personnel. This ensures the provision of the high-quality emergency service response that our citizens deserve.

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to ravage our county for the second straight year. The staff of the Division of Fire and Rescue Services continued to answer the

Chief Thomas E. Coe

challenge to assist in keeping our community safe. Our Mobile Community Health Office worked hard to provide vaccination opportunities to our homebound citizens administering over 2,000 in home vaccinations. Several staff members supported the Frederick County Health Department in providing both vaccinations and testing at several different clinic sites throughout the county. While our entire response force, both career and volunteer, were able to work under ever changing recommendations and guidance to respond to COVID related medical emergencies. Even during a pandemic, 2021 was a year of accomplishment for the Division of Fire and Rescue Services. Over the last year we have been able to graduate one recruit class, witness significant construction progress at both the Northgate Fire Station and a new Logistics Warehouse and provide staffing improvements at the Guardian Hose Company in Thurmont as they transitioned to 24/7 career staffing. Working with our community partners we have launched programs to better serve our community. Some of those programs include a program with Frederick City Police and Sheppard Pratt to better respond to behavioral health crises known as the Mobile Crisis Car, and the growth of a program with the Frederick County Health Department to better support substance abuse in our community known as the Community Outreach and Support Team (COAST). Both programs have yielded outstanding results and are examples of how we can better engage with our community to provide support in their time of need. The last year was also a year of tremendous loss within our organization with the loss of Battalion Chief Josh Laird in the line of duty on August 11 th , Firefighter David Esposito on November 11 th , and Battalion Chief Christopher Morlan on December 23 rd at the hands of COVID. We continue to heal from the loss of three amazing public servants. We extend our gratitude to the Laird, Esposito and Morlan families for sharing Josh, David, and Chris with us. The men and women of our Division remain focused on our mission of providing the best fire and emergency medical services possible to our community. I could not be more proud of the level of dedication and professionalism they display on a daily basis.

Chief Thomas E. Coe, Director