LA PLATA — The volunteer fire and EMS departments that answered a predawn fire at a La Plata nursing home in August now have a formal thank-you from Charles County government.
Charles County Commissioner Gilbert “BJ” Bowling III attended the volunteers’ bi-monthly meeting Monday night, Nov. 9, and presented recognition certificates to each volunteer fire and EMS department that responded to the Aug. 28 fire at Green Acres Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, according to a statement from Charles County Volunteer Fire and EMS issued Nov. 10 by William Smith, the organization’s coordinator and public information officer.
The fire was one of the more consequential calls of the year for the county’s volunteers. It broke out while residents were asleep in a building where many people cannot move quickly on their own, and it displaced 32 residents and sent one person to a hospital, the Chronicle reported at the time.
Bowling told the volunteers that when an emergency involves some of the community’s most vulnerable members, “every helping hand matters,” according to the statement. He described the Green Acres response as an example of agencies working toward a single mission of protecting lives.
What happened Aug. 28
Staff at Green Acres, at 10200 La Plata Road, called 911 shortly after 4 a.m. to report fire at the rear of the building and on the roof, according to the volunteer organization. Fire and EMS units arrived within minutes and confirmed active fire and smoke at the roof line.
Investigators later traced the cause to the building’s exterior. The Office of the State Fire Marshal determined that an electrical malfunction in an exterior security light started the fire, and disclosed that a police officer was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
The response reached beyond the fire service. Earlier this month, La Plata police named Pfc. Mary “Becca” Chaney Officer of the Quarter, in part for helping move residents out of the burning building.
Who was recognized
The certificates went to departments rather than individuals. The statement said each volunteer fire and EMS department that responded received one, but it did not list the departments or say how many certificates were presented.
Charles County relies on volunteer companies for fire suppression and for much of its emergency medical response, which means a second-shift nursing home fire at 4 a.m. draws on people who leave their homes and jobs to answer it. Recognition from a sitting commissioner is one of the few public acknowledgments those members receive outside their own stations.
In the statement, the volunteer organization thanked the Board of County Commissioners for recognizing the dedication, professionalism and teamwork its members showed during the incident.
Bowling represents District 1 on the five-member board. The volunteers meet every other month; the statement did not say whether further recognition for the Green Acres response is planned.
