ALERT!

Normal Labor Day activities were underway this year at the Funkstown Fire Company as firefighters prepared Saturday morning for a long day ahead.  On top of running medic assist calls and vehicle accidents in there are, they were faced with cooking chicken and rustling up ducks in their spare time.  This Saturday the 30^th of August marked the Annual Duck Race the Fire Company has been holding yearly for the past few years.

The event is a fundraiser the Fire Company puts on during the Labor Day Weekend each year.  The event started out as a bi-yearly event but turned annually in 2005 when the department saw the need for more income to support fire department operations.  Larry Iseminger of the Fire Company chaired the event.  Some say this was one of their best years for the Duck Race.  Over 1,750 plastic ducks were sold for the fundraiser ranging from $5 each to $25 for seven ducks.

Spectators lined up along the Antietam Creek to watch.  As the clock struck 2:00 o’clock, the House Siren used to alert firefighters to calls sounded signaling the release of the duck over the side of the bridge.  From there the ducks slowly floated down stream to the finish line where several members of The Funkstown Fire Company were wading in the creek waiting to catch the ducks as the crossed the finish line.  The Antietam Creek, which runs behind Funkstown’s Station, was low for this time of year, which made the race a little slower than usual.

Some people watching cheered on their ducks as they approached the finish line.  The first duck to pass belonged to Russell Donovan who was awarded the Grand Prize of $300.  His duck was then followed by Jack Garvin’s duck, which won the 2^nd Place of $200 dollars.  The final Prize for 3^rd Place was awarded to Marie Tolbert consisting of $100.

Funkstown had an all around great fundraising event, which also consisted of the Chicken & Pit Beef Barbecue that they held the same day.  The barbecue was so popular that they sold out of everything they made by 1:00 o’clock that afternoon.  Firefighters gilled up the barbecue, went swimming with the ducks and raffled off a $300 Gift Certificate donated from Martin’s Food Store in Hagerstown.  This Labor Day Weekend festivity brought in over $7,000 to the Fire Company.

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On August 10^th, Washington County dispatch took multiple calls reporting a vehicle accident on Old National Pike in the area of Cool Hollow Road.  Funkstown Fire Co.10 was alerted with Rescue Company 69 out of Boonsboro at 19:15 hours.  Engine 101 and Chief Robert Fraley from Company 10 arrived on the scene two find a black SUV into a tree and a white SUV into a driveway with one occupant still in the black SUV.  Chief Fraley assumed Old National Pike Command and reported one patient entrapped to dispatch.

As crews from Funkstown and Boonsboro worked to stabilize the vehicle and begin extricating the patient, Command requested a second BLS unit to the scene for the priority three patients he had not entrapped.  Emergency crews on the scene along with off duty EMS personnel that stopped to assist tended to the patients that were found out of the vehicle while ALS focused on the entrapped patient classified as a Category “C” Trauma.  Crews worked for nearly twenty minutes to extricate the patient in the black SUV.  As crews were removing the entrapment, Community Rescue was on the scene tending to the two Priority 3 patients.

Command reported entrapment extricated at 19:40 hours and advised they had 3 patients that would be transported to Washington County Trauma Center.  Once all patients were in the medic units and ready for transport, Command was terminated by Chief Fraley.  Community Rescue Co.75 transported one Priority 2 Category “C” trauma and one Priority 3 walking wounded for check up along with Boonsboro EMS who transported the Priority 2 entrapment who was also classified as a Category “C” Trauma.

Once all patients were transported, a majority of remaining units cleared with the exception of Engine 101 who remained till all hazards were removed.  They later cleared and turned the scene over to Maryland State Police at 20:30 hours that evening.

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In the early hours of a Sunday July 6th, the morning silence was broken by a high pitched beeping sound at the house hold on Gay Street in halfway. The resident there was awoken by her smoke detector going off. When she awoke, she found her residence filling up with smoke. She went to see where it was coming from when she found it was a dehumidifier on fire in the basement of her residence. She quickly called 911 and evacuated the residence.

The Volunteer Fire Company of Halfway (Co.26 was dispatched with Funkstown Fire (Co.10) for a dehumidifier on fire in the residence. Firefighters arrived at 17543 Gay Street so find smoke showing and the residence had been evacuated. Assistant Chief Jamie Drawbaugh from Company 26 arrived and assumed Gay Street Command. Halfway firefighters made entry on side “B” to be met at the door with a heavy smoke condition. Command immediately requested the completion of the Box.

As crews from Halfway made entry into the residence, crews from Potomac Valley Fire Co.11 arrived on scene with Engine 111 in place of Company 10 and reversed layed while awaiting the arrival of Williamsport Company 2 and the Rescue Squad from Funkstown. Upon the arrival of additional units, crews on the scene were able to have the fire out and the scene under control utilizing a water can to extinguish the fire. The fire damage was limited to the dehumidifier and its surroundings. The residence also suffered smoke damage but may have been worse if the homeowners had not had a working smoke detector.

Photo Courtesy of Anita Bussard of Gay Street

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