Wisconsin 1000

Here's a link to a circa 1950 video about the B-CC Rescue Squad. http://youtu.be/D882Y5UEOR4 Some great old footage (I haven't seen this vid in some 30 years). Note the station that was at 4800 Fairmont Ave off Wisconsin Ave now the site of an office building. This was originally the home of the short lived and by then defunct VFD of Bethesda that was an off-shoot of the original Bethesda FD. Note as well the "old" Suburban Hospital (where I was actually born) as it looked in the day.  Also of mention is the Super Surplus store as I believe was owned by Donald Dunnington. I have spent many an hour in there. Shown as well is the GMC squad truck as described in a previous post about B-CC rescue wagons. Would love to know the body builder on that. Many thanks to Mike Sanders for forwarding this gem. The link again is http://youtu.be/D882Y5UEOR4.

History of EMS in Washington DC

Just released, our latest eBook on the History of EMS in Washington DC. This chronology covers the evolution of hospitals the initial source of public ambulance service for our Nation's Capital. Details the opening and expansion facilities like Emergency, Casualty, Doctors, Garfield, Gallinger, and Freedmen's Hospitals some long gone others under new names and missions. Details ambulance unit evolution from the early rescue squad ambos to the DCFD public service takeover in 1957, to Mobile 25, the Rapids and the latest Paramedic Engine Companies. Covers unit additions and movements over time. Also touches on the multitudes of Civil War Hospitals (around 85) and some of the bigger mass casualty events and mutual aid and campus EMS agencies like B-CCRS, GERMS, EMeRG & AUFRT. Includes several unit location maps. Go to the Rustys Rosters Storefront and download yours today. NOTE this eBook does not have photos as yet. Anyone wishing to submit please contact me via email. Old or new DC ambo pics with proper photographer credit.

Rescue Wagons of B-CC RS Part 2

From Jeff Mogush.

Back again with our continuation of the rescue truck history for the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad. By 1970, the area had seen much growth and enjoyed plenty of traffic. Auto wrecks (called then PIAs) and fires were not at all uncommon. To meet the next generation of rescue and fireground support needs B-CC RS receives in 1971 a most imposing looking squad wagon. A mammoth especially for the time (my jaw dropped on first view) this two-door cab-over new '71 Kenworth has a Swab Wagon Co 19-foot three-quarter enclosed rear access walk-in body. It has 4 large (probably Krouse Heines) spotlights on each side behind the enclosed body. Designated Rescue 19 this comes to be called the "Great White Whale". The GMC, Bruco becomes Rescue 18 a second-out with the International, Baker as Rescue 17. This is used mostly for pedestrian struck calls or those not requiring such an assortment of resources.



From Mike Sanders



In 1973, Rescue 18, gets a new three-quarter enclosed 16-foot Swab rear access walk-in body replacing the over 10 year old Bruco. Rescue 17 is retired going south to the Warrenton Rescue Squad in Fauquier County Virginia. (This I recently confirmed this thanks to Mike Sanders)



From Mike Sanders



In 1983, B-CC adds another two-door cab-over new '82 Kenworth this with '83 Saulsbury 21-foot fully enclosed rear walk-in body. This becomes the latest Rescue 19 the '71 model as Rescue 18, the '64 GMC, '73 Swab retired.



From Warren Jenkins



In about mid 1986, Rescue 18's '71 Kenworth, Swab the "Great White Whale" goes out for a glider rebuild. With the '82/'83 down the squad runs in the interim a two-door, cab-over '61 GMC "L-5500", with H&H 15-foot three quarter enclosed rear access walk-in body that previously served Waldwick New Jersey. This winds up later at Sudlersville in Queen Annes County.



From Mike Sanders



By years end Rescue 18 returns now a matching two-door cab-over '86 Kenworth with Saulsbury 21-foot fully enclosed rear walk-in body. One of the few remnants of the '71 "Great White Whale" is the generator. This one also has an automatic transmission. The two are very similar the newer one with square headlamps, small glass "window" in cab door and lacking company emblem one the front body as the only tell tales.



From John Floyd



In fall 1992, Rescue 18 the newer '86 Kenworth, Saulsbury is wrecked and sent to Saulsbury for repair and quick rehab. In December 1994, the latest generation of rescue wagon comes to B-CC a two-door, cab-over new Simon-Duplex "D-9400" with Saulsbury 20-foot cab access partial walk-in otherwise walk-around body designated Rescue Squad 19. This has a lower forward cab area and overal less imposing look as the previous Kenworths.

In mid 1995 the replaced '82 Kenworth, '83 Saulsbury of Rescue Squad 19 goes to the County Department of Fire Rescue (DFR) for use as a reserve. To improve drive-ability, its 19-speed manual transmission is replaced with an automatic.

In spring of 2001, the County Reserve '82 Kenworth with '83 Saulsbury body overturns on Route 118 while running as Rescue Squad 291 in Germantown. Badly damaged it goes finally out for a glider rehab late the next year.



From Rusty

In spring 2003, B-CC adds a two-door cab-over new Spartan "Gladiator", with Saulsbury 20-foot walk-around body this for Rescue Squad 18 that is over 15 years old.

As a side note in early 2004, the wrecked '82 Kenworth, '83 Saulsbury County Reserve returns the body rehabbed and matched to a four-door new '03 Spartan Gladiator still used as a County DFR reserve. With the county's adherance to the Metropoitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) new unit numbering system, the newer Rescue Squad 18 became 741 (alpha -silent) and 18 became 741Bravo.

In 2011, B-CC RS expects its latest rescue wagon a tandem rear axle, raised four-door new Spartan "Gladiator" with Rescue 1 enclosed rear access 24-foot walk-in body. With the COG designation this will be Rescue Squad 741 replacing Simon-Duplex, the Spartan, as 741Bravo.

Readers feel free to add comments or insights. Maybe in the future a similar work will cover other area squads like Wheaton and Laurel. Anyone with photos especially of older squads please contact us. Also check out the B-CC Blog covering incidents in the greater Bethesda Chevy Chase area.  

Rescue Wagons of B-CC RS

Here is a topic of great interest to me and I am sure many others. One I have managed to wrangle through at times even getting confused with the various wagons over the years. Hopfully I have it straight and welcome any input or additions. This is Part 1 of a series.

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad (B-CC RS) serving Montgomery County Maryland has quite a history of rescue trucks over the years. This emergency ambulance and rescue service entity formed in 1937 as the Chevy Chase First Aid Corps based in Upper Northwest Washington DC. With the nation's entry into World War II, service was suspended as its members enlisted for military service promising to return after the war. They did just that in 1945, this time moving to Bethesda re-titling as the Bethesda-Chevy Chase First Aid Corps later Rescue Squad.



1947 photo from bccrs.org



Their first rescue truck went in service that year, an unknown make (maybe GMC) all red parcel van. Reported as an ex airport vehicle this as shown in the picture (photo dated 1947 from bccrs.org) had four spotlights and a loud speaker on the roof.

Photo from bccrs.org

In 1955 the squad adds its first "new" and rescue wagon. This is a stout looking all white, two-door GMC with unknown make about 10-foot half canopy covered compartmented body. In the photo at right it is seen backing into their Fairmont Avenue home previously of the short lived VFD of Bethesda. (not to be confused with the Bethesda FD a different and precedant entity).



Factory photo courtesy
Warren Jenkins



In 1962, comes an imposing looking two-door cab-over Mack "N". This is a Budd cab similar to the Ford "C" instead with a bulldog. It was matched to a Bruco three-quarter enclosed 16-foot walk-in compartmented body with driver's side entry door, (look closly under middle window) forward crew seats looking out windows over the cab plus three spotlights on each side in the step up area behind the enclosed section.  Designated Rescue 19 this replaced the GMC that reportedly went to Upper Darby Pennsylvania. It however proves problematic as soon after portions of the new Capital Beltway open with 65-75 mph speeds and the truck as I have been told was slow off the line.



From MIke Sanders collection



In 1964, the squad makes some changes adding a small four-door International "1700" with Baker one-third covered and compartmented utility body this as Rescue 18.



Robert Washburn photo
courtesy of Warren Jenkins



This light duty rescue is likely for interim use while Rescue 19 has it's Bruco body remounted matched with a two-door new '64 GMC "6000". This truck could "move" as I in spite of my youth at the time can attest. Sadly it's over cab windows were covered as the new cab is taller.

In part 2 we will cover the mammoth Kenworths that follow.

Bethesda Boondoggle

In researching and writing about fire service histories one occasionally comes across evolutionary tales that stand out from the rest. These are of course rooted in some degree of mayhem and discontent proving at least that sometimes folks don’t get along or things just don’t work right. This is not to pick on anyone of any one locality as this sort of thing has happened in one degree or another in several places. What follows is one of the more extreme scenarios in Montgomery County’s Bethesda area the details of which follow.

Long a toll stop and PO along the turnpike between Georgetown / Washington DC and Rockville, Bethesda begins to emerge into a residential suburb after 1910. Its first fire protection is a voluntary citizen brigade begun about 1913. By the mid 1920’s, the place is more developed and a serious fire in the northern streetcar village Alta Vista leads to the formation of a fire board. Consisting of area businessmen and merchants they establish the Bethesda Fire Department an all-volunteer operation in service by years end in 1926. Of note, the board apparently also has designs on expanding to Chevy Chase already protected by a voluntary citizens brigade and a separate but primitive volunteer company. Chevy Chase forms its own board instead and the rest is well history -best suited for another entry.

Back to Bethesda, its new volunteer department adequately serves the community into the 1930s. While most of the nation is in a depression, lower Montgomery County including Bethesda is growing largely from recent residential development attracting the expanding ranks of federal workers under the New Deal Government. This is enhanced by plans for new federal campus facilities like the under construction Naval Medical Hospital and the proposed National Institutes of Health. The period also brings some tough brush fire seasons in the spring and fall months taxing resources as companies are seemingly fighting one day-long blaze after another.

Bethesda merchants and businesses are increasingly concerned over their employees regularly out the door fighting fires all the day. As described in William Offut’s 500–page Bethesda a Social History, the fire board by 1938 seeks to add paid firemen and a paid chief to “improve the morale, skill and professionalism of the department”. The paid crew could handle most of the daytime calls including for the ambulance (yes the Bethesda FD had run an ambulance since 1930). At night they could serve as ready drivers for the wagon, pumper, rescue car and ambulance staffed fully as before by incoming volunteers.

This seemed like a great idea and besides the Chevy Chase FD was partially paid using volunteers for their second-out engine. This however draws immediate opposition from the department’s volunteer fire chief and some of the members. Many object to losing the drovers duty citing that one of the reasons they volunteer. The Board offers the volunteer chief a paid position and rank but he refuses. On July 1, 1939, a retired chief of training from the District of Columbia Fire Department becomes the first paid Fire Chief of the Bethesda FD with three firefighters also hired taken from the volunteer ranks. The volunteer chief and a few loyal followers soon after organize and incorporate under the Volunteer Fire Department No 1 of Bethesda Maryland.

Both entities operate at first from the same firehouse on Old Georgetown Road (where Woodmont Avenue is now). Over the next months conflict intensifies with some of the volunteers refuse to take direction from the new Fire Chief. In October, the Bethesda Fire Board bars the volunteers from the station however several are hired back in subsequent weeks. The Bethesda FD henceforth is an all paid operation expanding eventually to two shifts.

As for the outcast VFD No 1 of Bethesda, they manage to build a firehouse and are in service by March 18, 1941. Located about a block or so away on Fairmont Avenue near Norfolk Avenue in the "Triangle", they add a new “Butterfly” Hahn 500-gpm engine, a used Buffalo 500-gpm engine and a used Stutz Chemical service ladder truck. Conflict between the two continues as they end up in court fighting over a phone number. The judge gives the disputed number to both on a party line with the first one to answer the department in charge. It is likely both regularly respond to most fires with the original Bethesda FD still running the ambulance at least until the next year when wartime personnel losses take from the ranks of both. The VFD No 1 of Bethesda ceases service and disbands finally in mid 1944.

The Bethesda FD expands to three (briefly four) area stations in later years. While one of the first fire departments in the county to operate an ambulance, they do not return to this service as in December 1945 the re-started Bethesda-Chevy Chase First Aid Corps later Rescue Squad becomes and still is the areas emergency ambulance provider. As a side-note, B-CC Rescue in 1949 moves into the old VFD No 1 of Bethesda station on Fairmont Avenue remaining there until fall of 1956. The ’41 “Butterfly” Hahn stays local as well winding up at the Kensington VFD seen in photos as Engine 26. The Bethesda FD, Kensington VFD and B-CC Rescue Squad continue today under the Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service. The rest as they say is history. -RG