Bethesda Fire Department

07/04/2021

Bethesda Fire Department celebrates July 4th with Edgemoor, Kenwood, Town of Somerset, and Town of Chevy Chase 🇺🇸

07/03/2021

Thank you to Attorney General Garland for bringing pizza to our duty crew.

Have a Happy Fire Safe 4th, everyone! 🇺🇸

11/25/2020

This holiday season, all of us need a little extra joy. Bethesda Fire Department is holding our annual toy drive, now through December 22nd at all three of our stations. We want to ensure that as many children as possible will receive presents this holiday season! Please see the attached flyer for more information on how and where to donate. All donations are welcome!
Stay safe and happy holidays from Bethesda FD!

11/24/2020

11/11/2020

Today we honor the service of our military members and the sacrifices and dedication they and their families have made to provide the freedoms we enjoy daily. Have a safe Veterans Day!

07/27/2020

Just a reminder to all Maryland EMTs with current certifications!

REMINDER! Thank you to everyone who has completed the EMS Update continuing education. For those who have not, please sign on to the MIEMSS Online Training Center to complete as soon as possible. All EMS clinicians must complete the update before this Saturday, August 1, 2020!

06/10/2020

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich Announces Plans to Move to Phase 2 Reopening

For Immediate Release: June 10, 2020

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles today announced which activities will be allowed when the County enters Phase 2 of reopening. Phase 2 will likely begin sometime next week, pending confirmation of the data benchmarks. The County plans to continue with an incremental reopening, based on public health data.
Phase 2 will allow additional businesses and activities to start and/or increase modified operations under specified guidelines. The guidelines include:
• Retail - curbside and limited in-store; one patron per 200 sq. ft. of sales space;
• Restaurants - outdoor/patio seating and limited indoor* dining with requirements; 50 percent capacity maximum indoors (*Not permitted until Governor Larry Hogan lifts restrictions.);
• Childcare - Maryland State Department of Education continues expanding the number of essential personnel child care programs;
• Construction - open with requirements;
• Farms - open, “pick your own” open with requirements;
• Gyms - fitness centers, and other indoor Physical Activities; open with requirements; one patron per 200 sq. ft. of fitness space (Not permitted until Governor Hogan lifts restrictions.);
• Hospitals - physicians’ offices and other health care facilities, including hospitals, are available to care for your medical needs. Contact the local facility or office for more information;
• Hotels - open with requirements;
• Houses of Worship - virtual, drive-in, and limited indoor and outdoor services with requirements - one congregant/family unit per 200 sq. ft. of service space;
• Indoor and Outdoor Gatherings - limited to a maximum of 50 or one person/family unit per 200 sq. ft., whichever is lower (Not permitted until Governor Hogan lifts restrictions.);
• Manufacturing - open with requirements;
• Salons/Barbers/Personal Services - all personal services allowed by appointment only; one patron per 200 sq. ft. of service delivery space;
• Car Washes - open for internal and external cleaning with requirements;
• Manufacturing - open with requirements;
• Office Spaces and Multi-tenant Commercial Buildings - limited use for nonessential personnel with requirements; telework strongly encouraged where applicable;
• Outdoor Community pools (public and private) - open to lap swimming with requirements;
• Outdoor Day Camps - expanded opening with requirements;
• Outdoor Youth Sports - expanded for low-contact sports with requirements;
• Parks & Playgrounds - parks open for personal fitness and fitness classes with requirements; playgrounds open with requirements; only low-contact sports allowed; and
• Ride On Bus Service - expanded schedule; expanded routes.
Certain outdoor recreation activities and facilities are already permitted: golf courses, archery, shooting ranges, marinas, campgrounds, horseback riding facilities and tennis courts.
The following businesses and services will remain closed in Phase 2:
• Concerts and theaters;
• Senior centers;
• Libraries;
• Recreation facilities; and
• Shopping malls
Protective measures such as maintaining physical distancing, careful cleaning and disinfecting, and face coverings being worn by employees and customers, are just some of the measures being required of businesses that are in this initial phase of recovery.
“I want to emphasize that we will only move to this next phase when the data allows it,” said County Executive Elrich. “When it does happen, following the restrictions still in place is essential. Like you, I am eager to resume as many normal activities as possible, but that cannot be the motivation for moving to the next phase – protecting the public health is what guides us. After careful discussions with our County Health Officer Dr. Gayles, we have identified further restrictions that can be lifted in Phase 2, whenever it happens. Again, I urge everyone to follow the guidelines so that we can keep moving forward and not have spikes in the number of cases. This next phase can be successful if all of us do our part and follow the guidelines.”
Activities that will be allowed in this second phase of reopening are based on metrics the County established with progress overall in decreasing daily numbers of new cases, increasing testing capacity, implementing a large-scale contact tracing effort with the State, decreasing hospitalizations and use of the emergency room by patients with COVID-19 related symptoms, and positive trends in the death rate and test positivity. The COVID-19 Data Dashboard can be viewed on the County's website.
“We remain focused on being guided by the data and science as we look ahead to a future Phase 2 reopening,” said Dr. Gayles. “Clearly the virus is still here in our community so we must remain focused on maintaining our habits of physical distancing, wearing a face covering when out in public, and frequent, careful handwashing. We are also actively working to increase testing and contact tracing to keep the numbers moving in the right direction.”
For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 website as well as the County’s data dashboard or follow Montgomery County on Facebook and Twitter .
Put the “count” in Montgomery County! Be sure to complete the Census online, by phone, or by mail. It’s safe, confidential, easy, and important.
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05/28/2020

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles Announce Phase I Reopening

For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 28, 2020

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles today announced critical benchmarks to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have been achieved, allowing the County to begin a gradual reopening. Phase I will start this Monday, June 1 at 6 a.m. The County plans for an incremental reopening, based on public health data.

Phase I allows additional businesses and activities to start and/or increase modified operations under specified guidelines. They are:

Retail; curbside only
Restaurants and bars; outdoor seating (curbside pick-up still allowed)
Childcare; State-approved emergency programs open for dependents of essential employees and Phase 1 reopening employees
Personal Services; hair salons and barber shops for hair only appointments
Car washes; exterior cleaning only
Manufacturing; fully reopen with precautions and guidance
Outdoor Day Camps: following Maryland Department of Health guidelines
Outdoor Youth Sports; following Maryland Department of Health guidelines
Certain outdoor recreation continues to be permitted; golf courses, archery, shooting ranges, marinas, campgrounds, horseback riding facilities and tennis courts.

The following businesses and services remain closed:

Swimming pools; (however, licensing and inspection can be requested and conducted)
Senior Centers
Fitness Centers
Movie Theaters
Shopping Malls
Nail Salons
Protective measures such as maintaining physical distancing, careful cleaning and disinfecting by staff and face coverings being worn by employees and customers, are just some of the measures being required of businesses that are in this initial phase of recovery.

“This is an important first step,” said County Executive Elrich. “But it is a first step, and restrictions are still in place. I know we are all eager to resume our activities, but based on careful discussions with our County Health Officer Dr. Gayles, we have identified certain restrictions that can be lifted. I urge you to follow the guidelines so that we can keep moving forward and not have spikes in the number of cases. This first phase can be successful if all of us do our part and follow the guidelines.”

This initial phase of reopening was based on metrics the County established with progress overall in decreasing daily numbers of new cases, increasing testing capacity, implementing a large-scale contact tracing effort with the State, decreasing hospitalizations and use of the emergency room by patients with COVID-19 related symptoms, and positive trends in the death rate and test positivity.

“While we are trending in the right direction, clearly the virus is still here in the community so we must remain focused on maintaining our habits of physical distancing, and wearing a face covering when out in public,” said Dr. Gayles.

The County’s data dashboard has shown the number of cases is decreasing at the same time that testing has increased. According to the Maryland Department of Health, the positivity rate has decreased by more than 50 percent from 32.64 percent on April 7 to 15.84 percent on May 27.

With enhanced testing capabilities, more than 8,000 residents are now being tested weekly and by June 8, there should be capacity to test 20,000 people weekly. Contact tracing is done within 48 hours for every resident with a confirmed case so that individuals can isolate themselves and stop further spread of the virus. While moving to the first phase of recovery, County officials urge residents to continue to:

Wear face coverings always in public indoor spaces and when physical distancing cannot be maintained outdoors
Continue physical distancing
Limit indoor and outdoor gatherings to 10 people or fewer
Telework whenever possible
For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 website and follow Montgomery County on Facebook and Twitter .

Put the “count” in Montgomery County! Be sure to complete the Census online, by phone, or by mail. It’s safe, confidential, easy, and important.

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05/21/2020

BFD would like to give an enormous shoutout to Trattoria Sorrento on Cordell Ave! They provided dinner for both our volunteers and careers on shift today and we are so grateful! Check them out! 🚑

05/20/2020

Montgomery County Announces New COVID-19 Data Dashboard

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles today introduced a new COVID-19 data dashboard. The dashboard provides information on hospitalizations, the number of patients in intensive care units (ICU), and the number of ventilators in use, as well as previously available information regarding the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths. This information will help guide the County’s decisions on when to lift its Stay-at-Home Executive Order.

As of this morning, Montgomery County has 9,052 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and there have been 474 deaths. Trends, such as the number of hospitalizations and the average number of daily cases, are moving in the right direction, according to Dr. Gayles. Should the data continue to improve, Dr. Gayles expects a phased-in approach to reopening may be able to take place within the next week or two.

On May 15, County Executive Elrich signed an Executive Order extending the stay-at-home order in the county. He did so after the Governor’s action to lift the statewide stay-at-home order, which allowed local jurisdictions to make their own decisions. “We need to meet certain benchmarks before we can reopen, or we risk undoing the progress we have made,” said County Executive Elrich. “Our decisions will be grounded in science and health data and we will move toward reopening as the data continues to improve.” Lifting the stay-at-home order and beginning to slowly reopen the county will be based on a variety of measures that include the following:

The number of new cases in the setting of increased testing;
COVID-19 related hospitalization rate;
COVID-19 related ICU rate;
COVID-19 related deaths;
COVID-19 like and influenza-like illnesses presenting to the health care system;
Percentage of acute care bed used by patients with COVID-19;
Percentage of ICU bed used by patients with COVID-19; and
Percentage of emergency/critical care equipment used by patients with COVID-19 (e.g. ventilators).
The above criteria will be reviewed based on the most recent 14 days using a rolling average. In addition to the criteria above, the Executive Order calls for testing capacity to increase to 5 percent of the County’s population on a monthly basis; enough resources needed for enhanced contact tracing (including notification of positive test results and identifying contacts); and using an equity lens in all of our metrics to ensure we are addressing differences in outcomes in our diverse population.

For the latest COVID-19 updates, visit the County’s COVID-19 website and follow Montgomery County on Facebook and Twitter .

Put the “count” in Montgomery County! Be sure to complete the Census online, by phone, or by mail. It’s safe, confidential, easy, and important. .

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Media Contact: Julie Parker, [email protected]

05/20/2020

Happy EMS week from Bethesda Fire Department! We want to take a moment to recognize the valiant efforts of so many first responders, both in our community and worldwide. If you want to show appreciation for any first responders or healthcare workers in your life, use the and to show your support!