MEDIA CONTACT: Mark E. Brady, Chief Spokesperson, 240-508-7930
mebrady@co.pg.md.us @PGFDPIO
It
wasn’t long after funeral and interment services for Fire Fighter/Medic
Lieutenant John “Skillet” Ulmschneider were complete in St. Mary’s County that
many members of the Prince George’s County Fire/Emergency Medical Services
(EMS) Department were returning home.
Assistant
Fire Chief Darren O. Ware was assigned to work at the Command Post to
coordinate the large amount of mutual aid fire and EMS resources in the County
were tracked and adequate. He had been
released and making his way home.
As
he travelled near the area of northbound Crain Highway (Route 301) near
Brandywine Road in Brandywine, he saw a vehicle off the side of Route 301 with
fire and smoke coming from the underside of a vehicle. As he got closer he saw a female still in the
vehicle in the drivers seat. He
immediately pulled to the side of the road and ran back to vehicle.
It
was at that point that retired PGFD Deputy Fire Chief Tyrone Wells, now working with
the Office of Emergency Management, saw Chief Ware running alongside the road
and then he saw the fire. Wells also
stopped and ran towards the burning vehicle.
Ware
described what happened next, “I immediately ran to
the vehicle and attempted to open the door and remove her from the driver
door. The door was locked. The occupant looked up at me but was not
responsive to my instructions to unlock the door. Chief Wells arrived at
that time and with the help of a civilian carrying a heavy hand tool managed to
break the drivers side back window and the passenger side front window.”
The female driver appeared to be suffering from a medical
incident and was not cohesive enough to follow instructions from rescuers.
During the initial extrication attempt the driver pushed the
accelerator causing her vehicle to move forward and further down an embankment. The position of the vehicle prevented
extrication from the drivers side of the vehicle.
Chief Ware stated, “Because of the new angle of the vehicle
access was attempted through the passenger side front door. I was able to
gain access to the patient and pull her through the passenger side
window. We were able to get her up the embankment and away from the
burning vehicle.”
Other Department members returning from the funeral services
also stopped to help. Assistant Fire
Chief Paul Cruz and Greenbelt Volunteer EMS Sargent Ashley Kozlowski stopped and provided care
to the patient until the arrival of Medics.
The adult female did not appear to have been injured but was suffering
from an unknown medical incident.
Had it not been for the quick actions of Assistant Fire Chief
Ware, Tyrone Wells and a yet to be identified Good Samaritan citizen the
outcome would have had a tragic ending.
The video was captured by Ware shortly after he removed the female
from the vehicle.
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