Photo courtesy of Deep Trekker
During the September 25th, 2025, Charles County Board of Fire and Rescue meeting, the Charles County Dive Team presented grant details that will provide them new technology with an underwater drone for search and rescue missions.
CCDR received the $15,000 grant from the DC Fire and EMS Foundation, Legacy on Ice, to help offset the cost of an underwater drone. The team qualified for the grant because of its mutual aid response to the tragic aircraft collision over the Potomac River on January 29, 2025.
After reviewing several ROV options, CCDR chose the Deep Trekker Photon ROV, which was quoted at $26,209.90. CCDR will cover the remaining $11,209.90 using uncommitted O&M funds.
The new technology will improve CCDR’s capabilities by working with its Side Scan Sonar system to assist in target identification. It will also allow safer operations in hazardous environments, such as pilings, debris, or deeper water, where diver deployment is dangerous.
On March 2, 2025, Legacy On Ice brought the figure skating community and thousands of supporters together at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena to honor the 67 lives lost in the January 29th airline tragedy on the Potomac River, as well as the first responders who rushed to the scene. One third of the funds raised by the event will benefit area first responders (the remaining funds benefit the families and the US Figure Skating Association)
“The grants being announced today are both a practical measure of gratitude and a symbol of hope and healing for those first responders who worked on this tragic scene to help bring closure to the families of those who lost their lives,” said Chander Jayaraman, Co-Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Government agencies involved in the plane crash response, or their affiliated non-profit organizations, were eligible to apply for the funds. The grant applications were evaluated by a committee of DC Fire & EMS Foundation Board and staff members, and then reviewed and approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors. The evaluations were based on the eligibility of the applicant, the quality and completeness of the application, the anticipated impact of the proposed funding, and the nature and size of the responding agency’s response to the Potomac River tragedy.
The Foundation announced the following awards:
- $142,500 to the DC Police Foundation for the building of Wellness Rooms for Metropolitan Police Department personnel, a Member Wellness Academy for police officers and their families, and the purchase of an mobile wellness application for every police officer on the force;
- $85,000 to the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for foundational support of mass casualty response operations, enhanced response readiness, and delivery of targeted staff training on trauma-informed family assistance and interagency coordination;
- $27,554 to the Prince Georges County, MD Fire and EMS Department for a new wireless communication system and equipment for special operations personnel, as well as a train the trainer course on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, an evidence-based therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, for both the county’s fire and police departments;
- $15,000 to Charles County Dive and Rescue, Inc. to support their purchase of a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to assist with dives and rescues; and
- $172,413 to benefit DC Fire & EMS Department personnel through its affiliated organizations, including:
- $44,247 to the DC Fire & EMS Foundation in unrestricted funds for Legacy on Ice related program costs;
- $70,196 to the DC Fire & EMS Foundation for sustaining and expanding trauma support services for DC firefighters and EMS personnel;
- $25,000 to Food on the Stove to support its Food for Thought initiative
- $23,000 to the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation to support its Family Services program; and
- $10,000 to the DCFD Emerald Society Pipes and Drums for supplies and equipment replacements.
Amy C. Mauro, Esq., Executive Director of the Foundation, stated that “We are eternally grateful to Ted Leonsis and Monumental Sports & Entertainment for their leadership in this initiative and thei
