Update on Fire Services in St. Mary’s County, MD: In response to the release of the Deer Wood Park Drive After Action Report and Improvement Plan, the St. Mary’s County Chief’s Council would like to provide the community with an update on changes that have occurred and are continuing to do so following the release of the report.
The St. Mary’s County Chief’s Council (Chief’s Council) is composed of leadership representatives from each of the fire corporations within St. Mary’s County. This group stays in constant communication and meets at least monthly to discuss and effect operational updates to the system.
Following the tragic events on June 27th, 2023, the Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department engaged with independent subject matter experts, who would dive deep into the specific operations and tactics of the incident and provide a list of recommendations. These recommendations would shift the focus from operating on incidents as individual fire corporations, and transition into operating as one singular team with the same goals, and operational objectives to achieve.
Prior to the release of this report, the leadership in St. Mary’s County was able to identify multiple areas of improvement. Some examples of improvements include a program that aimed at identifying and coordinating an available “Duty Chief” that would respond on any incidents that was pre-determined by the Chief’s Council.
This allows us to ensure a Command Officer would respond on high priority calls, based on the availability of personnel in the program. In addition to this program, minimum training qualifications were adopted and standardized for all personnel in leadership roles at each volunteer corporation.
While creating these new programs and standards, we also revised many Standard Operating Guidelines, specifically how to operate on all Structure Fires within St. Mary’s County. Revisions included that responding personnel will have a greater emphasis of checking all levels of the structure, to include the basement for smoke and fire prior to potentially entering inside. This change is paramount to the safety of all firefighters, along with many other revisions we are actively working on.
With the release of this report, the Chief’s Council has also identified a work group that will work thoroughly to review each and every recommendation listed within the report. They will prioritize and eventually recommend and implement changes that are needed to ensure this such tragedy will never occur again, and that the fire service within St. Mary’s County will be a trusted and well-coordinated effort.
As a group, we have much work in front of us, however we remain committed to creating a better culture, and a better system that will enhance training, discipline, and most importantly honoring the legacy of Brice by making the fire service better each and every day.
On behalf of the entire Chief’s Council in St. Mary’s County we appreciate the support of our great community, and we will continue to keep everyone updated in our progress along the way!
Final After Action Report from the Line of Duty Death Involving Brice Trossbach in Leonardtown, June 2023
The report included the following.
Investigation Methodology and Findings
- The Safety Review Committee conducted over 75 interviews and reviewed numerous videos and photos.
- Key issues identified included failures in communication, command, and operational procedures.
Recommendations for Future Improvements
- Emphasis on developing written policies and standard operating procedures for firefighting.
- Need for enhanced training and accountability within the volunteer fire service to prevent future tragedies.
Incident Overview and Response
- The incident occurred on June 27, 2023, at 20521 Deer Wood Park Drive, involving a structure fire with significant response from over 100 personnel.
- A MAYDAY was declared during the incident, leading to a complex rescue operation for a trapped firefighter
