Courtesy photo by Mark Brady. Fire Chief Eugene Jones, center, awarded awards to Firefighter/Medic Keith Downing Jones, left, and Firefighter/Medic Leonard Simmons, right.

Published on: Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Two Prince George’s County firefighter/medics received Emergency Services Awards for their quick thinking and actions on a recent incident. Fire Chief Eugene A. Jones presented the awards Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Landover Hill Fire/EMS Station #830.

On July 11, at about 10:15 p.m., firefighter/medics Keith Downing and Leonard Simmons, on-board Paramedic 830 from Landover Hills, were dispatched to an emergency medical call involving a diabetic patient. Little did the providers realize that while treating the patient, a house was on fire on the same street, totally separate from the medical emergency. Unfortunately, both incidents were on a dead-end street and the paramedics were unable to utilize their medic unit to facilitate the transport. Over seven engines and trucks, having arrived after the medics, were blocking their means of egress, and it was not possible to move any of the equipment .

Downing and Simmons quickly realized the predicament, and were creative in developing an alternate method of removing the patient from the scene and transporting to the hospital. Creative, yet not easy. Downing and Simmons took the patient via stretcher over rough terrain, through the patient’s backyard, over a fenced area, and eventually made their way to an adjacent street. Once there, they took custody of another unit which was standing-by for the working fire dispatch, and utilized their unit to complete the transport.

Fire Chief Jones stated, “Your actions reflect favorably upon yourself and the entire Fire/EMS Department.”