The Southern Maryland Convention weekend kicked off this year on Saturday, April 26th with the 78th Southern Maryland Volunteer Firemen’s Association (SMVFA) Convention. At the SMVFA Installation of Officers, RVFD Past President Charlie Bradburn was installed as the SMVFA Treasurer. During the Awards Ceremony, we received several awards:

• 50 Years of Service: Jimmy Cooper, Francis Raley, Philip ... (Full Story & Photos)

4-05 Box , 15:42 - Engine 41 responded to the area of Three Notch Road and Trapp Road for the motor vehicle collision with reports of a vehicle on fire. Chief 4 arrived and confirmed a two vehicle accident with no fire. Engine 41 arrived and started patient care. Tanker 44 arrived shortly after with Engine 141 and assisted with securing the vehicle and traffic control. One patient was transported ... (Full Story & Photos)

On Saturday, January 25th, the Ridge Volunteer Fire Department and Auxiliary installed their 2025 Administrative and Operational Officers, and recognized several members for their contributions during 2024.

Joe Cooper, Past President of the Southern Maryland Volunteer Firemen’s Association, swore in the Administrative Officers, Board of Directors, Operational Officers, and Engineers. Becky Wathen, ... (Full Story & Photos)

With holidays behind us, most are now preparing for the next big celebration… New Year’s Day! Celebrating with fireworks has been a longstanding tradition in the United States. However, many people are seriously injured each year by their careless use. Fireworks started an estimated 19,500 fires in 2018, including 1,900 structure fires, 500 vehicle fires, and 17,100 outside and other fires. These ... (Full Story & Photos)

4-06 Box, 22:41 - Squad 4 was dispatched to the area of 13820 Point Lookout Road in Ridge for a reported motor vehicle accident with possible subject ejected from the vehicle. Squad 4 arrived and located a single patient laying in a field and quickly provided patient care. The patient had been ejected from the vehicle and a medevac was requested do to their injuries. Engine 41 and Engine 141 set up ... (Full Story & Photos)

While the Southern Maryland roadsmay not be snow-covered this holiday season, your travel destination could be different. Road safety is important. The biggest weather hazard during the winter months is icy, snow-covered, and wet roads, so you need to be prepared when traveling for the holidays. The best way to counter this hazard is to slow down. You want to do everything slower and lighter than ... (Full Story & Photos)

Nothing spreads cheer quite like holiday decorations, but care must be used to ensure your festive winter décor is fire-safe. Candles are widely used in homes throughout the holidays, which means December is the peak month for home candle fires. One-third (33%) of home decoration fires are started by candles. If you’re decorating with candles this holiday season, consider using the battery-operated ... (Full Story & Photos)

On Thanksgiving Day, many families customarily spend the holiday inside their home or at the home of a friend or family member with the family dinner being the highlight of the day. Thanksgiving is the leading day for home fires involving cooking equipment, at three times the average number per day.

• An estimated 2,000 Thanksgiving Day fires in residential buildings are reported to U.S. fire departments ... (Full Story & Photos)