WASHINGTON — After a Prince George’s County firefighter was shot and killed while checking on someone’s welfare last week, Montgomery County fire officials are now learning of an eerily similar incident that happened a few months ago.
“We didn’t know about this until this weekend, when crews started talking about the Temple Hills event,” said Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein.
He said the department is still gathering details about the incident, but that county firefighters responded to a call about the smell of smoke coming from an apartment building in the Burtonsville area. Once on the scene, firefighters narrowed their search to a specific apartment.
They repeatedly knocked and yelled “fire department.” When there was no answer, crews used tools to pry the door open, entered and again announced they were from the fire department.
Goldstein said a woman, who appeared to have been sleeping on the couch, stood up and pointed a handgun at the firefighters.
“Our crews quickly shut the door and worked on identifying our presence. Luckily there were no injuries,” Goldstein said.
It’s not clear why the incident was not reported sooner, and once the review is complete, Goldstein said, they will see whether any changes need to be made.
“We are working to ask exact questions of our personnel: Who did we notify? What did we learn? What would the crew have done differently?”
It’s happened before
When Prince George’s County firefighters knocked on the door of a Temple Hills home, they had no idea a man was about to open fire on them.
One firefighter died, another was wounded, the resident’s brother was shot and two firefighters were injured while seeking cover.
It’s rare for a firefighter to be shot while responding to a medical call, but it has happened before.
In January, an Arkansas firefighter was shot and killed while responding to a medical emergency. The homeowner was having a seizure and mistook the firefighter for an intruder.
Mark Brady, spokesman for the Prince George’s County Fire Department, believes the Temple Hills resident also thought the firefighters were intruders, despite the fact that the firefighters did everything right.
When the resident did not respond to the firefighters, they decided to enter the home. Brady said that is “fairly routine” when there’s a medical emergency.
The man opened fire, killing firefighter John Ulmschneider, and wounding volunteer firefighter Kevin Swain.
Ulmscheider’s funeral will be held Wednesday.
He leaves behind a wife and 2-year-old daughter. A YouCaring page was created to help support his family.
Swain is still recovering from his injuries in the hospital.
Protocols
Before and after arriving to a call, firefighters conduct a “risk assessment” based on information provided to them by the 911 caller, dispatch, a survey of the scene and witnesses. Protocols vary from department to department, but there are best practices, such as knocking and announcing their presence before entering a residence.
“They are always thinking about safety, not only for themselves but for the public at large,” said Jim Brinkley, director of health and safety for IAFF, a labor union that represents professional firefighters and paramedics in the U.S. and Canada.
“When they have good, firsthand information that someone does have a medical emergency that could render them unconscious or unresponsive, then they will decide if entry is needed,” he said.
Firefighters weigh the risk — could a person die while they wait for further assistance?
“Typically if we do not have good information, we do not make entry,” Brinkley said.
Brady said the Prince George’s County Fire Department will review its protocols and might make changes.
“The firefighters, medics, made a correct decision,” Brady said Saturday. “Time was of the essence. If this gentleman was experiencing a medical emergency, we needed to get to him as quick as possible and we were attempting to do that.”
