Fire Police

A Washington County Fire Police volunteer directing traffic at an accident scene was injured Thursday night when a passing motorist rear-ended his fire police car, which then struck the volunteer, according to Maryland State Police. Troopers said the right lane of westbound Interstate 68 just west of Mountain Road west of Hancock was closed Thursday for an earlier accident. The fire police volunteer, Graham Snow, 65, of Hancock, had lighted flares and set out traffic cones at the accident scene while the vehicle involved in the crash was being removed, troopers said in a news release.

HAGERSTOWN - When the fire police direct traffic, they free up police officers to answer emergencies, Washington County Sheriff Douglas W. Mullendore said. Fire police duties include directing traffic in areas of road construction, as well as at fires and accidents, Mullendore said. In December, members of the fire police turned out to direct traffic around the scene where Smithsburg police Officer Christopher Shane Nicholson was fatally shot. Each of the 14 fire companies in Washington County is allowed to have four fire police, Mullendore said.

Controlling crowds and directing traffic may look easy, but it can be dangerous at times. "You have to be on your toes. You don't want another accident to happen or someone getting hit," said Joshua McFarland, a new member of the Hagerstown City Police Department's volunteer Fire Police division. Fire police are given the responsibility of crowd control and directing traffic at fires, accidents and crime scenes. They may have to stand for hours at a scene and deal with motorists who can be disgruntled at the prospect of being detoured.

By KIMBERLY YAKOWSKI / Staff Writer photo: RICHARD T. MEAGHER / staff photographer James Miller said when he was growing up in Hagerstown his father would often jokingly tell him to go out and play on the street. "He never dreamed I would take him up on it," Miller said. [cont. from front page ] The Hagerstown City Fire Police sergeant can be seen on the city streets regularly, controlling crowds and directing traffic. Miller, 32, started out as a volunteer fire policeman about two years ago after reading about the program in the Herald-Mail.

HALFWAY - The death of Joseph Kroboth Jr., a Halfway Volunteer Fire Company fire captain killed while directing traffic at a car crash, will not be in vain, speakers at a National Police Fire Summit here promised Saturday. Instead, the deaths of Kroboth, 59, and other public safety employees around the nation sparked the first weekend summit, which was organized by the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association. Through speeches and workshops, the summit participants plan to develop written recommendations, possibly including legislation, in order to reduce the number of such fatalities.

HAGERSTOWN ? When the fire police direct traffic, they free up police officers to answer emergencies, Washington County Sheriff Douglas W. Mullendore said. Fire police duties include directing traffic in areas of road construction, as well as at fires and accidents, Mullendore said. In December, members of the fire police turned out to direct traffic around the scene where Smithsburg police Officer Christopher Shane Nicholson was fatally shot. Each of the 14 fire companies in Washington County is allowed to have four fire police, Mullendore said.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The Greencastle Borough Council signed on to a Franklin County-wide agreement for insuring fire police, and also considered a request to earmark money for capital improvements at Lilian S. Besore Memorial Library. For months, the council has discussed signing a special inter-local fire police agreement drafted by the Borough of Mercersburg, Pa., that would establish liability for fire police injured while on loan in another municipality. Councilman Craig Myers said two years ago a fire policeman from Chambersburg, Pa., was injured while on the job in Mercersburg, sparking debate between Mercersburg and Chambersburg as to which workers' compensation policy would cover the injuries.

WAYNESBORO, PA. -- Reflecting on seven decades of volunteering for fire and fire police service, Richard P. Jones doesn't have a definitive answer for what motivated him to go to fires, accidents and severe weather events all those years. "It's in your blood, I guess," he said. Jones, 84, joined Waynesboro's volunteer fire department at age 16 and later turned his attention to the fire police aspect of operations. He worked his way up through the ranks and served as fire police captain from 1984 until his recent retirement.

Bill seeks to raise minimum age for correctional officers The House Judiciary Committee is considering legislation to raise the minimum age for correctional officers from 18 to 21. Del. Charles Barkley, D-Montgomery and a former Hagerstown resident, is the lead sponsor of the bill. Correctional officers around the state have complained that the current age of 18 is too young given the demands of the job. Mary Ann Saar, secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services, recently noted that the current age requirements were in place before she was appointed.

The Washington County Delegation to the General Assembly on Wednesday agreed to file several bills. The bills would: · Allow businesses to count contractual positions lasting a year or more when seeking the county's jobs creation tax credit. Presently, permanent full-time positions may be counted. · Allow the employment of more than one county attorney. · Allow the county to use a "certificate of guaranty" in place of bonds as a guarantee that a piece of infrastructure (such as roads or utilities)

A Washington County Fire Police volunteer directing traffic at an accident scene was injured Thursday night when a passing motorist rear-ended his fire police car, which then struck the volunteer, according to Maryland State Police. Troopers said the right lane of westbound Interstate 68 just west of Mountain Road west of Hancock was closed Thursday for an earlier accident. The fire police volunteer, Graham Snow, 65, of Hancock, had lighted flares and set out traffic cones at the accident scene while the vehicle involved in the crash was being removed, troopers said in a news release.

The Hagerstown City Council has given preliminary approval to amending the city's police and fire employees' retirement plan to make it available to same-sex couples connected to the two departments. City staff formulated the amendment to make the retirement plan compatible with the state law allowing same-sex marriage, city Administrator Bruce Zimmerman said before Tuesday's city council meeting. An ordinance was drafted for the amendment and council members approved the proposed law when it was introduced Tuesday night.

A Thursday night fire gutted a home north of Waynesboro and sent a resident to the hospital, a fire official said. A woman was transported by ambulance for smoke inhalation, Waynesboro Fire Chief Dave Martin said. The fire at 11542 Thames Lane in Washington Township, Pa., was dispatched at 9:09 p.m. Initial reports indicated people might be trapped inside, but Martin said the ranch-style house's occupants and dogs were safely outside when firefighters arrived. Robert Calimer owns and lives in the house with two other adults and a teenager, Martin said.

Firefighters worked to free three people from a white four-door Pontiac after a two-vehicle crash Friday night at the intersection of West Washington and Jonathan streets in Hagerstown, according to city police. The Pontiac came to rest on the sidewalk facing the opposite way on West Washington Street against a pole with damage to the driver's side door. The other vehicle - a white Chrysler passenger car being driven by a sole occupant, a Hagerstown police officer said - displayed heavy front end damage and was leaking fluids onto the pavement after emergency personnel arrived.

Barbara Shipe's parents, Jacob and Elta Warrenfeltz, were among the founders of the Fairplay Volunteer Fire Co. in the 1940s. She said she was saddened to see the organization come to such an unfortunate end Tuesday, when the Washington County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to no longer recognize or fund the fire company. “It's kind of heartbreaking, actually,” said Shipe, who lives in St. James Village about three miles from the firehouse. “The fire company is an important part of the community for safety.” Shipe said it was no secret to anyone familiar with the situation that Fairplay's response time had slipped over the last several years.

Virginia A. “Jenny” Sulcer, 64, of Rohrersville, Md., passed away Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, at Meritus Medical Center after a long battle with illness. Born May 24, 1948, in Frederick, Md., she was the daughter of the late John L. and Ruth V. Leigh Kelbaugh. She was also preceded in death by her infant sister, Marlene Sue Kelbaugh. Virginia worked as a school bus driver in Washington County for many years. She was a member of the Ruritan Club, and volunteered with the fire police.

A jury is expected to begin deliberations Friday in Washington County Circuit Court in the case of a Hagerstown man accused of firing a shot at police officers during a May standoff at his home.    The trial of Neil Shawn LaPine, 49, of 12962 Little Hayden Circle, began Thursday before Judge Donald E. Beachley. LaPine is charged with four counts each of first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment, two counts of discharging a firearm within city limits and one count of use of a handgun in a crime of violence.

Donald "Don" Shumaker began his involvement on the board of the First Hose Co. of Boonsboro 27 years ago, serving as president for 17 of those years. Two years ago, he decided it was time to call it quits. "After 25 years and all the problems with cancer, I said it was time to forget about it," said Shumaker, 73, who has cancer and receives care from Hospice of Washington County. "My goals in life are - one, do everything I can to help people out, and two, to leave a fatherly image for young people," he said.

Six members of the Washington County Fire Police were named as officers Wednesday evening at a ceremony in Boonsboro, Washington County Sheriff Douglas W. Mullendore said. Previously, all fire police members had the same rank, Mullendore said. "They're about 60 strong now, and to assist with response and incident command, we decided it was time to kind of move that organization into the future," he said. Under the new structure, the county is divided into an east district and a west district, which will each be supervised by a lieutenant, Mullendore said.