Pr. George's Firefighters, Medics Honored for Services

When a crash occurred and a vehicle caught fire with the driver still inside, firefighters and paramedics rushed to the scene and were able to rescue the driver. 

For their efforts, they recently were given emergency services awards from Prince George’s County. 

Marc Bashoor, the county’s fire chief, presented the awards to the following firefighters and medics from both the Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department and the Ritchie Volunteer Fire Department: 

Paramedic and firefighter Lt. Robert G. Bilko

Paramedic technician and firefighter Michael M. Hayter

Firefighter Romeo N. Dela Cruz

Paramedic and firefighter Kelli D. Cooke

Paramedic and firefighter David B. Snyder

Paramedic and firefighter Christopher M. Katzaman

Firefighter Michael J. Kiefer

Volunteer Lt. Wynton Woodson

Volunteer firefighter Michael Moore

Volunteer firefighter Vincent Atchison

Volunteer firefighter Daniel Brownstein

Volunteer Sgt. William Soehner

Volunteer Capt. William Cunningham, Jr.

Volunteer Deputy Chief William Cunningham, Sr. 

The men and women were able to work together to extinguish the fire, remove the critically injured victim from the car and keep the victim breathing until Maryland State Police arrived on the scene, according to the county. 

The victim was then transported to a burn unit in the area to be treated for critical burns and injuries.

“Without the efforts of everyone involved, the victim would not have had a chance of survival,” Bashoor said in a statement. “I am convinced that without the efforts of these individuals that the patient’s outcome would not have been the same.”