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)

Heating equipment is a leading cause of fires in U.S. homes. Local fire departments responded to an estimated average of 48,530 fires involving heating equipment each year in 2014-2018. These fires resulted in annual losses of 500 deaths, 1,350 injuries, and $1.1 billion in direct property damage. The leading factor contributing to home heating fires was failure to clean, principally from solid-fueled ... (Full Story & Photos)

The officers and members of the Ridge Volunteer Fire Department and Auxiliary regret to announce the passing of Past Auxiliary Member Mary Ann Norris on November 2, 2024.

Please keep Life Member Emerick Norris and family in your thoughts as they go through this difficult time. May she rest in peace.

Arrangements are being handled by Brinsfield Funeral Home.

Mary Ann's arrangements: Monday, 11 ... (Full Story & Photos)

Dry, windy conditions have increased fire risk across the state and fueled ongoing wildfires

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is implementing a statewide ban on open air burning, effective today, November 1, in all Maryland counties.

Extremely dry conditions persist across the state and have led to an above average number of wildfires statewide, and conditions are not expected to change ... (Full Story & Photos)