Glen Echo Fire Department

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Glen Echo Fire Department

Glen Echo Fire Department is staffed by a combination of volunteer and paid firefighters and EMS providers. Are you on Instagram?

We're a volunteer fire department in the southernmost tip of Montgomery County, Maryland, and we've provided emergency services to the Bethesda and Chevy Chase area since 1931. Collectively, we work to maximize the level of service to our community in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, Maryland. Follow us there for more photos: https://www.instagram.com/glenechofiredept/

05/25/2026

We are excited to highlight Staff Lieutenant Will C for our May Member of the Month series! Will C is a Montgomery County EMS Provider Master and Staff Lieutenant at the Glen Echo Fire Department. He started volunteering at Glen Echo in 2020, during the peak of the COVID pandemic. Since then, he has been checked off to staff the ambulance as a charge aide (A2) and driver (A1), and operate the UTV as a provider and driver. Will has also led the Special Events Committee, planning some of our most popular events each year: our Annual Open House, Santa Runs, and race and parade staffing.

When asked about his favorite part of being an EMT, Will said: My favorite part of being an EMT is the culture of constant advancement and learning. We are constantly facing new challenges or unique calls, so the focus at GEFD on consistent, realistic training is huge and has kept me coming back all these years. Whether it’s mastering how to splint fractures and dislocations or becoming an expert in all things apparatus, there’s so many opportunities available to learn and grow.

Read the full spotlight on our website: gefd.org/gefd-volunteer-spotlight/

05/21/2026

Happy EMS Week!

Thank you to our EMTs, medics, and firefighters for the time, training, and commitment you put in every shift. We’re proud to work alongside incredible providers and educators in Montgomery County. Take time for yourself this week!

04/30/2026

We are thrilled to highlight Staff Lieutenant Bethany Perkins for April’s Monthly Volunteer Spotlight! Bethany is a Montgomery County EMS Provider Master and is checked off as an ambulance driver (A1), charge aide (A2), and UTV driver and operator. She fulfills multiple roles in the department, including leading our training team for both probationary and minimum staffing members.

When asked about any advice she would give to anyone thinking about becoming a volunteer first responder, Bethany said: “The role requires a growth mindset and a strong work ethic. It will challenge you in ways you may not expect. There are sleepless nights, calls you’ll never forget, and situations that are out of your control. Being a first responder can be a thankless job at times, so your motivation has to come from a genuine desire to help others and serve your community. If this resonates with you, I would absolutely encourage you to take the leap!”

Read Bethany’s full Volunteer Spotlight on our website: gefd.org/gefd-volunteer-spotlight/

04/27/2026

What an eventful weekend!👏🏻 Volunteers at the Glen Echo Fire Department helped with staffing multiple special events all over Montgomery County this weekend. We started off the weekend strong with our Graduate Photoshoot for our graduating senior members and a standby at the Suburban Nursery Touch-a-Truck event on Saturday morning.

Then, our members hopped over to to help with staffing their volunteer engine (PE705B) and ambulance (A705) on the night of their banquet. While staffing for the night, the paramedic engine crew was dispatched on a three-vehicle personal injury collision (PIC) incident with one BLS transport.

The next morning, A711B and UTV711 staffed the Pike’s Peek 10K in North Bethesda, treating multiple patients and transporting one to the hospital.

GEFD is proud to give back to our community by staffing Special Events, and this weekend was an excellent example of our commitment to this mission! A huge thank you to all of our volunteer EMTs, paramedics, and firefighters who showed up for extra shifts to make this event-filled weekend possible. And a shoutout📢 to our Special Events Team for coordinating all of the moving parts!

04/17/2026

We would like to recognize all department promotions received thus far in 2026! A huge congratulations to Eddie Herzig, Brian Kelley, Phyllis Kristal, Eric Rosenkranz, Alena Jin, and Evan Reid on their achievements. Thank you for your hard work!

04/12/2026

Photos from our trail rescue training day yesterday! We got in some good UTV practice working on the CCT itself. A huge thank you to those who came out — we’re looking forward to running more of these trainings in the future.

03/26/2026

For this month’s Volunteer Spotlight, we are honored to highlight one of our longest involved members: Adele Seifried! Adele is celebrating her 20-year anniversary with the department this year, and is one of our most important administrative members. Admin members play an integral part in helping our department run smoothly, and Adele is incremental with tracking LOSAP points and taking minutes at our monthly membership meetings.

When asked what her favorite part of being a member at GEFD is, Adele said:
I help out at the Open House (usually cooking hot dogs), ride several nights as Santa (shhh) or Santa’s helper, coordinate pictures with Santa at the station, and have fun coming to the periodically scheduled training days, where my specialty is pretending to be a difficult patient. I love seeing the fresh faces start out and am amazed at how quickly they become competent first responders and take on additional responsibilities.

Read Adele’s full Volunteer Spotlight on our website: gefd.org/gefd-volunteer-spotlight/

03/25/2026

Three months into the new year, we have taken some time to reflect on our achievements in 2025. Last year, we...

Ran nearly 3000 calls.
Gained 19 new members and earned a total of 25 department promotions.
Progressed 20 members on the IECS list.
Hosted 4 community-focused events.

Not pictured: staffed multiple first-due and Montgomery County events, purchased new apparatus, and devoted countless hours to revamping our training and progression programs.

We are incredibly proud of our department and its consistent work towards improvement. Thank you, because we couldn’t have done it without our community’s support! Until next year,
Glen Echo Volunteer Fire Department.

To contribute to the department, please visit gefd.org/donate

02/27/2026

We are excited to be bringing back our monthly Volunteer Spotlights, starting with our newly-minted MD Paramedic, Ari Krysmalski! Ari has been with the department since 2020, and has stepped into leadership roles as a Staff Sergeant during his time with Glen Echo. He recently finished the rigorous paramedic training process and is now cleared to answer calls as an advanced-level provider.

When asked if he has any advice to give to those who are on the fence about becoming a first responder, Ari said:
To anyone who is thinking about becoming a volunteer, I would say that almost everything in fire and EMS is an acquired skill, just like any other profession. You can be open-minded about whether volunteering is a good fit for you, because if (and only if) you put in enough hard work, you will develop competence, and eventually confidence.

You can read Ari’s full Volunteer Spotlight on the GEFD website: gefd.org/gefd-volunteer-spotlight/

01/26/2026

❄️Snow❄️ or shine, the Glen Echo Fire Department is always ready to serve our community! This weekend, dozens of our volunteers stepped up to staff our transport and support units during the snowstorm 🚑. When not on a call, our volunteers got in some extra training, taking advantage of having a full firehouse of trained EMTs, paramedics, and firefighters to run complex drills with. Thank you to our volunteers for going above and beyond to protect our community despite the weather! To our neighbors, stay safe and warm, and do not hesitate to call 911 if help is needed.

**Real patients are not pictured in these photos.

Address

5920 Massachusetts Avenue
Bethesda, MD
20816

Telephone

+13012293200

Website

http://www.gefd.org/

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