Text Box: GLEN ECHO FIRE DEPT. OUTLINES PROGRAMS FOR COUNCIL By Kathleen Kotcher Text Box: The Town Council was visited at its June 12 meeting by Jeff Hearle, President of the Glen Echo Fire Department (GEFD). Mr. Hearle is spearheading a campaign to contact local community and civic associations to answer questions about the GEFD and establish contact with the community. Hearle stated the number of fire department volunteers has grown, and there are a lot more classes for potential firefighters to pass since September 11. Many of the classes involve chemicals training and disaster management. While the GEFD does receive county funding, the amount has remained unchanged since 1994. It is soliciting donations from corporate partners in order to expand the level of service. One of the areas involved is providing a higher level of service on the canal towpaths. The department currently has an all-terrain vehicle for emergency use on the towpath and is looking to add mountain bikes. While they have the beginnings of the equipment, the largest obstacle is obtaining up-to-date maps. Mr.Hearle discussed how the GEFD’s emergency preparedness programs differs from other Montgomery County emergency programs such as Montgomery Alert. Montgomery Alert is a county-wide program to handle disasters, but Mr. Hearle feels that issues such as geography (riverside), proximity to military installations, and infrastructure (the reservoirs) make the issues Glen Echo faces “different from the ones in Poolesville.” One example of a localized solution the GEFD is examining for emergency evacuation is using the towpath. In the event of an emergency that required people to move quickly when the roads were blocked or obstructed, people would walk down the tow path away from danger. He lamented there was not a lot of coordination between Montgomery Alert and other agencies. The GEFD has developed a partnership with Glen Echo Park and has installed (and provides maintenance and Text Box: training for) Automatic External Defibulators (AED) in the Spanish Ballrooms. With the GEFD managing the contracts, the department feels more confident these units will perform their life-saving functions more safely and reliably. The GEFD is the first responder to emergencies in Glen Echo, but if it is currently on another call, the Cabin John Fire Department will step in, Mr. Hearle said. The GEFD service area is roughly the areas between Wilson to River to Little Falls Parkway to MacArthur Blvd. In the case of river rescues, however, the Cabin John Fire Department has responsibility. GEFD is in charge of providing any land assistance (such as along the tow path and riverside) but Cabin John has the proper training, equipment and certifications for water rescues. Text Box: LEAKING SEWAGE DETECTED, REMOVED, BEHIND WELLESLEY Several families along Wellesley Circle were troubled for months by a noxious smell emanating from the wooded area behind their houses. Several complaints to WSSC produced workmen who checked the sewer lines repeatedly and found no back-ups. After a third call, workmen came equipped with a map of the underground sewer pipes and determined that there were three manholes in the woods, one of which was totally stopped up. It had been leaking raw sewage for months, possibly over a year. The manhole was cleaned out in short order, but for several weeks the smell of an old stable lingered, since so much sewage had leaked into the woods. Now that the emanation has dissolved into the ground, the odor is back to what one resident described as “honeysuckle delite.”