Check out Montgomery History‘s upcoming webinar – George W. Meads: “Rockville’s One-Man Fire Department.” From 1895 through 1920, Prior to the founding of the RVFD, the volunteer fire department in Rockville consisted of a dedicated group of civic-minded Black men led by the first Fire Chief in the town’s history: George Meads. Archivist Sarah Hedlund relates the story of Meads’s extraordinary life as a fireman, deputy sheriff, school trustee, entrepreneur, and family man, intertwined with the early history of firefighting… Read more »

It is with profound sadness that RVFD announces the death of Life Member and past President Earle B. “Benny” Poole at the age of 83. Mr. Poole joined RVFD on March 27, 1957 and served as President in 1996. In addition to his volunteer contribution to RVFD, Mr. Poole was hired by RVFD in March 1963 and assigned to Station 223 when it opened the same year. He left RVFD’s employ in 1964 and went to work for Montgomery Count… Read more »

Standard Time starts at 2:00am on Sunday November 7, 2021 When changing your clocks, remember to check your smoke detector. The new Maryland Smoke Detector law went into effect on January 1, 2018. It requires that all homeowners replace their older style battery-type detectors with the new long-life detectors. These new sealed detectors do not require a battery change and last up to 10 years. If you still have a battery-type detector, change the battery.  Don’t wait, the life you… Read more »

Kidde is recalling 226,000 TruSense Smoke Alarms and Combination Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Alarms.  The recalled units are Kidde Model Series 2040, 2050, 2060 and 2070 Smoke and Combination Smoke/Carbon Monoxide alarms.  Only alarms with the TruSense logo or “AMBER=FAULT” printed on the front of the alarm are included in this recall.  The model number is printed on the back of the alarm. The recall was initiated because some sensors in these series failed to alert. NOTE: RVFD and Montgomery County Fire/Rescue… Read more »

In February 1921, a major fire at a store on East Montgomery Ave. in old downtown Rockville threatened to rage out of control and burn the entire block. The fire was only contained with the assistance of apparatus and firefighters from the Washington, DC fire department. A local barber whose shop was on the same block as the burned store went to the town council to request that a fire department be formed to protect the town. On March 9,… Read more »

The 2020 Rockville Public Safety Awards ceremony, sponsored by the Rockville Chamber of Commerce,  was held a little differently this year. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the usual ceremony, typically held in June. Instead award presentations were held separately for each public safety agency in Rockville at Veteran’s Memorial Plaza on Sept 9, 2020. Awards were presented to personnel from the Rockville Volunteer Fire Department, Rockville City Police Department, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department and the Montgomery County Department of Corrections… Read more »