Welcome to the Official Website of the Silver Spring Fire Department

Silver Spring Volunteer Fire Department, known as the Silver Spring Fire Department (SSFD), is an organization of volunteer personnel providing emergency medical, fire and rescue services to the greater Silver Spring area. This is done in partnership with Montgomery County's  Division of Operations paid staff.

This past year (2011) units from Silver Spring's three fire stations (1, 16 and 19) responded  to just under 15,000 unit calls. These responses were for  EMS, fire and other emergencies.  These services are provided by firefighters and emergency medical technicians (BLS&ALS) who have been trained and certified according to Maryland State and Montgomery County standards.

Volunteers provide significant support in providing these services. SSFD has a Student Live-In Program. If your college plans are for this area you can live-in our stations. Check our membership page. With dedication and training, you too can join us in the exciting work of serving the community and providing help during the most desperate times. To volunteer you must be at least 18 years old, pass a physical examination and criminal background check, and be willing to complete the appropriate level of training (there is a cadet program for those under 18). We provide uniforms, protective clothing and training at no cost to you. For more information, please go to our Membership Page or email us at InfoSSFD@silverspringvfd.org.

On Thursday nights SSFD members participating in the County Volunteer Basic Orientation Class (VBOC) conduct review training; members of other County LFRDs are invited to participate. Contact us (InfoSSFD@silverspringvfd.org) for times and locations.

Hope you've enjoyed our website; please sign the GUESTBOOK.

Fire Destroys Townhouse In FS19's First Due JANUARY 23 - Three families were displaced Sunday night after a fire destroyed their townhouse in Fire Station 19's first due area. Units from Silver Spring and nearby stations arrived at the home, 2037 Lyttonsville Road, in the Woodside Mews neighborhood around 7:30 p.m. Sunday to find the house engulfed in flames. Firefighters were unable to attack the blaze from inside the house because of extensive ... (Full Story & Photos)

81 LODD in 2011 According to USFA JANUARY 03 - EMMITSBURG, MD — The United States Fire Administration (USFA) announced today there were 81 on-duty firefighter fatalities in the United States as a result of incidents that occurred in 2011. This represents an almost seven percent decrease from the 87 fatalities reported for 2010. The 81 fatalities occurred in 33 states, one U.S. territory, and one overseas U.S. military facility. Texas experienced ... (Full Story & Photos)

The Joplin tornado path is shown in this weather satellite image.

2011 Record-setting Year Nationwide for Natural Disasters DECEMBER 29 - A recent report by the National Climatic Data Center says that 2011 has seen more billion-dollar natural disasters than any year on record. April tornadoes, an historic earthquake, Hurricane Irene and the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee hit Virginia during 2011, causing loss of life and property and leaving millions of dollars in damage. • April tornadoes, April 8, 27-28 and 26; at least 30 tornadoes ... (Full Story & Photos)

Facepiece Testing Provides Data on Failure Potential DECEMBER 07 - (Editor note: This article, from Lexus Nexus, was carried on the on-line FireRescue Magazine site today.) In fire experiments conducted in uniformly furnished, but vacant Chicago-area townhouses, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers uncovered temperature and heat-flow conditions that can seriously damage facepiece lenses on standard firefighter breathing equipment, ... (Full Story & Photos)

Facepiece failure during recent testing by NIST.

Please sign our guestbook.

From Chief Alan Brunacini (ret), Tactical Tidbits, June 2010 Fire Engineering:

"Don't expect the devil to show you the way to heaven."

From Gary Briese,  "Find a mentor. There's a lot to learn in each new position and at first you may have many questions. A true mentor will tell you when you are screing up and help you find an answer."