Welcome to the official website for the Berwyn Heights Volunteer Fire Department, Station 14 in Prince George’s County, Maryland. We are located just inside the Capital Beltway, about 1 mile east of the University of Maryland’s College Park campus and 5 miles northeast of the nation’s capital, Washington D.C.
We proudly serve a diverse population in the surrounding communities of Berwyn Heights, College Park, and Greenbelt. We also respond to incidents with the neighboring fire stations in the Beltsville, Chillum, Glenn Dale, Hillandale, Hyattsville, Lanham, Laurel, and Riverdale areas.
Station 14 currently operates three types of apparatus to handle the emergencies and incidents that occur in the area – a heavy rescue squad, a tractor-drawn aerial ladder truck, and a basic life support ambulance.
The rescue squad, which carries up to 8 firefighters, responds to both fire and rescue incidents where there are rescue operations that require both specialized equipment and training. The squad responds to motor vehicle collisions on the highways, performs search and rescue operations at structure fires as well as response to technical rescue incidents. We currently have two heavy rescues, Rescue Squad 14 and Rescue Squad 14R.
The tiller truck, known as Truck 14, has a 100-foot aerial ladder and capacity for 8 firefighters. It is dispatched to structure types that range from single story houses and garden style apartments to multi-story residential high-rises as well as commercial buildings.
The ambulance provides medical care and transport for victims of life-threatening illnesses or injuries until they can be given full medical care at a hospital. The ambulance is primarily a basic life support unit, however as qualified staffing permits, the unit can be upgraded to a Paramedic Ambulance. We currently have two ambulances, Ambulance 148 and Ambulance 149.
We also operate three chief’s vehicles and a utility truck for support needs.
The Berwyn Heights VFD is a combination department, with both volunteer and career firefighter/EMTs working together. The station is staffed on weekdays from 0700 to 1500 hours by Prince George’s County career personnel alongside our dedicated volunteers. Nights, weekends and holidays, however, are staffed exclusively by volunteers. The volunteer and career members enjoy an excellent professional relationship, working side-by-side with overlapping schedules to ensure continuous, 24 hour-a-day station staffing.
We are always looking for more volunteer members. No previous experience is necessary, and all training and equipment are provided at no cost. All operational members are Maryland certified emergency medical technicians. Firefighter/EMTs are trained on all of the apparatus for all types of incidents; EMT-only members handle EMS and rescue incidents but do not have to become firefighters. We also have non-riding administrative members who perform additional support duties. If you are interested in joining or would like to learn more about volunteering with our organization, please feel free to contact us. We’d be happy to answer any questions, give you a tour or even take you on a ride-a-long.
