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Investing in DC Fire & EMS Saves Lives. The DC Fire & EMS Foundation's mission is to support the Department and its heroic members, and to educate the community about its life-saving mission. The Legacy On Ice Grant Application Is Open Until June 20, 2025 Application 2025 Awards Ceremony Investing in DC Fire & EMS Saves Lives LEARN OUR STORY Our Mission & Vision The mission of the DC Fire & EMS Foundation is to support the DC Fire & Emergency Medical Services Department and its heroic members by supporting their training, wellness and recognition, equipment and facilities, and by educating the community about the Department's life-saving mission. Our vision is to empower the Department to continue to be a national leader in the fields of EMS, fire suppression and prevention, homeland security, and technical rescue. Our Team Thank you to our major sponsors, who see our Foundation's promise and honor the work of our first responders. Our Work How your investment helps Learn More TRAINING Investing in our Present and Future WELLNESS Taking Care of our First Responders EQUIPMENT & FACILITIES Supporting Excellent Service Learn More Learn More Learn More DID YOU KNOW? Every day, DC Fire & EMS first responders resuscitate patients in cardiac arrest, put out structure fires, rescue people trapped in elevators, and inspect buildings for safety hazards. EMS DC Fire & EMS is the 3rd largest health care provider in DC and a national leader in diverting non-emergency patients to primary care. Learn More Fire DC Firefighters are aggressive at preventing and responding to fires, rescuing victims, and preserving life and property. Learn More Diversity, Equity & Inclusion The DC Fire & EMS Department is one of the most diverse fire departments in the nation. Learn More MAKE A LIFE SAVING DONATION TODAY Donate Now EIN 26-0803057 @dcfireemsfoundation Subscribe to our Mailing List Join Thanks for subscribing!

Our Team Amy C. Mauro, Esq. Executive Director Amy C. Mauro, Esq. is an accomplished and transformative leader who has worked on critical policy issues and strategic organizational change for twenty-five years, in both District and federal agencies and in three branches of government. Read More Chuck Bean Board Member Chuck Bean was Executive Director of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments from 2012 through early 2023. He is an executive and civic leader with more than 30 years of experience in government, nonprofits and philanthropy. Read More Milton Douglas Board Member Milton Douglas retired from the DC Fire & EMS Department in 2022, after 35 years of service, at the rank of Assistant Fire Chief of Technical Services. Read More Kate Fogle Archivist Kate Fogle manages the Foundation's Virtual Exhibit, the History of the DC Fire and EMS Department in Photos, Videos, and Oral Histories, and supports the Washington, DC Fire and EMS Museum on behalf of the Foundation. Read More Olaf "Pete" Pederson Board Member Olaf P. “Pete” Pedersen, III has served on the Foundation's Board of Directors since its early days of incorporation and most recently took a lead role in the Foundation's DC Firefighters Memorial Helmet Project. Read More Tommy Wells Board Member Tommy Wells is a long-time DC resident, attorney, and public servant. Read More John A. Donnelly, Sr. Fire & EMS Chief and Honorary Co-Chair, ex officio Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly, Sr. was nominated by Mayor Muriel Bowser on September 4, 2020 to lead the 2,200 member DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. He was confirmed by the Council of the District of Columbia on December 15, 2020. Read More Larissa Bergin Board Secretary Larissa Bergin is a Partner at Jones Day. Her practice addresses the antitrust concerns arising from M&A matters, joint ventures, federal investigations, and commercial practices. Read More Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD, MPH, MPA Board Member Lisa Fitzpatrick is Founder and CEO of Grapevine Health, a digital health media company whose mission is to build trust and improve patient engagement among Medicaid patients through delivering culturally appropriate and relatable health information. Read More Carrie Kohns Board Member Carrie Kohns is the founder and CEO of strategic communications consulting firm, K&K Group, where she has been guiding political, corporate and nonprofit clients since 2018. She has more than two decades of experience in political strategy, policy development and communications management. Read More Ronald Siarnicki Board Member Ronald Siarnicki spent 24 years in the fire service as a volunteer and professional firefighter before retiring and then serving as Executive Director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation for 22 years. Read More Balchander Jayaraman Board Co-Chair Balchander Jayaraman is a recognized leader with over 18 years of emergency preparedness experience that includes evacuation and response plan development, Continuity of Operations planning, resilience assessment, HSEEP compliant exercise and scenario design and training, evacuation map creation, and program and project management. He is an effective consensus builder who has successfully worked with business leaders, government officials, advocacy groups, and community based organizations to generate support for innovative approaches to emergency preparedness planning. Read More Steve Blivess Board Treasurer Steve Blivess is Chief Legal Counsel for Frederick County Public Schools. Blivess has spent the past 20 years as an attorney and labor relations professional with experience in litigation, as counsel to government executives, Fortune 500 corporations, family-owned businesses and individuals. Read More David Hoagland President, Local 36 of the IAFF and Board Member David Hoagland is President of Local 36 of the International Associated of Fire Fighters, representing over 2,000 members of the DC Fire & EMS Department. He is currently a Lieutenant and was most recently assigned to Engine 9 in the Adams Morgan/U Street neighborhood. Read More Renee McPhatter Board Member Renee McPhatter is proud Ward 7 resident who has lived in the District of Columbia for over 30 years. She is Associate Vice President for Government and Community Relations at George Washington University. Read More John Sollers Board Member John Sollers retired from the DC Fire & EMS Department in 2021 at the rank of Assistant Fire Chief. During his 35 years with the Department, he specialized in special operations, incident command and response to technical rescue and hazardous materials incidents, logistics and facilities, fleet maintenance, program management, emergency planning, operational readiness, and instructing and training and motivating team members. Read More

Last Run of the Horses 100th Anniversary BACKGROUND: One hundred years ago, on June 15, 1925, the DC Fire Department held a ceremonial Last Run of the Horses. The purpose of the event was to commemorate the service of the great fire horses, who were no longer needed due to the advent of motorized fire apparatus. EVENT DETAILS: On June 15, 2025 at 1 p.m. , the DC Fire and EMS Department , in partnership with the Friendship Fire Association and the DC Fire & EMS Foundation, re-enacted the historic ceremonial Last Run of the Horses, using a cosmetically preserved 1905 American LaFrance horse-drawn steam fire engine. ROUTE: The horse-drawn engine ran from the William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center at 635 North Carolina Ave, SE, to Lincoln Park, where we gathered for a small community reception immediately following the procession. WHAT WAS SPECIAL: Hundreds of neighbors, active and retired firefighters and their families, and other supporters lined the streets and gathered at Lincoln Park to observe the procession. It was a joyful day on Capitol Hill! This recap video includes historic film footage of the ceremonial Last Run of the DCFD Horses on June 15, 1925. Reproduced with permission from the UCLA Film and Television Archives. Learn more here. Hundreds gather in DC to commemorate the ceremonial ‘Last Run of the Horses’ Grace Newton, WTOP | grace.newton@wtop.com June 15, 2025, 7:56 PM Hundreds gathered along one D.C. avenue Sunday to commemorate the last time the city’s Fire Department used horse drawn carriages to respond to emergencies ... Sunday’s event, organized by the DC Fire and EMS Foundation along with the Friendship Fire Association , marked the 100th anniversary of the event by holding a reenactment. “They’re (department members) very proud of the long history of the agency,” said Amy Mauro, executive director of DC Fire and EMS Foundation. “How far it’s come over the last 150 years of being in existence ...Today is a really joyful day on Capitol Hill,” Mauro said. “There were a lot of stories going back and forth, you know, from the retired guys, and talking about how D.C. has changed, how it doesn’t look the same, and just reminiscing about their time on the job,” Mazzara said. “So it’s a lot of fun.” Thank you to our sponsors!

< Back Renee McPhatter Board Member Earlier in her career, Renee worked for D.C. Councilmember Kathy Patterson as the staff director for the D.C. Council Committee on Judiciary. In that role, she worked on issues pertaining to the Fire and EMS department. Renee also held other positions in the District government including serving as Deputy Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs for former D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, and General Counsel for the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services. Renee earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her law degree from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.

DC Firefighters Memorial Helmet Project The DC Fire & EMS Department has lost 102 firefighters in the line of duty since 1856. The DC Firefighters Memorial Helmet Project memorializes every DC firefighter who died in the line of duty with the installation of memorial helmets and plaques on streetlights at the locations of their ultimate sacrifice. You can read their stories here. To see a map of the locations, click on the LODD Locations box here. See media coverage about the project here . We also support the DC Fallen Firefighters’ Memorial Project , which is dedicated to erecting a permanent memorial in honor of the Firefighters’ lives that have been lost in the line of duty. This project is a partnership between: Roll of Honor: the members of the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department who made the supreme sacrifice in their service to the citizens of the District of Columbia. 1800s John G. Anderson March 20, 1856 Benjamin C. Grenup May 6, 1856 Thomas H. Robinson February 15, 1877 Joseph Daniels August 18, 1882 Thomas R. Newman February 20, 1891 Zedock Williams December 12, 1893 Samuel E. Mastin July 25, 1894 Michael R. Fenton July 25, 1894 Dennis O'Donoghue July 25, 1894 Thomas J. Martin June 3, 1895 Thomas A. Griffen May 18, 1896 Daniel Conway May 18, 1896 George W. Kettler May 18, 1896 George H. Giles May 18, 1896 Joseph Mulhall May 18, 1896 John G. Angell August 12, 1896 John A. Merriman March 4, 1897 1900s Martin J. Niland July 2, 1900 Charles A. Keefe February 7, 1901 Arthur H. Gibbons October 15, 1904 Simon A. McLane June 1, 1905 Joseph H. McGinnis November 15, 1905 William T. Belt December 13, 1908 Francis M. Smith January 10, 1909 1910s William Caton February 14, 1910 Stewart K. Rosenberger July 27, 1910 Lee Beall June 17, 1911 Michael A. Downes October 14, 1911 Timothy J. Brown October 14, 1911 Fred Koch November 10, 1916 Charles A.E. Watt December 18, 1916 Simon F. Holohan December 28, 1917 William H. Richards October 11, 1918 Frank O. Markward October 12, 1918 William T. Byram October 15, 1918 Frederick W. Cheeney October 18, 1918 Thomas A. Bianco October 23, 1918 John F. Farr December 29, 1918 Charles B. Proctor December 29, 1918 1920s James L. Mann August 27, 1925 Edward F. Laughton March 2, 1926 James Mowatt March 18, 1927 Harry L. Stout June 22, 1927 Samuel L. Gallahan July 26, 1927 Albert J. Greiner October 27, 1928 1930s Harry W. Swann May 26, 1930 Peter R. Davis June 13, 1930 John H. Virnstein July 5, 1931 Maurice P. Corbett February 19, 1932 Robert G. Anderson February 23, 1933 Myron W. Thayer October 18, 1934 Patrick J. Sullivan December 18, 1934 Albert F. Gavreau November 29, 1936 William H. Hill December 3, 1936 Vernon C. Richardson March 10, 1937 Walter W. Imboden March 29, 1938 Twyman S. Jones April 11, 1938 Charles E. Schrom February 27, 1939 Gilbert W. Fletcher January 16, 1937 George N. Haller April 5, 1939 Samuel T. Walters July 30, 1939 1940s Raymond E. Oden July 28, 1943 John R. Gray October 4, 1940 Everett L. Owens July 28, 1943 Thomas S. Baber December 6, 1944 Dewey W. Neill December 24, 1944 Maurice T. Hizer February 11, 1945 William E. Caton November 2, 1943 Earl O. Negley December 27, 1946 Lloyd A. Irwin December 4, 1947 Leon M. Nevitt December 30, 1947 Edward G. Williams August 15, 1949 Joseph A. Carter, Jr. July 4, 1944 Albert E. Mitchener September 29, 1947 1950s Ernest W. Howard May 4, 1950 Preston T. Garrison April 21, 1955 Allen Lewis September 20, 1952 Albert M. Hazel March 15, 1956 Barton M. Ewers November 2, 1954 William W. Hoeke July 19, 1957 Millard F. Coxen December 19, 1954 George R. Flaherty February 24, 1955 1960s James B. Curtin October 30, 1960 Joseph I. Looney November 13, 1961 William E. Schaffner March 21, 1962 Charles M. Chamberlin March 1, 1965 Eugene B. Davis April 29, 1965 1970s Earl C. Kite January 7, 1970 Joseph R. Criscuolo October 20, 1970 Vance T. Bartley February 15, 1971 Maurice T. Turner June 26, 1971 Hunter L. Vaughan November 21, 1976 1980s Calvin L. Steve November 23, 1983 John T. Williams December 19, 1984 Clifford R. Oliver December 1, 1987 1990s John M. Carter October 24, 1997 Anthony S. Phillips, Sr. May 30, 1999 Louis J. Matthews May 31, 1999 Costello N. Robinson July 9, 1999 2000s James McRae, III July 7, 2007 2010s Kevin A.McRae May 6, 2015 Alex D. Graham October 27, 2019

< Back Tommy Wells Board Member Tommy started his career in the District working as a social worker for the District's child protective services agency. He served as Director of the DC Consortium for Child Welfare from 1991 to 2006 and as an ANC 6B Commissioner from 1995 to 2000. In 2001, he was elected to represent Wards 5 and 6 on the DC School Board. He served as the Ward 6 from 2006 to 2014; during his tenure he chaired the Committee on the Judiciary. He then joined the administration of Mayor Muriel Bowser as the Director of the Department of Energy & Environment for eight years, followed by a year as Director of the Office of Policy and Legislative Affairs. He retired from DC government service in 2023.

< Back John Sollers Board Member John has extensive experience coordinating with both local and federal agencies and is a certified instructor in hazardous materials, incident management, and National Fire Protection Administration best practices. He is a graduate of the Executive Leaders Program: Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security and the University of Maryland.

< Back Ronald Siarnicki Board Member Ron began his career as a firefighter with the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department in 1978 and, over 24 years, progressed through the ranks to Chief of the Department. In this position, he served as the Chief Executive Officer responsible for the fire, rescue and emergency medical services of Prince George’s County, Maryland. While with the Department, he also served on the Joint Fire and Police Pension Board for four years. Prior to joining the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, he served as a volunteer firefighter with the Monessen Volunteer Fire Department, Hose House #2 , in western Pennsylvania. In doing so, he followed a family tradition-both his father and grandfather were volunteer firefighters. In July 2001, he retired from the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department to take the position of Executive Director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). In recognition of his outstanding leadership with the NFFF and the fire service as a whole, he has been recognized by various groups and organizations to include: The Fire Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award, Alan Brunacini Fire Services Executive Safety Award from the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Metropolitan Fire Chiefs’ Presidents Award of Distinction, University of Maryland, University College Distinguished Alumnus, American Burn Association’s Moncrief Award and the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Silver Medal of Valor. A strong proponent of higher education, he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and served as a UMUC faculty member for the Fire Science Curriculum.

< Back Olaf "Pete" Pederson Board Member Pete served as Manager of Emergency Preparedness for the Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco) from 2011 - 2023. In that role, he was responsible for strengthening Pepco’s partnerships with area federal, state and local emergency management agencies, police and fire departments as well as local & state governments while at the same time developing new partnerships throughout Pepco’s service territory. He also worked closely with Pepco’s partners prior to and during system events developing procedures and protocols targeted at improving coordination and communication among utilities and first responders. Pete has over 44 years of experience in the electrical industry and has held positions in various divisions of the company including Systems Operations, Safety and Emergency Preparedness. In addition, to his role as Manager of Emergency Preparedness, he coordinated Pepco’s Emergency Services Partnership Program or “ESPP.” This program is designed to share critical electrical safety training and information with first responders (Fire, Police & CERT) to ensure their safety when responding to electrical emergencies.

< Back Carrie Kohns Board Member Carrie’s career includes notable roles serving prominent political figures. Most recently, Carrie served as Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications to Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C., where she played a key role in shaping the mayor's messaging and media strategy. For seven years, she was the Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Karen Bass, now Mayor of Los Angeles, where she managed communications, policy and strategic initiatives to steer Bass’ agenda on the national stage. Prior to this, Carrie served as Chief of Staff and Communications Director for Mayor Adrian Fenty in Washington, D.C. Her leadership in these high-pressure environments allowed her to shape major public policy and communications strategies. Previously, Carrie served as the Washington Director and Communications Director for Rep. Loretta Sanchez, running her Capitol Hill operation, handling media relations and legislative initiatives. Carrie grew up in Washington, DC and lives in Ward 4 with her husband, a Metropolitan Police Department Officer, and her son.

< Back David Hoagland President, Local 36 of the IAFF and Board Member David is a life-long believer in strong labor unions and follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, who was president of a carpenters’ union. David was raised part-time in Washington, DC, and lives with his wife and kids in Ward 5.

< Back Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD, MPH, MPA Board Member Lisa is a board-certified infectious diseases physician and a medical epidemiologist. She has experience serving as a member of the Center for Disease Control’s elite Epidemic Intelligence Service, as a foreign diplomat in the Caribbean, as an academic researcher, and as the former chief medical officer for the DC Medicaid program. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine/ National Academy of Sciences Roundtable on Health Literacy and an Aspen Institute Health Innovator Fellow. Lisa has lived and worked throughout the District of Columbia, including in Ward 8.