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Contact us with questions, support, donations, or feedback about the DC Fire & EMS Foundation. The Foundation's Address: 122 Kentucky Ave, SE Washington, DC 20003 CONTACT US Name Email Subject Message Submit Thanks for submitting! Join our mailing list Email* Subscribe I want to subscribe to your mailing list.

DC Fire & EMS Foundation supports the Department and its heroic members with resources for training, employee wellness and recognition initiatives, and state of the art equipment and facilities. How Your Investment Helps The DC Fire & EMS Foundation raises funds to support first responder wellness and recognition, training and leadership development, innovation, facilities and equipment. It also educates the community about the Department's life-saving mission. 93% of the Department's budget funds operations, leaving only 1% of the non-personnel budget for training and less than 2% for non-capital equipment and facilities maintenance. The Foundation supplements the Department's needs that are not included in its municipal budget. First Responder Wellness and Recognition Firefighters and EMS personnel are at increased risk for cardiac conditions, infectious disease, cancer, mental illness, and substance abuse. The daily and cumulative stress and sacrifice of their jobs takes its toll. The DC Fire & EMS Foundation supports the safety and well being of DC Fire & EMS employees and their families through an emergency fund for those in health crises. It supports the Department's peer support team, provides wellness programming, and sponsors the Department's Annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner. Training & Leadership Development Strong leadership has been key to the Department’s recent progress. Through its work with the Department’s Women’s Advisory Council (WAC), the Foundation co-sponsored the Heroes Haven wellness and leadership event for female firefighters, as well as the annual Camp Spark!, a two-day summer camp for girls aged 12 to 17 years old who are interested in becoming firefighters and EMS providers. In 2025, the Foundation funded an executive coach to work with the Fire Chief and his executive leadership team to facilitate teamwork, individual growth, and a solid leadership bench for the future of the agency. Innovation The Foundation funds research to further its vision to empower the Department to continue to be a national leader in each of its disciplines. We have funded EMS internships in the Office of the Medical Director for two summers. In 2025, in partnership with Children's National Hospital and the Doris Duke Foundation, the interns conducted research on racial equity in the treatment of pain, STEMI (heart attack) care and coordination with hospitals, buprenorphine induction for opioid overdose patients, and mental health treatment. Community Education Every spring, the Foundation’s Executive Director, Amy Mauro, testifies about the Department’s proposed budget. Underfunding of the Department in the past risked the public’s and firefighters’ safety, and we advocate to ensure we never return to those days. The Foundation also works on projects that educate the community on the Department's life-saving mission, its history, and its members' sacrifice, Examples of this work include the Foundation's grant-funded website https://www.dcfireem shistory.org/ The Memorial Helmet Project, and The 100th Anniversary of the Last Run of the Horses Equipment & Facilities Most DC Fire & EMS personnel work 24 hour shifts out of fire houses that serve as their workplace and home. Their facility needs are unique compared to other DC agencies. The Department's Training Academy campus is outdated for the Department's current operations and is in need of significant modernization and repair. The DC Fire & EMS Foundation advocates for providing personnel with state of the art equipment and facilities so that they can provide the best service commensurate with the high priority Departmental mission of saving lives.

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

2025 Awards Ceremony and Dinner The DC Fire & EMS Foundation co-hosted the 2025 DC Fire and EMS Department Awards Ceremony and Dinner on April 10, 2025. Thank you to our sponsors and donors who helped make this amazing night happen! Contact us for information on how to become a sponsor at the 2026 ceremony! Thank You to Our Sponsors See the full Photo Album here and the full ceremony here . Photos by Lexi Critchett and Valerie Freeman Guest MCs Brian Mitchell and Fred Smoot with Foundation ED Amy Mauro Fire Chief John Donnelly with Councilmember Brooke Pinto ...and Local 36 President Dave Hoagland, Deputy COS Alexis Squire Guest MCs Brian Mitchell and Fred Smoot Council Chairman Phil Mendelson MC Lieutenant Keishea Jackson MC Captain Jordan Wiley Guest MC Kevin Grevey Family of Lieutenant Robert Heaney DCFD Pipes and Drums DCFD Honor Guard Foundation Executive Director Amy Mauro Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly Regina Snead, Baby Einstein Child Development Center Director honoring gas explosion first responders DCFD Pipes and Drums Company of the Year: Rescue Squad 2 Toddler accident survivor and her parents greeting her first responders Toddler accident survivor with her Childrens Hospital caregivers Honored for a cardiac arrest save Employees of the Year, including Administrative, Firefighter, Paramedic, and Officer. Administrative Units of the Year: Property Maintenance and Logistics Divisions Honoring the 67 Souls Lost on 1/29/25 Anthony Chappelle with his life savers Kay Bennett with her life savers Firefighter, Paramedic, and Officer of the Year Retired Assistant Fire Chief James Hanson

St. Dominics Catholic Church, 630 E Street, SW, site of Capt. Brown's funeral

< 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 Fire & EMS is aggressive about fighting and preventing fires. The Dept meets national standards for response times and fire suppression and has a robust community fire prevention and education program. #DC'S BRAVEST DC residents and businesses can count on #DC's Bravest to be there quickly to save lives and property. DC Firefighters arrive at fire scenes in 5 minutes and 20 seconds or less over 90% of the time , making them national leaders in meeting National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards. They also confine fires to the room of origin over 80% of the time, And they confine fires to the structure of origin over 95% of the time. Preventing Fire Fatalities Despite DC's Bravest's excellent record rescuing fire victims and preserving property, each year the District loses too many lives to fires, with an uptick in fire fatalities over the last few years. DC Fire & EMS works with the community to prevent these tragedies with its All Hands on Prevention and other programs. The Department has a strong Fire Prevention Division that on an annual basis conducts over 12,000 building inspections, investigates almost 200 arsons, installs over 3,000 smoke alarms, and conducts hundreds of fire safety education sessions for kids, seniors, and other residents and business owners. Learn More Learn More Safe Staffing D C Fire & EMS is fortunate to have the NFPA recommend ed staffing levels on its fire appara tus . While this staffing has been redu ced in other jurisdictions, as well as in DC during economic downturns in the past, DC fully staffs its apparatus. T he DC Fire & EMS Foundation supports maintaining current staffing levels for the safety of our firefighters and residents.

Corporate Matching Gifts Double your impact. Did you know that thousands of companies match donations by employees to our organization? Search our database below to see if your company does. See if your employer will match your donation! How to Get Your Gift Matched by Your Employer Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Use our search tool above to see if you're eligible: Search our database to see if your employer matches gifts. If they do, you'll learn everything you need to about the program! Submit your match: When you use our database, you'll receive links for requesting your match. That's it! Once you submit your match, your gift - and your impact - will be doubled.

2025 Annual Report

The story of the DC Fire & EMS Department is the story of how financial and political investment saves lives. DC's cardiac arrest survival rate is now one of the highest in the nation . During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, DC was the only major city that did not leave fire and EMS units unstaffed. It has not always been this way. In 2015, the Department routinely ran out of ambulances, its appar atus broke down, its members received little training, and the District's cardiac arrest save rate was half the national average. On January 6, 2021 , the Department mobilized over 200 first responders and sufficient reserve apparatus to rescue patients and assist law enforcement with protecting democracy at the U.S. Capitol. View DC Fire & EMS Jan 6 Documentary Here Trailer Protect our progress. We cannot take for granted how far we have come. And there is more work to be done to save more lives, and to keep our first responders safe and healthy. During these uncertain economic times, we must be diligent in protecting our progress and keeping it going. Seal the deal. First responders “represent an ideal. An assurance by society, backed by money, that human lives are sacred and will be saved anywhere and everywhere they’re in danger. Society has often shrugged its burden and reneged on the deal…But it’s always been there.” -- Kevin Hazzard , American Sirens

< 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.