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2024 Awards Ceremony and Dinner The DC Fire & EMS Foundation co-sponsored the 2024 DC Fire and EMS Department Awards Ceremony and Dinner on June 7, 2024. 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 April 10, 2025 ceremony. Our Sponsors See the full Photo Album here and the full ceremony here. Fire Chief John Donnelly and Executive Director Amy Mauro Fire Chief John Donnelly and General Eric Smth, US Marines Motor Vehicle Crash Survivor Raci Gordon and her Mother, Tia Fields Raci, her Family, and her Lifesavers Dock 5 at Union Market Dock 5 at Union Market H Street Liquors Cocktail Hour US Marine Corps Quintet Band DCFD Emerald Society Pipes and Drums DCFD Emerald Society Pipes and Drums DC Fire & EMS Honor Guard Master of Ceremonies Lieutenant Eugene Russell-Roach Master of Ceremonies Captain Sid Polish Executive Director Amy Mauro Fire Chief John Donnelly City Administrator Kevin Donahue CNN Correspondent and DC EMS Patient Kasie Hunt and her Family Kasie's EMS Team and her Family Retired Medical Director Dr. Robert Holman and Awardee Sgt. Stephen Gerber First Sergeant. Battershall's Life Savers Cardiac Arrest Survivor First Sgt. Peter Battershall, US Marines and his Family Cardiac Arrest Survivor General Eric Smith, US Marines General Smith' and his Life Savers Greater Washington Board of Trade President Jack McDougal and Amy Mauro MedStar Hospital CEO Dr. Gregory Argyros Bronze Bar for Valor Awardee Lt. David Palmer Bronze Bar for Valor Awardees Sgt. Jason Tarbel and Firefighter Matthew Owen Unit Citation Class II-5-U Awardees Class II-5-U Ribbon for Merit Awardees Fire Survivor Cinder and his Dad, Danny Johnson Bronze Ribbon for Valor Awardee Firefighter Ryan Black Company of the Year, Engine 15 AFC James Hanson and Administrative Employee of the Year, Malissa Blanco Dr. Robert Holman and Administrative Employee of the Year, Gabriel Gan AFC Gary Steen and Administrative Officer of the Year Captain Melonie Barnes Paramedic of the Year Darrick Holland Fire Chief and Fire Chief's Excellence Awardee EMT Yvette Reid

2025 Annual Report

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!

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.

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

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

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

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.

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 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.

DC FIRE & EMS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES $442,467 IN GRANT AWARDS FROM LEGACY ON ICE PROCEEDS Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s Legacy on Ice event raised funds for the families of those lost in the tragic January 29, 2025 mid-air collision over the Potomac River, first responders, and the US Figure Skating Association Contact: Amy C. Mauro, Esq. 202-297-0599 amy@dcfireemsfoundation.org August 1, 2025 (Washington, DC) – On March 2, 2025, Legacy On Ice brought the figure skating community and thousands of supporters together at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena to honor the 67 lives lost in the January 29th airline tragedy on the Potomac River, as well as the first responders who rushed to the scene. One third of the funds raised by the event will benefit area first responders (the remaining funds benefit the families and the US Figure Skating Association). “The grants being announced today are both a practical measure of gratitude and a symbol of hope and healing for those first responders who worked on this tragic scene to help bring closure to the families of those who lost their lives,” said Chander Jayaraman, Co-Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Government agencies involved in the plane crash response, or their affiliated non-profit organizations, were eligible to apply for the funds. The grant applications were evaluated by a committee of DC Fire & EMS Foundation Board and staff members, and then reviewed and approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors. The evaluations were based on the eligibility of the applicant, the quality and completeness of the application, the anticipated impact of the proposed funding, and the nature and size of the responding agency’s response to the Potomac River tragedy. The Foundation announced the following awards: $142,500 to the DC Police Foundation for the building of Wellness Rooms for Metropolitan Police Department personnel, a Member Wellness Academy for police officers and their families, and the purchase of an mobile wellness application for every police officer on the force; $85,000 to the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for foundational support of mass casualty response operations, enhanced response readiness, and delivery of targeted staff training on trauma-informed family assistance and interagency coordination; $27,554 to the Prince Georges County, MD Fire and EMS Department for a new wireless communication system and equipment for special operations personnel, as well as a train the trainer course on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, an evidence-based therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, for both the county’s fire and police departments; $15,000 to Charles County Dive and Rescue, Inc. to support their purchase of a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to assist with dives and rescues; and $172,413 to benefit DC Fire & EMS Department personnel through its affiliated organizations, including: $44,247 to the DC Fire & EMS Foundation in unrestricted funds for Legacy on Ice related program costs; $70,196 to the DC Fire & EMS Foundation for sustaining and expanding trauma support services for DC firefighters and EMS personnel; $25,000 to Food on the Stove to support its Food for Thought initiative $23,000 to the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation to support its Family Services program; and $10,000 to the DCFD Emerald Society Pipes and Drums for supplies and equipment replacements. Amy C. Mauro, Esq., Executive Director of the Foundation, stated that “We are eternally grateful to Ted Leonsis and Monumental Sports & Entertainment for their leadership in this initiative and their understanding of the impact that this work has on these employees and organizations.” ###########