North Point-Edgemere VFD recognized for Key Bridge response

Local firefighters were presented with a Public Service Award last week for their lifesaving response to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The Maryland Chamber of Commerce recognized members of the North Point-Edgemere Volunteer Fire Department at the event on Thursday, May 9, at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. The chamber also presented the award to Baltimore County’s fire and police departments, the Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management, the MDTA Police, and the Key Bridge Response Unified Command.

“While we will never fully comprehend the challenges these heroes faced, we are forever grateful for their extraordinary bravery and service,” said Mary Kane, president of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. “Their actions undoubtedly saved countless lives and helped restore stability to our communities and businesses in the wake of this horrible tragedy.”

When the Key Bridge collapsed in the early morning hours of March 26, first responders from every level of government quickly answered the call. They immediately shut down traffic in both directions and evacuated the bridge. When seven construction workers fell into the Patapsco River, they deployed boats, helicopters and divers to search the water. One survivor was rescued, and crews worked tirelessly to recover the bodies of six victims.

“From the Baltimore County side, we’re basically one of the first few responding units,” said Matt Morgan, assistant chief of the North Point-Edgemere Volunteer Fire Department. “We operate two marine fire rescue boats and a heavy rescue squad, all three of those units went. Our boat was actually the third vessel on the scene behind the two Baltimore City boats.”

Because the volunteer fire department’s heavy rescue squad is equipped with jaws of life and other heavy equipment, they’ve been called in to assist the Maryland State Police with recovering the victims from their vehicles.

“It’s something you don’t expect to see,” Morgan said. “For the first hour of it, you are in an active emergency. Then you transition into, it’s not really a rescue, it turns into a recovery ... That was pretty harrowing,” Morgan said. “Myself and the other assistant chief from my company [Joe Walters], were able to assist with the recovery of victim 4 and victim 5.”

In addition to Morgan, the North Point-Edgemere Volunteer Fire Department was represented at the event by Brenda Marr, Andrew Ratajczak, Christopher Gleason Smuck, Samantha Roberts and Joel Jablonski.

Baltimore County Assistant Fire Chief Marcus Johnson was also among those recognized. Johnson, who has been with the department for over two decades, was previously a fire specialist based in Dundalk’s Station 6.

“We were honored to recognize these remarkable individuals and organizations while also pausing to reflect on the lives lost and forever changed by the bridge tragedy,” Kane said.