Baltimore Fire Department to Route Calls During Memorial Service for Fallen Firefighters

BALTIMORE, Md. — For the first time in its 225-year existence, the Baltimore City Fire Department will not handle emergency calls on Wednesday. Instead, calls will be routed to local fire agencies in Maryland and Washington, D.C. This unprecedented decision is made to allow all department members to attend a memorial service honoring three firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty on January 24.

The Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM) is overseeing the coordination of this effort, ensuring that adequate resources are available to respond to emergencies during the service. MDEM tweeted on Monday that they are collaborating with local jurisdictions and state agencies to provide necessary support for the Baltimore City Fire Department.

“Although all of our units are out of service today, we must also recognize our Fire Communications Dispatchers who remain on duty coordinating all responses today,” the Baltimore City Fire Department stated in a tweet.

The joint memorial service is scheduled to take place at the Baltimore Convention Center, starting at 10 a.m. The three firefighters being memorialized are EMT/Firefighter Kenny Lacayo, Lt. Paul Butrim, and Firefighter/Paramedic Kelsey Sadler, who was posthumously promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. A fourth firefighter, John McMaster, who sustained injuries during the incident, has since been released from the hospital.

The tragic event involved a partial collapse of a home that trapped four firefighters, leading to the rescue of one while the others remained trapped.

Reported by HarborBeat based on WJLA (source).