Houston Livestock and Rodeo Hosts Fire Responder Day yesterday and Honors Deer Park Fire Department and Jennifer Maxwell With First Responder of the Year Award

Retired Fire Chief Jennifer Maxwell was awarded the First Responder of the Year Award from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this week. She was recognized for her administrative and operational work over the past year with the Friendswood Volunteer Fire Department.

She has volunteered to lead numerous projects that not only benefit FVFD but, more importantly, the citizens of Friendswood. These projects include reviewing and rewriting the FVFD Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs), developing and administering the new FVFD Company Fire Officer Development Course and improving processes for ISO rating for the City of Friendswood.  

She has also reviewed current pre-plans for buildings in the city of Friendswood to ensure accuracy, and when required, conducted pre-plan training classes while updating the current inventory. 

Chief Maxwell has also been instrumental in modernizing how FVFD manages its resources by influencing the move towards an online asset management software tool.  By transitioning to this platform, we have improved our oversight of FVFD assets to include all rolling stock, radios, air packs, etc.  This effort will provide valuable data for reports, assist in maintaining accountability, and track expenditures that will impact vital funding decisions by the city of Friendswood.

She has also developed new relationships involving FVFD and stakeholders, increased collaboration and interoperability between first responder agencies, while providing a more professional and safer environment for the City of Friendswood.

Deer Park Volunteer Fire Department was also honored as First Responder of the Year. On the afternoon of April 26, 2024, 20 responders of The Deer Park Volunteer Fire Department responded to a first alarm structure fire at a residential mobile home. Upon the incident commander's arrival, smoke and flames were already visible. Unbeknownst to the firefighters, an individual had intentionally barricaded themselves inside a bedroom, using heavy furniture and debris to block the door from the inside, while simultaneously igniting a fire within the same room. This act ultimately left the individual unconscious and eventually in respiratory and cardiac arrest. The fire spread quickly through the front of the mobile home, creating extremely low visibility. While firefighters are trained to handle fires, this situation was particularly challenging as the victim was actively obstructing their own rescue efforts while igniting the flames around them. The firefighters skillfully pushed through the obstacles of the mobile home, reached the blockaded door, and forced entry despite the added blockade and resistance from the furniture and debris that had been piled behind it. They discovered a victim in a hoarded room with extinguishment still actively being managed. Meanwhile, another team of firefighters employed a tactic of converting a bedroom window into a door, forecasting the need for quick extrication. The victim was quickly extracted, and CPR was initiated. The victim was handed over to the awaiting EMS team, who began life-saving measures, successfully reviving the individual before transport to the hospital. The transformation from respiratory and cardiac arrest to conversing and experiencing pain in the ambulance was a testament to the determination and skill of the firefighters and EMS personnel on that day. One notable and unique feature of this fire incident was the involvement of a father and son firefighter who made up part of the team that led to the successful rescue of the victim.