CHARLES COUNTY, Md. -- A fire chief and two firefighters were injured during a live fire training exercise on Saturday, Aug. 9, according to a press release from the Newburg Volunteer Rescue Squad and Fire Department.
Crews were training off of Banks 'O' Dee Road at a donated structure. At the conclusion of the training, firefighters were dousing hot spots when a master stream deluge gun became dislodged from its staged location.
Water was still flowing from the deluge gun and it slid out of position and whipped into the path of the chief and the firefighters before it could be shut down.
A neighboring volunteer firefighter who took part in the training was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.
A Newburg firefighter and his chief were flown to Prince George's Hospital Center. The firefighter was held overnight with minor injuries.
Fire Chief Steve Shifflett was the most seriously injured in the incident and remained in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries at the time the information was released by the department.
