(8/14) Battalion Chief Joshua Laird, 46, of Fairfield, died Aug. 11 after sustaining injuries fighting a two-alarm structure fire in Ijamsville, Maryland, according to the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services (FCDFRS). Officials said the fire was a result of lightning striking the home from a strong line of thunderstorms moved through the region.
While operating inside, Laird fell through the first floor of the structure into the basement. A mayday was sent out and rapid intervention crews were deployed to rescue him. Upon extraction, Laird was provided emergency medical care and transported by a Maryland State Police helicopter to the Washington Hospital Center. Laird died later that evening from injuries sustained from the fall.
Laird was a 21-year veteran of FCDFRS as well as a member of Fairfield Fire and EMS. He was also a member of the Fairfield Area School Board for four years a member of the Pippinfest Committee.
The Pippinfest Committee and the entire Fairfield community is mourning the loss of Joshua Laird, according to Sally Thomas, Chair of the Pippinfest Committee. "If a single word could ever be sufficient to describe his life, ‘dedicated’ comes to mind. Dedicated to his family, his profession, his co-workers, friends, and his community, Josh somehow found time to serve others, whenever and wherever there was a need. He did so with humility, with energy, and with an endless sense of humor. Most of all, he set an example of dedicated service for his daughters, instilling in Erin and Maddy the ideal that it is good to give of your time and talents. We are sad, but we are richer for having known and worked with him. Rest in peace, Josh. And keep an eye out for us down here," she said.
"We are in constant contact with the Laird family and our DFRS families and are doing everything we can to make every resource available," said FCDFRS Chief Tom Coe. "This unexpected loss of a father, a husband, and a brother to firefighters across the nation, will have a lasting impact on the Frederick and Fairfield communities. We are and will be here for them now and in the future."
Maryland Governor Larry Hoag ordered flags to be flown at half-staff until the completion of Laird’s internment.
Laird began firefighting as a volunteer at the Fairfield Township Volunteer Fire Company 1. He joined Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services in 2000 as part of Recruit Class 4 and was assigned to Green Valley Station 25 upon graduation from Firefighter school, according to the FCDFRS.
Throughout his over twenty-one years of duty, Laird served at multiple stations, including New Market, Westview, Spring Ridge, United, Carroll Manor, Braddock Heights, and as a Safety Officer, according to the FCDFRS. Laird was posthumously promoted to Battalion Chief on Aug. 13.
A ceremonial procession escorted Laird from the Green Valley Station to his hometown of Fairfield before traveling to Mount St. Mary’s University’s for a public viewing on Aug. 16.
As of August, there have been over 70 firefighter fatalities in the United States in 2021, according to the United States Fire Administration.
