[1] The department was formed from the Federal Aviation Administration's Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Branch when the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority was established in June 1987.

Mutual Aid responses have occurred outside the region to areas such as Baltimore City, MD for specialized equipment that the MWAA FRD possesses that was used at the Howard Street Tunnel fire.

[7] The world's largest airshow of the time was held over a period of nine days at Dulles Airport from May 27 to June 4 of 1972, nicknamed Transpo '72.

[8] The second incident during an aircraft race when a sport pilot crashed into a pylon and careened into the woods on the far side of the airstrip from the spectators killing him.

The last incident was the first fatal accident for the United States Air Force Thunderbirds when Major Joe Howard lost power while flying his McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and ejected successfully from the crash.

On January 13, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737, clipped the 14th Street Bridge before crashing into the Potomac River shortly after takeoff from National Airport.