11/28/2007

Busy 12 Hours for the Department

Wednesday morning around 10:00, the PFD responded to the Episcopal House at 601 Center St for a fire alarm and crews arrived to find the alarm was set off by workers steam cleaning a trash chute. About an hour after clearing that incident, Engine 65 and Rescue 67 responded to assist Station 61 with a large fuel spill on the roadway that stretched along Rapps Damn Rd from Rt 113 to Rt 23.

On Wednesday night at 18:45 hours, the PFD headed to Valley Forge Fire Co's main station to attend a monthly mutual aid drill along with the Kimberton Fire Co. The topic of the drill was SCBA and Search & Rescue. About 15 minutes into the drill, Station 68 was alerted for a car fire on Country Club Rd and Ladder 65 was added onto the assignment with Engine 68. Crews arrived on the scene to find a pick up truck well off and the fire was quickly extinguished. As units were clearing that call, the CCFB alerted Station 68, Ladder 65 and Engine 61 to an Auto Accident with Entrapment on Rt 23 in front of the Valley Forge Post Office. MICU 67 arrived quickly and confirmed entrapment. The victim was extricated in just over 15 minutes and then flown to a trauma center via PennStar. As crews began to clear that accident scene, the CCFB alerted Station 68, Ladder 65 and Tower 61 to another Auto Accident with Entrapment on Pothouse Road. Crews arrived to find one car wrapped around a telephone pole split in half, with one DOA. PECO was notified as well as the Chester County Coroner's Office and Station 68 units remained onscene.

As apparatus began returning to their respective stations after giving up on drill, a crew from 65 stood by for Station 68 while they were committed on the fatal auto accident. Then around 22:30 hours, Stations 65, 66, 67, 68 with an Engine and Tower 61 were alerted to a report of smoke coming from a house in the 500 Block of Bridge Street. Ladder 65 and Engine 67 arrived first with nothing evident. Crews checked the area and found the source of the smoke to be a wood burning stove and no fire department services were required.