VICTIMS OF WINTER WEATHER:
Engine 102 from Station 102 in Ballston, Virginia, had some trouble with Wednesday’s snow storm in the nation’s capital. According to the YouTube post, this Arlington FD rig was stuck for a while, even after they put chains on the tires.
IN A DITCH: In Shohola, Pennsylvania, this pumper was trying to turn around from one call to another. The icy road proved to be too much, and it landed in a ditch on No Name Boulevard. Three hours later, a crane was able to pull it out. The area won’t be without a pumper while this one’s repaired, Fire Chief Don Wall told the Pike County Courier, since the department recently purchased another one. The full story is here in the Pike County Courier.
PUMPER SLIDES OFF ROADWAY: In Devola, West Virginia, a pumper with about 1,000 gallons of water slid off a roadway headed to a house fire. It wasn’t damaged and the fire in the chimney was brought under control by the homeowner before units arrived.
“This is one reason why people, especially those who live off the main road, should keep their driveways cleared of snow,” said Chief Jay Handschumacher with the Salem Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Sam Shaver has the full story here in the News and Sentinel.
HIGH-RISE FIREFIGHTING
China’s new jet engine propelled water cannon sprays 4 tons of water per minute. At a cost of over $461,000, it was built to for firefighting operations in China’s skyscrapers. The chief says he hopes it will help control large-scale fires. Read more here on NBC-2.com.
INCIDENTS & ACCIDENTS
MISSED THE DISABLED VEHICLE, HIT A VAN: Firefighters in Columbia, Maryland, responding to a call swerved to miss a disable vehicle in the roadway but struck a mini-van stopped at a light. Police tell the ColumbiaPatch they believe the fire engine’s driver was going too fast for the weather conditions. No fire personnel were injured, but two people in the van were transported. The Patch has the full story here.
ARSONIST TARGETS FIRE TRUCK: Officials in Juneau, Alaska, are looking for the person(s) responsible for trying to set fire to Engine 12. The Juneau Empire reports the truck was parked for a call of a fire alarm at an apartment building. Two firefighters inside the cab noticed fire coming from the rear of the rig. After using fire extinguishers to extinguish the flames, they saw “what appeared to be a stream of spilled gasoline on the street which flowed under the fire truck.” Witness told police they saw a man approach the gasoline and use a lighter to ignite it. The rig will be out of service until officials determine the amount of damage. Read more from the Juneau Empire here.
PUMPER TROUBLE, HOUSE BURNS: In East Hartland, Connecticut, “technical problems” with a pumper truck caused flames to grow and destroy a home. The fire began in the chimney. The fire marshal told WTNH-TV the delay in getting water on the fire caused the fire to “get ahead of us.” Read more and hear from the fire marshal here on WTNH.com.
NEW DELIVERIES
The Goodman (Missouri) Fire District took delivery of a 2001 Precision pumper. Firefighters were training on the new $265,000 rig. Read Russell Hively’s story in the Neosho Daily News here.
The public got to see the Hoboken (New Jersey) Fire Department’s new engine in front of City Hall. The Spartan Metro Star cost the city around $475,000.
Ryan Bailey, who represents the Campbell Supply Company that sold the truck to Hoboken, says the truck creates almost zero emissions thanks to a “diesel particulate filter” and uses LED lights which rarely need replacing.
The full story is here on NJ.com.
A new rescue truck and pumper were blessed in Kinnelon, New Jersey. Both were delivered by Pierce. The pumper, equipped with a 1,000 gallon tank, replaces a 1987 Hahn. NorthJersey.com has Deborah Walsh’s report here.
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