July 2007 Archived

Seven Calls for the Day

07-31-2007-  The volunteers at Dingman Township were kept busy today running a total of 7 emergency runs.  Fire and EMS units were dispatched at 12:42 hours for a brush fire on Route 739 near Conashaugh Lakes.  26 Brush handled the call which was extinguished prior to their arrival by a trooper at the Pa. State Police at Blooming Grove who was patrolling the area.  The brush truck returned to service within 20 minutes.  At 13:06 hours the Fire Station was dispatched to Maple Ridge Dr. in Pocono Water Forest for a reported electrical fire.  Crews manning 26 Ladder, 26 Tanker, and Ambulance 268 responded and found a faulty electrical switch on the structure’s water holding tank.  Crews secured power to the tank and returned to service within 45 minutes.  Ambulances 268 & 269 ran an additional five calls throughout the day.

Orange Blossom Accident

07-29-2007-  Fire & EMS crews were alerted for a motor vehicle accident on Orange Blossom Road in Gold Key Lake shortly before 14:00 hours.  Assistant Chief O’Brien (26-2) arrived on scene first and found a small sedan failed to negotiate a turn and ran off the roadway striking several trees.  The occupants self extricated themselves and denied any injury.  With no hazards on scene A/C O’Brien cancelled the FD response.  Ambulance 268 continued in and assessed the two young occupants before turning them over to their parents.  Gold Key Lake Security Department handled the accident investigation.  Units were in service for 15 minutes.

Severe Storm Brings 3 Calls

07-27&28-2007-  A severe lightning storm Friday evening brought three requests for fire department services.  At 19:42 hours, in the height of the storm, Fire and EMS crews were alerted for a structure fire due to a lightning strike on Witherspoon Ct. Conashaugh Lakes.  Crews arrived to find lightning caused a power surge damaging an electric heater inside the residence.  The situation was quickly resolved and the rest of the residence was checked for additional damage.  At 20:07 several of the units on Witherspoon Ct. diverted over Flatbrook Way also in Conashaugh Lakes for the fire alarm system sounding.  Crews determined the system was triggered by the power surges due to the storm and placed all units back in service.  At 05:50 hours crews were sent to Lakewood Dr. in Pocono Water Forest for a structure fire.  Crews arrived to find a smoldering fire in the roof area near some electrical fixtures.  Personnel extinguished the fire and checked for extension without incident.  Units were in service for a total of 3 hours and 9 minutes for all above incidents.

Vehicle Fire on Wild Meadow Dr.

07-24-2007-  26 Engine, 26 Tanker, 26 Rescue, and Ambulance 269 responded at 20:38 hours to Wild Meadow Dr. near Salem Ct. for a vehicle fire.  Crews arrived and found a SUV with it’s engine compartment well involved.  Crews made quick work of the fire and were returning within a half hour.  No injuries were reported on the scene.

Heavy Rescue and EMS Assist on Route 84

07-12-2007-  Ambulance 268, Ambulance 269, and 26 Rescue along with 10 volunteers were alerted at 04:36 hours to assist the Hemlock Farms Fire & Rescue Co. with a multi vehicle accident involving 3 tractor trailers.  Dingman Township units arrived on scene and began rescue evolutions on the passenger side of a severely damaged overturned tractor trailer while the Hemlock Farms personnel worked on the driver’s side.  Both crews used a variety of tools, techniques, and teamwork before freeing the driver.  Once free, the driver was tended to by the crew of Ambulance 268.  Due to the mechanism of injury the driver was flown via MedEvac to an area trauma center with surprising minor injuries considering the amount of damage endured by the truck.  Additional crews from Milford FD and Greenville FD provided support and equipment during the extrication effort.  The Blooming Grove FD stood-by with a charged 1.5 inch hose in case suppression efforts were needed.  Dingman Township units were in service for just under three hours.  (Some photos courtesy of Lt. Rufrano, Milford FD)

Brush and Structure Fire Assist to Delaware Township

07-09-2007-  Station 26’s brush truck was requested to assist the Delaware Fire Company just after 1300 hours with a brush fire off of an old logging road in Wild Acres.  As the brush truck made the response, Delaware Fire Company was alerted for a structure fire on South Pond Circle also in Wild Acres.  28 Command requested additional mutual aid from Dingman Township in the form of an engine and tanker to the structure fire.  26 Engine, 26 Tanker, and 26 Brush all responded with a total of 6 volunteers.  While enroute to Wild Acres units from Station 28 arrived on scene of the structure fire to find a furnace malfunction and diverted the 26 units to handle the brush fire.  26 Brush arrived on scene of a peat moss fire nearly one half mile off of the paved road.  26 Engine and 26 Tanker positioned on the paved roadway and crews hiked in to the scene.  Personnel extinguished the fire and saturated the nearby peat moss before turning the scene over to the Pa. Dept. of Forestry for their investigation.  Crews were in service for a total of 2 hours for both calls.

 Dive Team Dispatched for Body Recovery

Link:  http://www.wnep.com/Global/story.asp?S=6749006  

07-05-2007-  Dingman Township’s Dive Team was dispatched into Delaware Township for a reported body in the water behind the Dingmans Ferry Post Office.  Station 26’s personnel arrived at the staging area along with crews from Station 28, Station 24, Station 39, and Squad 28.  Personnel then walked nearly one half mile to the accident location on Dingmans Creek just above Dingmans Falls to find an adult female had fallen down a steep slope and into the creek.  Crews were able to confirm that the victim suffered fatal injuries and turned the scene over to the National Park Service for their investigation.  Station 26 units were in service for 90 minutes.

 Explosive Device Found at Accident

07-02-2007-  Shortly after 1700 hours today, Fire Station and Squad 26 was alerted for a reported vehicle accident on Log Tavern Road near Valley View Hunting Camp.  26 Rescue, 26 Engine, and Ambulance 269 with a total of 19 volunteers made the response.  While enroute to the scene the Communications Center updated responding units of the possibility of entrapment and added Pike County ALS Medic 401 to the call.  26-1 (Chief Mikulak) requested MedEvac Helicopter to be placed on stand-by for the call.  26-2 (Asst. Chief O’Brien) arrived on scene to find a small sedan had collided head on into a large tree causing major damage to the vehicle.  An assessment of the scene found there was no entrapment and the driver was denying any injuries from the crash resulting in the cancellation of Pike ALS and MedEvac.  The driver self extricated herself to the ambulance for an assessment.  Crews returned to the damaged vehicle to retrieve a personal item and during the search for that item the crew found what appeared to be a large homemade explosive device in the rear of the vehicle.  Crews immediately secured and evacuated the area surrounding the scene and advised the Pa. State Police Trooper on scene who in turn, notified the State Police Bomb Squad.  As a result of the incident Log Tavern Road was closed from Genesis Dr. to Rt. 2001.  The device was safely secured by the bomb squad member without incident just before 2000 hours.  Pa. State Police at Blooming Grove are handling the investigation.