APRIL 2006 ARCHIVES

Several Minor Calls To End April

 

04-27-2006 thru 04-30-2006-  The month drew the a close with several minor calls beginning on Thursday 04/27/2006 as bingo was just getting under way, Station 26 was dispatched to a reported motorcyclist who had struck a deer on Rt. 739 near the Conashaugh Lakes entrance.  Crews manning 26 Rescue, Engine, and Ambulance 268 responded to the area only to find the motorcyclist gone and the deer deceased on the side of the roadway.  The crews were on the road again on Friday the 28th for a minor rear end collision on Rt. 739 near Wild Meadow Dr. (Cranberry Ridge).  26 Rescue and Ambulance 268 answered the call.  EMS personnel treated several persons on the scene and transported one to the hospital with minor injuries.  Saturday the 29th yielded two calls in the Pocono Woodlands.  The first call was answered by 26 Ladder and Engine for an activated alarm on Locust Drive.  Crews arrived to find that the resident was cleaning and accidentally set the alarm off.  The 2nd call was to assist Milford Fire Dept. with a possible structure fire on Spice Bush Lane.  Milford units arrived in the area to find an illegal burn behind the residence and subsequently cancelled 26 Tanker’s response.  The month closed with a report of smoke in the area of Upper Spruce Ct. in Sunrise Lake on Sunday the 30th.  Crews manning 26 Brush, Engine, and Tanker arrived to find an illegal burn in the back yard of one of the residences.  Crews from 26 Brush and Tanker assisted the DCNR Forestry unit with extinguishing fire.  The month closed with 26 fire dispatches and 51 medical calls.  

 

Loose Boat Draws Dive Team Response

 04-23-2006-  The Dingman Township Fire Department’s Dive Team along with the Milford Fire Department and Hemlock Farms Fire & Rescue Co. Dive Teams were dispatched at 18:18 hours to a free floating boat in Gold Key Lake.  Dingman Township’s personnel arrived on scene to find a small flat bottom boat floating up against the island in the lake.  26 Boat made the short voyage out to retrieve the unoccupied boat.  A quick check of Gold Key’s boat records found the owner safe at home. Milford and Hemlock Farms crews remained at their respective stations while Station 26 personnel secured the scene.  Dingman Township units operated for just under an hour with 16 personnel in attendance.

Early Morning Fire Destroys House

04/21/2006-  Volunteers were alerted at 0826 hours for a reported structure fire on North Ridge Dr. in Gold Key Lake.  Fourteen personnel manning 26 Ladder, Engine, Tanker, Rescue, and Ambulance 268 arrived on scene to find a vacant older chalet style home well involved.  Hemlock Farms Fire & Rescue Co. (Engine), Milford Fire Dept. (Tanker), and Delaware Fire Co. (Engine & Tanker) were requested to assist.  Crews brought the fire under control within a half hour.  Units operated for another 2.5 hours performing overhaul.  Pa. State Police Fire Marshal’s Unit from Dunmore performed the investigation.  One firefighter suffered a leg injury during the fire.  Ambulance 268 also handled medical call in Sunrise Lake during the fire.  (more photos)  

Brush Fire Damages New Home

    

04/20/2006-  A noontime brush fire on Flatbrook Way in Conashaugh Lakes brought out nine volunteers from Station 26.  Crews manned 26 Brush, 26 Engine, and Ambulance 268 under the command of Captain Anthony Contino.  Units arrived on scene to find brush (hay bales) had burned around a new home that was under construction.  The fire impinged on the new home cause damage to the vinyl siding.  Crews extinguished the brush fire and checked the structure for additional damage.  No injuries were reported.  Pa. Dept. of Forestry was also on scene and is investigating the cause.  Dingman Township units operated for just over an hour on scene.   Later on in the day 26 Brush was requested to assist the Shohola Fire Dept. with another brush fire on Robert Rd. in Shohola Township.  Shohola personnel were able to contain the fire quickly and returned the Dingman Township Brush Truck shortly after their arrival on scene.

 

Crew Practice with New Blades

   

04/19/2006-  Eleven personnel took the opportunity of a slow Wednesday night to drill with the recently purchased “Wart Hog” saw blades.  Crews used 26 Ladder, Engine, and Ambulance 268 at the Pike County Fire Federation Burn Building to perform the drill. Units operated for 90 minutes performing dozens of vent cuts.

 

Fire Alarm Activation finds Flood

 

04/18/2006-  Dingman Township personnel were alerted at 0456 hours this morning for an activated smoke or fire alarm at the Dingman Delaware Middle School on Rt. 739.  Nine personnel manning 26 Ladder and Engine responded to find that a water leak in one of the class rooms had caused damage to a smoke detector as well as the drop ceiling.  The scene was turned over to the school’s custodial staff for the necessary repairs.  Units operated on scene for 25 minutes.

 

3rd Accident on Log Tavern Rd. in 6 Days

 

04/17/2006-  At 1302 hours, Log Tavern Rd. claimed its 3rd car in just six days.  This accident happened not more than 25 feet from where Friday April 14’s accident occurred.  The driver reported that he attempted to avoid a deer and stuck the tree.  Originally reported as a non-injury accident, the driver’s family requested him to be assessed for minor injuries.  Ambulance 268 along with 26 Brush responded with 7 members.  EMS personnel assessed the driver while Fire Personnel controlled traffic.  Pa. State Police at Blooming Grove investigated the accident.  Units operated on scene for forty minutes.

 

Brush Fires Continue To Keep Firefighters Busy

 

04/17/2006-  Shortly after returning from an EMS call, Station 26 was once again dispatched to a brush fire on Overlook Dr. in Sunrise Lake.  Eight volunteers answered the call manning 26 Brush, Tanker, and Ambulance 268.  The brush truck was first to arrive on scene of the 11:11 a.m. call finding a small smoldering brush fire.  The bulk of the fire was knocked down by an area resident.  The crew from the brush truck finished off extinguishing the fire within five minutes of being on scene.  The remainder of the apparatus was returned to station.  The brush truck just finished packing up the equipment used as the Pa. Dept. of Forestry arrived on scene.  The scene was turned over to Forest Fire Specialist William Delling (W-16) for investigation.  All units were back in station within 30 minutes.

 

Easter Sunday Keeps Crews Busy

 04/16/2006-  Easter Sunday remained steady for the volunteers at Station 26.  Ambulance 268 handled 3 EMS calls in the township, while the firefighters handled an illegal burn on Southwynd Dr. in Gold Key Lake.  Twenty different volunteers gave up part of their holiday to handle some, if not all, of the calls the department responded to this Easter.

 

Propane Leak at Hemlock Farms

 

04/15/2006-  Dingman Township units were requested at 1704 hours to assist the Hemlock Farms Fire & Rescue Co. (www.hemlockfirerescue.com) with a propane leak on Forest Dr. in Hemlock Farms.  Fourteen personnel answered the call manning 26 Engine and Rescue.  Upon approaching the scene the engine crew was assigned to assist with on scene assignments and the rescue crew was to assist with evacuation efforts.  As units arrived on scene, Hemlock Farms personnel and an Eastern Propane employee who lived locally were able to secure the leak thus, changing the job assignments for the incoming units.  26 Rescue proceeded into the scene and set up the cascade system while the engine crew assisted Hemlock’s members with taking up several hundred feet of LDH.  Crews operated for forty minutes on scene.

 

Another Log Tavern Accident

 

04/14/2006-  Fire and EMS Personnel were dispatched to reported motor vehicle accident on Log Tavern Rd. between the Firehouse and Gold Key Lake.  Nine Personnel operating in 26 Rescue and Ambulance 268 arrived on scene to find a sedan had struck several trees coming to rest nearly 60 feet off the roadway.  Fire crews assessed for hazards while EMS crews assessed for injuries.  Pa. State Police at Blooming Grove handled the accident investigation.  Units operated on scene for one hour.

Burn Ban In Effect

   

04/14/2006-  At the request of the Pa. Dept. of Conservation & Natural Resources the Pike County Commissioners have instituted an outdoor burning ban effective at 0000 hours 04/14/2006.  The ban encompasses any and all outdoor burning with the exception of propane or charcoal grills when used for a means of cooking.  The ban also does not include camp fires in designated state or federal licensed campgrounds when there are fire rings present to contain the fire.  Violating the County’s Burning Ban will result in no less than a $100 fine and possibly the cost of extinguishment if the fire gets out of control.  The ban currently is scheduled to end on 05/13/2006 at 2400 hours.

 

Mutual Aid Thursday

 04/13/2006-  Personnel were busy again today running multiple mutual aid calls to neighboring departments.  The Delaware Fire Co. (www.dtvfc.com) requested assistance at 1250 hours for a brush fire on Myck Rd. in Delaware Township.  Five personnel responding with 26 Brush and Tanker answered the call.  Delaware Fire’s Brush Truck arrived on scene and was able to handle the fire on their own and cancelled the Dingman Township units.  At 1711 hours, the Milford Fire Dept. requested a brush truck, tanker, and ambulance from Station 26 to assist them with a fast moving brush fire on Springbrook Rd. Seven personnel manning the requested units responded.  Luckily, a storm front blew through and assisted with containment and extinguishment of the blaze.  Station 26 units operated for just under two hours on this brush fire.  Less than 20 minutes after returning from the brush fire, Milford Fire Dept. requested Station 26 again to assist with traffic control on Gaviolle Rd. after the previous mentioned storm took down a large pine tree into utility lines.  Personnel responded in 26 Brush but were cancelled just before arriving on scene due to a quick response made by the Met-Ed Utilities.  Ambulance 268 answered an EMS call later in the evening in Conashaugh Lakes. 

Accident Confines One

 

04/12/2006-  Just as personnel finished setting up for ventilation training the Station was alerted for a motor vehicle accident with entrapment on Log Tavern Rd. near Log Tavern Lake.  Crews responded with 26 Rescue, Engine, and Ambulance 268 to the scene, while 26 Ladder and Tanker remained at the Station to set up a landing zone if needed.  Units arrived on scene to find a sedan had flipped end over end after striking several trees and a large boulder.  The vehicle came to an unstable rest on its driver’s side front end leaving the rear end of the vehicle in the air resting on a small pine tree.  Crews formulated a stabilization plan using box cribbing, step cribbing. Z-Mag Stabilizers and Come-A-Long.  Once the vehicle was stabilized crew members were able to fully assess the driver.  Personnel found the driver to have suffered only minor injuries and not entrapped.  EMS crews with the assistance for the Fire personnel removed the driver within 10 minutes of arriving on scene.  Personnel continued to operate for another hour on scene while Pa. State Police conducted their investigation.

 

Brush Fires Continue

 

04/12/2006-  As the temperature rose in the early afternoon so did the fire danger.  At 1330 hours the Fire Station and Squad were dispatched to Bluestone Circle for a reported brush fire threatening a structure.  Nine volunteers manning 26 Brush, Tanker, and Ambulance 269 arrived to find a small fire cause by careless controlled burning.  Personnel were able to quickly stop the fire’s progress and had it fully extinguished within 15 minutes.  The homeowner was issued a warning for violating the township’s fire ordinance.  As units were mopping up at the fire scene, Ambulance 269 handled an EMS call at the Dingman Delaware Primary School.  As the afternoon wore on personnel were preparing for this evening’s drill on ventilation when at 1514 hours 26 Brush and Tanker were requested by Milford Fire Dept. (www.milfordfire33.com) to assist them at fast spreading brush fire off of Blossom La. and Tower Dr. in Milford Township.  Dingman Township sent 8 personnel with the requested equipment and assisted with fire extinguishment and water supply for 2 hours before being released by Command.  While crews battled this brush fire, Ambulance 269 handled another EMS call in Gold Key Lake.

 

Accident with Fire

 

04/11/2006-  Shortly after 2100 hours the Fire Station and Squad were alerted for a report of an overturned vehicle on fire on Raymondskill Rd. near Locust Dr. in Pocono Woodlands.  26 Engine, Rescue, Tanker, and Ambulance 268 responded with 14 personnel.  Units arrived to find a well involved mini van after it had struck drainage pipe wall and a utility pole.  The sole occupant of the vehicle was able to free himself and escape the burning van.  Fire personnel quickly extinguished the fire while EMS personnel assessed the driver for what appeared to be minor injuries.  Units remained on scene handling traffic control while the Pa. State Police conducted their investigation. 

 

Spring Brush Fire Season Arrives

 04/11/2006-  With the warmer weather upon the volunteers readied the department’s brush truck for the spring brush fire season.  The volunteers didn’t have to wait to long at 1230 hours the volunteers were alerted for a brush fire on Beaver Run in Conashaugh Lakes.  26 Brush, 26 Tanker, and Ambulance 268 arrived on the scene with 7 personnel and found a quarter acre of land on fire.  Personnel quickly contained the fire resulting in only some scorched land for the homeowner.  The cause of the fire was discarded ashes from the owner’s wood stove. 

 

Fire Station Not Seeing Much Work

 03/27200-04/10/2006-  The past two weeks have been uncharacteristically slow for the volunteers.  Running just two fire calls, the first was on 04/08/2006 at 2013 hours for a reported accident on Stateway Rd. in Sunrise Lake.  Units were responding within minutes only to arrive on scene to find a set of skid marks and dirt on the roadway but no accident.  Crews secured within 10 minutes.  The second call was at 0321 hours the morning of 04/09/2006 for an automatic fire alarm at the Dingman-Delaware Middle School.  Units arrived on the scene and surveyed the exterior of the building finding no signs of fire.  A keyholder for the school arrived shortly after requested and crews performed a walk through of the building finding a faulty smoke detector as the cause for the alarm.  Units operated for 60 minutes.  The medical personnel of the department continued to stay busy with a steady amount of calls (20) ranging from medical alarms to stand-bys for the Pike County Drug Task Force during those two weeks.