JULY 2006 ARCHIVES

07-31-06- Personnel were alerted at 21:35 hours for a motor vehicle accident on Rt. 739 just south of Log Tavern Road. Assistant Chief O’Brien (26-2) arrived on scene to find a deer lying DOA in the middle of the roadway and a small sedan parked on the side of the road with significant windshield damage. Upon investigation it was found that a northbound vehicle had struck the deer causing the deer to become airborne and striking the windshield of the sedan. Both the driver and passenger received minor injuries from the flying glass and were treated on scene by the crew from Ambulance 268. Pa. State Police at Blooming Grove handled the accident investigation. Crews cleared at 22:05 hours.

07-30-06- Dingman Township personnel were dispatched at 22:13 hours Sunday night to assist the Delaware Fire Co. with a structure fire with reported entrapment on Meadow Ridge Dr. in Meadow Ridge Acres. Fourteen volunteers manning 26 Engine and 26 Tanker responded. Upon arrival of Delaware’s Assistant Chiefs it was found that there was negative entrapment and two bedrooms on fire. Delaware’s crew made an aggressive interior attack on the fire, limiting damage to the two bedrooms. The crew from 26 Engine was assigned truck company duties including laddering the structure and horizontal ventilation with smoke ejectors. Due to the quick knock down achieved by the crew from 28, the tanker from 26 was cancelled just as they reached the development. The engine crew was released within 50 minutes of the call. Special thanks, to the Hemlock Farms Fire & Rescue Co. who provided a stand-by engine at Dingman Township while we were at this fire.

Early Morning Accident on Rt. 739

07-29-2006- Dingman Township personnel were awakened at 04:58 hours this morning for a reported motor vehicle accident with the driver self extricated from the vehicle. 26 Rescue and Ambulance 269 made the response and arrived to find a full sized Jeep had struck several trees and received severe damage. Personnel confirmed that the driver, although injured, did self extricate himself from the destroyed vehicle. EMS personnel transported the driver to a local hospital for treatment. Fire personnel checked for hazards and controlled traffic while Pa. State Police at Blooming Grove investigated.

6^th Suspicious Fire in Gold Key

07-29-2006- For the 4^th time in a week the volunteers were alerted for a structure fire in a new construction in Gold Key Lake. Twenty personnel manning the Ladder, Engine, Tanker, Rescue, and Ambulance 268 responded to Arbor Dr. for the 00:05 hours call. Personnel arrived to find a new construction charged with smoke. Crews made entry and with the use of the thermal imaging camera located the fire in the basement section of the house. The attack crew extinguished the fire with a water can while additional crews worked at ventilation. The Pa. State Police were on scene to handle the investigation. No injuries were reported

Electrical Problem Draws Response to Hemlock Farms

07-27-2006- Dingman Township's Engine and Rescue was requested to assist the Hemlock Farms Fire & Rescue Co. with a possible structure fire in one of the Hemlock Farms community well houses. Eight personnel answered the call with 26 Engine and Rescue responding to Farrier Dr. Once on scene crews were directed to stand-by as Hemlock Farms personnel were able to identify and isolate an electrical problem that caused the heavy smoke condition inside the building. 29-1 (Chief Palumbo) released Station 26 units from the scene at 20:16 hours.

07-26-2006- Twenty two volunteers from Dingman Township were awakened for the 3^rd time in a week to fight a suspicious fire in Gold Key. At 01:08 hours Fire Station & Squad 26 were dispatched to Tiffany Ct. in Gold Key Lake for the report of a structure fire. Chief Mikulak again requested the 2^nd alarm for the area to be dispatched as he went responding to the call. Assistant Chief O’Brien arrived on scene shortly at 01:13 hours and confirmed a small working fire. Crews arrived and made quick work of the fire. Assistant Chief Officer O’Brien recalled the 2^nd alarm companies and held 26 Ladder, 26 Tanker, 26 Rescue, and Ambulance 268 on the scene. Pa. State Police Fire Marshal Unit was on scene to investigate. The home suffered minor fire, heat, and smoke damage. No injuries were reported on the scene.

07-25-2006- Crews from Dingman Township were dispatched at 00:42 hours to a reported structure fire on North Ridge Dr. in Gold Key Lake. Due to the previous fires within the past month Chief Mikulak immediately requested the 2^nd alarm for the area which dispatched Delaware, Hemlock Farms, Milford, and Westfall Fire Departments to assist. Seventeen volunteers from Dingman Township manning 26 Engine, 26 Tanker, 26 Rescue, and Ambulance 268 arrived and quickly knocked down two small fires inside the newly constructed home. Shortly after knocking down the fire, the 2^nd alarm units were cancelled. The new home suffered moderate smoke and heat damage throughout. No injuries were reported on scene. Pa. State Police Fire Marshal Unit is investigating the fire.

07-21-2006- For the 3^rd time in just over a month the volunteers of Dingman Township, as well as the other area departments have put their lives on the line to fight a suspicious fire. Shortly before midnight Fire Station & Squad 26 were dispatched to a structure fire on Ridge Dr. near Daisy Pl. in Gold Key Lake. Assistant Chief O’Brien (26-2) was the first to arrive on scene to find a newly placed two story modular well involved. The crews arriving on Dingman Township’s units worked quickly knocking down the bulk of the fire. 26-2 requested a 2^nd and 3^rd alarm for the area bringing units from Blooming Grove, Delaware, Hemlock Farms, Milford, Montague NJ, and Westfall Fire Departments that assisted on scene with fire extinguishment and water supply efforts. No injuries were reported on the scene. The Pa. State Police Fire Marshal Unit is investigating this blaze as suspicious. Anyone with information concerning any of the fires in Gold Key is requested to call the Pa. State Police at Blooming Grove at 570-226-5718.

07-15&18-2006- A very welcomed quiet weekend spilled over into the first part of the week for the volunteers. On Saturday (7/15) the department held it’s annual banquet at the Riverview in Westfall Township. A good time was had by all and if anybody left hungry it was their own fault. Earlier on Saturday, the station stood by for the Hemlock Farms Fire & Rescue Co. as they were checking out a possible structure fire. Station 29 quickly handled the situation and recalled the stand by within 15 minutes. On Sunday crews answered a couple calls over in the Pocono Woodlands. The first was an EMS call which the patient was treated on scene then transported by family members to a local urgent care center for follow up treatment. The second call was for the fire alarm activation on Privet La. Crews used 26 Ladder to check the building due to heavy drapes in all the windows on the first and second floor personnel weren’t able to completely make an adequate size up from the ground. The crew checked the house with the use of the thermal imaging camera. The department found no obvious reason for the detector to be sounding and notified the alarm co. of the findings. At 00:05 hours on July 18^th the station was called to the Dingman Delaware Middle School for the alarm activation. Crews entered the school using the Knox box keys and investigated the alarm finding a faulty detector in the library. EMS crews also had a slight break for beginning of the week, running just 5 calls in four days.

07-11-2006- Just prior to Firefighter/EMT Neale’s weekly “Rescue Me” get together the department was alerted for a overturned vehicle with an injury on Rt. 739 just north of Lake Adventure. 26 Rescue and crew located the scene in Blooming Grove Township and began to control traffic and hazards. Ambulance 269 treated the driver who received a minor injury during the crash. 26 Engine remained in station on stand-by. OIC Assistant Chief O’Brien (26-2) made notification to the Blooming Grove and Hemlock Farm’s officers that the department was operating in their area. A total of 13 Dingman Township personnel responded to the call. Crews were able to make it back in time to catch the encore presentation of “Rescue Me” at Firefighter Neale’s place.

07-09-2006- The emergency calls continued into Sunday with department running an additional six calls. At 0624 hours crews were alerted for an MVA with a male lying on the roadway on Rt. 739 near 5 Mile Meadow Rd. Units arrived on scene to find evidence of a car that had run off the roadway but had since left the scene. A check of the area found no male lying on the roadway. Crews assisted Pa. State Police with removing the remaining debris from the roadway and returned without incident. At 1639 hours, 26 Engine was on it’s way to assist Hemlock Farms Fire & Rescue Co. while they operated at a serious motorcycle accident. 26 Engine and crew were tasked with setting up the landing zone for two medical helicopters at the McDonald’s in Lord’s Valley. The EMS crews were also kept busy throughout the day running a total of 4 calls. Personnel not only handled all these emergency calls but also served over 300 hungry guests at our monthly breakfast.

07-08-2006- The volunteers at Dingman Township were kept busy most of the day today running multiple mutual aid calls. The first call for assistance was at 0524 hours to Hemlock Farms Fire & Rescue Co. for a working structure fire on Roan Dr. in Hemlock Farms (pictured above). Eleven members responded with 26 Engine & Rescue to the scene. Upon arrival crews split and went to work with the Hemlock Farm’s crew opening up ceilings inside and the roof outside to extinguish the stubborn attic fire. Ambulance 269 answered a medical call in Milford Township while personnel were fighting this fire. At 1350 hours 26 Engine responded to assist the Milford Fire Department with an automatic fire alarm at Belle Reve in Milford Borough. The crew assisted with checking the building. Chief Mann of Milford FD had command and after the investigation found the alarm to be set off by maintenance personnel working in the building. While 26 Engine was on the alarm call, 26 Ladder and 26 Rescue were requested at 1359 hours to assist Hemlock Farms for a structure fire on Burning Tree Dr. in Hemlock Farms. The crews from Hemlock Farms made quick work of the burning kitchen, canceling 26 Rescue prior to it’s arrival on scene. 26 Ladder stood by on scene for a short time before being returned by OIC Assistant Chief R. Hall (29-3).

07/06/2006- For the second time in less than a month crews from Dingman Township responded to the same new construction on East Lake Dr. in Gold Key Lake. Crews arrived on the scene of the 07:14 a.m. call to find the new house fully involved. An exterior attack was mounted and the fire was brought under control within a half hour and completely extinguished within three hours. Additional assistance from the Delaware Fire Co. (engine and tanker), Hemlock Farms Fire & Rescue Co. (FAST Team), and Milford Fire Dept. (engine and tanker) responded into the scene and assisted with fireground operations. The Westfall Fire Dept. (tanker) and the Hemlock Farms Fire & Rescue Co. (ladder) stood by at Dingman Township during the fire. Both fires have been labeled as suspicious and are being investigated by the Pa. State Police Fire Marshal’s Office in Dunmore. No injuries were reported on scene. Dingman Township responded with 26 Ladder, 26 Engine, 26 Tanker, and Ambulance 268 being manned by 17 volunteers.

07/04/2006- EMS personnel were alerted for a severe hand injury in Lake Adventure. Shortly after Ambulance 269’s arrival the crew deemed that the patient would require specialized treatment for his injury. The crew requested MedEvac II out of Stroudsburg to transport the patient to Lehigh Valley Trauma Center. 26 Engine responded with a crew of 6 and set up a landing zone at the Lake Adventure Baseball Field. The helicopter landed, loaded the patient, and took off without incident. Crews secured in just under 45 minutes.

07/01-04/2006- Dingman Township personnel were kept busy this holiday weekend running 10 Fire Station calls and 5 EMS calls. Included in those calls were 4 dive team calls to Lake Wallenpaupack, 2 illegal burns in Conashaugh Lake, a motor vehicle accident on Raymondskill Rd., a possible structure fire (water heater malfunction) in Gold Key Lake, a public service detail in Milford Borough, and a MedEvac Landing in Lake Adventure.