Sometimes taking a break from your routine helps
November 9, 2005
by Kit Cassingham
At 12:10 AM, the borough fire siren began to wail. I turned on the light, rolled out of bed, fumbled for my clothing and managed to put my staff shirt on backwards. After pulling it off and looking at the collar, I put the shirt on again. For some reason it was still backwards. I stripped the shirt off, grabbed a turtleneck, pulled it on, finished getting dressed, and grabbed my car keys.
Pounding down the stairs, I ran out the back door, down a flight of exterior stairs, hopped into my car, and raced to the fire station.
Volunteer fire fighters were pulling into the parking lot of Station 21. I jumped out of the car and ran inside the building. A look from a lieutenant made me slow my pace to a fast walk.
I grabbed my bunker gear, shucked my shoes, and shoved my feet into my boots. The trousers, (already on over the boots), were pulled up by the suspenders and fitted into place over my shoulders. I threw my bunker coat on, grabbed my hood, gloves, and helmet, and raced for the nearest engine.
The bay doors had already been opened. Throwing myself into the last remaining seat in the back cab, I slammed the back door shut and the engine pulled out of the station.
We screamed down Main Street heading towards Berrysburg. I didn't have time to watch the passing scenery. Red emergency lights illuminating the back cab gave us enough visibility to shrug our SCBA airpacks on. I pulled the cinch straps tight and got a plastic envelope with a face mask that another volunteer gave me.
A house was burning in Lykens. Flames were already visible from one side of the building.
Engine 21 pulled up next to an engine from the Berrysburg fire department. While the lieutenant reported to the incident commander, volunteers from Elizabethville offloaded and began pulling ladders, hose, and irons (halligan tools and flatheaded axes) from the vehicle.
The lieutenant told us that there were four civilians in the building. Search and rescue teams had already gone in while other Berrysburg volunteers had laid hose and were beginning to fight the fire.
We advanced our hoses and began fighting the fire, standing side by side with the men and women from the Lykens station. With smoke streaming towards our faces, we turned on our air canisters and attached the flow valves to our face masks. The sound of my breathing echoed in my ears.
Other sirens wailed in the distance. Fire engines and tanker trucks from Gratz, Lykens, and Millersburg came. Our tanker truck showed up and linked into our engine to provide additional water for our hoses.
The search and rescue teams from Lykens came out of the building with all four civilians. Paramedics rushed over to help escort the civilians to waiting ambulances. Most of the civilians were in their PJs and were covered with smudges from smoke and soot. Having passed through sprays of water, they were also cold and wet.
The search and rescue team got out of the building moments before flashover occurred. The internal temperatures in the building got so hot that entire rooms just spontaneously ignited with a loud WHOOSH!
Since we were unable to fight the fire from inside the building, we worked to contain the fire and keep it from spreading. I stood behind the nozzleman and helped support the hose while he fought the fire. When our airpacks ran out of air, we simply disconnected the flow valves. The smoke wasn't too much of a problem by then. With all the water hitting the house, the backlash of spray cut down on the smoke. Two fire fighters eventually replaced us and we returned to our truck to remove our airpacks.
A rescue truck eventually went to the Lykens station to refill our air tanks. The tanks were then reconnected to our packs. Equipped with fresh tanks of air, we rotated back to the line and replaced other fire fighters who had run out of air.
It took all night to put the fire out. The building was a complete loss. Towards the end, teams of firefighters walked through the outskirts of the blackened ruin, poking at fallen debris with pikes. Other firefighters armed with hoses, sprayed any glowing embers that were exposed. Nobody actually walked into the debris as the two story building and roof had collapsed into the basement.
I didn't get back to the inn until close to 6 AM. I had enough time to shower and by then it was time to make breakfasts for my guests. It mada for a long morning - but I found the change from routine stimulating.
When the housekeeper arrived at 11 AM, I left her in charge of the inn, stumbled up to my apartment, fell into bed and slept for six hours.
David, Inn at Elizabethville
Comments
I earned my "reds" last night. I've been a probationary volunteer firefighter now for four months but having completed several state certification classes and having responded to most of the calls, my yellow bunker gear was replaced with the rusty reds that the other volunteers wear.
It is a good feeling, to not only be an active part of the community but to be part of a brotherhood. The volunteer firefighters are a closeknit group. We have to be since our lives may depend upon each other. After all, if we can't trust a fellow firefighter while advancing into a burning building with a fire hose, who can we trust?
Firefighting is hazardous and with the exception of 9/11, Pennsylvania has lost more firefighters each year than any other state in the nation. I suspect that the reason for the high fatality rate is because most of our firefighters are volunteers. Basic levels of training for volunteers is regretfully not consistent throughout the state. Volunteers are also not screened by annual medical checks as are the paid professionals.
With this being said, I am still an active member of the local company. As an innkeeper, I can generally respond to calls during weekdays. Since most of our volunteers work outside the community, there are only a small handful of us who are able to respond between 9 AM and 5 PM.
When the tones drop on my pager and the borough siren goes off, I take a break from being an innkeeper and become a firefighter.
Posted by: David | September 3, 2007 4:38 PM
Great posts , David! Being involved is so important -- it's part of being a good citizen, and as you are learning, it helps build business. My husband and I volunteered on our fire department too, putting in over a year before they decided to only accept volunteers who would go into burning buildings. We volunteered as scene support -- traffic control, engineer and the trucks, even pass water around to the firefighters.
Since we were determined to find a way to volunteer our time, we are now first responders for our amublance service -- aka EMS. It's great to feel needed and to do something to help others. We also volunteer for the sheriff's office for emergency communications. So far we haven't been needed, but we are there when the need arises.
Posted by: Kit Cassingham | September 3, 2007 4:39 PM
just got back from a rescue call. Elizabethville has trained paramedics who are also volunteer fire fighters. Since we have medics, we respond to all neighboring districts just in case an ambulance isn't immediately available.
A woman lost control of her car on an isolated rural road and wrapped her engine around a telephone pole. Our medic tended her until Medic Six arrived. She was placed on a gurney and the volunteers carried her to the ambulance.
Her biggest concern?
She begged us to go back to the car and get her cigarettes.
I think it's great that you do this. We really need more volunteers - especially in rural areas that often lack paid professionals.
In Elizabethville, persons interested in scene support can work with our fire police since traffic control is really important. During the big fire the other night, the fire police blocked off the road because of our hoses. They also diverted traffic down side streets and around the scene of the fire.
Within the company we have several senior citizens who are not physically able to fight fires. Some of them act as engineers, driving the trucks and operating the pump. Others provide radio support to help coordinate fire fighting efforts with the on scene IC (incident commander).
I have not personally experienced this yet, but on days with multiple calls, when the volunteers are beginning to run ragged, some of the seniors make soup and sandwiches to feed the returning crews.
Since our district has mutual support agreements with neighboring districts, there have been times when volunteers from other districts have sat in our fire station (to cover our area if needed). Volunteers have provided these visiting firefighters with food and coffee.
Everyone helps out as best they can - which is ideally what members of a community should do.
Posted by: Anonymous | September 3, 2007 4:41 PM