Fire Prevention and ongoing event in Newtown Square

Thursday, 06 October 2011 00:00

For many people, Fire Prevention is a concept that has a once-a-year focus.  Through national, regional, and local media focus, this single week impact often ignores the year-long fire- and injury-prevention programs provided by the Newtown Square Fire Company and other safety-oriented fire companies.

In its 89 years of annual preparations for Fire Prevention week, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has once more announced an annual theme for its annual safety focus.   For this year, the NFPA and nationally-affiliated firefighters have as their focus the theme, “Protecting your family from fire through advance planning and adding safety steps into our everyday living.”

Newtown Square Fire Company Lieutenant Bill Rankin has again been asked by sufficient educational groups that the local Fire Company’s Fire Prevention Program is once again lasting longer than the length of the national week-long program.  

Currently, the 2011 program embraces two weeks.   If the series of requests parallel those of earlier years, this program may even expand to more than this year’s two weeks of in-school and in the fire station visits.

There are special rewards experienced by the visiting Newtown Square firefighters.  One pleasant fallout is the assurance that the simple but effective safety messages are being taken home. “Not only does this student-to-family sharing benefit the parents or other adults, the students, through this reinforcement, will have one more chance to make sure they remember these safety lessons,” stressed Lieutenant Rankin.



Newtown Square Fire Company’s Fire Prevention Lieutenant is seen instructing students in the lower school of the community’s Stratford Friends School.  He was joined by local firefighters Fire Police Captain Carl Ewing, Lieutenant Heather Schaub, and firefighters John Albany, Rich Lynch and Jim Biddle.  In addition to the classroom experiences, the students toured the local pumper as well as used a fire hose.
Newtown Square FireFoto

Auxiliary's 62nd Semi Annual Flea Market

Thursday, 15 September 2011 00:00

It’s that time of year again....Something for everyone!
To register for a spot, please download the Registration Form from our Downloads link to the left.

Sunday September 25, 2011  9am to 4pm
Rain date: October 2, 2011

LOCATION:

Newtown Square Shopping Center
West Chester Pike (East of Route 252)
Newtown Square, PA 19073

Smoky Broomall fire quickly quelled

Wednesday, 14 September 2011 00:00

One of the long-standing warnings about smoking strongly reminds current- and potential-smokers that this practice is dangerous to their health.   That dangerous association with smoking earned a special danger image in a Tuesday evening Broomall fire on September 13.

Preliminary reports strongly suggest the cause of this residential fire in the 700 block of Cedar Grove Road in Broomall was associated with a smoking-related origin. .

Heavy smoke filled the upper level of the home. This fire was located in a second floor bedroom, where the largest amount of fire being found in the area of a bed in the room.  As was demonstrated in this smoky, 8:30 p.m. fire, burning bedding materials are known to produce large amounts of smoke.

The amount of smoke from this second floor fire prevented the occupants from going to the upper level of the home.

Responding fire crews made an aggressive attack and they were successfully contained the fire to the bedroom.  It has been reported that Broomall Fire Chief Carl Drake stated the source of the fire was in the bed. Fires of this origin are identified as ‘appearing from discard smoking materials.’

While this fire was quickly contained in approximately 15 minutes, fire crews and apparatus from the responding fire companies remained on the fire ground until each vehicle was being restored to service.

The Broomall Fire Company’s Fire Police established detours which rerouted traffic.

Assisting the Broomall Fire Company were units from the Marple Ambulance Corps, the Newtown Square Fire Company, Upper Providence Township’s Rose Tree Fire Company and Swarthmore Fire Company.

Emergency Management Team Message

Wednesday, 31 August 2011 00:00

In the wake of Hurricane Irene, the Newtown Township Board of
Supervisors and the Emergency Management Team is pleased to
acknowledge the professionalism and dedication of the various police, fire
and public works staff on their quick response and performance during
Hurricane Irene. Also, we commend the residents of Newtown Township
on their preparation and patience during the emergency. As we work
thought the remaining demands as a result of the storm, we appreciate our
communities continued support and we ask that you remain prepared for
future challenges.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Michael Trio, AICP
Township Manager
Newtown Township

Good Night Irene

Sunday, 28 August 2011 00:00

NSFC Hurricane activity

The media and shopping discussions all had a single focus as the end of last week’s work week was ending.   The seemingly single topic was Hurricane Irene. While she arrived largely on time, her stay was not as severe as many feared.

In retrospect, the publicized preparatory steps assembled by local, county, state, and federal agencies were in some instances more than needed.  Yet, as was often stated by media representatives, “It is better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.”

One of the ongoing guidelines of the Newtown Square Fire Company is an ‘ever-present state of readiness.   This includes fuel levels and overall vehicle and tool inspections.

A part of this readiness is often heard by people visiting the nearby WAWA.  Knowing the status of power tools is an important item in preparedness, this readiness begins with fuel and lubrication level checks. Following these visual checks, the welcomed sounds of these rescue tools being started and run for a timely trial is reassuring.

One of the first specific steps taken by the local firefighters came as a text message on Friday, August 28.  In this electronic message, the Newtown Square firefighters were asked to contact Lieutenant Eric Harper and aid him in assembling the roster of available crew members for upcoming storm-related activities.

Other, ongoing weather-preparedness steps are increased for storms like Irene.   Prolonged activities require an extra set of inspections.  When the first dispatch of the Irene era was received by the local firefighters, both they and their vehicles were ready.

Following a collection of dispatches for automatic fire alarms, the anticipated collection of true storm activities began a bit before 8 p.m.  This initial call, one that fell in the category of ‘wires, transformers – with hazards’ was repeated for more than five similar emergencies.

Chief Doug Simpson added to the descriptions of the calls that are a part of weather-related activities.  He added that storm activities have a way of creating several categories of emergencies.   One of these categories, Service Calls, accounted for more than eight responses.

In their Samaritan activities, one additional dispatch was in response to an out-of-the-area relative’s concern about the welfare of a township resident -- family member that could not be reached by phone.

While local weather record show that the Saturday evening’s peak winds of 58 miles per hour occurred a near 8 p.m. this number did not provide a realistic description of the working environment. The amount of this peak gust quickly proved to be of little impact.

Only minutes after Saturday’s late evening’s peak wind, there were prolonged winds with only were only slightly less speeds than the record-setter.  These following-up winds included an additional impact. This following two hours of near-record rain was falling in sheets and at a rate of almost two-inches per hour.   Both driving and being outdoors were challenges.

Sunday, August 28 was for the early part of the day, was a partial extensions of the preceding day’s activities. As the center of the storm moved toward New York City, an almost uniform reduction in calls and the length-of-service for each of that day’s activities were reduced.  

Very few fire service observers realize that when the pace of calls is reduced, these volunteers are not able to relax.  During these post-response times, the firefighters were busy with the restoration of the apparatus for service and make any needed repairs to assure they will be ready for the next call.

Storm damage and activity increase

Friday, 26 August 2011 00:00

Some neighborhood weather watchers commented on Thursday afternoon, August 26, that the wind, rain, and lightning are all possible preview of hurricane fostered weather, The key behind this unscientific prediction is the unknown path Hurricane Irene might take as this storm marched north from the warm waters of the Caribbean.

The fickleness of Tropical storms that move into the cooler, more northern waters helps in the uncertainty of the hurricane’s projected path.   On Thursday, the cone of possible paths extended west toward a mind point between Harrisburg and Altoona.  Its eastern edge was deep into the Atlantic.

While these projections were topics of storm-related dialogue, the crew members of the Newtown Square Fire Company were not a part of the television-watchers residents.  Their focus, while changing locations, was almost totally local storm damages from current, not future events.

The collection of calls on what began as a mid-morning darkening of the sky occurred at 10:07 with a dispatch for a building fire at the Newtown Square Starbucks in the 3500 block of West Chester Pike.  The arriving fire crews found no burning, but it was felt that a voltage surge from a nearby lightning strike on a utility pole may have been responsible for this call.

A traditional collection of calls are normally associated with any or all of the normal effects of storms.  The volume of emergencies began to escalate and when Newtown Square receoived a dispatch to a Thornbury Township address, they were almost immediately cancelled through dispatch reassignment.

At the same time as this out of town, redirected dispatch was being corrected, Newtown fire crews were sent to the  3500 block of West Chester Pike for an automatic fire alarm activation.  This continued a pace of calls continued. Only two minutes later, the Newtown Square Fire apparatus was sent to an electrical emergency near the intersection of Goshen and Malin Roads.

Only a bit more than an hour later, fire crews responded to an electrical fire near the intersection of Delchester Road and West Chester Pike. This address is in that segment of Chester County’s  Willistown Township that is a part of the Newtown Square Fire Company’s First Alarm coverage area.

Following the normal west-to-east path of storms for this area, Newtown Square firefighters were soon dispatched to a cover-up call in the Chester County. It was not long after the local apparatus returned to the local fire station that the area soon experienced another burst of super active weather. 
A bolt of lightning, one described by a neighbor as the brightest light she had ever seen and the loudest sound she had ever heard, hit the chimney of a one-story home on Rhodes Avenue.  Bricks, mortar, and chimney flue tiles segments were found not only of the home’s roof, they were also propelled across the street.

In one more example of both the impacts of storm-related activities, Delaware County’s 9 1 1 Center received a second, in-town call while the local apparatus was busied with the Rhodes Avenue lightning strike.

During the ongoing, storm-influenced and fast-paced emergency response activities, cover-up assistance was provided for an emergency on Carriage Lane at approximately 1 p.m.   Fire crews and apparatus from the Broomall Fire Company and Upper Providence Township’s Rose Tree Fire Company responded to this call.




Being near the top of a hill in one of Newtown Township’s loftier areas proved that lightning seeks out elevated targets.  The chimney of the Rhoads and Ridgefield residence was seriously damaged during one of the many lightning strikes hitting the area.        Newtown Square FireFoto