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FireNews.com

Fire News, May/June 2022, Page 31 CTVFC 24-HourTraining Blitz

On April 9, 2022, at 0700, the Cranberry Township VolunteerFire Company (CTVFC) held its second 24-hourTraining Blitz at the Park Station and Public Safety Training Facility. Thirty-fourfirefighters participated in the event along with 10 instructional staff, including five chief-level officers, two PAState Certified Fire Instructors and foursupport personnel. Crews faced 30 training scenarios with 12 live fire scenarios (building, vehicle and dumpster fires). Crews responded to othercalls from medical lift assists, vehicle accidents with entrapment, rope rescue, and impalements, as well. Crews also enjoyed a well-deserved steak dinnerin the evening on Saturday. With the addition of the training, CTVFC remained in service and ran a three emergency calls throughout the training. The training concluded around 1000 on Sunday. - Fire News photos by Artie Osniak

Laflin Fire &Rescue Donates Equipment

The Pennsylvania Chapter of the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund would like the thank the Laflin Fire and Rescue VFC (Station 152) located in Luzerne County for their generosity with the donation of an AMKUS Hydraulic Rescue Tool along with porta-power unit, electrical reel and several hand tools. Items like these and much other equipment are much needed for fire departments and companies not only across the state of PAbut across the US.

This equipment is available to donated to you should you need. Contact Richmiller@terryfund.org (Pictured: equipment, Rich Miller (PATFFF), Jody Reinard (Chief Laflin) ) - Fire News photos by Rich Miller

FireNews.com Fire News, May/June 2022, Page 33 Suspected Arson in York City Fire

On January 23, 2022, at 1018, York City Fire and Rescue Engines 991, 99-5 and 99-9, Truck 99-1, and Chief 99-1 were alerted to North Pershing Avenue fora structure fire. Engine 99-9 arrived to a threestory duplex, with heavy fire showing from the first and second floors. The structure was marked with an “X” indicating it was not safe to enterand crews went defensive. Asecond alarm was struck at 1028, bringing Truck 1-1, Engines 502 and Truck 502 to the scene. Crews made an interiorattack in an adjacent occupied structure in an attempt to prevent extension. Several handlines and the masterstream from Truck 99-1 were used to knock down the bulk of the fire. Acollapse zone was set up on side D and a partial collapse of the second floor occurred. Red Cross assisted several occupants with displacement. One person is being sought as a suspect in setting the fire. - Fire News photo by Jason Coleman-Cobb

Barry Twp. Garage and Contents Destroyed

On March 14, 2022, just after2230, crews were dispatched fora garage fire in Barry Township on Hill Road. As Chief 13 was informed of multiple calls regarding an approximately 5000square-foot garage on fire with multiple vehicles and tractor trailers inside. Crews arrived to explosions from within the fully involved structure. Crews observed that the fire was beginning to reach the exposures and protecting them from furtherdamage became the priority. As additional crews arrived command requested additional fill sites to be established as they encountered a watershortage. Unfortunately, the garage and all contents were a loss, but crews were able to protect the exposures. - Fire News photo by Seth Lasko

Slatedale’s Deuce, Mission BBQ’s 5 Ton

Members of the Slatedale Fire Department along with personnel from Mission BBQ posed with the Slatedale Deuce and Mission BBQ 5 Ton.

- Fire News photo by Dennis Wetherhold, Jr.

New Apparatus forEnola FC

Enola Fire Company welcomes theirnew KME 102-foot Mid-Mount platform, forEnola Fire Company No. 3 in East Pennsboro Township. Key feature include Hale DSD 1500-GPM Single-Stage Pump; 300 Gallon UPFWaterTank; Dual six-inch Inlets with Hale MIV; Two 200foot 1-3/4 inch Lowered Single Stack Crosslays; Whelen Emergency Lighting Package; Two Hannay 240v Electric Cord reels; SmartPower PTO/HYD 6kw Generator; Cummins X15 600-HPEngine; Allison 4000 EVS Transmission; Custom LadderStorage Module; AXIS Smart Truck Vehicle Monitoring System. (Left to right): Lieutenant Greg Bartolo, Lieutenant Chad Johnson and Fire Chief Kenny Moore. - Submitted by Greg Bartolo; Lt., Enola FC3

Page 36, Fire News, May/June 2022 Update: Steve Matto

Steven Matto (From The Scene Photography), is a husband and father of four children, including a three-year old daughter, and is the sole income of his family. In December 2021, he was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Oakland, where his left foot was amputated.

An infection ate away at the bones in his foot, and he also had a severe blood infection. The infection worked its way into the bones in the calf and, five surgeries later, he had to have his leg amputated above the knee. After seven weeks in the hospital, he is finally home, but his financial compensation benefits won’t be enough, the medical bills have piled up, and he will need to purchase a prosthetic limb and also will require home care and physical therapy. It will be months until he has enough mobility to return to work, do routine daily functions, or play with his daughter.

If you know Steven, he would help anybody with anything. He has dedicated his time to his family, his job, photography and dozens of fire departments. He has made over a thousand fire calls, training sessions, live burns, parades, holiday functions, fundraisers, photo sessions, and anything else imaginable to assist the local area departments, covering from Pittsburgh to Greensburg to Kittanning, over the last seven years. It is truly a passion that he absolutely loves.

This is going to be a long and hard uphill battle to get back to any kind of normal life, but doctors feel confident that he has the motivation, strength, and drive to regain having a fully functional life.

Any donations should be sent to: Arnold Volunteer Engine Company 2, c/o Steven Matto, 1100 Drey Street, Arnold, PA15068.

FireNews.com Fire News, May/June 2022, Page 37 Perkiomen Township Fire Company 1st Annual 5k

On April 9, 2022, the Perkiomen Township Fire Company held its first annual 5K Fundraiser. About 50 runners participated and we had the opportunity to recognize Trappe Fire Chief Branden Sisca (see page 42). Branden was the first person to sign up forthe 5K race fundraiser. We have him as the First Place First Responder. His bib number14430 was his PAState Police badge number. Sisca died in the line of duty on March 21, 2022. - Fire News photos by Ted Hodgins

You Have the Powerto Mitigate Struck-By-Vehicle Hazards at Wildland Fire Responses New ResponderSafety Learning Network Online Training Module is Free to All Responders

Struck and killed while extinguishing a grass fire next to the highway. Hit and killed by a wildland fire apparatus while fleeing an advancing flame front on foot. Fallen from the exterior of a fire apparatus and run over. Backed over and killed by a brush truck. Run over while sleeping at a wildland fire encampment. These are just a few of the many real incidents where a vehicle has hit and killed or injured firefighters operating at a wildland fire. Responder safety, traffic control, and vehicle movement discipline are critical components of wildland fire response. Yet they often do not get the attention they deserve during planning, training and response. As buildings and infrastructure encroach further on undeveloped land and wildland fires involve more and more organizations across wider expanses of land and into the wildland-urban interface, the hazards of exposure to moving civilian and emergency vehicles is likely to worsen. We can meet this challenge head-on and do more to mitigate the struck-by-vehicle hazard at wildland fires.

ResponderSafety.com has released a new Responder Safety Learning Network module, “Wildland Fires and Traffic Management,” spotlighting the struck-by-vehicle hazard at wildland fire responses and offers guidance in how to mitigate this hazard in many contexts. The module examines contributing factors in previous struck-by-vehicle fatalities at wildland fires as described by the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program and relates them to a set of recommended practices to address these contributing factors and mitigate struck-by hazards. NIOSH FFFIPPcommon contributing factors to firefighter struck-by-vehicle LODDs at wildland fires include: • Lack of adequate traffic control • Responders standing in or traversing active roadways • Decreased visibility due to smoke • Dark or poorly lit conditions • Failure to follow safe backing procedures • Lack of high visibility apparel

Recommended practices to reduce the risk of being struck by a vehicle at wildland fire response presented in the module include details on planning response, outfitting vehicles with emergency lighting and high visibility markings, wearing high visibility apparel, deploying advance warning and traffic control, addressing smoke conditions, exercising vehicle movement discipline, following proper backing procedures, boarding and exiting vehicles safely, and complying with national standards for wildland firefighting. The module outlines specific wildland fire responder safety responsibilities for each role at the scene, from command to the line firefighter. This module will change the way you look at a wildland fire scene when you are operating near vehicles offroad, on-road, and road-adjacent. The module will show you how to protect yourself and your crew from being struck. It’s important information that may not have been part of your initial firefighting training. The module was developed with experts in responder safety, traffic incident management, and wildland firefighting.

All ResponderSafety.com training and resources are free. You can recognize the hazards of moving vehicles and mitigate them. The “Wildland Fires and Traffic Management” module will help you learn how. Wildland fire season is here. Prepare yourself, your crew, and your department.

FireNews.com

Fire News, May/June 2022, Page 39 “In OurBoots” Public Service Announcements Show

The Emergency Responder Safety Institute’s (ERSI) new series of public service announcements, “In Our Boots,” challenges the public to stand in the boots of emergency responders exposed to high-speed traffic every day as they save lives on the roadway. As traffic whizzes by inches away, an emergency responder describes what it was like to be struck by that traffic. The first two PSAs feature Firefighter Mike Cox and Assistant Fire Chief Steve Senn, who were both struck in a 1998 Pennsylvania Turnpike Incident when they were with the Lionville Fire Company. Revisiting this traumatic experience in their lives opens a window for drivers to understand how one moment of carelessness, inattention, or poor decision-making changes the lives of emergency responders forever.

“When you’re safe, dry, and comfortable inside your car driving by an emergency scene on the roadway, you can’t understand what it’s like for the responders who are in the weather cutting people out of cars, performing CPR, extinguishing vehicle fires, directing traffic, and assisting with disabled vehicles while traffic is screaming by right next to them,” said Steve Austin, project manager for ResponderSafety.com. “These PSAs show you what that’s like for emergency responders and how a response went terribly wrong for Mike Cox, Steve Senn, and many others who were hit by vehicles while they were working a crash or other roadway incident.”

Each In Our Boots PSAhighlights specific safe driving messages and links them to the possible consequences of not giving emergency responders room to work on the roadway. Freely share In Our Boots PSAs with the public in your community.

The ERSI thanks the responders who participated in recording these PSAs for sharing their difficult stories in the hope that drivers will listen and act to safeguard responder’s lives.

See all the In Our Boots PSAs at www.respondersafety .com/public-education/in-our-boots-psas/. - Submitted by Jason Jammer