Firehouse News
CONGRATULATIONS TO FIREFIGHTER DAVID HICKS FOR BEING ACCEPTED TO THE NORRISTOWN FIRE DEPARTMENT AS A PAID FIREFIGHTER. DAVID WAS A PAID DRIVER WITH THE PHILLIES FIRE COMPANY FOR A LITTLE OVER 5 YEARS. GOOD LUCK DAVID
January 2, 2006
Santa Distributes Candy Canes
Santa and his elves from the Phillies Fire Company distributed candy canes to local children from Engine 2 on our annual Christmas candy cane run. Many friends were made as well as many smiles too. See the pics below.
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December 24, 2005
Santa Delivers an Argus Thermal Imager to the Phillies
An anonymous donor provided an Argus 1 EEV thermal imager to the Phillies Fire Company. Thermal imagers provide an image based on heat and it allows firefighters to quickly see through heavy smoke. Searching smoked filled homes can be done very rapidly and more efficiently than the old searching style of "crawl and feel." The residents of Pottstown will benefit from the addition of a second thermal imager responding to a fire scene. Firefighters will benefit as well because thermal imagers are an excellent safety tool for finding trapped or lost firefighters. Thermal imagers are excessively expensive and prices can be as high as twenty thousand dollars. Many fire companies do not have these devices because of the cost and the Phillies consider them to be very fortunate to have such a generous donor.
The Argus 1 EEV is very simple to use and no lengthy training session is necessary for its push-button single-hand use capability. The thermal imager is currently assigned to Ladder 13 and it is located on the front seat. Currently a battery pack must be loaded and a strap must be secured before it can be used. In order to use this device it is important that you do familiarize with its operation prior to using it on a fire scene. Check with one of our officers about a quick hands-on training session.
October 18, 2005
Firefighters Decorated for Heroic Rescue
Firefighters were recently awarded medals by Fire Chief Richard Lengel for the heroic efforts in saving the life of ----- and attempting to save off-duty firefighter Edward Butler. The fire occurred in the 600 block of Walnut Street in December. According to Lengel's investigation, a candle was suspect of starting the fire that quickly involved the family Christmas tree and decorations. Firefighters arrived on location and were held back until the fire could be suppressed enough to allow for entry into the building. Rescue crews
Left pic: (Left to Right) Award recipients Goodwill Firefighter/Driver Terry Bechtel, North End Firefighter Tom Braber, Phillies Firefighter Carlton Gillis, Goodwill Assistant Chief Kevin Yerger, Phillies Assistant Chief Tim Antush.
Right pic: Richard Lengel announcing the awards.
October 10, 2005
Operation Save-a-Life II Launched at PMMC
Operation Save-a-Life II was officially launched at PMMC's Maternity and Women's Health Center. In attendance were fire officers from the Phillies Fire Company, Empire Hook and Ladder, Goodwill Fire/Rescue and Ambulance, and also the staff from PMMC. Ron, Maryellen, and Hailey Mest presented the first smoke detector to nursing coordinator Vvonne Stamm, RN. Hailey was born at PMMC on August 21st and her birth sparked the initiative for the program.
Left picture: Teresa Kelly, Chief Nursing Officer; Don Gephart, Chief of Empire Hook and Ladder, Kevin Yerger, Assistant Chief, Goodwill Fire/Rescue and Ambulance; Joe Groff, Chief of the Phillies Fire Company; Mike Campeggio, Chief of Goodwill Fire/Rescue and Ambulance; Havey Heimbach, Assistant Chief of the Phillies Fire Company; Vvonne Stamm R.N., Nursing Coordinator. Our mascot, "Fire Plug" can be seen in the background.
Right picture: Maryellen Mest holding Hailey Mest; Ron Mest, Phillies Firefighter, Joe Groff, Chief of the Phillies Fire Company; Vvonne Stamm R.N., Nursing Coordinator; Havey Heimbach, Assistant Chief of the Phillies Fire Company; and Teresa Kelly, Chief Nursing Officer. Our mascot, "Fire Plug" can be seen in the background.
September 22, 2005
Operation Save-a-Life joint initiative
The Phillies Fire Company is spearheading a joint effort to provide smoke detectors to every child that is born at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center (PMMC). Local fire companies have been solicited for financial help on this joint initiative that will have a huge impact on our surrounding communities. The official announcement of the program will take place at PMMC on October 10th. Participating Fire Companies will invited to participate with us and they will be listed on this website.
The goal of the program is to provide a smoke detector to every newborn baby leaving Pottstown Memorial Medical Center’s (PMMC) Maternity and Women's Health Center. Last year seven hundred and eighty children were born at PMMC. Every child that currently leaves PMMC is provided with a few product samples and baby care information for families to use with their newborn. One item that is missing in this product samples bag is a smoke detector. The birth of a child is cause for parents to increase their household’s level of safety to protect their newborn. One way fire departments can provide an increased level of protection for a family is by providing a free smoke detector at PMMC. Like I said, with parents thinking of household safety at this new juncture in their lives, we need to seize this opportunity to promote the use of smoke detector coverage in the home. As you already know, every floor in a home and every bedroom, including nurseries, needs to be protected with a smoke detector. The idea is to provide a free smoke detector with a congratulations letter from the area fire companies. Furthermore, there is no such thing as having too many smoke detectors in a home.
PMMC is the medical hub for the tri-county area and children are born there from all three counties. We solicited area fire companies in the tri-county area to pledge $550 to purchase smoke detectors to present to PMMC on Monday, October 10th. Fire Company’s that make a pledge will be asked to join us at the presentation of the smoke detectors to PMMC. This program mirrors an identical program currently underway in the city of Philadelphia. Interestingly, the Philadelphia Fire Department has agreed to provide smoke detectors for this program at a direct wholesale price of $5.50 per detector. Therefore, a $550 pledge will purchase 100 smoke detectors and a $275 pledge will purchase 50 smoke detectors. According to PMMC management, they should break last year’s number of births. I am hoping to provide a year’s supply (800+) of smoke detectors to PMMC. Information was already released to the news media which will be on hand the day of “Operation Save-a-Life II’s” inception which is October 10, 2005, 7:00 pm, on the second floor. Fire officers from the participating companies are asked to arrive in full dress uniform.
The program would not be complete if it was not ongoing. We are submitting an application for a grant to the Pottstown Health and Wellness Foundation for consideration. We are hoping this program will qualify for grant money and then become self perpetuating.
Together we can join forces and make a huge impact in our community.
Email Gadget65@aol.com for additional questions or concerns.
April 24, 2005
Gear: The Means of Survival
You personal protective equipment (PPE) or structural firefighting gear is vital protection for you against serious injury. Your helmet and face shield primarily protect your head and face from impact injuries. Your Nomex hood protects you from heat and serious head burns. Your gloves protect your hands from heat and sharp objects. Your boots with the steel shanks in them keep your feet dry and help you to avoid puncture wounds from nails. Your turnout gear protects you from heat, hot embers, and sharp objects. You probably never thought about how vital this gear is to your protection and survival in a structure fire, right?
It is important to protect your gear as if it was your life. Wash your gear according to the inside label. It is important to keep your gear clean because excessive carbon build up on the outside of your gear can ignite in a fire. Gear is fire resistant and not fire proof. This basically means that your gear will resist heat and fire for only so long. Under the right conditions, your gear can ignite as well. Indications of thermal stress can be seen on Nomex by discoloration of the material. Usually these discolored areas are the first place for rips, tears, and fire to break through. Small areas are not a major worry but large areas should not be left go. Proper cleaning and inspection of gear is vital to your survival. Inspect your gear after every fire no matter if it was a live burn training or on the job. If you find a problem bring it to one of the officers attention.
Structural firefighting gear is one of many types of PPE that you can find in the fire service. It really depends on the type of emergency that you are dealing with that determines the type of gear you should be wearing. For example, because of the long distances traveled, difficult terrain, and heavy labor, structural firefighting gear is not suitable for forest firefighting. Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel generally wear a lightweight jacket and attire suitable for their line of work. Again, structural firefighting gear would not be suitable to treat a patient that experienced a sudden illness while at a church function. Like I said, gear is determined by the type of emergency. There are many divisions within the fire service that require specialized gear. Just to name a few examples, scenes that involve hazardous materials, high angle rescue, water rescue, and even fire police operations require specialized PPE to keep them safe.
Water rescues concern me the most because structural firefighting gear will get you in to quick trouble. Bunker pants inhibit a firefighter's ability to swim if they would fall in to the water. Basically as bunker pants fill up with water, a person loses their buoyancy, their ability to swim, they sink to the bottom, and drown. The only thing a firefighter can do if they get in to this situation is to try and remove their gear while they are sinking. This may be impossible if the firefighter was injured when they fell in to the water in the first place. Imagine being swept away down stream at night, nobody can reach you, nobody can see you as you try to remove your gear with a broken arm or leg. Do you think you could make it?
Sometimes people think shallow water is not a big problem but it could be if you are swept away in to deeper water. With spring now upon us, heavy rains can swell rivers, and streams, and cause severe flooding. Roadways can become flooded and washed out. Areas this tends to happen is along Industrial Highway, West High Street, and along the Manatawny Creek. It is not uncommon for motorists to make the mistake by driving through these flooded streets and becoming stranded. Always remember water is one of natures forces that must be respected. Sudden flooding can wash away manhole covers, sewer grates, sidewalks, streets, and bridges. When these areas become flooded with muddy water, there is no telling what might lie under them because the water hides all damage. BEWARE that a trap may be waiting for you and take the necessary safety precautions to protect yourself. Safety precautions include: slow down and do a size-up of the situation, use proper PPE, determine the safest method, use safety ropes to tie off rescuers, have a RIT or backup crew waiting, and do not be afraid to call for help for additional resources.
The proper PPE for a water rescue is helmet, gloves, and a personal flotation device. Leave the rest of your gear in your vehicle. At least two firefighters should be assigned to man water rescue rope throw bags in case another person would accidentally fall in to the water. Depending on the situation, additional safety ropes should be used for the rescue operations as well. If you do not have proper PPE, you should be in a support role away from the incident.
February 12, 2005
Annual Firemen's Appreciation Night
Firemen's Appreciation Night was held to honor all those that volunteered their time and service to our fire company. Special thanks goes out to all the wives and families that had to sacrifice their quality time when their loved ones responded to calls. A special poem "Off to Another Call" was written and read by Carrie Kisch. Click on the image below to read it. This poem was permanently added to the Hall of Flame photo page. Below is a list of this year's award recipients. Good job!!!
12/11/2007