Newtown Square Fire Company

Giving Golf for Father's Day

Thursday, 10 June 2010 00:00

As Father’s Day, June 20, approaches, many families are still pondering what to give to Dad. The answer to this often-stressful question comes from an unexpected source, the Newtown Square Fire Company. Their answer does not focus on a personal visit by apparatus and firefighters. That kind of gift is a common gift for younger family members. The Newtown Square’s answer is to give golf for Father’s Day.

Vehicle fire with potential hazards

Friday, 12 March 2010 00:00

Today’s vehicles are both complex and filled with combustible contents other than the most obvious burning danger – gasoline. These items combine to provide an almost instant, rapidly burning fire whenever and wherever a fire begins within the vehicle.

The most obvious preventative tool is the proper maintenance of all types of today’s vehicles. Even when these preventative steps are undertaken, there can be vehicle fires.

As spectators recently learned, cars, vans, and trucks burn and burn fiercely. An early Thursday evening fire quickly spread from the front of the vehicle. Fed by the available fuel and residual oil, the burning made its way into the rest of the vehicle. In addition to the vehicle fire, the Newtown Square firefighters also were concerned about a possible spreading of the fire into the adjacent structure.

Well-place water used in the firefighting prevented any extension of the intense vehicle fire into the commercial row of stores that were close to the burning vehicle.

February storm activities for NS firefighters

Friday, 12 February 2010 00:00

In looking back to the beginning of the record-setting storms, the Newtown Square Fire Company soon realized the weather and the accompanying activities for Friday, February 5 would provide only a small hint of the activities that would follow. The volunteer firefighters soon learned the activities that occurred during the two, back-to-back heavy snowstorms that resembled a winter hurricane would be challenge. It was a challenge the trained and dedicated volunteers successfully met.

This first day’s activities began with a Willistown, Chester County structural fire at approximately 7 a.m. and ended at 10:18 p.m. with a dispatch for an EMS assist.

Continuing a service responsibility that began when the Emergency Medical services were a part of the overall emergency service activities, Fire Company personnel provide assistance during medical activities. In describing the Newtown Square Fire Company’s first in a series of busy days, Chief Doug Simpson volunteered, “The five Friday emergency dispatches also included automatic fire alarms dispatches.”

As the snowfall continued into Saturday, February 6, there was no relaxation in activities for the Newtown Square Fire Company. All but one of the four emergency calls during this ongoing snowfall were assist activities to emergency medical providers. That one exception was an assist to the Radnor Fire Company for a dwelling fire in the 800 block of Newtown Road in their community.

While residents were actively focused on their personal snow removal on Sunday, February 7, Newtown Square firefighters began their busy day of activities with a 6:45 a.m. response to assist neighboring Edgmont for a vehicle accident. While the local firefighters were awakened by this dispatch, their response was shortened thanks to the sleepover crews that provided over-night availability on that day and throughout the storms.

The seven Sunday emergency activities were shared by EMS assists, automatic fire alarms, and two alerts for out-of-town fire dispatches. The day’s service responses ended at 11:30 p.m.

While Monday is normally a back-to-work standard for most, the February 8 duties for the Newtown Square Fire Company continued a no-relaxation weekend. The sole emergency dispatch on Monday was for a structural fire on Smedley Lane, Newtown Township.

Newtown Square firefighters were expecting activities on Tuesday, February 9. With no dispatches, the local volunteers were able to perform maintenance duties. This lull also provided the local volunteers with false expectations for future activities. The activities on following day, Wednesday, February 10 made up for this no-call day.

A Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. wake up dispatch for both the in-stations core crew and the responding volunteers began a day that produced 16 emergency dispatches. This call, along with a call of a similar nature began the chain of EMS alerts for Newtown Square firefighters.

The nature of the storm also added a new element to the nature and the volume of that day’s emergency responses. The wind, approaching that associated with the hurricane season spawned a series of wires and transformer dispatches. Also adding to the busy activities was a structure fire dispatch for the Media Inn.

Answering a declaration made by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, the severity of the storm’s promised snowfall prompted the closing of all area Interstate Highways with the exceptions of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Interstate 95. The Newtown Square Fire Company’s Fire Police Vehicle was summoned by Delaware County officials to a duty station at the Mac Dade Boulevard – Blue Route (I-476) junction. Their mission was simple: no one was to enter the county-bisecting roadway.

Thursday, February 11 was another day with an unusually busy set of activities. The first dispatch, 4:57 a.m. was an EMS assist. This type of emergency activity was followed by three additional medical assist dispatches f.

A 9:26 a.m. fire alarm dispatch proved to be “close to home.” The hungry and snow-tired firefighters were in the midst of cooking a large and welcomed late breakfast when their pagers were joined by the fire detection alarm bells sounding throughout the aging fire station. This fire call was for a Smoke Detector activation at the fire station.

Following this alarm, one firefighter commented with a bit of embarrassment, “We always understand that cooking fires can activate fire alarms. It was our cooking that caused the fire station’s smoke detection system to help tell us we are better at firefighting than cooking. This lesson will help all of us to gain a new understanding the next time we respond to someone else’s kitchen activation.”

During the balance of the Newtown Square Fire Company’s Wednesday’s snow-influenced activities, responded to an additional type of emergency calls. In addition to the large number of EMS dispatches, the local volunteers responded to a collection of snow and wind prompted wires and transformer calls dispatches.

When the sleep-in crewmembers woke up on Friday morning, February 12, they collectively acknowledge the rewards of a full night of uninterrupted sleep. They began reflecting upon the busy activities fostered by this record-setting snow season.

When asked what was the most challenging call during this compact, busy period, Deputy Chief Mike Kenny had no hesitation in describing this specific emergency call. The cited call was to a residence in the Wyola section of Newtown Township.

The heavy snowfall provided a challenge to the Riddle Memorial Hospital medical call. The vehicle found the snow was so hindering that it could not proceed to this emergency.

In an attempt to provide a backup EMS treatment and transport, the 9 1 1 Dispatch center was directed to dispatch a Radnor EMS unit to the Newtown Township address. This unit also found that it could not go through the heavy snow and drifts. While a third EMS unit was being summoned from Chester County’s Berwyn Fire Company, a local gas-service station operator family member came to the rescue. Deputy Chief Kenny chief praised Donald Kelley III and firefighter Mary McDonald for their creativity and skills in freeing the snow-blocked Riddle Memorial Hospital Ambulance. It was able to complete its EMS assignment.

In reviewing the collection of active calls, Deputy Chief Kenny expressed, “We were busy in a way like never before. Our firefighters performed like true professionals.”

When Kenny commented about the level of activity he had not yet added up the collection of storm-spawned calls. This month’s, two storm call volume of 42 responses tied the monthly total of February 2009. In making their early winter snow predictions, the area television forecasters foretold heavy February snowfalls. This month is not over. The local firefighters hope snowfalls are done, however.

Prov Road Accident

Friday, 05 February 2010 00:00

Homebound travel using Providence Road on Wednesday, January 3 experienced unwanted problems in the Edgmont portion of this busy artery. The reason behind the slowed and stopped traffic was a two-vehicle accident near the St. Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church.

A civilian report telling of the amount of impact damage sustained by both the SUV and a sedan prompted the response of the Edgmont Fire Company and specific, two emergency responses from the Newtown Square Fire Company. Newtown’s response to the 3600 block of Providence Road included that Fire Company’s Rescue-Pumper and its Traffic Unit.

In addition to the responses of fire apparatus, two Riddle Hospital Emergency Medical units were dispatched to the accident located in Pennsylvania State Police coverage area. This type of emergency is one of the many types of emergency service activities that members of the two, neighboring groups routinely train.

As one Newtown Square, EMS-trained responder explained, factors of this incident fostered the specific steps provided to both extricate and transport injured occupants. Off-duty Kait Madden stressed, “Fostered by the background of the accident (the mechanisms of injury) both occupants were immobilized with Cervical Spine precautions and other pre-transport immobilization devices. “

This same evaluation of injuries and the evident, impact damage to both vehicles involved in the head-on accident also fostered patient transport to high-level medical treatment facilities. The attending Riddle Memorial Hospital EMS units provided this transport.

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Run Statistics

	2010 Calls	2009 Calls
January	39	59
February	70	42
March	65	50
April	49	41
May	50	44
June	100	41
July	65	61
August		49
September		46
October		52
November		43
December		54
Total	438	582

2008 Total	616
2007 Total	547

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Sep 06, 2010 19:30 - 21:30
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Sep 07, 2010 19:30 - 21:30
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Sep 08, 2010 19:30 - 21:00
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Sep 09, 2010 19:30 - 21:30
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Sep 13, 2010 19:30 - 21:00
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Sep 20, 2010 19:30 - 21:30
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Sep 27, 2010 19:30 - 21:30
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Latest Biddle's Corner

Assuring safety

Vehicles are in many ways, becoming a comfort extension of the home. With comfortable seating, exciting entertainment, and complete environmental control, today’s road users create a dangerous challenge to the safety and proper response of emergency vehicles. In describing this safety challenge, Fire Chief Doug Simpson stressed, “This includes fire apparatus of the Newtown Square Fire Company, police, and EMS vehicles.”

Become an active partner

A recent headline-producing fire in nearby section of neighboring Philadelphia has fanned another fire – a debate between the Philadelphia’s City Administration and the union representing Philadelphia’s firefighters. What has been lost in this verbal tug of war are some major elements that also contributed to the death of a 12-year old boy with autism.

Text driving dangers

Despite laws being passed in many areas, reports of accidents continue to highlight that these roadway mishaps and death continue to point to texting. Once only identified with young, new drivers, this quest for instant communications has moved well into the adult driver populations. In its ongoing safety program, the Newtown Square Fire Company once more warns that driving while using a normal cellular phone is a dangerous practice.

Don't go in the water

Water and roadways is no stranger to drivers and walkers in Newtown Square and its neighboring communities. A common television news item shows cars and drivers being stranded in pooled water during heavy rains. Traditionally, firefighters have been dispatched to aid drivers and cars stranded in temporarily flooded areas. The Newtown Square Fire Company calls has stressed that all of these calls could have been prevented.

Start today. Tomorrow may be too late

A question often asked of newer members of the Newtown Square Fire Company following a response is, “What did you learn from this call?” The same question can be asked of local residents following the recent series of dangerous and inconveniencing weather. Chief Doug Simpson has reminded residents that, in light of this year’s hurricane forecast, we may not be done with this year’s bad weather.

Chief Simpson quickly added, “What and when are the residents going to prepare themselves.”