Volunteers Serving Springfield Township
2013 has been a busy year for Flourtown Fire Company so far, here’s a look back at the what we’ve been up to, some fires, some training, some rescues, always exciting, stop by Monday nights at 7PM to hear how you can join the team.
Video by Firefighter Greg Fasold.
At 10:38 PM on Saturday, March 2, 2013 Flourtown was dispatched to assist Station 29, Barren Hill Fire Company with an extrication of a driver involved in a head-on collision on Stenton Avenue between Joshua and Militia Hill. The severely injured driver needed the vehicle to be removed from his legs and overhead so he could be placed on a back board and rushed to a local trauma center by Medic 313. The second driver, a young woman was transported to a local hospital for evaluation by Medic 308. Squad 6, Ladder 6, Engine 6 all responded along with Utility 6 for traffic control. Rescue 29, Pipeline 29, and Traffic 29 responded from Barren Hill’s station.
Recently, Wyndmoor Hose Company #1 and Flourtown Fire Company responded to an overturned vehicle on the on-ramp to Route 309 just off Paper Mill Road. The vehicle posed a special challenge to rescuers as it featured a high-strength steel roll-cage frame. The rescue was completed after removing a portion of the vehicles roof.
Sunday May 6th brought Flourtown and Wyndmoor Fire Companies together to train on Heavy Truck and Bus Rescue. A donated school bus and tractor made the training realistic. The companies worked on stabilization, lifting, and accessing the vehicles from multiple points, using all tools available to them. The ending scenario set up by the presenters of the class, Safety and Survival Training, pulled together all that we learned through out the day and prepared us for the worst. A portion of the money for this class was donated by the Springfield Township High School Student Council.
The Colonial Regional Technical Rescue Task Force, of which Flourtown Fire Company is a participating member, held a Department of Homeland Security authorized drill on Sunday, November 20, 2011. Taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather, the companies gathered at Spring Mill Fire Company and were soon dispatched in an order as they would be in a real emergency to a local train crossing and station. The scenario involved a commuter train striking a vehicle, and a mass causality and injured situation. There was also a separate law enforcement element that involved a terrorist bomb scenario, but that was held on a separate car a bit further down the tracks from the fire companies’ drill.
Flourtown personnel, Assistant Chief Chris Buckley, Captain Chris Manning, Leitenant John Redington,and firefighters: Dean Seltzer, Kevin Davis, Tim Ernst, Tyler Buckley, and Sal Santangelo all took part in stabilizing victims and extricating them from the train and the severely-damaged vehicle. Chief George Wilmot and his daughter, Lexi Wilmot were part of the scenario’s observation team and “victim” volunteers. Photos by Bob Wilmot, Jr.
