Pottsville Fire Department. Looking Back. September. Mike Glore

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1 Pottsville Fire Department Looking Back September Mike Glore 5 Years Ago 9/12/2007 Box 41-13: N. 12 th St. A fire gutted the kitchen of the 3 story end-of-the-row. A quick knockdown by first arriving companies prevented the fire from extending through the frame dwellings. The home was demolished following the fire. This row of homes had been the scene of working fires in 1956 and 1985 also. Schuylkill Haven s RIT was requested on the working fire, but was recalled while enroute. Schuylkill Hose of Schuylkill Haven Engine 733 returned to quarters that afternoon. The run was unremarkable until 9/12/2007 STILL 15:22 E. Union & St. Peter Sts., Schuylkill Haven; Commercial structure fire; American Hose, Good Intent, West End; A heartbreaking scene greeted firefighters from the Schuylkill Hose Company # 2 as they arrived to find the engine room of their firehouse heavily involved in fire. Schuylkill Hose firefighters could wait almost helplessly until other fire companies arrived on the scene. The engine room was gutted, while the rest of the firehouse suffered smoke and water damage. Destroyed in the fire were the company s 1994 and 2002 American LaFrance pumpers and Hazardous Materials trailer. Mutual aid companies from throughout southern Schuylkill County responded to the fire. Rising from the ashes, Schuylkill Hose dedicated their restored engine room, two new Pierce pumpers, and a new Squad on September 12, 2009 two years to the day of the initial alarm of fire. This also ended the Schuylkill Hose Company s almost 50 year history with American LaFrance.

Schuylkill Hose Company s engine room fully involved in fire in 2007. SHFD Asst. Chief Glen Sattizhan (right) establishes command. Photo courtesy Jim McGlaughlin.

2 Schuylkill Hose Company s engine room fully involved in fire in SHFD Asst. Chief Glen Sattizhan (right) establishes command. Photo courtesy Jim McGlaughlin. 10 Years Ago 9/18/2002 Box 44 20: W. Norwegian St; 1 st floor kitchen fire. A neighbor driving by the home heard smoke detectors sounding and, when he looked inside, saw flames spreading to the kitchen cabinets. He quickly called Companies made quick work of the fire, which was largely contained to the area around the stove. Damage was estimated at $10,000. 9/20/2002 STILL 21: Centre Ave., Schuylkill Haven; Good Intent (E11) and American Hose (E71) assisted the Schuylkill Haven Fire Department on an incident in which a tractor trailer struck gas pumps at a convenience store on Route 61 as well as several autos and a fire erupted. A large fuel spill also resulted.

The aftermath of the accident along Route 61 in Schuylkill Haven in 2002.

heavy rescue, which replaced their 1981 International/Swab.

3 The aftermath of the accident along Route 61 in Schuylkill Haven in Years Ago September, 1992 Yorkville receives and places in service a 1992 Spartan/Swab heavy rescue, which replaced their 1981 International/Swab. This rig was replaced in 2006 by another Spartan/Swab rescue. Yorkville Hose Rescue Spartan/Swab. Photo courtesy Yorkville Hose. 30 Years Ago

4 9/9/1982 Box : N. 2 nd St; Pottsville Housing Authority; Cause: Child playing with matches; Loss: $500 9/20/1982 STILL then Box 78 18:00 W. Market St. & Westwood Rd; Tractor trailer loaded with fluorine gas cylinders and auto involved in accident; Both vehicles into the west branch of the Schuylkill River; Driver of the auto was killed; Gas from cargo of truck released. A Consolidated Freight (CF) tractor-trailer was hauling 200 cylinders of Flourine gas from the Air Products plant in Hometown to the CF terminal on the Pottsville- Minersville highway. As the tractor trailer was descending West Market St, an automobile, driven by David Sobel of Chesterfield, West Virginia, was traveling south on Westwood Road, entered the intersection without stopping, and was struck broadside by the truck. The impact sent both vehicles off the roadway and into the West Branch of the Schuylkill River, just missing the Pizza Hut restaurant on the corner. The car overturned in the river and the truck came to rest on its side in the river with approximately 60 fluorine cylinders tearing through the trailer and scattering in the river. Asst. Chief Bill Horning (Phoenix) along with West End and Yorkville were dispatched on the still alarm for the vehicle accident with entrapment. Chief Horning and companies arrived with a very challenging incident. They discovered that fluorine gas was being released. Consulting the 1980 edition of the DOT Emergency Response Guidebook, firefighters learned that fluorine was a highly toxic gas that, when reacting with water, produced hydroflouric acid. Realizing the seriousness of the incident, Chief Horning requested that the box be transmitted to have companies provide additional self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Donning SCBA, Horning and firefighters from West End and Yorkville entered the shallow river to assess the driver the car. The driver of the truck, Kevin Miller of Shoemakersville, was able to self-extricate and was not seriously injured. Firefighters discovered that the driver of the car was killed in the crash. They elected to not extricate the driver of the car until the hazardous materials situation had stabilized. At 20:15 hours, a 4-man team from Air Products arrived on scene to evaluate the cylinders and the potential for additional release. Schuylkill County Emergency Management Coordinator Charles S. Guy also arrived on scene. It was soon discovered that only one of the cylinders had actually released any product. While the valves on several other cylinders were damaged, there was no additional release. At that point, companies commenced with the extrication, which was complete at 20:55. The car was then removed from the river. Another tractor-trailer arrived to receive the cylinders and return them to Air Products for thorough evaluation and testing. This process stretched well into the early morning hours. The CF tractor trailer involved in the accident then had to be removed

5 from the river. Three firefighters were treated at both the Good Samaritan and Pottsville hospitals for exposure to the released fluorine while 16 others reported to the Pottsville Hospital for decontamination by 09:30 on 9/21. An employee of the Pizza Hut restaurant was treated for a burn on his shoulder as he attempted to assist the victim in the automobile. As anyone who has been involved with rapidly expanding incidents such as this knows, things often don t go exactly according to plan. When Chief Horning called for the box, his intent was to stage the incoming apparatus/personnel in the area of Westwood Road off West End Ave. (Hess gas station today). A large number of personnel ended-up migrating to the accident scene itself. A little confusion experienced by incoming units involved the numeric designations in the radio traffic was/is the 10 code for a motor vehicle accident. Upon dispatch, units hearing these numerical transmissions could simply assume they were dispatched on a vehicle accident, which they essentially were. The other part of the numeric designations heard in the radio traffic involved the fact that 1045 is also the UN number for Flourine, compressed. This was being communicated as well as Chemtrec was consulted during the incident. This certainly wasn t your typical vehicle accident. Interestingly, Asst. Chief Horning had only begun his term as Asst. Fire Chief in July, It didn t take long for him to be confronted with a very demanding incident. HazMat was then only coming into its own as the discipline within the fire service that we know today. PREH photo of crews working at the overturned car in the river in The fluorine cylinders can be seen in the river in the left of the photo.

6 35 Years Ago 9/1/1977 Box 67 08: Nichols St; Occupant: Charles Breisch; Cause: Gasoline vapors hit pilot light; Loss: $3, year old Dale Breisch was filling his mini-bike with gasoline in the basement of the home when the vapors reached the pilot light on the water heater in the basement. A flash fire erupted in the basement. A neighbor, Lloyd Aungst, extinguished most of the fire before the fire department arrived. Dale sustained 2 nd & 3 rd degree burns to his right leg. 40 Years Ago 9/2/1972 Box : Seneca St; Occupant: Joe Sam; Cause: Unknown; Loss: $700. 9/23/1972 STILL 01:30 Coal docks at St. Clair railroad yard; Chief sent Good Will. St. Clair Police Officer Wayne Tipping was on patrol when he discovered a fire burning at the old coal loading dock for the Reading Railroad steam engines in Lower Mill Creek, East Norwegian Township. The St. Clair Fire Department was summoned and the Alert, Columbia, and Rescue fire companies were dispatched along with Fire Chief Frank Wapinsky and Asst. Chief Bob Greenback. Fire Marshal Don Friday responded with the Mill Creek Fire Company. As the building was soon fully-involved, additional apparatus was requested from Diener s Hill, Port Carbon, and the Good Will of Pottsville. Water was obtained from a nearby creek. The structure was completely destroyed. 45 Years Ago 9/7/1967 Amidst swirling rumors, a meeting was held at the Humane Fire Company. City officials, fire company officers, officials of the Pottsville Redevelopment Authority, and their respective attorneys confirmed for about 50 individuals in attendance that the Minersville Street Urban Renewal project would not result in the closing of the Humane Fire Company. The fire company s land and building were owned by the City and were up for sale to the Redevelopment Authority. However, the amount offered based on local appraisal of the building - $53,000 would have come nowhere close to rebuilding a new firehouse. City Solicitor Joseph McCloskey confirmed that the City would not sell for that amount nor would the existing firehouse be torn-down until a new firehouse was built. Humane s Building Committee estimated that $125,000 would be required to rebuild and relocate the firehouse.

PREH photo (Courtesy Doris Powers) of the Humane Fire Company in 1966 with their Seagrave 70 th Anniversary Series rigs: 1953 1000 gpm pumper (left) and classic 1964 200 gpm Shorty Hose & Booster

7 PREH photo (Courtesy Doris Powers) of the Humane Fire Company in 1966 with their Seagrave 70 th Anniversary Series rigs: gpm pumper (left) and classic gpm Shorty Hose & Booster truck (right). The Humane firehouse pictured was built in 1889 and would fall to Urban Renewal. 9/12/1967 Mayor Michael Close and City Council voted unanimously to keep the Humane Fire Company in service until a new building was built and occupied in the vicinity of the old firehouse so that the company could continue to provide service to the 5 th Ward. The City was also going to continue negotiations with the Redevelopment Authority and the Housing and Home Finance Agency to obtain an adequate price for the old building. 9/16/1967 Yorkville Hose & Fire Company as part of the company s 75 th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee hosted the Schuylkill County Firemen s Convention parade. 74 pieces of fire apparatus, 13 bands, and 17 marching units participated in the parade. Interestingly, as Yorkville was the host, the other Pottsville fire companies were eligible for prizes. Pottsville units garnered 9 of 39 prizes awarded, including several 1 st place awards. Humane alone received three awards, of which two were 1 st place. Parade Grand Marshal was retired Pottsville Fire Chief George Smith. 50 Years Ago

9/4/1962 Box 63 00:03 125 W. Railroad St; Leed Foundries, Inc; Cause: Unknown; Loss: $10,000.

8 9/4/1962 Box 63 00: W. Railroad St; Leed Foundries, Inc; Cause: Unknown; Loss: $10,000. A fire believed to have been of suspicious origins heavily damaged the building and equipment of the Leed Foundries at 125 W. Railroad St. The foundry, owned by E. Quirin of St. Clair, provided castings for his machine shop in St. Clair. 20 men were employed at the foundry at the time of the fire. Companies arrived with heavy fire showing from the building, which soon vented from the roof. The Good Intent Fire Company s log book for the period put it simply: Flames on Arrival. Crews operate at the Quirin Foundry fire in Years Ago 9/26/1952 STILL 21:50 Mauch Chunk St; Saylor Planing Mill; Cause: Unknown, fire in sawdust building; Loss: $750. A little over 10 years later, Pottsville would strike the box to assist Palo Alto at a very spectacular fire that completely destroyed the Saylor Planing Mill and Lumber Yard. 9/28/1952 STILL 12:45 Rear of 811 Minersville St; Occupant: Tony Perino; Cause: Unknown; Storage shed burned down; Loss: $150. 9/28/1952 STILL 14: Mahantongo St; Occupant: Mr. Davis; Cause: Fat ignited in oven; Loss: $ Years Ago

9 9/7/1937 St. Clair asked for help; Chief sent 2 Humane trucks (1921 Seagrave pumper and 1929 Buffalo hose & booster truck) and 1 Good Will truck (1933 Indiana/Pirsch pumper); Factory burned down. Just before midnight, a shed to the rear of the Frackville Manufacturing Company, on 3 rd St. between Patterson and Railroad, was found to be fully-involved in fire. The shed contained an automobile and a truck. The St. Clair Fire Department was quickly summoned. Fire Chief George Webber arrived and found that fire had extended into the large, 2-story factory of ordinary construction and called for mutual aid. Fire companies from Frackville, Port Carbon, Palo Alto, and Schuylkill Haven along with the Pottsville companies soon had 12 2 ½ streams playing on the fire. By 01:30, the factory was fully involved and firefighters were pressed to keep the radiant heat from igniting surrounding homes. Soon after, the walls collapsed and the radiant heat problem was largely eliminated. The fire was contained to the buildings of origin, with some heat damage to some nearby homes. Companies were on scene throughout the night. Damage estimates approached $100,000 and 175 individuals were left without work. This was said to have been the worst fire in St. Clair since the St. Clair Coal Co. breaker fire of March 17, Years Ago 9/19/1932 Box 63 01:10 Peacock St; Cause: Unknown; Loss: $2025; Occupants and Losses: 240 Peacock - John Liptok - $1, Peacock Ben Woznicky - $ Peacock George Warmkessel - $ Peacock Joseph Moskitus - $ Peacock Paul Santai - $ Peacock Steve Malinchak - $ Peacock Weissinger Packing Company - $125 Mr. J. Liptok had been fixing-up the home at 240 Peacock St. when he began to have money troubles. The work on the home had come to a standstill. A fire erupted in the basement of the Liptok home and quickly spread throughout the frame dwelling. Upon arrival of the fire department, the home was fully-involved. Radiant heat damaged the homes across the street as well as the then-closed Weissinger Packing Co. nearby. Fire Chief Smith became suspicious when he learned that Liptok had obtained a $1,500 insurance policy on the property a little over a week before the fire. While the fire was believed to have been incendiary in nature, the exact cause could not be determined. The Liptok property would have been in the vicinity of the

10 Habilitation, Inc. building on the northeast corner of Peacock and Fox Sts. Most of the homes across the street that were exposed by the fire are still there. 9/20/1932 Box 42 19: W. Arch St; Garage and autos owned by George Moyer and L.H. Marks; Cause: Unknown; Loss: $2,500. James McGuinness of 116 N. 6 th St. was playing with some friends at the corner of 7 th & W. Arch when he noticed a glow in the windows of the double-block garage of ordinary construction at 721 W. Arch St. He quickly ran to 7 th & W. Market Sts and hooked Box 42. Companies arrived with heavy smoke showing from the building. As they began to force entry, the fire intensified dramatically. Soon, flames were showing from the windows as the fire extended to the 2 nd floor. Numerous hoselines were played into the building. The fire was placed under control in 45 minutes, but companies remained on scene for several hours. A firewatch was maintained with a 2 ½ line from the hydrant overnight. It was believed that the fire began in one of the trucks in the garage. In all, 5 trucks stored in the building were destroyed. This building is still standing at 721 W. Arch St, though it has been extensively remodeled over the years. 95 Years Ago 9/22/1917 Box 62 13: Peacock St; Occupant: F. Bower; Cause: Defective flue; Loss: $ Years Ago September, 1912 Yorkville purchased a White combination chemical and hose truck at a cost of $5,500. This rig was destroyed by fire on February 28, Years Ago September, 1892 A very interesting controversy erupted between the PFD and Borough Council. The fire companies requested a $500 annual appropriation from the Borough. Borough Council instead proposed a $375 appropriation. A committee representing the Big 4 original companies (Humane, Good Intent, Phoenix, and American Hose) met and decided to remove the harnesses from the engine houses and not permit their horses to draw the apparatus to fires unless the appropriation requested was granted. The companies recommended that apparatus be drawn to fires by hand. One can imagine this jaw-dropping proposal considering the weight of the then-modern steam engines! Council relented and granted the requested sum. While it wasn t specified, I m thinking that the sum requested was based on the necessary upkeep of the fire horses particularly based on the threatened action. 130 Years Ago

11 9/25/1882 Borough Council officially recognizes the Good Will Fire Co. No Years Ago 9/6/1877 The Pottsville Board of Fire Trustees was organized to serve as the governing body of the volunteer fire department. The original companies, known as The Big 4 were: Good Intent, Phoenix, Humane, and American Hose. 145 Years Ago 9/2/1867 The American Hose Co. No. 2 is incorporated and a charter received, after having formerly been the Rough & Ready Fire Company. 9/8/ :00 Slight fire at the stable of Mr. Jacob Huntziner on Second St. 9/10/ :00 The stable of Major James Wren, on Norwegian St. above 6 th, was destroyed. 9/26/ The Schuylkill Hydraulians Engine Company s name was officially changed to the Phoenix Fire Engine Company No. 2 with a new charter and by-laws.

Pottsville Fire Department. Looking Back. July. Mike Glore

Pottsville Fire Department. Looking Back. July. Mike Glore Pottsville Fire Department Looking Back July Mike Glore This month s Looking Back is dedicated to the late William Bill Curtier, Jr. of the Humane. Bill passed away on June 22. At the time of his passing