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FRIDAY
NIGHT CREW STARTS THEIR TOUR OFF WITH A SECOND ALARM |
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March 31
2006
- At 1724 hrs, Prince William Communications transmitted the
box for 8671 Trenton Chapel Way, bringing the Tower
Ladder from the City with five men. While units were
responding, communications indicated that there was some
confusion over the address, but that they were receiving
multiple calls reporting a fire. It wasn't long after
pulling out of quarters before the Tower could see the
column, and they still had a ways to go. First arriving
Engine 525 advised they had one home with the roof well
off, and fire quickly spreading to two exposures. In
some developers infinite wisdom to make extra money by
cramming more homes into less space, these dwellings are
built about 10 feet apart from each other and pose a
significant fire spread hazard. Tower 501 arrived just
as the crews from Engine 525 and 504 were stretching
their initial lines. The first in companies did an
excellent job in recognizing that protecting the
exposures was the priority. The Tower's crew broke into
two teams, one set up the ladder and established a water
supply from Engine 504 while the officer and hook man
made their way into the delta exposure to check
conditions in the attic. By this point, command had hit
a second alarm bringing Wagon 501 from the City with six
volunteers as the 1st due engine. With the Tower's crew
finding no fire in the delta exposure, they came out and
attempted to secure the utilities on the fire building.
They realized they had a gas fed fire from a ruptured
buried line before the home and quickly began searching
for a curb shut off. None were found and it was later
learned that the street cut offs are for sections of the
subdivision, not for a particular street or home. Wagon
501 arrived and ran the 300 plus the leader line and a
high rise pack to the rear and put several lines in
service to extinguish the back of the home. The Tower
located the electric meter, but it was melted, so the
officer and hook man began pulling siding for the engine
companies. Meanwhile, the Tower's crew in the bucket was
getting a relatively quick knock on the fire. Command,
at that point, ordered Tower 501 and a crew from 525 to
enter the home and begin a search. The hook man mule
kicked the front door, and he and the officer went to
the basement to secure the electricity at the panel.
Moderate smoke conditions existed in the basement, but
no fire was found. The Tower's crew opened some walls on
the first floor where the fire had been burning inside
but found no extension there either. On the second floor
of the home, they exposed hot spots while the crew from
525 extinguished them. Wagon 501's crew joined the Tower
and 525 on the second floor to finish extinguishing the
hot spots. With the fire deemed under control, all crews
backed out to allow the investigators to move in. Wagon
501 was cut loose at that point. Eventually, the Tower's
crew, along with multiple crews from the County went
back in and overhauled the entire second floor and a
portion of the basement. The Tower cleared at 2055 hrs.
Kudos to all the companies on the box for keeping the
fire contained to the original fire building. While the
Wagon and Tower were operating on this box, the Manassas
Volunteers maintained an additional crew at the station
to answer calls in the first due.
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video is 10 min and will take a few min to load. |
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3 MANASSAS
VOLUNTEERS RECEIVE AWARDS AT COUNTY MEDAL DAY |
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March 30
2006
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This afternoon at the Prince William Regional Chamber of
Commerce' 20th Annual Valor Awards, three members of
Engine Company 501 received Merit Awards for their
actions on a fire in the County in December. The fire,
which occurred of December 1, 2005 at
9703 King George Drive eventually went to two alarms. As
first arriving county crews transmitted a report of
trapped victims, second arriving Engine 501 quickly
brought a second line to the front door to back up first
arriving Engine 511. The crew from Engine 501 was able
to stretch into the home farther than Engine 511 and did
so, sweeping for victims. Unable to find the stairs to
the basement, where the fire was located, and with
conditions rapidly deteriorating, the crew from Engine
501 pulled out and ran their line to the rear of the
home, where they met up with Truck 511's crew at a
sliding glass basement door. Truck 511 took out the
glass and Engine 501's crew pushed in despite the nasty
conditions with Truck 511 closely behind. As the lineman
from 501 was trying to cool the ceiling and push through
all of the clutter, the basement flashed over. 501's
lineman and officer were caught as the fire blew past
them. Though they were only five or so feet from the
door, they didn't make it out in time. They dropped to
the floor on their backs and held their position with
their line open, trying to beat back as much of the fire
as they could, protecting the Truck crew that was behind
them. A domino effect that started with Engine 501
pushing backwards, trying to get out, may have been the
reason that a member from Truck 511 fell on the exterior
rear steps, knocking himself unconscious. The other
members of Truck 511 quickly removed him from the back
door were the fire was still raging and brought him to
safety in the backyard where they began medical aid. For
their actions, Manassas
volunteer firefighters, Jeffery Lenard (lineman), Michael
Lesnick (layout), and James Rose (officer), were given
merit awards for helping save the life of a fellow
firefighter and for bringing the house fire under
control.
Bronze medals went to Lt. R. Lee Presgrave and
Technician I Dwight L. Atkinson of the county for making
the actual rescue. The well put on ceremony was held at
The Clubs at Quantico and was MC'd by Jim Vance from
news channel 4. Among numerous high ranking elected
officials and City and County Police and Fire officials,
Manassas City Mayor Douglas
Waldron was present to show his support. Many other
police officers from the county and city and
firefighters from the county received awards today also.
The Manassas Volunteer Fire Company would like to
congratulate all of the award recipients for their
selfless actions and for their dedication to the job.
Click here to see the photos from the fire.
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MANASSAS
FIRE COMPANY LOSES LIFETIME MEMBER |
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March 28
2006
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Flags
are flying at half-staff in recognition of the man many
called the "Virginia Gentleman." Black bunting drapes
the doors of Harry Parrish Town Hall, City Hall and the
Fire Company in Manassas.
The City lost a pillar of the
community Tuesday, a longstanding public servant who
held an illustrious political career that spanned 55
years. Del. Harry J. Parrish, R-Manassas, died at the
age of 84. Parrish was born Feb. 19, 1922, and was a
lifelong resident of Manassas. In 1948 he joined the
Manassas Volunteer Fire Company and maintained his
membership up until his passing. In 1974 he earned the
title of Fireman of the Year. Parrish also served his
county in the military and during
a tour of duty in WWII; he was awarded two Air Medals
and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He continued his
military service with the Air Corps until 1946, and then
served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. During that
service he saw active tours of duty in Korea and
Vietnam. He retired in 1971 with the rank of colonel.
Parrish
served as a Town Council
member and was elected town mayor from 1963 to 1975 and
then city mayor from 1975 to 1981. He was a delegate to
the General Assembly from 1982 to the time of his death.
He represented
Manassas in the Virginia legislature and served as
chairman of the House Finance Committee. A highly
revered veteran lawmaker, Parrish was the House of
Delegates' oldest member, serving his 13th term. In 1973
he was named Man of the Century in the Town of Manassas.
The former Manassas Town Hall/original fire company was
renamed in his honor as the "Harry J. Parrish Historical
Town Hall." Parrish was also active in many local
organizations. He is survived by his wife, two children,
and three grandchildren.
Funeral services for Parrish will be held at 2 p.m.
Saturday at Grace United Methodist Church, where he had
been a member his entire adult life. The Manassas
Volunteer Fire Company would like to express our most
sincere condolences to the family of Mr. Harry Parrish,
he will certainly be missed. (content received from the
Manassas Journal Messenger) |
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CREWS
HANDLE LARGE BRUSH FIRE ON DUMFRIES ROAD |
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March 27
2006
- At 1103 hrs, Wagon 501 was dispatched for an outside
fire at 10100 Dumfries Road. Fueled by high winds and
dry conditions, the crew found a large amount of fire
rapidly spreading over several acres. At that point, the
Wagon's Officer requested Brush 507 from the County.
Crews at the station, seeing the column of smoke, sent
an additional engine, Engine 501, to the scene. Once the
crew from the Wagon got back into the woods, they
realized that they were dealing with a much larger fire
than originally thought. Wagon and Brush 507 arrived as
Command was requesting additional units. Crews on scene
began to deploy lines to the perimeter of the blaze and
started extinguishing the fire. In addition to what was
already on scene, Wagon and Brush 509, Brush 516, Rescue
501 and Engine 501A came to assist. With heavy smoke
covering Dumfries Road and an adjacent apartment
complex, many on-lookers surrounded the scene. It took
crews about an hour to bring the fire under control. In
all, about 4 acres burned. With three of our Engines on
the scene (our 4th engine and attack unit are out of
service for maintenance), the men of Company 1
maintained an additional crew at the station staffing
the Tower. Cold drinks and snacks were brought from the
station for rehab. We would like to thank all of the
mutual aid companies and the Rescue for their hard work
on bringing this nuisance fire under control. The Wagon
finally cleared at 1318 hrs. (Note the picture of our
super brush stud Mike Frezza in the more photos section)
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WAGON RUNS
CRASH AT MANASSAS AIRPORT |
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March 23
2006
- At 1708 hrs, Wagon 501 responded to 10605 Observation
Road, The Manassas Regional Airport, for a report of a
plane crash. While responding, the Wagon's officer went
direct to the FAA tower and was informed that an
aircraft hand landed without its gear down on runway
34R. The Wagon arrived to find a single engine Cessna
down with both occupants out of the plane. After an
investigation, both the pilot and passenger refused
treatment and no hazards were found. The Wagon's officer
declared the emergency over and turned runway 34 over to
the Virginia State police at 1743 hrs. It was later
learned that the pilot forgot to put the landing gear
down prior to landing. |
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THURSDAY
STARTS WITH A DUMPSTER FIRE |
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March 23
2006
- At 0246 hrs, the Engine Company was alerted to a
dumpster fire in the rear of 8871 Oliver Court. Wagon
501 arrived to find a single dumpster burning. The crew
quickly knocked down the fire and went ready a few
minutes later. Before the days end, crews at Company 1
would answer 12 runs, including an Alert 3 at the
Manassas Airport. |
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WAGON
ARRIVES FIRST TO FIND SMALL FIRE |
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March 19
2006
- At 0037 hrs, mutual box 16-01 was sounded for 8191
Lone Oak Court in the Buckhall section of Prince William
County, bringing Wagon, Tower, and Assistant Chief 501
from the City. While units were responding,
communications advised that the fire was reported to be
on the back deck. Wagon 501 arrived with their own water
and informed communications of fire to the rear of the
home. The Wagon's crew ran the 300 around back and found
a large amount of fire involving half of the deck,
quickly making its way to the home. The crew at once
knocked down the fire and requested that communications
have the next in company pull a line inside and report
on fire extension and smoke conditions. Wagon 516 ran a
200 inside and reported nothing substantial. Crews 501,
516, and 509 worked to overhaul the deck and part of the
siding. The Wagon went in service at 0148 hrs. The Tower
and the Chief were not used on the box. Battalion Chief
504 had the command. The Volunteers of Company 1
continued to staff several units and took in 11 runs,
with six of those being boxes, before the days end. |
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WAGON RUNS
STABBING ON MAIN STREET |
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March 18
2006
- After a long day which included 10 runs and several
boxes, Wagon 501 went out for a stabbing in the 9700
block of Main Street at 2214 hrs. On arrival, they found
one patient in the apartment building suffering from
multiple stab wounds to the back and head. The Wagon's
crew immediately began treatment. On arrival of Medic
501, the crew from the Wagon cut loose to established an
LZ at Osborne High. The Wagon went ready at 2259 hrs. |
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MIKE
O'MEARA RIDES WITH MANASSAS FIREMEN IN SAINT PATRICK'S
DAY PARADE |
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March 18
2006
- Today Manassas Fireman participated in the Cities 7th
Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. This year we invited
Mike O'Meara, John Cantrell, and Jeff Salisbury, owners
of O'Meara's
Restaurant and Pub, located up the block from the
firehouse, to be our guests. Along with the St. Patty's
Day events, the restaurant was also celebrating their
second anniversary. Mike O'Meara is more famously
recognized as co-host of the Don and Mike show, which
broadcasts everyday locally on 106.7 WJFK, and is
syndicated in over 50 cities across the country. The
group were chauffeured along the parade route which ran
through Old Town in our
1966 Seagrave pumper
by Firemen
Pete Pandolfi and Kevin Shafer. The Wagon, which was
also going to participate in the parade, was not able to
and instead spent their time handling numerous runs
during the parade. |
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CREWS TAKE
PART IN ROPE RESCUE TRAINING |
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March 16
2006
- This morning Wagon, Tower, and Rescue 501 went out to
an empty parcel of land off of the Prince William County
Parkway to practice rescuing a victim that had become
injured in a location where they could only be removed
using ropes. The first drill had crews manually hauling
the victim up in a stokes basket. The second drill
utilized the Tower as a crane to lift the victim up to
the roadway. The rope rescue equipment is a versatile
tool carried on the Tower that can be utilized in any
number of emergencies. |
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TRAIN
DERAILS IN THE FIRST DUE |
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March 15
2006 -
At 1329 hrs, after picking up from two back to back
boxes, Wagon and Tower 501, along with Rescue 501 and
other mutual aid companies responded to Wellington Road
and Prince William Street for a possible train
derailment. On arrival, they found 4 freight cars which
had jumped the tracks. The cars themselves were stable
and no hazards were found. Companies left the scene with
the railroad and went ready at 1343 hrs. The men from
Company 1 would go on to answer 11 runs (no medicals and
six boxes) before the days end. |
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March 14,
2006 -
At 1439 hrs, Wagon and Tower 501 were dispatched to 9303
Center Street for an outside fire involving a building.
Rescue Squad 501, which is quartered just down the
block, arrived first and gave an initial report of
brush. As the Wagon and Tower approached the scene they
could see thick dark smoke pushing from the rear of the
building. As crews stretched their lines to the rear,
they found a 50 x 20 section of brush burning. Also
involved were about 20 railroad ties and several tires.
Attack 501 was requested to the scene for access and
brush lines. Crews quickly had the fire knocked down.
Unfortunately, they remained on scene for awhile pulling
apart the burning ties and chopping up a lot of large
trees and roots that were well involved. Companies
finally cleared at 1527 hrs. |
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WAGON AND
TOWER ON SECOND DUE APARTMENT FIRE |
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March 12,
2006 -
At 1723 hrs, mutual box 89-03 was struck for an
apartment fire at 8595 Overhill Drive, bringing Wagon
and Tower 501. Quint 509 arrived on the scene and
reported smoke showing from side B of the apartment. As
their crew stretched a line in, they found fire in the
kitchen. Just as 509 opened up their pipe on the fire,
Wagon 501's crew entered the home with a second line.
They went to the floor above. With smoke banked down to
the floor, Wagon 501's crew took out the windows and
began to check for extension and start the primary
search. Tower 501 arriving a few minutes later, threw
ladders and began opening up a cantilevered portion of
the second floor exterior for extension. With a search
of the second floor complete, Wagon 501 came down and
assisted Quint 509 with opening up in the fire room.
Quint 509 did a good job getting a quick knock on the
fire. Wagon 501 had the water supply. Assistant Chief
511 (Ackerman) had the command. Units from the City
cleared at 1808 hrs.
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MVFC
ASSISTS ACFD WITH FUNERAL FOR A BROTHER FIREMAN |
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March 11
2006
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Today, Arlington County Fire Chief James Schwartz and
members of the Department, along with family and friends
came together in
Manassas
to bid farewell to Brother Lloyd Alexander Coleman. The
funeral service was held at the Ames Funeral Home, down
the street from the Manassas Volunteer Fire Company.
Following the service pall bearers from the Arlington
County Fire Department gently carried Lloyd past a
solemn row of ACFD members standing at
attention, presenting arms. Lloyd's casket was carefully
placed on the ceremonial caisson, a 1967 pumper owned by
ACFD Captain Randy Higgins (also a Captain at the
Manassas Volunteer Fire Company). The procession to the
Stonewall Memorial Gardens Cemetery was quite
impressive. The ACFD was represented by Engines 106,
107, 110, Trucks 104 and 105, Medics 105 and 110, and
Battalion 112. During the funeral service, ACFD
apparatus was staged at our firehouse. The Manassas
Volunteer Fire Company also joined in the procession
with our 1966 Seagrave pumper. As the procession rolled
past the Manassas Fire Station our members stood at
attention on the front ramp with their apparatus to pay
tribute to Lloyd. Present were Captain Jon Wangness,
Lieutenant Jason Campbell, and Firefighters Jamie Rose,
Jon Stern, Sam King, and Ron McCuin. The Manassas
Volunteer Fire Company would like to express our most
sincere condolences to the family of Brother Lloyd and
the men and women he served with. We were delighted to
provide our facilities to the ACFD and appreciate the
honor of being able to participate in the service. |
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Photos by Jimmy Higgins, Future MVFC Fireman. |
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WAGON AND
TOWER ON SECOND DUE HOUSE FIRE |
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Photos and Video by, Jimmy Higgins, Future MVFC Fireman. |
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ONE DOA
AND ONE PRIORITY 1 FLOWN AFTER CRASH |
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March 7,
2006 -
At 1047 hrs this morning, Wagon and Tower 501 responded to Sudley
Road and Godwin Drive for a personal injury accident
with entrapment. On arrival, crews found a two vehicle
accident in the intersection involving a small passenger
car and a large delivery truck. It was immediately
obvious that one of the two passengers in the car was
lifeless. The other occupant was suffering from serious
external and internal trauma. Command requested a
medivac and an additional engine company for the LZ.
Crews were able to remove the critical patient without
extrication. In addition to the two patients from the
car, the driver of the truck was transported with BLS
injuries. Unfortunately, a dog was thrown from the car
and was found dead on the side of the road. The
passenger car, according to the Manassas Journal
Messenger, had apparently tried to make a left turn onto
Godwin Drive from the northbound lanes of Sudley Road
when it pulled into the path of the delivery truck.
Wagon 511 handled the LZ. Wagon and Tower 501 went ready
at 1135 hrs, while Rescue Squad 501 remained on the
scene to extricate the victim after the police
investigation. It was later learned that the second
occupant of the passenger car passed away at the
hospital.
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FIRST DUE
BOX TURNS INTO NOTHING MORE THAN A SHED |
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March 5,
2006 -
At 2036 hours box 81-02 was sounded for 8942 Portner Ave.
Wagon, Tower, Assistant Chief, and Battalion 501
responded. The Wagon arrived
with smoke showing from the rear of 4 town homes.
They stretched the 300 through one of the homes and found
a small fire in the rear. The fire, which was contained to
a fence and shed in the back yard was quickly
extinguished. The FM was requested to the scene and
units cleared at 2148 hours.
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CREW FROM
OWL CATCHES SMALL FIRE WHILE FILLING CO. 1 |
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March 4,
2006 -
Today, as members from
Co. 1 fire and Co. 1 Rescue were doing live fire
training at the Prince William County Training School,
members of the Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton (OWL)
Volunteer Fire Department
came up to staff an Engine Company and Basic Unit in the
City. The two crews ran several calls including a box
alarm on the City line. At 1441 hrs, Prince William
County Fire Communications sent units out for a fire
across from Park Side Middle School. The corrected box
location was 8610 Mathis Ave, Kindercare, a city box.
Wagon 509, quartered just down the street, arrived first
and found a small fire on the outside of the building.
Wagon 501 arrived second, completed Wagon 509's water
supply, and opened up the eves checking for extension.
The fire was started by workers who were using a cut off
saw to cut pipes. The work created sparks that ignited
several bushes which in turn ignited
the side of the building. The FM was requested to the
scene. Wagon 501 cleared the at 1521 hrs. |
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MEMBERS
PARTICIPATE IN COMPANY
BURN |
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March 4,
2006 -
Today, members from the Manassas Volunteer Fire Company
and Greater Manassas Volunteer Rescue Squad participated
in a live fire training burn at the Prince William
County Training School. Members ran several scenarios
dealing with a variety of challenges such as fires in
multiple locations, blocked access, standpipe use,
multiple victims, and firefighter mayday procedures. All
in all, the training went well. As these are scenarios
that are not ones that are usually encountered on a
daily basis, several issues presented themselves. The
Company uses these training evolutions as a tool to
refine our procedures so that on the fireground,
operations run smoothly. While the crews were out at the
training school, two crews from
the
Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton (OWL) Volunteer Fire
Department came up to
staff an Engine Company and Basic Unit in the City.
Thanks to our brothers and sisters for taking part of
their Saturday to come up and help us and the citizens
of the City. |
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DRIVER
WALKS AWAY AFTER GETTING T-BONED TWICE |
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March 2,
2006
- At 1438 hrs today, Wagon 501 went out for a personal
injury accident in the intersection of Godwin Drive and
Wellington Road. On arrival they found a three vehicle
accident where one car had been T-Boned twice, once on
each side. Luckily no one was injured. The Wagon went
ready at 1514 hrs. |
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