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SUNDAY
BRINGS 12 RUNS IN 12 HOURS |
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May 28
2006
- With the first miserably hot day of the summer dialing
in on the area, it didn't take long for the festivities
to get started. Just after 0900, Engine 501 hit the
street for a medical in the Lake's first due, and after
that, proceeded to pretty much not see the firehouse for
the rest of the day. The real fun didn't begin till just
after noon, when mutual box 11-11 was struck for the
apartment fire bringing Engine 501 as the 2nd due
engine. Out the door and quickly up Ashton Avenue, units
were advised that multiple callers were reporting smoke
and flames from the second floor. First arriving Engine
511 went on the scene with smoke showing. Engine 501
arrived next and picked up their line. The officer from
Engine 511 requested that Engine 501 immediately start
popping doors as 511 were unable to locate the fire. The
men from Engine 501 made there way down the block
(running of course) and made entry into the building as
the crew from 511 continued to investigate. Engine 501
stretched a 200 ft pre-connect from Engine 511 and
located a small fire burning on the balcony of apt. 201
and extinguished the it. The cause is believed to have
been from careless smoking. After helping rack hose,
Engine 501 returned to service in less than an hour and
continued to run, answering the usual medical
and service calls, and numerous wrecks throughout the
day. A little busier than usual but routine. All in all
just another day at the "1". |
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ENGINE
RUNS AUTO AT OSBOURN HIGH SCHOOL |
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May 23
2006
- The Engine was sent out for an auto at Osbourn Senior
High School just before noon today. On arrival, they
found the shop teacher trying intensely to extinguish
the vehicle with several dry chems and a garden hose.
Though he made a good effort, the Engine finished up and
went ready shortly thereafter. |
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FIRST
ARRIVING, FIRE SHOWING.......... AGAIN |
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May 20
2006
- Just before 5 am for the second time in just over 24
hours, Engine 501 (FF J. Rose) and Tower 501 (FF Van
Zandt), along with Battalion 581 (Higgins), were back on
the road to mutual box 07-10 for another reported house
fire on Brentsville Road. Engine 501 was once again the
first to arrive with fire showing from side A.
Suspiciously enough, it was the same house as the day
before. With a good fire going in the living room and
roof, the crew from Engine 501 quickly put the 300 in
service through what was left of the front door and made
quick work of the room off. Second arriving Wagon 509
(Lt. Gay) stretched a back up line and helped the
Tower open up. The assignment was quickly reduced to
E501, E507 and T501. Units operated for an hour and a
half. Chief 507A (Davis) had the command. The cause of
this fire is questionable and under investigation. This
was the 3rd of 12 runs that the 501 house would answer
on Saturday. |
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Box Alarm:
E501, E507, W509, W516, T501, R510, C507A, B581 |
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24 HOURS
AT THE 501 HOUSE |
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May 18
2006
- Thursday started off like most any other Thursday.
The men began their day with a trip across the
street to the farmers market for some breakfast.
That was interrupted as City Fire Communications
sent units to 10400 Terminal Way, the Manassas
Regional Airport for fire in the engine of a small
aircraft. This brought Engine, Wagon, and Attack
501. As those units were arriving on scene, Prince
William County Communications put out mutual box
11-05 for a commercial building at 7610 Doan Drive.
With the Engine and Attack unit able to handle the
aircraft, Wagon 501 cut loose and responded 3rd due
on the box. Engine 511 arrived and place the balance
of the box in service as they found a lawn mower on
fire next to the building
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with no threat to the structure. Next up was a
regular response to the Hospital for an automatic
fire alarm. Once units cleared up from that it was
time to set up for a station tour. 60 children from
nearby Baldwin Elementary school came by for a
visit. The children received a tour of the firehouse
and apparatus, and got a chance to see the Tower and
Hazmat unit in operation. Once the children left,
the Tower crew spent a little time training with the
aerial ladder and then broke for lunch. That's when
things got interesting. As the Engine crew sat down
to eat, their lunch was interrupted by a medical
local for a
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stabbing in the 9000 block of New Britain Circle. As
the units were responding, City Fire Communications
advised that there were two patients, one possibly a
child and that one of the victims may have been run
over by a car. The units were advised to stage in
the line of approach. About that time, the Engine
passed a car being chased by about 7 cop cars in the
direction of the firehouse. The Engine officer then
asked communications if the cops were in foot or
vehicle pursuit of the suspect. When they came back
advising a vehicle pursuit, he informed the
dispatcher that units were going to proceed into the
scene. Once there, they found two victims, neither
of which were a child or had been run over. The
suspect had apparently tried to run one of the
victims over but instead, rammed the po-po as they
fled from the scene. The first patient had multiple
stab wounds to the chest, while the second patient
had several stab wounds to the chest and neck. The
medic unit obtained permission from Med
Control to fly both and two helicopters were
requested. As the Engine was setting up an LZ,
Manassas' finest were still pursuing the suspect
through Old Town. The suspect's vehicle rear ended a
passenger car, lost control, hit a parked car, and
came to a stop. The cops quickly apprehended the
suspect and requested the fire department. Attack
501 resounded from quarters just two blocks down the
street. They arrived to find the suspect in
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cuffs,
suffering from a traumatic hand injury and medical
complications. One member of the Attack's crew
immediately tended to the suspect while the other
checked the vehicle that had been rear ended. An
additional EMS unit was requested for three
patients, all suffering from injuries consistent
with a high speed rear end collision. The suspect
was stabilized and transported in police custody.
All three occupants of the other vehicle were also
transported. With that nonsense over, crews returned
to quarters to finish lunch. Things were quiet for
about two hours and the men took that time to hide
all of the parts to Frezza's new printer throughout
the station. Then, communications sent the Engine
and Tower out to investigate smoke in the Georgetown
South Laundromat. On arrival the crews found a pile
of smoldering clothes that someone had tried to
extinguish. The Engine removed the clothing while
the Tower vented the smoke from the fire building
and an exposure. Meanwhile Frezza was making
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some
new friends. After that, the men headed back to
quarters. The evening was no less busy. The Engine
and Tower handled numerous medical locals, dinner,
two box alarms, and a call for alarm bells. Bedtime
came and thankfully the rest of the night was quiet.
That was until 0430 hrs when mutual
box 07-10 was struck for the house on fire at
9310 Brentsville Road, in the
Lake Jackson section of Prince William County.
Engine and Tower 501 were quickly out the door
and on the road with 8 volunteers. The supplement
from PWC Communications advised that the neighbors
were reporting an explosion and fire at the house
next door, with up to six people trapped. Engine
501, under the direction of Captain R. Higgins was
the first to arrive along with the Tower and the
Tanker and Chief 507. Units from 501 were met with
heavy fire conditions from side A of the single
family detached home. With the report of people
trapped, the Engine wasted no time placing the 300
in service. Due to the large volume of fire in the
front which had collapsed the front porch, they made
entry through a door on side C. Once inside, the
Engine and Tower were met with the worst Collier's
Mansion conditions seen in a long time. Despite the
conditions, crews from 501 made a hard push towards
the front of the house, at times crawling over the
clutter in an attempt to get at the fire and sweep
for the trapped victims. It was at this time command
notified the units on the fireground that all
residents were accounted for at the neighbors.
Despite 501’s effort, heavy smoke conditions and an
extreme amount of accumulated junk in the rear of
the cut up home were making it nearly impossible to
access the front from the inside. With an all clear
having been sounded, units withdrew from the
interior as heavy fire was beginning to consume a
good majority of the house. Crews proceeded to open
up and knock the fire from the outside as 3 lines
were placed in service by units from 501, 516,
506, and 518. After a few minutes, conditions began
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improve but it was evident that
in order to get a good knock, crews would have to
once again try the interior. With smoke conditions
not as heavy this time, Engine 501 made another push
through a rear door towards the front. This time
around they were able to make the kitchen and living
areas, hitting the fire as they went, but with heavy
fire still through the roof and no way to get the
necessary crews on the interior to pull the ceiling,
command pulled the plug and units would operate on
the exterior for the remainder. Crews once again
went to work opening up and operating handlines from
the outside. Chief 507 (Harding) had the command
until relieved by BC 504 (Smolsky). Chief 507A
(Davis) had operations until relieved by Capt.
Boggs. Units from Manassas were relived on the fireground , and left the scene just in time to
handle an investigation on their way back to
quarters. The relief crews from the City operated
for approximately an hour before finally clearing at
0853 hrs. An excellent combined career/volunteer
effort on the part of all companies (nice to see our
east end brothers and sisters from Dale City E518
for a change) brought this fire under control with
no firefighter or civilian injuries.
Frezza still hasn't found all the pieces to his printer. |
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Box Alarm: E501,
E516, E506, T501, BC 504, C507, C507a
Tanker Taskforce:
W511, K507, K516, K506
Special Call:
W509 |
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DENT
RESISTANT PANELING TESTED IN GAINESVILLE |
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May 17
2006
- As ritual would have it, the Truck crew was half way
through preparing a dinner for 15 hungry mouths when
Prince William County Fire Communications sounded a
collapse taskforce alarm for 7428 Gallagher Road, in the
Gainesville section of the County. Tower 501, normally
3rd due to this box location, responded with six men as
the only truck on the alarm. Engine 504 quickly arrived
on scene and found a single vehicle that had hopped the
curb and lightly tapped the store front. With hardly no
damage to the vehicle and no injuries, they held
themselves, the Battalion, and of course, the Tower. We
arrived through thick but typical rush hour traffic 13
minutes later. The Engine officer from 504 had the Tower
take out some of the drywall behind the damaged wall to
further inspect the breaks. We also placed a man in the
cock loft to check for damage. None was found and after
the Tower concluded that the dent resistant bumper of
the vehicle functioned perfectly, they cleared in about
20 minutes. When the Tower arrived back at the station,
they were amazed to find that the Engine slugs had
dinner on the table, without burning it. The Tower spent
the rest of the shift being the closest staffed Ladder
Truck to the east end of the County, running several
automatic alarms, while the Engine Company ran the usual
assortment including two boxes.
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ENGINE
LANDS THREE SEPARATE HELICOPTERS OVER NIGHT |
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May 13
2006
- The crews from the Engine Company and Aircare got real
familiar with each other this evening as they met three
separate times. The first LZ came at 2129 hrs for a
pedestrian struck in the 8000 block of Centreville Road
on mutual box 08-03. Later on, at 0135, Engine 501 setup
another LZ at 8650 Sudley Road for a second pedestrian
who had been struck. The final LZ came at 0302, hrs,
after a stabbing in Georgetown South. The LZ was
established at 10080 Dumfries Road for a patient with stab wounds to
their chest. The Volunteers from Co. 1 would go on to
answer another 10 runs before the end of the shift.
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MEMBERS
FROM THE FIREHOUSE AND RESCUE SQUAD TRAIN WITH NEW
SEARCH BAGS |
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May 11
2006
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Today, the Engine, Tower, and Attack unit, along with
Rescue 501 and the medic units began training with the
new search bags that we recently received from RIT
Rescue & Escape Systems, Inc. The bags are set up for a
four person search team. Since these bags will primarily
be used for large area searches or RIT operations, the
lifelines have a marker system of knots and rings which
allow for a systematic search to be performed,
preventing the duplication of search areas. The knot and
ring system assures team members of their location and
exit direction. The rings are placed every twenty feet.
Additionally, there are knots tied in the lifeline after
each ring. This way the rescuers can tell which
direction they are traveling. Every twenty feet gets an
additional knot so a rescuer can also judge their depth
into the structure. Three of the rescuers will have a
tag line bag with 25 feet of 3/8 flat Kevlar rope with a
snap hook that is latched into the rings on the lifeline
so that comprehensive searches can be conducted. The
bags contain 200' of life line, which are made of 9.5MM
Kevlar over Polyester rope that carry an 862 degree
temperature rating and a 7600 pound tensile strength.
The Manassas Volunteer Fire Company purchased four of
these bags and will be placing them on the first and
second out Engines, the Tower, and the Duty Chief’s
buggy. |
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MEMBERS
PARTICIPATE IN APPLE BLOSSOM FIREMAN'S PARADE |
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May 05
2006
- This evening, members from Company 1 headed to
Winchester with the Foam Engine and the 1966 Seagrave
for the 74th annual Firefighters’ Parade.
With
over 150 fire and rescue units, the parade is one of, if
not the largest, firefighter parades in the country.
The parade itself is a silent one, no sirens or horns
allowed. As usual, the members had a great time and
enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the
festivities. |
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Manassas Volunteer Fire Company |
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