FOAM ENGINE RUNS BOMB SCARE IN THE COUNTY

November 30 2006 - At 1911 hours, Foam Engine 501 went out on mutual box 11-11 to assist with a police situation at 7801 Sudley Road. Prince William County and State Police along with the Bomb Squad were on the scene investigating a package that was left in the BB&T bank after a robbery. The hold up took place around 1645 hours, when a lone suspect entered the bank carrying a bag. The suspect told a bank teller that there was an explosive device inside the bag and announced their intentions. The teller handed over an undisclosed amount of money to the robber who then fled on foot, leaving behind the bag. Companies stood by while the bag was detonated by the Virginia State Police Bomb Disposal Unit, who determined it was a non-device. The Foam Engine went ready at 2005 hours.

OVERTURNED VEHICLE ON GODWIN DRIVE

November 30 2006 - At 1720 hours, Foam Engine, Tower, Attack, and Chief 501 responded to Godwin Drive at Wellington Road for a personal injury accident with one overturned. On arrival, companies found a two vehicle crash. Crews contained a large amount of hazards and evaluated one patient with minor injures. Units cleared the scene at 1736 hours.

FOAM ENGINE FINDS AN AUTO AT SOCIAL SERVICES

November 27 2006 - At 1038 hours, Foam Engine 501 was sent out on a local for an auto in the 9500 Block of Center Street. On arrival, they found a mini van with a small fire in the engine compartment. The fire was quickly knocked down and the scene was left with FM585.

FOAM ENGINE RUNS YORKSHIRE TRAILER FIRE ON THANKSGIVING NIGHT

November 23 2006 - At 1829 hours, box alarm 08-03 was sounded for fire in a trailer at 8317 Maplewood Drive, in the Yorkshire section of Prince William County. Foam Engine 501 responded as the third due engine company. Wagon 509 was on the air in the immediate area and arrived on scene just after the box was put out. They advised a working fire and ran a line into the building. Wagon 508 arrived next a secured a water supply. Foam Engine 501 arrived behind them and pulled a third line, with fire now blowing out the back of the trailer. The crew from Wagon 509 backed out of the building to protect two large fuel tanks in the rear, so the crew from the Foam Engine made entry into the trailer with Wagon 508 preparing to back them up. Inside, 501 encountered high heat and thick, heavy black smoke. They knocked the fire down in the hallway, which was little more than shoulder width. As they crawled to the back of the trailer, they found two rooms off. The Foam Engine extinguished all visible fire and, in conjunction with Wagon 511, conducted a primary search which was negative. Crews opened up briefly to check for extension and then stood by while the Fire Marshall carried out an investigation with the dog. The Foam Engine cleared the fireground at 2007 hours.

OVERTURNED VEHICLE IN OLD TOWN

November 22 2006 - At 2234 hours, the full assignment was sent out to Church Street and Grant Avenue for a personal injury accident with one overturned. Foam Engine, Tower, and Assistant Chief 501 arrived to find a single van on its roof with no patients. Witnesses reported seeing the driver feeling into the night shortly after the crash. The Engine Company took care of the hazards and left the scene with the cops at 2348 hours.

MEMBERS PARTICIPATE IN A VEHICLE EXTRICATION CLASS

November 17 2006 - This weekend, over ten members of the Manassas Volunteer Fire Company participated in a state certified vehicle extrication class. The two day class started with a classroom presentation and then a hands on class for stabilization and air bags. On day two, the men ran through multiple stations that included stabilizing and extricating victims from vehicles that were on all fours, their sides, and roofs. The last drill of the day was a scenario were a pickup truck was on its side with an upside down car resting on top of it. Each vehicle had one trapped victim inside, one of which was partially ejected and pinned under the truck. A third victim, who was an unfortunate pedestrian, had their leg pinned underneath of the truck. It took crews just under 30 minutes to extricate all three victims. We would like to thank all of our instructors for putting on a very informative and challenging class. A special thanks goes out to Aubrey from Manassas City Public Works, who hung out both days and operated a back-hoe to mangle the vehicles and put them in position.  

PRINCE WILLIAM STREET HOT FOR THE 2ND DAY IN A ROW

November 14 2006 - After Monday’s activities, it didn’t take long for round two on Prince William Street. Around 1500 hrs the Foam Engine and the Battalion, along with units from the Rescue Squad, were once again alerted to the 9500 block. This time it was for a car into a pole. It seems the posted speed limit of 25mph is optional for some. The cops estimated the vehicle reached nearly 70 mph before the speed racers lost control and smacked a telephone pole just 3 houses down from the previous day’s fire. With major damage to the car and pole, and live power lines everywhere, the two youths managed to crawl out without electrocuting themselves. On top of that, they both would refuse treatment. Lucky them. The scene was left with the police and city utilities. Units cleared within a half hour.

ONE RESCUED FROM FIRST DUE HOUSE FIRE

November 13 2006 - At 1326 hours, the box was transmitted for fire in a house at 9512 Prince William Street, bringing Foam Engine, Wagon, Tower, and Chief 501. On arrival, the Foam Engine reported fire showing from side A. As the Tower Driver went around to vent on Side C, he was told that a male occupant of the home had gone in to save his mother. FF Frezza, without the protection of an SCBA, entered the building and through heavy smoke and high heat, located the male occupant who was beginning to be overcome by the heat and smoke. He assisted the gentleman to the door and went back to find his mother. At the same time, with a report of people trapped over the radio, the Tower Officer, MFT Franzello, entered the building ahead of the hose line to begin a search. As he came out of the living room, the hallway took off, pushing him farther into the home. He located FF Frezza in the rear of the home with a rather large female patient who was overcome by the smoke. FF Frezza then exited the home and began venting windows. In the meantime, two members from Rescue 501 met up with the Tower Officer and the three removed the patient to the rear where they were assisted by Medic 501 and members of the Fire Marshals Office. While all of that was going on, the line man from the Foam Engine got a quick knock on the fire which involved several rooms and used a few potted plants to vent the windows in the front. The fire was knocked down and the victim was removed just as the first mutual aid company arrived. An excellent effort and efficient teamwork brought this fire quickly under control and prevented the trapped occupant from suffering further injuries. The fire was caused by an overloaded surge protector. The trapped victim was transported to Prince William Hospital and later released. Units cleared the fireground at 1552 hours.

VIOLENT DAY IN MANASSAS

November 13 2006 - In between the propane burn, a first due fire with people trapped, and the usual assortment of other calls, the Engine Company ran two rather violent runs. The first came in at 0841 hours when the Foam Engine went out for a stabbing in the 8600 block of Bruton Parrish Circle. Crews found an adult male who had been stabbed several times. The patient was eventually flown out. The Foam Engine Landed Aircare 2 without incident and went ready within a half an hour. The second violent call came just after Wagon 501 cleared the fireground. They were sent out for a shooting in the intersection of Portner and Wilson Avenues. Crews found a male victim, the passenger of a vehicle, still in the car suffering from what appeared to be a self inflicted gunshot wound. The driver of the vehicle was uninjured. The Wagon was asked to set up an LZ but the helicopter was grounded due to weather so, Medic 501 transported the patient to the trauma center where he was pronounced dead. The Wagon cleared within 20 minutes.

ENGINE STANDS BY FOR PROPANE BURN OFF

November 13 2006 - This morning the Fire Company was asked by a local propane company to stand by as they burned off access gas from two of their large tanks. In doing some maintenance to the tanks, they had to be pressurized with gas to remove moisture from inside. The burn lasted about three hours however, crews stood by for only about an hour and a half as the morning got busy with runs. The burn ended without incident.

THE LOCALS SQUARE OFF IN HOLIDAY BOXING MATCH

November 11 2006 - With eight volunteers manning the Engine and Tower for the Veteran’s Day holiday, the radio stayed pretty quiet. The Foam Engine was doing little more than chasing the medic unit up and down the old town corridor so they decided they would use their time wisely and conduct a street drill in Georgetown South. It didn’t take long for the men to find a ringside seat on Hood Road for a little friendly boxing match among the neighborhood kids. It seems the boxing was more than one neighbor could stand. Just down the block, the Foam Engine came upon a local who had a little too much to drink and had passed out, upright, on the curb. A transport unit was summoned and the gentleman was on his way to dry out at the hospital. He managed to tie a pretty good buzz on for one o’clock in the afternoon though. Just another day in GTS!

MANASSAS FIREHOUSE TO HOST NOVA F.O.O.L.S. TRAINING SEMINAR

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION & READING SMOKE FOR THE INITIAL COMPANY RESPONSE

Sponsored by the Northern Virginia F.O.O.L.S.

Saturday December 9^th & Sunday December 10^th

8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

City of Manassas Fire Department

9322 Centerville Road

Manassas, Virginia 20110

The Northern Virginia Chapter of the Fraternal Order of Leatherheads Society, in cooperation with the City of Manassas Fire Department, is offering two great days of training for all area firefighters.

Building Construction (Saturday): This class will consist of an overview of basic building construction, hazards associated with the different types of construction, and responsibilities of the first arriving units. We will review actual incidents and show how building construction played a pivotal role in how those incidents played out. For a first hand look at how different types of structures are constructed, the day will conclude with building walk-throughs.

Reading Smoke (Sunday): This class will provide a rapid approach to scene size-up using a technique called “Reading Smoke”.  It will allow the first arriving crew to make quick decisions that can be used on your next working fire.  Photos and videos of actual fires will be used as case studies through-out the class to help enforce the concept of “Reading Smoke”.

 For one day class (either Saturday or Sunday)

$20.00 for current Fools Members and $30.00 for non-members.

For both days of class (Saturday AND Sunday)

$30.00 for current Fools Members and $40.00 for non-members.

Lunch will be provided on both days for all participants.

For more information and instructor bios, go to www.northernvirginiafools.com

or contact:

Kevin Franzello at fyrcollector@msn.com

Danny Keyes at daniel.keyes@fairfaxcounty.gov

ANOTHER NIGHT ON THE ENGINE BRINGS ANOTHER AUTO

November 08 2006 - Just as the Engine and Truck crew were sitting down for dinner, Communications sent the Engine out for a local in the 9100 block of New Britain Circle. As they pulled in the block, they could see flames coming from an auto. The fire was quickly extinguished and the Engine went ready within 20 minutes.

FOAM ENGINE FINDS AN AUTO IN THE COUNTY

November 07 2006 - At around 1945 hours this evening, Prince William County Fire Communications requested the Foam Engine on the local for an auto in the area of Dumfries Road and the Prince William County Parkway, mutual box 07-06. On arrival, they found a small fire and quickly extinguished it. The Foam Engine went ready at 2009 hours. 

DEFECTIVE APPLIANCE SPARKS SMALL FIRE

November 06 2006 - At 0835 hours, the Wagon, Tower, and Battalion responded first due to 10139 Willa Lane for the report of fire in the walls of a home. Medic 501 arrived first and reported light smoke showing from side C. As the Wagon and Tower were arriving, a light haze could be seen coming from the eves and a handicapped resident was being removed by the Medic unit. The Tower 501 laddered the building and the crew from Wagon 501 quickly ran a line upstairs where they found a light haze. Crews located an exhaust fan and insulation burning in the master bedroom. The Hookman brought a can into the attic and extinguished the fire. The Tower opened up to check for extension but found little. Units cleared at 0919 hours.

CREWS TRAIN ON VEHICLE EXTRICATION

November 05 2006 - After the tragic accident yesterday morning, crews today took an opportunity to go over some basic vehicle extrication principles. The drill dealt with different tactics for removing doors, windows, the hood, and roof, as well as pushing the dash. The Volunteers of Company 1 pride themselves on maintaining their skills so that when it comes time to operate on a call, they are quickly and proficiently able to perform any task asked of them.

CHIMNEY FIRE IN THE FIRST DUE

November 04 2006 - At 1859 hours, Wagon and Tower 501 went out, along with Wagon 509 and 511, to 9337 Camphor Court for a reported chimney fire. On arrival, crews found a good fire going in the fire box. The Tower extinguished that with a can and laddered the roof. No extension was found in the attic and the chimney itself was fairly clear. The Home owner was instructed to have their chimney cleaned before using it again and crews went ready at 1936.

4 DEAD, 3 FLOWN AFTER CRASH IN YORKSHIRE

November 04 2006 - At 0218 hours, Foam Engine and Tower 501 were special called to assist on mutual box 08-03 for a personal injury accident with multiple trapped victims. Though the chain of events leading up to the crash are unclear, the Manassas Journal Messenger reported that the Prince William County Police indicated a Dodge Intrepid may have been involved in a minor hit and run accident on Route 28 near Confetti’s Restaurant. The Dodge Intrepid then continued northbound on 28 at a high rate of speed when it hit a Ford Mustang that was pulling out onto Route 28 near Leland Road. The Dodge Intrepid, which was carrying six occupants, flipped and slid into southbound traffic hitting a Mercedes-Benz and coming to rest partially on top of it and up against the guardrail. Wagon 508 arrived on scene and reported that there were two partially ejected victims, pinned underneath one of the vehicles, both of which were suffering from injuries incompatible with life, and numerous victims still trapped. Rescue 508A's crew immediately began accessing the vehicles and removed one patient. Wagon 508 (Hall) established the Centreville Road Command, as units from Manassas Park were arriving. Command ordered Quint 509 to be the extrication sector leader (FF McCuin). Medic 509 (Paramedic Goff) had the EMS sector. Quint 509 did a quick size-up and immediately advised command they were going to need more extrication equipment and personnel, bringing Foam Engine, Tower, and Rescue 501 from the City. Due to the severity of the accident, with 1 car being upside down on top of another, and 5 patients still heavily pinned, stabilization was imperative. Once crews were able to get inside of the Dodge Intrepid, they found two patients that were still alive, but were trapped, and also found two more DOAs that were pinned as well. Command then requested a total of three helicopters. Issues that made the extrication prolonged were the severity of the crash, vehicle position, stabilization, and one ALS patient trapped by 2 DOA patients. On arrival, Tower 501 was put to work removing the patient who was trapped by the two DOA patients, while the Foam Engine was ordered to Assist Rescue 508A. At first, the Tower tried to cut the patient out but quickly realized that was not possible. They instead used the rescue struts to lift the front end of the overturned vehicle up while Rescue 501 used low pressure air bags to lift the back end. Crews were then able to remove the pinned patient. Of the six occupants in the Dodge Intrepid, four were dead and the two remaining passengers were flown to a local trauma center with life-threatening injuries. The occupant of the Mercedes was flown out with serious injuries, and the two occupants in the Mustang were ground transported to Prince William Hospital and later released. All fire units on the scene, assisted with stabilization, extrication, and removal of all patients. Units from all 3 jurisdictions worked very well together in the extremely difficult situation they were faced with. Units from the City cleared at 0303 hours.

CREWS RUN OVERTURNED TRACTOR TRAILER

November 03 2006 - At 1611 hours, Foam Engine, Tower, Hazmat, and Chief 501 responded for a personal injury accident on Liberia Avenue at the Prince William County Parkway. On arrival, companies found a tractor trailer carrying trash that had overturned after coming through the intersection. While the medic evaluated the patient, crews worked to contain a small hydraulic fluid leak. No other service was required and crews cleared within a half hour.