SLOW HALLOWEEN NIGHT FOR THE VOLUNTEERS

October 31 2006 - Halloween was quite uneventful for the Manassas Volunteers this year. The only box would come during the day for someone burning an unknown substance in their apartment. That was turned over to the FM with no service preformed. The evening did however bring several groups of trick-or-treaters and bar goers by the station. The crew handed out candy and posed for a lot of pictures. Around 2100, the cops requested the fire department for a police situation. We provided them with a ladder and let them do their thing. A few more visitors would come by but that was pretty much the evening.

TOWER REMOVES TWO FROM OVERTURNED VEHICLE

October 30 2006 - Just before 1700 hours this evening, the Foam Engine, Tower 501, and the Chief responded to Grant Avenue and Beauregard Avenue for a personal injury accident with persons trapped. The Tower arrived first to find two vehicles involved with one on its side. Inside crews found two patients who were confined to the vehicle but not pinned, suffering from minor BLS injuries. As the Foam Engine deployed the bumper line, the Tower's crew stabilized the vehicle and removed the windshield. The patients were assisted out and passed on to awaiting medic units. The Tower quickly cleared to take in an inside gas leak in the county. The Foam Engine and Chief cleared within a half an hour. Chief 501 had the command.

ENGINE RUNS AN AUTO ON MATHIS AVE

October 30 2006 - At 0805 hours, the Engine was sent out for an auto in the 8600 block of Mathis Avenue. Apparently, the County's Communication Center had received calls about the fire also and dispatched one of their engines to the scene, which is near the City/County line. The crew from Engine 501A assisted Engine 508 with flaking their line out and gained entry to the vehicle. The Engine went ready at 0817 hours.

WEEK STARTS OFF WITH A FIRST DUE BOX

October 29, 2006 - At 2025 hours Sunday evening, box alarm 81-09 was sounded for fire in a house at 9518 Main Street, in the Old Town section of the City. Engine 501A, the Tower, and the Assistant Chief were quickly on the street. With the address being just a couple blocks from the firehouse, Engine 501A was promptly on the scene. They reported fire showing from the second floor of a large 2 1/2 story Balloon Frame house. The Engine was met with a frantic subject in the front yard advising his father was still inside. The crew from Engine 501A quickly stretched an 1 1/2 into the dwelling and located the subject, who appeared to be still cooking dinner in the kitchen, not concerned with the fire upstairs. The occupant was quickly assisted to the door and the crew made their way to the fire floor. There they were met with high heat and zero visibility. They made their way down the hall and into the bedroom, knocking the fire. At the same time, the crew from Rescue 501 began a primary on the second floor. Meanwhile the majority of the box alarm was held up by a train coming through Old Town. As the crew from the Engine pushed into the bedroom, the bale on the nozzle broke off in the off position. With no water and no back up line yet in place, conditions deteriorated rapidly, forcing the Engine and Rescue to retreat to the hallway. The lineman, keeping his poise, was able to use a pair of pliers to turn the nozzle back on and extinguished the remaining fire. Chief 501A (Flanagan) had the Main Street Command and held all units for half an hour before the assignment was cut back to just the units from Co. 1 Fire and the Rescue. The Tower, Truck 511, and the crew from the Foam Engine handled all the outside work, quickly opening up. Crews from Wagon 501, 508, 509, and 516 assisted on the fire floor opening up. Deputy Chief 516 had division 2 on the fire floor and chief 508A had the safety group. A great job by all quickly brought the fire under control. Special thanks to the Rescue Squad for the refreshments. The occupant that was removed was not injured however, the Lineman and Officer from Engine 501A received burns and were treated on the scene. In all, the Volunteers of Company 1 responded with three engines, the Tower, and a Chief totaling 15 personnel.

CREWS HAVE A BUSY SATURDAY EVENING

October 28 2006 - The day started off rather slow with an inside gas leak at 0700 hours Saturday morning. Engine, Tower, Hazmat Support, and Chief 501 responded to 9240 Sills Court, Fries Auto Garage. On arrival, crews had high CO and Sulfur Dioxide readings. The crews found a large battery that had exploded after being overcharged. The hazard was contained and the building was vented. The rest of the day was quite with only two calls for service, until 1816 hours when the Engine went out for an AFA. They quickly cleared that to handle a tree into a house along with the Tower, Battalion, and Chief. Crews found a large tree which had been knocked over by the wind. No substantial damage or injuries were found and the scene was turned over to FM584. Directly after that run, the Engine was sent on mutual box 89-01 to set up an LZ after a personal injury accident in Manassas Park. The patient was suffering from several traumatic injuries. The Helicopter was returned due to wind conditions and the Engine went ready at 1900 hours. The crews got a break for dinner and then started up again at 2022 hours, when the Tower went out to assist a local church with securing several large windows that were dislodged by the high winds. At 2041 hours, the Attack went out for a double stabbing at the Georgetown South Shopping center. The Tower, being in the area, took that run and redirected the Attack unit to set up an LZ at Osborne High school. From there, the Engine and Battalion responded on mutual box 11-16 for a commercial building fire at 10810 Battleview Parkway. The Engine assisted Wagon 511 with running their 300. A burned up exhaust fan was found with no extension. After that the night slowed down and crews were able to get a good night sleep.

CREWS FIND A PILE OF TRASH IN THE CUL-DE-SAC

October 25 2006 - At 1315 hours, City Fire Communications put the local out for a trash fire in front of 10194 Ben's Way bringing Attack 501. While on the way, communications reported that a trash truck had dumped a full load of trash in the cul-de-sac and it was on fire. Apparently the driver realized the contents of the truck were on burning and dumped the load to save the truck. Battalion 581 added on to the run and requested the Engine also. The Attack arrived on scene to find exactly what they expected, a huge burning mess. They laid out and quickly put two lines in service. The Engine arrived but promptly cleared for a hazmat local in the first due. The Battalion requested a front-end loader from public works and the Attack stood by until it arrived. As the pile was pulled apart, the fire was extinguished. The scene was turned over to Hazmat Officer 584 and the the Attack cleared at 1450 hours.

ENGINE SECOND IN ON NOKESVILLE HOUSE

October 23 2006 - At 2340 hours, box alarm 25-02 was sounded for a townhouse fire at 9033 Brewer Crate Place, bringing Engine 501A as the fourth due engine company. Tower 525 arrived first and reported a working fire in the rear with possible extension into the attic. Wagon 511 arrived next and took the first due spot. Engine 501A arrived just after them, assuming second due, catching the hydrant. The crew from the Engine ran a second line to back up 511. They were ordered to check the rear where they opened up and found no extension. Command then ordered them to make the roof and check for extension, none was found there either. With the fire out, command held 2 and 1. Engine 501A remained on scene to assist with overhaul and cleared at 0056 hours.

HAZMAT SPECIAL CALLED AFTER WRECK

October 18 2006 - At 2118 hours, Engine 501A went out for a personal injury accident on Dumfries Road at Wellington Road. They found a two vehicle collision with a considerable amount of fluids on the roadway. The Hazmat Unit was special called to assist on the local. The crew from the Hazmat put down nearly 75 pounds of absorbent before clearing the scene at 2147 hours.

FOAM ENGINE RUNS TRUCK FIRE ON THE INTERSTATE

October 17 2006 - At 0238 hours Tuesday morning, the engine company was sent out on a local with Wagon 511 on mutual box 11-50 for a tractor trailer fire on Interstate 66 eastbound at the county line. Crews arrived to find a jack-knifed tractor trailer with the cab fully involved. The Foam Engine's crew pulled a second line, checked the contents of the trailer, and assisted with extinguishing the fire. The Foam Engine went ready at 0346 hours.

Photos courtesy of Willow Springs Towing Company.

THE MEN HONOR THE LIFE OF A FALLEN BROTHER

October 16 2006 - This morning, five men from the Manassas Volunteer Fire Company joined firefighters from around the country to attend the funeral of Baltimore City firefighter Allan Roberts. Brother Roberts died in the line of duty on Tuesday October 10^th, from injuries sustained on the fireground. At around 0230 hrs, the morning of the 10^th, Baltimore City companies were battling a row house fire in the 500 block of South Macon Street, which is in the Greektown section of Baltimore. Roberts and two other firefighters were operating on the first floor when a flashover occurred and parts of the second floor collapsed, trapping the men inside. The Rapid Intervention Team was deployed and all three men were quickly removed though, Brother Robert’s injuries were too severe.  Roberts was the first Baltimore firefighter to die in the line of duty in more than a decade. Assigned to Ladder Company 26, Brother Roberts had 19 years on the job and left behind a wife and four children. The funeral Mass started at 1030 hrs and over 3,000 firemen filled the church and lined the streets in front of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen on North Charles Street. As an engine brought the casket up the driveway at the Cathedral, bagpipes played as Roberts was carried inside. At the end of the service, bagpipers once again played, and the congregation presented arms as the casket containing the body of our brother was placed in the hose bed of a Baltimore City engine company. The procession, which was compromised of over 100 other fire units, including Engine 501A, made its way through the streets of Baltimore to Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens where Brother Roberts was laid to rest. The Manassas Volunteer Fire Company would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of brother Allan Roberts. His sacrifice will never be forgotten.

MANASSAS CITY GETS ITS FIRST ALARM BOX

October 16 2006 - Today a Gamewell Telephone alarm box was added to the front of the firehouse. The box is connected to a direct line at Manassas City Fire Communications. The men of Company 1 purchased the old alarm box themselves, restored it with a fresh coat of paint and new decals, and mounted it out front. Citizens can use the box to contact communications if the fire department is needed but the units are not in quarters.

COMPANY ADOPTS NEW PATCH

October 16 2006 - After several decades a new company patch will be worn by the members of the Manassas Volunteer Fire Company. Always looking for ways to express our pride in our department, the design was completely done in house, and is intended to update the company patch with a more modern look and add to it our latest duty, hazmat.  We also, reluctantly, incorporated the new station number, 501. We were...... blessed with 501 years ago after the Council of Governments developed a regional unit numbering system for fire department units. Every jurisdiction in the Washington DC metro area follows this numbering system to some extent. Being that we are located in Prince William County who has been assigned the number 5, we are no longer Company 1 but Company 501. The patch has also been added as door seals of all of our apparatus. Soon we will have an online store up and running so patch collectors will be able to purchase one of the new patches among other things. The money will support new equipment purchases.

FIRE PREVENTION WEEK TURNS INTO FIRE PREVENTION MONTH

October 16 2006 - This October 8th through the 14th was National Fire Prevention Week. The idea of having a nationally recognized fire safety week began in 1957. The month of October was chosen to remember the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 which killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than 2,000 acres. The fire began on October 8, but continued on for several days. This years goal was to prevent cooking fires. This year, the week long event has seemed to expand into almost a month with the firehouse averaging almost 100 children a day. The crews gave station tours and took the rigs to local schools, giving presentations in classrooms and allowing the children to climb on the trucks, squirt water, and watch their teachers take a ride up in the Tower. The Manassas Volunteer Fire Company looks forward to any chance we can get to show the public what it is like to do our job and educate them about fire safety.

CREWS FIND LARGE ARSON TRASH FIRE 

October 15 2006 - At 1441 hours, Foam Engine 501 was sent out on the local for a rubbish fire to the rear of 9306 Litho Lane. While responding, the large column of smoke that could be seen in the distance prompted the officer to request an addition engine. This brought Engine 501A and Attack 501. On arrival, crews found a 50 x 25 pile of wooden pallets, brush, and a few trees burning. This is the third fire at this location in the last month and a half. The fire was quickly extinguished with no extension to the building. FM585 was on scene and the units cleared at 1537 hrs.

MAYOR RIDES ALONG WITH THE VOLUNTEERS

October 14 2006 - At around noon today, the crew received a visit from the Mayor of the City of Manassas, Mr. Douglas Waldron. The crew gave the Mayor a tour of the apparatus and station, and explained to him what being a Manassas City Volunteer is about. They also discussed issues with the current firehouse and ideas for the new one, which we are currently planning for. All conversation wasn't serious though, as the group shared stories about calls and talked about football. The evening ended with the crew treating the Mayor to dinner. We enjoyed having him stop by and invite him back whenever he has time.

TOWER EXTRICATES ONE ON THE PRINCE WILLIAM PARKWAY

October 14 2006 - At 1802 hours, Tower 501 responded on mutual box 16-01 for a personal injury accident on the Prince William County Parkway at Moore Drive. Initial reports indicated up to four vehicles involved and one person trapped. Wagon 516 arrived first to find a T-bone accident involving four cars with indeed, one trapped. The Tower came in and removed the door, freeing the trapped victim. At 1816 hrs, Engine 501A was requested to set up an LZ which they did at Signal Hill Road and Birmingham Drive. The patient who had lost consciousness and had several possible broken bones was flown by Airfare to a local trauma center. Both City units were clear within 40 minuets.

Photos courtesy of Tom Robinson, Company 516.

ENGINE SETS UP LZ AFTER PEDESTRIAN STRUCK

October 12 2006 -  At 1824 hrs, shortly after the Engine cleared the fireground on Gambril Drive, Manassas City Fire Communications sent the medic unit out for an unconscious subject. The catch is, the patient was rendered unconscious after being hit by a car, bouncing off and landing on the street. Units had to be added after the fact, once the Medic on scene upgraded the call. This brought the Engine for an LZ. They set up the landing zone at Round Elementary and landed Aircare 3 without incident. The patient was transported to a local trauma center. The Engine cleared the run at 1844 hours.

WAGON HIT WITH ROCKS WHILE RESPONDING ON A RUN

October 12 2006 - At around 1730 hrs, while the Engine and Foam Engine were operating on the apartment fire, Wagon 501 went out to investigate a report of wires down and arching. As they came under the railroad tracks at Grant Avenue, the Wagon was struck with at least one rock, roughly the size of a baseball, cracking the windshield. Communications was notified and, having received numerous phone calls for several juveniles on the bridge throwing rocks at cars, already had the cops on the way. The teens were quickly caught and, $700 dollars later, the windshield is fixed and the Wagon is back in service.

ENGINE AND FOAM ENGINE ON GAMBRIL DRIVE APARTMENT FIRE

October 12 2006 - At 1550 hours, Engine 501A first due, Foam Engine 501 second due, and Chief 501 responded on mutual box 11-11 for the apartment fire with reports of people trapped at 10859 Gambril Drive. Engine 511 cleared a previous call and the running order was changed with them taking their regular position on the run card, first due. While units were responding, communications advised that callers were reporting a fire in an unknown apartment to the rear of the building with someone possibly still inside. Truck 511 arrived first and reported a working fire. Engine 501A arrived with Engine 511 and grabbed the hydrant for them. The crew from 501A advanced the first line from Engine 511, taking it to the second floor. There they met up with Truck 511 and found a fire on the balcony of apartment 203 with extension into the unit. Foam Engine 501 arrived next and made their way to the third floor exposure apartment with Engine 511. At the same time, the lineman from 501A knocked down all visible fire in the second floor apartment. As crews were checking for extension, they found fire in the walls and void spaces in the ceiling between the second and third floors. Foam Engine 501's crew operated a chain saw to quickly open up the floor where a large amount of fire was found. Crews worked hard to quickly hook the rest of the walls and ceiling to expose the all of the remaining fire. That too was quickly extinguished bringing the fire under control. Chief 501 (Holman) had Division 2 and 3. Units from the City went ready at 1755 hours. The dedicated Volunteers maintained an additional crew to cover the City the entire time both units operated on the fireground.

MOTORCYCLIST STRUCK ON GRANT AVENUE

October 10 2006 - At 1831 hours, Engine 501A, the Tower Ladder, and the Chief were alerted to a personal injury accident at the intersection of Grant Avenue and Prince William Street. Companies arrived to find a single patient suffering from injuries after he was hit and knocked off of his motorcycle. Crews stabilized the patient and handled the hazards. Units went ready at 1839 hours.

SMALL BASEMENT FIRE IN THE FIRST DUE

October 09 2006 - At 1542 hours, box alarm 81-04 was transmitted for fire in the basement at 8777 Deblanc Place. Engine 501A, Foam Engine and Tower 501, and Battalion Chief 581 were quickly on the way with 13 men. The Battalion arrived first and reported smoke showing. Inside, companies found a small fire in the basement of the still occupied home. Crews cleared out the occupants and the assignment was swiftly cut back to Company 1 only. The Tower vented the home and the FM was requested. The fire was started by a candle. Units went ready within 30 minuets. Capt. McCuin had the command.

WEEKEND BRINGS 24 RUNS AND SEVERAL BOXES

October 08 2006 - With the first weekend of October and the annual Fall Jubilee Festival in Old Town, crews maintained a steady pace answering 24 runs including 6 boxes in a 48 hour period. The engine made 8 runs between midnight and 6am Saturday morning, several of which stemmed from an over-pressurization of a water main causing several flooding conditions and alarm activations. Things then slowed down long enough for the crew to catch a few short