ENGINE RUNS HOUSE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN

September 27 2006 - At 2114 hours, box alarm 15-03 was struck for 2707 Jackson Drive, in the Evergreen section of Prince William County, bringing Engine 501A as the third due engine company. Not normally due on this box, the crew was quickly out the door and on the road to the mountain. Ten minutes earlier, Wagon and Brush 515 were sent out to investigate a tree on fire in the area of Young’s Drive. After a short investigation, the crews found a well involved house on Jackson Drive. Being that there are no hydrants on the mountain, a tanker taskforce was requested above the box. The streets on the mountain are mostly single lane with no shoulders and plenty of switchbacks. Command had Wagon 515 and Engine 504 respond to the address while the rest of the units had to stage about a half of a mile down the street. Engine 501A arrived at the staging area and quickly made their way up to the scene to man a line on side C of the fully involved home. Unfortunately, water supply was quite an issue and for the majority of the first 20 minutes, the crew from 501 had no water. A drop tank was set up but, because of the terrain, it was on a pretty good slope and could not be filled to capacity. To complicate matters, Jackson Drive is a dead end which forced one tanker at a time to come in, drop what water they could, and then back the half mile down the winding street to allow the next tanker access.  All companies on the box worked hard to extinguish the fire with what water they had as well as a large amount of brush. The home was a loss but there were no civilian or firefighter injuries. Captain Grainger had the command and Engine 501A headed back to the City at 2317.  

Photos courtesy of Rick Hammer, Co. 15.

TOWER 501 CUTS 1 OUT AFTER CRASH

September 23 2006 - At 1836 hrs, Engine 501A was sent out, along with Ambulance and Medic 501, for a personal injury accident at Robnel Avenue and Nelson Lane, in the Old Town section of the City. While on the way, communications advised they were receiving multiple calls reporting a car into a tree. Engine 501A quickly requested the Tower be added to the run. As units were arriving on the scene, Rescue 501 reported 1 trapped and requested a helicopter. The Engine and Tower arrived to find an adult male trapped in the vehicle. The Rescue was just beginning to set up for the extrication. After a quick size up the Tower split their crew with one getting the car stabilized while the other crew gathered the Amkus tools. The Engine placed the front bumper line in service to serve as a protection line while the men on the Tower went to work. Coordinating their efforts with the Rescue Company, both of the front and rear doors along with the B post on the drivers side were removed. The trapped victim was removed in less than 15 minutes and on his way to an awaiting medevac helicopter. Wagon 501 established the LZ while Battalion 581 (Lt. Ellis) had the Robnel Command.  Units cleared at 1916 hrs.

DUMP TRUCK T-BONES COMMUTER BUS

September 18 2006 - At 1157 hours, Engine 501A was sent out for a personal injury accident involving a dump truck and a commuter bus. They arrived luckily to find only one injury on the bus. Crews boarded and collared the patient and removed the hazards. The Engine went ready at 1212 hrs.

INNOCENT MAN DEAD, 2 INJURED AFTER ROAD RACE

September 17 2006 - As Engine 501A, Wagon, and Tower 501 were taking up from a first due box, Prince William County units were operating on a serious crash on Sudley Road at Coverstone Drive. At 2126 hours, Sudley Command requested three helicopters bringing Engine 501A for the LZ. They arrived as two of the three helicopters were cancelled. According to the Manassas Journal Messenger, two vehicles were drag racing northbound on Sudley Road when they brushed up against each other, sending one into the median at high speed. It then struck a signal pole, entered the southbound lanes, and collided with a vehicle that was not involved with the drag race. The crash caused one of the vehicles to catch fire. Bystanders grabbed fire extinguishers from the nearby gas station and extinguished the fire before units arrived. Crews from Company 511 arrived to find several patients at the scattered crash site, one seriously pinned. Truck 511 immediately began extrication of the innocent driver who was barely alive and suffering from extremely serious traumatic head injuries among others. They quickly removed the roof and began to cut the steering wheel when the patient was pronounced dead. The other innocent victim, a passenger in the vehicle that was struck, was found collapsed on the street. It was determined that the patient had not been ejected but was suffering from serious injuries including head trauma. That patient was flown to a local trauma center. The third patient, the intoxicated driver of the drag racing vehicle that went across the median, was also found out of the vehicle. That patient was transported ALS, due to mechanism of injury, to the local hospital. The driver of the other drag racing vehicle was not injured. Crews from the City cleared at 2200.

THE MEN HONOR THE DEATH OF A LOCAL MARINE ON SEPTEMBER 11TH

September 11 2006 - On the day that marked the fifth anniversary of the events of September 11, men from the Manassas Volunteer Fire Company were given the honor of participating in the funeral service of a local Marine who perished while serving his country in Iraq. Marine Lance Corporal Colin Joseph Wolfe, 19, of Manassas, passed away August 30, 2006, while conducting combat operations in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. He was killed as the vehicle he was traveling in triggered a road-side bomb.  Lance Corporal Wolfe was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.  Lance Corporal Wolfe had only been in country for a mere seven weeks before this tragedy occurred. As a member of an assault team in Iraq, Lance Corporal Wolfe's job was to provide anti-armor and anti-bunker support for a squad, platoon or company. A 2005 graduate of Osbourn High School, Wolfe entered the Marine Corps shortly after his high school graduation. The men from Company 1 provided an archway with the American Flag for Lance Corporal Wolfe, his family, friends, and the rest of the funeral procession to travel through as they left Manassas. Lance Corporal Wolfe was laid to rest with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery. To be a part of such an event is an honor that the Fire Company greatly respects. As we remeber those who lost their lives on 9-11, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Lance Corporal Wolfe; his sacrifice will not be forgotten.

FOAM ENGINE ON TRASH TRUCK FIRE IN SUDLEY

September 08 2006 - At 0628 hrs, Foam Engine 501 responded on mutual box 11-15 for a trash truck fire at 10320 Festival Lane. The crew from the Foam Engine threw a ladder up to the truck and assisted with knocking down most of the fire from the top. The truck then dumped its load and crews operated for quite some time to extinguish the hot spots. The Foam Engine went ready at 0752.

WAGON AND TOWER ON YET ANOTHER KITCHEN FIRE

September 03 2006 - At 1131 hrs, Wagon and Tower 501 went out on the local for a smoke investigation at 9963 Confederate Trail. With smoke showing on arrival, the crews quickly made their way inside and found yet another kitchen fire. The fire was extinguished with a dry chemical extinguisher, the wall was opened up with no extension found, and the home was ventilated. A child received minor burns from the fire and was treated on the scene. The home was turned over to FM 581 and units went ready at 1346.