December 2005

39 House alerted for a chimney fire

Station 39 was dispatched to the 500 block of Brandywine Drive for a reported chimney fire. Asst 39A, Garry Fairweather arrived first on location to find a 2 story sfd. with nothing showing. Upon the arrival of Engine 39-3 and some investigation with the thermal imaging camera, a fire was discovered in the upper 8ft of the freestanding masonry chimney. Due to the snow conditions on the ground and the slope of the terracotta roofing mater, Ladder 25 was called for the assist. Units cleared in about 45 minutes.

Units on location: Engine 39-3, Tac 39, Utility 39, Ladder 25, Traffic 39

Rt.322 Accident with Fuel Spill

Story and Photo courtesy of The Daily Local news

A collision between an oil tanker truck and an SUV caused heating oil to spill onto Route 322 Monday afternoon, closing down the highway in both directions between Valley Creek Road and Hall Road.
The collision between the two vehicles at Route 322 and Skelp Level Road caused both vehicles to overturn, rupturing the tank on the tanker.

Initial fire department personnel arrived on the scene shortly after 1:30 p.m. and created an earthen berm to keep the oil from getting into the wetlands along the East Branch of Brandywine Creek.

Shortly after the fire company’s arrival Haz-mat teams arrived and set up absorbent booms on the shoulder of the roadway that contained the spreading oil.

Deputy Fire Chief Jim Fairweather said that fire personnel on the scene worked to slow the leak from the tanker as they waited for a clean-up crew dispatched by the fuel company to arrive.

Fairweather said he didn’t know what caused the collision, but one person from the SUV was taken to Chester County Hospital with minor injuries.

The driver of the tanker owned by J. Halligan & Sons was not hurt. The tanker truck contained about 1,850 gallons of fuel when it collided.

Most of the heating oil was contained to the shoulder of the road, but some reached 10 feet to 15 feet from the paved edge of the road.

"We’re trying to keep it on a hard surface. It’s much easier to clean up on a hard surface," said Fairweather.

With Brandywine Creek about 1,500 feet to 2,000 feet from the oil spill, fire chief Bill Buttner said "it wasn’t an issue."

The fire department also notified Aqua Pennsylvania, which operates the nearby Ingrams Mill Water Treatment Facility, but Fairweather said they didn’t think there was any danger to the plant.

The road reopened about 6:30PM after the cleanup crew arrived and pumped the remaining oil from the tanker and cleaned up the spill.

Christmas Day Accident

December 25 - Approximately 2140hrs on Christmas night, Station 39 members were alerted to an auto accident in the area of West Chester and Embreeville Roads. Chief 39 was first to arrive, and reported 1 vehicle off the roadway into a tree. Medic 93 was requested due to the mechanism of injury. Upon further investigation, Chief 39 reported 3 to be checked by EMS, and continued the fire company for hazard control and lighting. 2 patients were transported to local hospitals by Modena Fire Company EMS. Fire units cleared after about an hour.

Units on location: Engine 39-3,Rescue 39,Tac 39, Utility 39, Command 39, Traffic 39, Squad 37, Ambulance 37-1, Ambulance 37-2

Odor investigation

While working to clean up the Poorhouse Road Station for the end of the year, Station 39 members were alerted for a smell of smoke at a residence in the 400 block of Brandywine Dr, Newlin Township. Engine 39-3 rolled immediately with 6 crewmembers, followed by Engine 39-1 with 4 and Engine 39-2 from the Marshallton Station. Upon arrival Engine 3's crew investigated, while Engines 1 and 2 staged at the bottom of the driveway. The odor was determined to have come from a faulty appliance, and after confirming that the power to the appliance was disconnected, units returned. Apparatus was back in service in about 20 minutes.

Units on location: Engine 39-1, Engine 39-2, Engine 39-3

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