Category Archives: Potter County Fire News

from Potter County Fire News – Click Here for More.

from Potter County Fire News – Click Here for More.

RIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY—Elk County Emergency officials say they have some big improvements coming to their outdated 911 center.

When Elk County Emergency Management moved into their current facility, it was meant to be a temporary home for a year at the most, but 18 years later little has changed.

The property at the top of Bootjack Hill in Ridgway was purchased by Elk County because it was an ideal place to build their 911 communications tower, but the existing house on the property was not ideal, especially with new, emerging technology.

“We’ve been here for 18 years, and we’ve been continually building onto this system, making it work for the needs of the facility, but what we’re finding now, we’re getting to the point where the building isn’t able to support our needs,” said Elk County Emergency Management Director, Mike McAllister, “The electrical issues are starting to become a problem, the room, the ability to add new hardware that’s coming out in the near future that we’re required to have. The facility just isn’t designed for what its intent was.”

Financial set-backs have prevented the county from building a new facility on the 13-acre property, but county officials said they’ve now hired a company, MCM Group, to do a complete assessment of the needs for the 911 center, and they’re also searching for grants to fund the project.

“It hopefully will help offset any costs that we have, and it would be a great help to the county to get federal dollars, and even state dollars for the project,” said Elk County Commissioner, June Sorg.

Emergency Services employees said the current facility is better than what they were in 20 years ago, but there is certainly room for improvement.

Read more on Needed Upgrades Coming to 911 Center…

from Potter County Fire News – Click Here for More.

Fire heavily damaged a mobile home located on State Route 49 just East of Knoxville Sunday evening. Knoxville Dept. 6 and Valley Ambulance Dept. 25 were dispatched to a report of a structure fire shortly after 1900 hrs. Upon dispatch they were advised of reports of smoke showing from the structure. A 2nd alarm was requested bringing Oceola Dept 14 and Elkland Dept 3 to the scene. The blaze was quickly brought under control.

Read more on Mobile Home Fire on Route 49 Just East of Knoxville…

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The issue outlined in the following article is far from being isolated to a particular area of the Commonwealth. In fact, quite the contrary. There are many areas in the Potter/Tioga County area that have this issue as well. You don’t have to listen to a scanner for very long before you’ll hear an incident being dispatched that can take 20 minutes, 30 minutes or more to get an ambulance on the road. In the Potter/Tioga County area if the initially dispatched department has not responded withing 10 minutes of the first dispatch the call is “rolled over” to the next due department. If that department can not get a crew it again rolls over to another area department. But because of the way the system is currently set up in this area in many cases mutual-aid companies will not respond with an ambulance in these cases. The EMS system in the Potter/Tioga county area is BROKEN and has been for some time. While a large part of the issue is the lack of volunteers that isn’t the only reason for the system being broken. There are factors internal to the local EMS system that are also contributing to this issue. And in some cases the causes are within the individual EMS agencies as the result of personality issues within local emergency service organizations. The system as it stands is broken……. but the big question is….. What is it going to take in order for the people and agencies involved to admit it and work to fix it?

Read more on Is your community keeping you safe?…

from Potter County Fire News – Click Here for More.

Companies spending lion’s share of time raising revenue but falling short
Sara Ganim http://www.centredaily.com
August 1, 2010 3:51pm EDT

It used to be that chicken barbecues, donations and the annual family carnival could pay the bills of a fire company. Now, even those departments supported by local taxes are barely scraping by.

Between a struggling economy and state budget cuts, fire companies are feeling the heat.

“If we didn’t have a fire tax, we’d be out of business,” said Centre Hall Fire Chief Chad Packer. “Fundraisers were better back in the day, but now the price of equipment is three times what it was. To keep up with today’s technology in the fire service, you need to have an income besides fundraisers.”

All of Pennsylvania’s volunteer companies are seeing their main sources of money dwindle. State funding is down 8 percent, donations are harder to come by, and no one wants to raise taxes.

To deal with it, even the larger companies, such as Alpha Fire Company in the Centre Region and Bellefonte’s Logan and Undine companies, are making changes, scrutinizing each purchase and working to make their equipment last longer.

“I wouldn’t say that we’re to the crisis level,” said Walter Schneider, who coordinates Logan’s finances. “We’re going to tighten our belts and try to make this happen, and do more with less. At some point it is going to come to a breaking point.”

Fundraising before training

At the Millheim Fire Company, things were getting so bad that the volunteers were spending 85 percent of their time on fundraisers at the fire hall.

“All we were doing was fundraising to make ends meet,” said 16-year veteran firefighter Chief Floyd Etters. “And we weren’t really doing what we were supposed to be doing, which is training.”

Even so, the company couldn’t raise enough money to buy the new equipment it needed. It was barely breaking even.

“We had to finally break down and put on a fire tax,” Etters said. “We went to the municipalities and talked to them about it.”

A 1-mill fire tax was put in place in 2008. And, to Etters’ surprise, “The only negative thing we’ve heard is, ‘What took you guys so long?’ If we knew they felt like that, we would have done this years ago.”

The tax now brings in about $41,000 a year — but that’s money strictly reserved for buying apparatus.

Read more on Volunteer Firefighters Fighting for Funding…

from Potter County Fire News – Click Here for More.

I received a copy of the following article today from the Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute. While the article was written 8 years ago it is still very applicable today.

Read more on THE FUTURE OF THE VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE…

from Potter County Fire News – Click Here for More.

We have received word this morning of the passing of one of the icons of Potter County. Former Austin Fire Chief and Coudersport Paramedic James “CHUB” Plant passed away last night of an apparent heart attack. Chub has been involved in the emergency services field since the early 1970’s having served as a Potter County Fire Coordinator, Deputy Coroner and County LEPC Member.  He also served as both Fire & Ambulance Chief with Austin for many years and was a Paramedic with Coudersport Regional ALS. At this time we do not have any further details. Further information will be posted as soon as it is available.

Read more on Passing of a Friend…

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Coudersport Volunteer Ambulance Asso. (CVAA) is hosting an EMT-Basic class through Bucks County Community College with the classes to be held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and some Saturdays at the Coudersport Ambulance Hall. Classes are scheduled from 6:00-10:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Saturday classes to run from 8:00-4:00pm.

The cost of the course is $150 which includes the required book and class materials.

A pre-registration will be held on Thursday July 29, 2010 from 6:00pm-7:30pm. A minimum of fifteen students must be obtained for the course to be held. The first official class night and formal registration will occur on Thursday August 5, 2010.

For more information, please contact Coudersport Ambulance at 274-7411. If you cannot attend the pre-registration you may stop by the ambulance hall during business hours Monday July 26 through Thursday July 29 to pre-register.

Read more on Coudersport Ambulance Hosting EMT Basic Class…

from Potter County Fire News – Click Here for More.

WNEP-TV

A volunteer firefighter is among two people killed in two separate crashes on Route 15 in Lycoming County.

State police say the crashes happened within a half mile of each other in the area of Powys Curve, about two miles south of Trout Run.

Troopers tell Newswatch 16 that the first crash happened shortly before 4 p.m. Wednesday. They say a car headed north on Route 15 crossed the center line and hit a van coming south. The driver of the car died. The driver of the van was taken to the hospital.

The second wreck involved a volunteer firefighter headed to the scene of that crash. Troopers say he was thrown out of his pickup truck and killed. An officer with the Trout Run Volunteer Fire Company confirms that the man who died was a member of the company.

According to PennDOT, Route 15 south in Lycoming County was expected to reopen around 10 p.m.

Read more on Volunteer Firefighter Killed In Crash En Route To Fatal Accident On Route 15…

from Potter County Fire News – Click Here for More.

By Vicki Terwilliger (Staff writer vicki-t@citizenstandard.com)
Published: July 6, 2010

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series about fire company funding. Today’s article looks at statewide efforts. Next week: How local fire departments meet the bottom line.

Like most households trying to make ends meet, volunteer fire companies operate like families. They struggle to balance the needs of those within the family, or communities they serve, with the money available to safely do so.

“When you’re trying to raise that kind of money, that’s a lot of chicken barbecue,” said Ed Mann, Pennsylvania state fire commissioner.

Mann, first appointed by the Ridge administration, has served as the state’s fire commissioner for the last 10 years. He’s also a volunteer firefighter. Part of his job entails traveling across the state, helping fire companies obtain grants.

Costs

Mann said the “everyday” operation of a fire department involves paying utility and fuel bills, which can vary depending on the size of each facility.

Add to that the expense of proper protection for firefighters: A single firefighter’s ensemble, or protective clothing, can cost $1,500 to $2,000; $150 to $350 for a helmet; $89 to $95 for gloves; $35 to $40 for a flash hood, and $3,500 to $4,500 for self-contained breathing apparatus. Multiply those costs by the number of volunteers, and the expense soars. Engine trucks are about $350,000 unequipped, and aerial equipment can run from $800,000 to $1 million.

In addition to the costs, many fire departments are operating with fewer members, meaning companies still need to do what they were doing before, but with fewer personnel to spread out the duties.

Read more on Volunteer fire companies struggle to balance ‘family’ budget…

from Potter County Fire News – Click Here for More.

With Dangerously Hot Weather Gripping Much of Pennsylvania, Secretary of Health Offers Tips to Stay Safe and Prevent Heat-Related Illness

Harrisburg – With extremely hot temperatures expected to linger over Pennsylvania for much of this week, Health Secretary Everette James today urged Pennsylvanians to take steps to recognize and prevent heat-related illness.

“Those at greatest risk for developing heat-related illness are infants and young children, people over age 65, and those with heart disease, high blood pressure, breathing problems, or chronic conditions,” James said. “However, anyone who participates in outdoor activities in extremely hot weather is at risk of becoming ill.”

Heat stroke, exhaustion, and cramps are the three most common heat-related illnesses. The incidence of these conditions increases when humidity is high because sweat cannot evaporate as quickly, meaning the body cools itself at a much slower rate than usual.

The most severe heat-related illness, heat stroke, occurs when the body is unable to regulate its temperature due to overheating and, in turn, loses the ability to sweat. Someone suffering from heat stroke may experience a body temperature above 103° F; red, hot, and dry skin; rapid, strong pulse; throbbing headache; dizziness; nausea; confusion; and unconsciousness. If someone is experiencing heat stroke, attempt to cool the person off in a shady place while waiting for emergency medical assistance.

Read more on Tips to Stay Safe and Prevent Heat-Related Illness…

from Potter County Fire News – Click Here for More.

The Johnsonburg Fire Department will be hosting the Tri-County FIrefighter’s Association Convention on August 28, 2010. In addition to the convention this weekend will include he Borough of Johnsonburg’s Bicentennial Celebration activities and the 100th anniversary of the Johnsonburg Fire Department. Most activities for the Bicentennial are open to the public and all are invited to attend.

Convention Schedule:

10AM-11AM: Registration
11AM: Tri-County Convention Meeting
Noon: Dinner
1PM-3PM: Parade Line-up and Judging (Glen Hazel Road)
3PM: Parade Start

There will be many events going on following the parade. For a schedule of events please visit http://www.johnsonburg2010.com

Reservations for the dinner and parade should be made by August 13th. There will be a charge of $10 per person attending the dinner payable at the door.

For further information please contact Jack Fowler at 814-965-2503 or 814-594-7881.

Read more on 2010 Tri-County Firefighter’s Association Convention…

from Potter County Fire News – Click Here for More.

The 2010 Fall brochure for the Tri-County Fire School is now available. You can download a copy HERE.

Deadline for registration is: AUGUST 6, 2010 For Sept. 18 & 19, 2010 Classes. PLEASE NOTE: REGISTRATIONS POSTMARKED AFTER THE DUE DATE LISTED ON THE REGISTRATION FORM WILL BE CHARGED AN ADDITIONAL $10 LATE REGISTRATION FEE FOR EACH CLASS REGISTERED.

Applicants must be 14 years of age or older, unless otherwise specified,and must have a social security number. Students must be certified by the Chief Officer to attend.

Participants are limited in number. Pre-registration is necessary and should be done early. Students are requested to select two of the two-day seminars offered.

All registrations must be accompanied by a check or money order to the Tri-County Fire School, Inc., to guarantee placement in selected courses.

The check PAYABLE TO TRI-COUNTY FIRE SCHOOL, and registration should be sent to Mae Wolfe, 267 Coal Hollow Road, Kersey, PA 15846. Any student who is not a resident of Pennsylvania is required to pay an additional $40.00 non-resident fee to: Butler County Community College. No telephone registrations will be accepted.

For additional information, please phone Ken Weidow at (814) 781-3646 or Mae Wolfe at (814) 885-6386. Duplication of this brochure is permitted for registration purposes.

Read more on 2010 Tri-County Fall Fire School Classes…

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LIFE NET 77 LANDING ZONE TRAINING

Thursday, June 14th at the

Tri-Town Fire Station – Ulysses

18:30 Landing Zone Instruction

20:00 Helicopter will arrive (weather permitting)

Lee Strange – Instructor

Light Refreshments Will Be Served

To Pre-Register Contact Potter County DES @ 814-274-8900

Read more on LANDING ZONE TRAINING…

May 24, 2010

Dear Emergency Responder & Elected Officials,

The Cameron County Office of Emergency Services in conjunction with the Northwest Central Emergency Response Group and Range Resources would like to invite you to an introduction to Gas Well Emergencies.  This training is an awareness level class that will encompass the hazards associated with the drilling of gas wells throughout your response areas.  We will be offering two sessions of this program.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact myself at the numbers list below or the Cameron County Office of Emergency Services @ 814-486-9352.  Please RSVP to John Schneider via email or the numbers listed below before July 14, 2010.

When:  July 21, 2010

Time: 1:00pm – 4:00pm & 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Sincerely

John M. Schneider
Project Manager
Agosti Fire & Safety Services
john@afsscorp.com
814-787-4164 (Office)

Read more on Gas Well Emergencies Training…