"A" Group Battles Post-Storm Fire

On Monday, August 29, while still running dozens of Hurricane Irene related calls, "A" Group was dispatched to a reported fire in the Columbia Lakes section of town.  Just before 3pm, Engine 1322, Squrt 1351, Ladder 1324, Battalion 13, and EMS 1392 responded to the report of a possible house fire to the rear of a home on Columbia Blvd.



Engine 1322 arrived on scene at 411 Kennebec Road and found an enclosed tow trailer parked in the driveway, well involved in fire.  The flames from the completely filled trailer were spreading to the home's garage and roof.  The crew from Engine 22 deployed one 1 3/4" handline and quickly knocked down the fire.






The trailer was destroyed by the fire and there was some minor damage to the exterior of the home.  The fire is under investigation by the Cherry Hill Police Department and Camden County Fire Marshal's office.

Car Fire on busy Route 70

Squrt 1331 was notified via a drive up report by a NJ DOT driver of a car fire in front of the WaWa on Route 70 and Marlkress Rd. Squrt 1331 arrived to find an engine compartment fire and went into service with the car fire line. The DOT truck that reported the fire, provided traffic control on the busy highway.

8.23.11 Earthquake Hits East Coast; CHFD Responds

At just before 2 PM on August 23, 2011, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter in Virginia was felt for hundreds of miles up and down the mid-Atlantic region, including Cherry Hill. For most, the earthquake consisted of some uncomfortable moments of light shaking. For those in bigger structures and high rise buildings, it was a little more unnerving. Across town, there were many buildings that were completely evacuated.

 

On duty Cherry Hill Firefighters & EMTs also experienced the same shaking in their firehouses. Once the effects had subsided, it was apparent that calls for help were going to start coming in. Within minutes of the earthquake, several off duty personnel who were working on the September 11 Memorial at Marlkress Road, manned the Cherry Hill Emergency Operations Center there. This center offers a central location, during emergencies or events, for all essential agencies to operate with a cohesive purpose and to better coordinate the efforts of emergency crews. Also working from the EOC were Cherry Hill Police officials and members of town government.

 

There were several calls from facilities who wanted some piece of mind that it was clear to allow evacuated employees and patients to return. Also, there were incidents involving some light structural damage and some tree limbs down. One 14-story high rise apartment building was evacuated and checked extensively for reported structural damage, and ultimately cleared. And, as is always the case, there were several calls for emergency medical assistance. The EOC worked to help clear incidents and also initiated a damage assessment of all school and health related facilities across town. Each school and health facility was visited or contacted by Cherry Hill Firefighters. In all, no incident of any great degree related to the earthquake were encountered. This incident ultimately served as a great tool highlighting the preparedness and training of Cherry Hill’s emergency workers.

 

Today’s earthquake is a great reminder that emergencies can strike anywhere and often happen without warning. Be sure your family has an emergency plan and a kit of emergency supplies to sustain yourselves for at least 72 hours.

 

Most emergencies and disasters come without warning. In contrast, the news agencies are already warning that our area may be affected by Hurricane Irene, currently making a fast track in the Caribbean ocean. Take some time to make sure you know what to do.

C Platoon High Rise Training

Before you can fight a high rise fire, you have to make it there first.  That is the adage that Battalion Chief Stallfort is instilling in his firefighters on C Platoon.  Over the past month the Engine and Ladder Companies have been arriving at 1900 Frontage Road, The Grand Apartments, for what is a simulated high rise fire on the 18th floor.  The catch... the elevators are not usable and the firefighters must carry all of their equipment up the stairs with them.  After adding up the added weight of a firefighter's protective gear, SCBA, hand tools and hose, the average firefighter was carrying at least an additional 100 lbs.

This has become a weekly exercise and times have continued to improve across the board as firefighters train on hoofing it to the top floors. Many companies practice daily in the surrounding buildings of their local.

 

Getting there is only half the battle. In a real high rise fire, firefighters will be required to deploy their equipment and hose to actively fight the fire. That however may be saved for the next training evolution. The important lesson here is how physical fitness correlates with our job performance.

9/11 Memorial Taking Shape

Site work begins for memorial

To mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attack, Cherry Hill Township and the Cherry Hill Fire Department are erecting a special memorial. 



The memorial, to be located in front of the CHFD's Central Command building at 1100 Marlkress Road, was designed by CHFD Firefighter Ed Morris.



Cherry Hill Mayor Bernie Platt and Firefighter Ray Reis,
the 9/11 Memorial Project Manager, review plans for the site

The monument will include a section of steel from the World Trade Center. This section of I-Beam from the WTC’s North Tower will serve as a bridge between two granite towers. This steel will forever symbolize the strength of the United States of America, and will serve as a fitting centerpiece of this memorial to honor those whose lives were lost that September day.

Lt. Jim Collins prepping for pavers to be laid

Off-duty Cherry Hill firefighters and EMS members have been volunteering their time and muscle to construct the monument.  Ken Lydic from Lydic Concrete has also donated manpower and equipment for the effort.




Overhead view of monument site.



Donations are still needed to help support the completion of the monument. For more information on how to donate, please visit http://www.cherryhillfire.org/memorial.asp.





Rendering of completed monument.