| Many of these people have never set foot in a fire station, and almost certainly never made a dark hallway.
1. This is not AI. This was a devastating fire for a local couple.
2. Many have advocated for the use of a garden hose to quell the fire until the fire department arrival. This is troublesome in many ways.
A). The hose on the house involved is out of the question.
B). The hoses on neighboring houses most likely would not have had sufficient length. Sure, they could be used on the neighboring houses to prevent damage to those structures.
C). The heat from this fire could be felt through the fire chiefs windshield, across the street. It is never recommended to approach a situation such as this without protective gear.
D). Water must overcome the BTU’s produced by the fire, and a home well will not produce that kind of water, and if it does, the discharge device will not supply it.
E. Untrained people attempting to simply do the right thing often become victims of circumstance.
3. Questioning why people are filming and not making sure everyone is out. There are instances where this is true, but not this instance. This is the video of one person, and nowhere else in this particular video did I see someone else filming. I’ve always found humor in the person videoing a fire scene yelling “call 911” rather than doing it themself. I did not hear this from this recording.
A). See 2C above.
B). It was known that everyone was out by the Chief of Department on the scene.
4. A since deleted (by the person posting) comment stated “it took the fire companies long enough to get there”. As stated above the video, two Chief officers were on the scene within three minutes assessing the situation, and creating a plan for all incoming units while simultaneously ensuring there was an adequate response for the situation at hand, and ensuring there was no immediate threat to life. With the exception of the EMS crews, and the Hanover Fire Department, all other fire units were coming staffed with volunteers. Most likely, those volunteers responded from somewhere other than the fire station, to the fire station, got on the apparatus and responded. The fire apparatus also needs to travel to get there. We get it, when people have an incident they want the fire department to have been at the neighbors house for a picnic when it occurs. Additionally, they want it staffed with firemen, neurosurgeons, rocket scientists and the valedictorian of New Oxford High School. The reality is you’re getting a trained volunteer company getting there as quickly and as safely as possible. Without the benefit of a career, staffed fire department, this is your reality.
5. The mower was cleaned after use, and was put away hours after use.
6. There was not ammunition exploding in the garage.
As stated above that video, every volunteer fire department is looking for more help. If you have the expertise, the know-how, the desire to serve or free time, there is something for everyone in the volunteer fire service.
The Irishtown Fire Company has made tremendous strides in the last 10 years, and the video shows that. They were not “hitting it hard from the yard”. They were walking back a fire fueled by flammable liquids in the garage before entering a well involved house fire. The Irishtown Fire Company is led by over 75 years of CAREER firefighting experience between three chiefs, who give of themselves to their community. Those years do not include the volunteer years of those three, nor all the years of experience, both career and volunteer of all the personnel arriving on apparatus from any of the responding fire companies, including our own.
In closing, when you see a fire department holding a fundraiser, support it. The local municipalities do not provide enough money for an annual budget. The funding they provide goes a long way towards that budget, but doesn’t entirely cover it. Irishtown Fire company is grateful for the financial assistance from Oxford Township and the working relationship we have with them. We are also eternally grateful to everyone that supports our fundraising efforts so that we are able to respond to help the communities we serve in their time of need. Of note, replacement costs for the apparatus only from our fire company that responded to this fire would reach nearly $3,000,000.
If you are interested in joining Irishtown Fire Company, there is someone at the station every Wednesday night, many weekends, or at various times throughout the week. If you wish to join any local fire department where you live, stop in and ring the doorbell, or check the website to see how you can get involved. The hours and pay are not good.
We welcome feedback and the traffic that has this video viral, which shows the dedication of many local fire companies and the people that make them work.
Thanks for your time.
Bryan J Felix
Assistant Fire Chief
Irishtown Fire Company. |