Tuesday, June 4, 2013 On Tuesday, June 4th KPVFC members and some of their children took advantage of the sunny and cool spring day to perform ongoing maintenance at the King of Prussia 9/11 Memorial. Numerous personalized bricks were installed including, but not limited to, one memorializing Chief Driver Walt Gutkowksi who passed away in 2012 and another recognizing the financial and personal support of George Nikolaou, Esq. Following the installation of the bricks members also lent their time to plant flowers that were graciously donated by Fire house mom Sandi Katarynick. The six flats of impatiens went a long way to enhance and beautify the peoples memorial. The members of the KPVFC are very grateful for the continued generous support from the community for this monument to those who lost heir lives on 9/11.
Monday, June 3, 2013 Just before noon on Monday June 3rd the King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company was dispatched for an accident with entrapment on the Schuylkill Expressway near the route 202 interchange. Chief 47 (Jim Gallagher) arrived to find a tractor trailer overturned with the driver trapped on the I-76 westbound ramp that leads to route 202 southbound. Rescue 47 arrived shortly after the chief and under the direction of past Rescue Chief Mark Forster, the crew started stabilization efforts on the truck. The Squad Company (Disanto) responding from the Beidler Road firehouse, arrived next and stretched a precautionary hoseline while controlling the spilled fuel hazards. As both crews were formulating their plan for extricating the patient Chief Gallagher, recognizing and anticipating the difficulty of the operation, requested mutual aid from Swedeland Fire Company (Squad 48) and Berwyn Fire Company (Chester County sta. 2). The driver of the truck was extricated within 30 minutes of initial units arriving on scene and air lifted to a trauma hospital in Philadelphia. The Chief commends all crews for a job well done and credits the recent training in big rig rescue extrication a reason for today’s successful operation.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013 For Tuesday night training, the King of Prussia volunteers went over to Shorty's Auto Yard to train on school bus rescue techniques. Delaware County's Rescue 62 out of the S.M. Vauclain Fire Company in Ridley Township was invited to participate due to them having specialized knowledge and equipment to share. They respond to accidents on Interstates 95 and 476. Jamison's Towing was kind enough to setup a car under ride scenario, simulating an accident in which a passenger vehicle crashes into the rear of a school bus trapping the driver of the vehicle. Unfortunately, a young man lost his life in this type of accident in Upper Chichester Township just hours before this training session. Crews stabilized the school bus with Paratech LongShore Struts and lifted the rear of the bus off the car using high-pressure lift bags. After the lifting evolution, crews practiced several extrication techniques on the school bus itself, including creating "picture frame" windows, side wall removals, and a roof flap evolution. King of Prussia thanks the crew from Rescue 62 for sharing their knowledge, as well as Jamison's Towing for setting up such a challenging training scenario. The fire company also sends their thoughts to the family and friends of the young man who passed away in the Upper Chichester accident.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 On Tuesday evening May 14th the firefighters of the KPVFC, along with our brothers from Swedeland Fire Company and Swedesburg Fire Company, held a joint training drill at the recently closed Chile’s Restaurant. Fortunately for us, Chile’s had decided to demolish the existing restaurant and replace it with a state of the art facility. The brigades were provided with a well thought out lesson plan provided by KPVFC Assistant Chief Joe O’Donnell. The evenings exercise included three rotating stations. Evolution one was commercial fire hose line advancement, which required the use of a 3” supply line split with a “gated wye” water appliance to dual 1.75” lines. Crews had to make fire advances on the ground floor as well as into the basement and crawlspace area. The second was a large area search with a firefighter down scenario. In this evolution members were challenged with changing interior elevations and were required to use forcible entry techniques. The last scenario was rooftop ventilation practice on a commercial roof. Members were required to provide the proper ladder access to the affected areas as well as provide for the proper ventilation requirements of a commercial structure. There was also some time to provide hands on pump operation training to two of our members going through the driver/operator training program.
Saturday, May 11, 2013 Over the two weeks spanning May 1st through May 11th members of the KPVFC, along with members of the Southeastern Montgomery County Rescue Task Force, attended a Special Vehicle Rescue course. The 16-hour course was presented by the Bucks County Public Safety Training Academy. Two 4-hour classroom sessions were held at Penn Wynne FC station 21 and one full day of hands on training was held at the Janeway Towing yard in Plymouth Township. This extensive and in-depth course covered safety and technical operations involving large trucks, heavy construction equipment as well as school busses and other larger vehicles. During the hands-on portion of the course, attendees were tasked with lifting a 65,000 pound wheeled loader to remove a trapped construction worker, extricating a trapped tractor trailer driver, complete the expansion of extrication openings on a school bus and the removal of two trapped vehicle occupants that had a tanker truck roll over on them. The last evolution required the inclusion of two heavy tow trucks that could assist with the extrication process. That, in and of itself, was a great lesson. Many of those in the class remarked about the challenges and the use of almost every tool on the three rescue trucks present. The members were worked to their limits and were taught specific techniques to assist them on their next “heavy rescue incident.”
Monday, May 6, 2013 On Monday May 6th the 4th Grade Class from Caley Road Elementary School visited the King of Prussia Fire Station on Allendale Road. The class of over 100 spent the morning touring the fire station; walking the 9/11 Memorial; and getting an up-close, hands-on experience with Tower 47 and Rescue 47. The students from Mrs. Hornsleth, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Bielowski, and Miss Zinicola classes were treated to a morning of learning and fun by eager volunteers who took time to teach about gear, ladder and rescue company functions, 9/11, and fire prevention. The members on hand to help were President Bill Jenaway, Lt. Vince DiSanto, Chief Engineer Mike Kiczula, FF Bob Smull, FF Mark Shepperd, FF Matt Introcasso, FF Gary Touchton, FF Sarah Bretz, and Upper Merion Fire Marshall's Bill Daywalt and Bill Henderson.
Saturday, April 13, 2013 KPVFC members were back at it again this Saturday with other personnel from the Southeastern Montgomery County Technical Rescue Task Force. This week, the members were finishing up the 16-hour Confined Space Rescue Operations class instructed by the Montgomery County Fire Academy. The first two sessions were held on the previous Thursday and Tuesday nights, and the program concluded on Saturday with a full-day of hands-on confined space rescue evolutions. Everyone did a fantastic job in the class and the level of teamwork was impressive. The rescue task force is a joint effort between the Upper Merion, Lower Merion, and Norristown Fire Departments, and aims to provide the equipment and trained personnel needed to safely handle technical rescue incidents.
Thursday, April 11, 2013 The KPVFC assisted the Swedesburg Fire Company (Station 49) at a vehicle fire on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Station 49 units found a large tractor trailer well involved upon arrival. Assistance was requested from the KPVFC as well as multiple units from the Plymouth Fire Department. The KPVFC responded with Engine 47-1, Engine 47-2 & Squad 47 providing assistance with extinguishment, water supply, and overhaul.
Saturday, April 6, 2013 KPVFC members along with other personnel from the Southeastern Montgomery County Technical Rescue Task Force participated in Crozer Paramedic Program's "Rescue Weekend" at the Delaware County Emergency Services Training Center. Rescue 47 traveled to the training center in Sharon Hill, PA to perform trench rescue drills with paramedic students in order to introduce them to the dangers involved with technical rescue. Rescue companies 07 and 43 from Delaware County also participated by performing their own confined space, high-angle, and vehicle rescue drills. All-in-all it was a productive day of learning and networking while working together as a task force.
Thursday, March 28, 2013 On Thursday March 28th,during the monthly fire company business meeting, Swedeland Fire Company Deputy Chief Chris Camarda presented our members with a unit citation from an incident on the Schuylkill Expressway last summer. The incident occurred on September 5, 2012 on I-76 at the Gulph Mills exit in station 48’s local district. Squad 48 arrived to find a box-style truck that drove down an embankment and required the extrication of two patients over rough and steep terrain. KPVFC crews assisted the Swedeland firefighters with the difficult and unordinary incident, and therefore, were commended by Chief Camarda for their assistance. A copy of the unit citation is attached, along with a picture from the incident, and also a link to the prior story on our website of the incident. http://www.kpvfc.com/news/fullstory/newsid/170624
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