In
June
the Fort Washington
Fire Company responded to:
59 Alarms
Averaging
16.1
responders per call
Totaling
473
responder hours
For All of 2005 the Fort
Washington Fire Company Responded to:
644 Alarms
Averaging 25 responders per call
Totaling 7217 responder hours
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Profile Of The Month
Each month we profile one of
the many Volunteers that make up the Fort Washington
Fire Company. This month we are highlighting
Richard Martindale
Meet
Richard Martindale
Richard “Dick” Martindale joined the
Fort Washington Fire Company No. 1 at the age of
twenty-four, and has been an active member ever
since. His love for firefighting began one spring
afternoon in 1957 while painting a house around the
corner from the Summit Avenue station. Having
already heard the siren sound several times that
day, Martindale’s curiosity got the best of him when
he decided to lay down his paint brush and walk
around the corner to the firehouse upon the sound of
the next siren. Without permission, so to speak,
Dick donned a spare set of turnout gear and boarded
the responding apparatus. That day he assisted Fort
Washington firefighters in the extinguishment of a
small field fire. Martindale was instantly addicted
to firefighting and volunteering in his community.
He was accepted as a member shortly after his first
encounter with the fire company.
Prior to serving his community,
Martindale served his country as a medic in the Army
from 1953 to 1955. Stationed in Indianapolis, in
the base’s hospital emergency room, Dick learned
valuable life saving skills that would prove to be
extremely useful in his service with the fire
company. Following his tour in the Army, Martindale
spent four years working in the accounting
department for an insurance company, then another
seven in the Inspection Department of Upper Dublin
Township. Martindale eventually found his calling
as a contractor doing home improvements.
Martindale was unique in his endeavors
as a member of the Fort Washington Fire Company.
While Dick has served on numerous committees,
including the kitchen and property committees, by
choice he never ascended the chain of command as an
officer, became an engineer or driver. As
Martindale put it, “I always wanted to be the guy on
the nozzle.” Dick spent his active years “getting
dirty” by training, taking classes, and most
importantly responding to calls, much the same way
he did that spring afternoon in 1957. Although Dick
has since hung up his bunker gear, he is still
active on committees and in the Relief Association,
where he has been serving in some capacity, most
recently as Secretary, for the last twenty-five
years.
Dick has many memories of his
experiences and accomplishments as a “black hat”
with the Fort Washington Fire Company. Because of
the emotional impact it had on him, Dick’s most
memorable fire was a fatal dwelling fire, in North
Hills in the early 1960s, which claimed the lives of
four young children. At the time Martindale had
only been married several years to, his now wife of
47 years, Carol. Having young children themselves,
this fire served as a reminder to Dick of exactly
how fragile life can be at times.
If there was one moment in which Dick
displayed his expertise as a fireman it would be at
an accident on Limekiln Pike, across from the
entrance to LuLu Country Club, in which a car
careened off the road and fell down a quarry, only
to be pinched between a tree and the rock wall of
the quarry. Suspended from a cable, Dick was
lowered to the car with a rotary saw (K12) in hand.
Dick proceeded to gain access to the car using the
saw, extricate the injured driver into a stokes
basket, and lower the individual safely to the floor
of the quarry twenty feet below. While this was a
feat in and of itself, adding to the stress of the
situation, this was the first time the K12 had been
used by any member of the Fort Washington Fire
Company outside of training.
While Dick recalls certain incidents, the remainder
seem to blur together, as it does for all those that
respond when the siren blows. However, as Dick
will tell you, he may have joined the fire company
to answer calls, but soon learned that it offered
him something he never expected, a
brotherhood. The friendships that Dick has
established over the years are more valuable than
any lesson learned, feeling of pride, or
accomplishment ascertained as a member of the fire
company. While Martindale misses the Oyster and Ham
Suppers and the feeling, in his beginning years,
that when the siren blew it was a working fire or
legitimate emergency, he will not miss an
opportunity to strengthen the relationships that he
has spent years developing. Dick can be found, on
any given Monday night, in the firehouse kitchen
either preparing a meal for the current “black hats”
or regaling the stories of yesteryear with friends
and fortunate younger members who are blessed with
the opportunity to speak with such an accomplished
firefighter.
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Help Wanted
In 2006 we want to add 6 additional Firefighters to
our rolls. If you are interested contact
Chief Newhall.
We will provide all the necessary training.
_______________________________
Help Wanted
If you are a skilled Network Manager and have 2-3
Hours per month to volunteer. Use your skills to
help us maintain our Network consisting of a server
running Server 2000 and six clients running XP Pro.
Please contact Ed
Schuler . It's a great way to serve the
Community while enjoying the company of other
talented and interesting people.
_______________________________
_______________________________
If you
know someone who would enjoy receiving our
newsletter, click on the "Forward email" link at the
bottom of this newsletter to send them a copy with a
personal note from you.
_______________________________
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This is one of a series of newsletters from the Fort
Washington Fire Company No.1 in an effort to keep
the citizens and taxpayers of Upper Dublin informed
about the many and varied activities carried on by
our organization. Anyone may opt out of receiving
these e-mailed newsletters by clicking on the
unsubscribe link at the bottom of this Newsletter.
In each newsletter we will endeavor to provide
information that is informative, useful and even
entertaining. |
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Class
4 — Great Fire Protection Means Low Insurance Rates
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By
Robert E. Wise
After a survey conducted by an engineering team from
the Insurance Services Office (ISO)
Upper Dublin Township of was awarded a Town Class 4
rating. This rating is used by the insurance
industry to establish property insurance rates for
all buildings in the township.
ISO conducts these surveys in
all political divisions of the United States to
evaluate the compliance to a uniform set of criteria
called the Fire Suppression Rating Scale (FSRS).
This rating scale is used by the insurance industry
as a basis for assigning property insurance rates.
Better classifications have lower rates. By using
the FSRS uniformly throughout the United States the
underwriters have standard criteria for establishing
their rates no matter if the fire department is
Philadelphia with its all paid department or Fort
Washington Fire Company with a completely all
volunteer department.
ISO ratings range from class 10
up to class1. Class 10 indicates there is no fire
protection. Class 9 indicates some type of fire
department but many areas that are over 1,000’ from
a fire hydrant or over 5 road miles from the nearest
responding fire station. The ratings continue up to
the highest which is Class 1. Cities that receive a
class 1 are very proud of that fact. In fact, if you
see a fire truck from the Los Angeles City Fire
Department they proudly say that they are class 1 on
the side of each and every Fire Department vehicle.
A previous survey of Upper
Dublin Township gave us a Class of 5/9 which
indicated that there were some buildings in the
township that were further than 1,000’ from a fire
hydrant. Since that time, additional fire mains and
hydrants have been installed and now there are no
buildings presently located over the 1,000’ limit.
Continued:
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Summer
Grilling Precautions
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By
Howard Schmuckler
Use barbeques very carefully. As with any cooking,
always supervise children when grills are in use.
When near grills, wear snug fitting, short sleeved
and less combustible clothing.
Never grill / barbecue in enclosed areas, as there
are many combustible materials and carbon monoxide
could be produced. If you are using a charcoal
grill, only use starter fluid that is designated for
barbeque grills, and never add fluid after the coals
are lit. Dispose of hot coals properly, by dousing
them with plenty of water, and stir them to ensure
that the fire is out. Never place them in plastic,
paper or wooden containers. If you use a gas grill,
you should perform periodic maintenance to make sure
that there are no propane leaks, use soapy water on
the hoses and connections and look for bubbles. If
you detect a leak, tighten the connections, or have
it repaired by a professional.
Store flammable liquids in a container that has been
approved by an independent testing laboratory and is
properly marked. All flammable liquids must be in
a separate area from fertilizers and pesticides.
Let all power equipment cool down before you put it
away. Do not smoke near any power equipment, as
well as a flammable liquid or their storage area.
The storage area should be well ventilated to reduce
or eliminate a build up of toxic and flammable
vapors or fumes. Clean all spills immediately.
When filling equipment with fuel, let the equipment
first cool down. Keep equipment at least 25 feet
away from the fueling area before starting the
equipment. Keep all children and pets away from
fueling, operating and storage areas of equipment.
When camping, always supervise children near
campfires and when grills are in use. Use a tent
that is flame retardant, and set it up away from the
campfire and cooking areas. Campfires must be down
wind from the tents and the area must be cleared of
all vegetation. Keep campfires small, and don't let
them get out of hand. Lighting inside a tent must
be battery powered, never use anything that is
powered by fuel. Keep plenty of water and a shovel
near the campfire to douse the fire. Make certain
that the campfire is extinguished completely when
you go to sleep, or leaving the campsite, by
covering it with dirt or soaking it with water.
Click Here
for Grilling Advice from the NFPA
Fire safety is something that everyone needs to be
aware of 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Do not wait
until it is too late, practice fire safety every
day! If you have any questions or comments about
this article, or any other fire safety subject,
please feel free to call the Fire Company at
215-646-2555 (Option #6) or stop into either fire
station any Monday night. The Fire Prevention
Committee is available to present programs upon
request. Visit the Fort Washington Fire Company on
the Internet at
www.fortwashingtonfc.org .
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As an all volunteer company, we are always
looking for new volunteers who wish to serve
their community while enjoying the comradery
of fellow firefighters who share a passion
to serve in some meaningful capacity. Not
all firefighters are men; we also have a
number of excellent lady firefighters. Not
all volunteers become firefighters; some opt
for fire police and handle traffic or
control crowds at an incident. Others share
talents that every organization needs in
order to flourish. Our members encompass a
wide range of occupations including
electricians, plumbers, medical doctors,
accountants, educators, computer
specialists, heavy equipment operators,
mechanics and many, many more. |
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Two of our members, who are brothers, have received
recognition from the Armed Services for their
contributions to the war effort in Iraq.
Daniel and
Andrew Sharkey joined the Fort Washington Fire
Company just prior to their deployment to Iraq. They
are the sons of Jim Sharkey who has been an FWFC
member for the past 36 years.
On May 3, 2006 Daniel Sharkey was awarded a
meritorious promotion to the rank of Sergeant for
his accomplishments. He has also earned his combat
Wings serving over 100 hours as a gunner in flight
combat. Daniel has now returned to the U.S. to a
base in Mississippi.
On January 20 of this year Andrew
Sharkey displayed unusual initiative and bravery in
a direct attack by enemy insurgents near Ramadi. For
his actions he later earned the Army Commendation
Metal of Valor. Andrew is expected to return home in
the early part of June.
Jim and his family are hoping to have both sons home
for R and R sometime in June when Andrew returns.
The Fort Washington Fire Company is proud and lucky
to have members like those in Sharkey Family.
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