In June
the Fort Washington
Fire Company responded to:
42 Alarms
Averaging 19.4
responders per call
Totaling 329
responder hours
For All of 2006 the Fort
Washington Fire Company Responded to:
601 Alarms
Averaging 18 responders per call
Totaling 4982 responder hours
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Profile Of The Month
By:
Ed Schuler
Each month we profile one of
the many Volunteers that make up the Fort Washington
Fire Company. This month we are highlighting
Bill Gift
 Meet Bill Gift
Born on April 20, 1946 in Philadelphia PA, he was
named Harrison William Gift III. However, it wasn’t
long before his mother began calling him Bill. His
father was an officer in Naval Intelligence during
World War II. When the war ended in 1945, Bill
became one of the first of the generation known as
the “Baby Boomers”. He spent his early childhood in
the Frankfort section of Philadelphia, followed by a
few years in Roxboro; the family eventually moved to
Three Tuns Lane in Upper Dublin. Bill attended sixth
grade at the Matthias Sheeleigh School as well as
Upper Dublin Junior and Senior High Schools.
While living at Three Tuns Lane, Bill first
interacted with the Fort Washington Fire Company.
His father was burning some trash in the backyard
when the field caught fire. Having no phone in the
house, Bill ran to a neighbor’s to call the fire
company which quickly responded and extinguished the
fire but not before several acres were blackened.
Around the age of thirteen, a school friend invited
him to the firehouse during Monday night drills to
help polish the fire trucks. As a reward for their
work, George or Art Haggar would offer them a soda
from the firehouse refrigerator.
After graduating from Upper Dublin, Bill attended
Penn State, majoring in engineering. Eventually he
worked as a Lab Assistant at Rohm and Haas and
became active on their Safety Committee. In 1976,
Bill and his father launched their own plastics
fabrication company called Tubro, located in the
Ivyland Industrial Park. Bill and his brother Kevin
now run the company.
In 1973, Bill married his wife Dolores. A “Jersey
Girl” whose father belonged to the Chews Landing
Fire Company, she was familiar with what it was like
living with a firefighter. Their first home together
was in Oreland where they had two children, Lisa and
Danielle. One of Bill’s hobbies was photography,
including a darkroom with enlargers, chemicals and
filmstrips hanging to dry. One day he took
photographs of a fire in the Upper Dublin section of
Oreland; he developed, printed and presented copies
to the Oreland Fire Company. They were noticeably
impressed and handed him an application to join.
Bill learned the techniques of firefighting by
completing Firefighter I and II schools. He also
became a member of the 3rd District Fire Photo
Unit. The most memorable fire he photographed was
the one that destroyed the old Willow Grove Park. In
1983 Bill and his family moved to their present home
on Cinnamon Drive.
Contributing to the community has always been second
nature to Bill. Around 1980, he joined the
Jenkintown Masonic Lodge, becoming Master of the
Lodge in 1985. In 1982, he was also appointed to
the Upper Dublin Planning Agency Advisory Board,
where he served as chairman two years later. As a
member of the Advisory Board for eight years, he
decided to seek the office of Township Commissioner
in the 4th Ward. Two years later, he became Vice
President of the commissioners and then President at
the beginning of his second four year term. As
commissioner, Bill spent much of his time with the
Police, Firefighters, Fire Police, and EMS in an
effort to coordinate the services more effectively
between the four organizations. As a Commissioner he
was approached by Chief Edmund Hurt to join the Fort
Washington Fire Company, but he declined due to what
he felt would be a conflict of Interest. However,
when he retired as Commissioner, Bill joined the
Fire Company soon after. A year later, Bill was
elected by the members to represent them on the Fire
Company Board of Directors; he is currently in his
second three year term as a Board Member.
We usually ask our “featured member” what their
favorite Company apparatus is: Bill replied, “The
ladder truck called Tower88 which I happily signed
the check for as President of the Township
Commissioners.” — Tower88 was delivered only three
days after 9/11.
Continued:
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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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Injury
Prevention - Water Safety |
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By
Howard Schmuckler
Do you know all
of the drowning hazards in and around your home?
Children can drown quickly and silently. Too often,
small children die by drowning, and the accidents do
not always involve a swimming pool.
Indoor water hazards:
Small children
are curious and do not know that it is dangerous to
investigate inside “containers” of liquids. In many
cases, the child is small enough to fall into a
container, usually head first, but then is unable to
get themselves out. Among the “containers” are
toilets, spas, hot tubs, sinks, fish tanks, five
gallon buckets, and coolers.
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Prevent child
drowning deaths by never leaving a small child
alone in a bathtub, not even for a second.
Young siblings cannot be left to supervise a
small child in the bathtub. Always keep your
child within arms reach. A bath seat or ring is
not a substitute for adult supervision.
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Keep the
toilet lid down and secured with a child safety
device. Keep young children who are
unsupervised out of the bathroom, install a
locking device out of the reach of your child.
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Empty
containers or close them tightly when you are
not using them.
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Always use
and secure safety covers over a spa and hot tub.
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Member Mile Stones
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By
Zach Velivis
Andy and Maureen, standing in the
center, surrounded by well wishing FWFC Firefighters
June 1, 2007 was a special day for Fort Washington
Fire Company Sergeant Andrew Rathfon. On this day
he married his long time girlfriend, Maureen
Bolger. Since joining the fire company four years
ago, Andy has devoted countless hours in several
different areas of the fire company. Andy currently
chairs the membership and investigation committee,
uniform committee, holds the position of secretary
in the Firefighters Association and recently became
an approved driver.
Maureen or “Mo”, as everyone around the firehouse
knows her, also devotes her time to helping the
FWFC. After Andy proposed to Maureen early last
year, she decided to join the Fort Washington Fire
Company Ladies Auxiliary. Maureen can always be
seen helping at the bi-annual flea markets that the
ladies hold each year and several other functions
throughout the year.
Andy and Maureen’s wedding ceremony was held in
Plymouth Meeting at the Epiphany of Our Lord church
and the reception followed in Bryn Athyn, at
Carinwood. John Pitcairn originally built the
Carinwood estate for his new wife and children in
1892. Just as John Pitcairn built this home for his
new family, Andy and Maureen held their reception
here to start their new life together.
On behalf of the entire Fort Washington Fire
Company, we wish Andy and Maureen continued joy
together for many years to come.
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By Howard Schmuckler
Summer is the peak season for one of the nation's
deadliest weather phenomena— lightning. On June 12,
2007, a 14 year old male in New Jersey was struck by
lightning, and subsequently went into cardiac arrest
and suffered burns over 50 percent of his body.
Emergency responders were able to revive him and
transport him to the hospital in critical
condition. This type of incident is often times
preventable.
People struck by lightning can suffer from a variety
of long-term, debilitating symptoms, including
memory loss, attention deficits, sleep disorders,
numbness, dizziness, stiffness in joints,
irritability, fatigue, weakness, muscle spasms,
depression, and an inability to sit for long.
Here's what you can do to prepare yourself and your
family:
Before
Lightning Strikes...
Keep an eye on the sky. Look for
darkening skies, flashes of light, or increasing
wind. Listen for the sound of thunder. If you can
hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to
be struck by lightning. Go to safe shelter
immediately! Listen to the radio or television for
the latest weather forecasts.
When a Storm Approaches...
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Find shelter in a building or
car. Keep car windows closed and avoid
convertibles.
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Telephone lines and metal pipes
can conduct electricity. Unplug appliances.
Avoid using the telephone or any electrical
appliances.
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Avoid taking a bath or shower, or
running water for any other purpose.
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Turn off the air conditioner.
Power surges from lightning can overload the
compressor, resulting in a costly repair job!
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Draw blinds and shades over
windows. If windows break due to objects blown
by the wind, the shades will prevent glass from
shattering into your home.
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