In September
the Fort Washington
Fire Company responded to:
42 Alarms
Averaging
15.4
responders per call
Totaling
366
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
Andy Rathfon
Each month we profile one of
the many Volunteers that make up the Fort Washington
Fire Company. This month we are highlighting
John Reilley
 Meet John Reilley
Born in October of 1951, John Reilley would turn out
to be the oldest of five Reilley boys. Moving to
Haywood Road in Ambler from the Northeast section of
Philadelphia at the age of four, John and his
brothers attended the Wissahickon school district.
After graduating high school in 1969, John attended
college at Nathaniel Hawthorne in New Hampshire.
Two years later John would transfer to George
Washington, in Washington D.C., where he earned a
Bachelor of Arts in public affairs.
In 1976 Reilley began working as a rodman on a land
surveying crew with the Charles E. Shoemaker
Company. While John still works for the Shoemaker
Company, he has since purchased the company, with
two other partners, and currently holds the position
of Vice President. John married his wife Marie in
1978. They currently reside on Van Sant Lane in the
Fort Washington section of Upper Dublin. John and
Marie have two daughters, Kate (22) and Michelle
(18). Kate and Michelle are currently attending
Temple University.
John joined the Fort Washington Fire Company No.1 in
1976. Reilley and his brother Robert were convinced
to join by their roommate, Junie Wiley’s son.
Operationally, John has served as both a firefighter
and a driver in his 30 years as member of the fire
company. Administratively, John served as the
president of the company in 1986, and has done two
stints as the Vice President. Reilley has also
served on the memorial committee, audit committee,
awards committee, and the legal affairs committee.
Both John and Robert are life active members of the
Fort Washington Fire Company No.1.
John recalls his first fire as a house fire in North
Hills where his hose team made entry into the rear
door of a residence to make a quick knock down of
the room and contents fire. Reilley’s most
memorable call was the Ferguson house fire on Fort
Washington Avenue across from the high school. John
remembers that a number of the members were in
Baltimore for a fire expo at the time of the alarm.
Reilley made the second truck out of the Summit
Avenue station which was operated by his brother
Rob. Reilley recalls arriving on the scene to have
the homeowner frantically screaming that her baby
was still inside the house. With the team from the
first arriving engine doing a rapid search for the
child, Reilley and Ed Coutts stretched two inch and
three quarter lines to the third floor and began to
extinguish the fire. Unfortunately the baby was
found dead on the fire floor of the residence.
John’s favorite piece of apparatus was the old 6,
better known as “The Big Red Dog”. Reilley enjoyed
driving the Mack and checking the truck on Monday
night work nights. While John no longer responds to
alarms he is extremely active on the administrative
side. He is very excited about the young blood in
the firehouse and is encouraged by their
participation and effort. John is interested in the
constant progression of the fire company and is
dedicated to helping in this endeavor.
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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
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Tonight is the
Night!!!
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 Don't forget to
attend the 2007 Fire and Life Safety Expo this
evening (October 1) From 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM at the
Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue
Fun and education for everyone of all ages.
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By
Howard Schmuckler
There is great
debate over gun control. No one seems to agree on
who should be allowed to own guns and under what
conditions. And, we will not say who is right, and
who is not. What is important is that experts on
all sides believe that keeping a gun in the house is
a serious decision, and the gun must be kept locked
up where kids can't get to it.
Guns are featured
in many television shows, video games, computer
games, and movies, it's important for children to
know that real guns are dangerous. Guns are so
dangerous that they can hurt or even kill someone
they know - including other kids. Usually, children
who are victims from guns are involved in an
accidental firing of the firearm. Whether you live
in a big city, in the suburbs, in a small town, or
on a farm, it could happen.
Children should never play with any gun. What the child may think is
a toy gun may actually be a real gun. Even if they think they are
safe, anything can happen once they put their finger on the
trigger.
Gun locks are available, often from the local police at no cost.
These locks should be used on guns at all times when the gun is not
in the hands of a trained person. In addition, guns should also be
locked away in a case, in a cabinet, in a drawer or any other
container that can be locked with a key. Make sure children do not
have access to the keys.
Continued : |
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By
Howard Schmuckler
It was a
typical day at the office, until the fire alarm
sounded. For a while, no one got up out of his or
her seats to leave, despite the fact that the
ear-splitting alarm kept on sending its signal.
After several minutes, one of the workers asked if
they were to go outside or something. A co-worker
replied that they did not know; that maybe it was a
test. There were no signs of smoke nor could you
smell anything burning.
Everyone but the
first worker continued to work, as he walked over to
the window and looked outside to the parking lot.
There was a group of about fifty employees from the
building already gathered. They began to discuss
the pros and cons of leaving their work and going
outside when an honest to goodness firefighter
appeared. He was complete with all his fire
clothing and equipment, and had a very serious look
on his face. He asked, “What are you people still
doing in here? Everyone has to leave the building
immediately!” As all the workers tried to gather
their personal belongings, the firefighter insisted
that they not take any more time, and leave. As the
workers went toward the elevator, another
firefighter stopped them and told them that it was
not safe to use the elevator, to use the steps to
the ground floor. One worker then remembered that
it is not safe to use an elevator during a fire, as
it may stop at the floor where the fire is, or stop
between floors and people would be trapped inside.
Once they were
outside and began talking to others, they found out that there was a
fire in the basement and that it appeared to be quite large. As a
matter of fact, the fire department Officer had just called for more
help to fight the fire.
It then occurred
to the first worker that in time, they all would have been killed or
suffered injuries from the smoke. The workers agreed that the next
time the fire alarm sounds, their attitudes would be much more
different, as they will take it seriously and leave the building immediately. Never take a fire alarm for granted, always think
that it is signaling a real fire, not just a test or drill, or
burned food.
Continued:
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The Ladies Auxiliary of the Fort Washington Fire
Company welcomes new members anytime. Most members
are wives or mothers of firefighters but any Upper
Dublin resident, age 18 and older, is welcome to
join. We meet on the last Tuesday of every month
except July & August. Our meetings our held at the
firehouse on Summit Avenue in Fort Washington; we
begin at 7:30 p.m.
Our main focus is to support the firefighters both
financially through various fund-raisers and as
"goodwill ambassadors". We help by handing out
literature at the Fire Expo in September, serving
food at “Housing Ceremonies” for new equipment, and
various other activities the company may become
involved in.
Flea
Market Continued
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