In April
the Fort Washington
Fire Company responded to:
38 Alarms
Averaging 17.4
responders per call
Totaling
268
responder hours
For All of 2007 the Fort
Washington Fire Company Responded to:
627 Alarms
Averaging 18 responders per call
Totaling 4662 responder hours
_______________________________________
Profile Of The Month
By
Denny Zwicker
Each month we profile one of
the many Volunteers that make up the Fort Washington
Fire Company. This month we are highlighting
John Woodward.
 Meet John Woodward
Firefighter John Woodward is a young man with a goal
and a plan to make it happen. His plan includes
first the Air Force and second, a career in law
enforcement.
Having already made a lasting impression on this
fire company after only 2 years, there is little
doubt he will make it happen.
Born in Chestnut Hill Hospital 18 years ago, John
lived his early years in Lansdale but spent a lot of
time in the Ambler area visiting his Dad. So he was
already familiar with the area when he relocated
there 12 years ago with his Mom, Step-Dad and older
sister.
John joined the Fort Washington Fire Co. as a
16-year-old junior member and recently celebrated
his 2-year anniversary with the company. He decided
to become a firefighter for a couple of reasons.
Having witnessed a water rescue in the creek at Main
and Church Streets, he was impressed by the skill
demonstrated by the firefighters and their
commitment to helping people in trouble. He also
knew at an early age that he wanted to become a
police officer. He figured joining the fire company
would allow him to gain experience as an emergency
responder and help people at the same time.
One of the firefighters John met the first time he
walked into the station was Lt. Andy Rathfon. Andy
is an Upper Merion police officer and was also
pretty new to the fire service. John and Andy
quickly found themselves assigned to the newly
formed Grant Writing Committee. With no experience
in pursuing grants, they decided to take a two-day
grant writing course. It has certainly paid off. In
order to upgrade the Company’s hydraulic rescue
tools, they initially pursued the Assistance to Firefighter’s Grant. To their
surprise, their very first attempt was successful
and the Fire Co. was awarded the grant. In the past
two years, the successful grant writing team has
been awarded several more grants and is currently
pursuing grants for a new trench trailer and mobile
data computer terminals for the fire apparatus.
Currently a senior at Wissahickon High School, John
will graduate in June and enter the Air Force in
July. He has signed up for the Security Forces,
which is the Air Force’s equivalent of military
police. John figures this experience and training
will serve him well when he completes his service in
4 years and pursues a career in law enforcement.
When asked why a young man would join the military
in a time of war, John says simply ‘to serve my
country’. Of course John is also planning on making
the most of his time in the military by taking
college courses. He enjoys school and hopes to
pursue an advanced degree when he returns to
civilian life.
John remembers that his first serious fire call was
a mutual aid call to Ambler to assist at the Ambler
Newsstand Building fire. It was memorable for being
both a serious fire and a bitter cold day. Ice
formed everywhere making a dangerous situation even
more challenging.
When not in school or at the Fire Station, John
works part-time for the Montgomery County Department
of Public Safety. Reporting to Director Tom
Sullivan, John is one of a two-person team charged
with installing hardware and software for the
Countywide Law Enforcement Alerting and Safety
System (CLASS). This wireless alarm system is being
installed in every school and day care center in
Montgomery County, approximately 640 in total. In
the event of an intruder or similar emergency, a
teacher can simply hit a button to bring an
immediate police response. The device has been
installed in all Upper Dublin schools.
As he gets ready to depart for basic training in
Texas, John knows that the thoughts and prayers of
his fellow Firefighters go with him. We wish him
good luck, God speed and look forward to his safe
return to the fighting 88.
_______________________________
_______________________________
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.
_______________________________
|
|
| |
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 out 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. |
| |
|
Celebrating 100 years of Service
|
| |
By
Jeff Fogel
Left to Right- President Jeff Fogel, Anniversary
Committee Co-Chair Ernie Racz, State Representative
Rick Taylor and Co-Chair Gordon Languell.
2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the Fort
Washington Fire Company. In January of
1908, our founding members recognized the need
within the community to provide fire protection to
the residents and businesses of Upper Dublin
Township. The Fort Washington Fire Company was
formally established on March 4th, 1908. The Fire
Company’s charter became official when signed by a
Montgomery County judge on April 6th, 1908. To
commemorate that date, a flag was flown at the
Capital Building in Harrisburg on April 6th, 2008
exactly 100 years to the day that the charter was
signed.
State Representative Rick Taylor was instrumental in
having the flag ceremoniously flown. Pictured above,
he presented the flag to the Fire Company at the
April business meeting. We would like to express our
appreciation to Representative Taylor for his
efforts in support of our Fire Company.
Additionally, we owe a debt of gratitude to our
original founding members because, without their
vision, we would not be here today. We also are
thankful for all our past members whose efforts have
enabled us to provide 100 years of continuous
volunteer service to the residents of Upper Dublin
Township. We also want to express a heartfelt thanks
to all the residents of Upper Dublin Township who
have continued to support our efforts over the
years. And last, but certainly not least, we would
like to thank each and every one of our current
members because, without their efforts and
dedication, we would not be continuing to thrive as
a proud and vibrant volunteer fire company entering
its second hundred years. Thank you!
|
| |
|
Electrical Safety
|
| |
By
Howard Schmuckler
Wiring, switches, and receptacles (outlets) account
for the largest share of fires among electrical
equipment, and account for the largest share of
civilian fire deaths and injuries.
Most electrical fires can be prevented! On a regular
basis, you should check your electrical system, or
have a professional electrician check your system,
to make certain that it is sufficient for all of
your electrical needs. With all of the appliances,
computers, entertainment systems and other
electrical equipment that we have today, the
electrical system that you have may become
overloaded. Some signals of an inadequate electrical
system are the dimming of lights when appliances go
on, slow heating appliances, and fuses that blow or
circuit breakers that pop frequently. Turn off all
appliances, including lights that are not being
used, so that the load on the circuit is reduced. Do
not overload an electrical circuit, and if you have
fuses instead of breakers, never use fuses of an
improper size. If a fuse blows or a circuit breaker
trips repeatedly while in normal use (not
overloaded), check for shorts and other faults in
the line or devices. Do not resume use until the
trouble is found and corrected.
|
| |
Continued: |
| |
|
|
| |
By Brian Newhall
The residents of
Upper Dublin only need to know one number to dial in
the event of a police, fire, or medical emergency:
911. Montgomery County operates an enhanced 911
system based in the emergency dispatch center which
is located in Eagleville, just outside of
Norristown. An enhanced 911 system allows the 911
call center to know where you are calling from,
provided there is an address associated with the
phone you are using. Eventually, the system will be
able to track cellular 911 calls as well.
It is important
to understand that 911 is for emergencies only. You
can think of an emergency as any event where a
person or property is in imminent danger, or a
person is in severe pain. For non-emergencies or
business calls, each emergency organization has a 10
digit business line you can call, which can be found
in the phone book.
Dialing 911
starts a series of events which moves very quickly
to bring you the help you need. When you call, a
trained and certified tele-communicator at the 911
center answers your call on the first or second
ring. They will ask you what your emergency is, and
immediately enter the call into a computer, along
with your name, address, and phone number. When the
call is entered into the computer, it is
simultaneously sent via a dedicated phone line to a
computer at the Upper Dublin Police Department,
where a police officer is dispatched. If you need
the fire company or an ambulance, they are
dispatched from the radio room in Eagleville, where
all fire and ambulance companies in Montgomery
County are dispatched from.
If you need the
services of the fire company, the fire dispatcher
activates pagers carried by all of our volunteers,
and the sirens on the fire stations are
activated. We are told what the nature of the calls
is, and the location of the call. Our volunteers
then respond to the stations, put on their gear, get
aboard the fire trucks, and respond to the scene.
Many times, people accidentally dial
911, or decide that they don’t need help and hang up
the phone before talking to a tele-communicator. If
you accidentally dial 911, or don’t need an
emergency service, stay on the line and tell the
operator what happened. You won’t be in any
trouble, and there is no charge for dialing 911. If
you don’t speak to a tele-communicator, the police
department will be dispatched to your location to
verify that everything is all right.
Since 1993, 911 has vastly improved the safety of
the residents of Upper Dublin by providing a very
efficient means of calling for help and getting the
needed help to you as quickly as possible. |
| |
|
| |
|
