PITTSTON AREA MIDDLE SCHOOL ~ DISTRICT 143 ~ MEDICAL EMERGENCY

On Sunday, March 21st, and Saturday, March 27th, the Bureau of Forestry will be conducting combined classes, Wildland Fire Fighter’s Class (PA-130) and Intro to Wildland Fire Behavior (S-190) at Station 143. These are state certified courses conducted by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Certificates will be issued to the successful participants by the DCNR.

These courses will be held at the Hughestown Hose Company starting promptly at 0800 hrs. The first day will consist of 8 hours of classroom theory and the second day will include S-190 instruction with outdoor fieldwork. There is no charge for these classes, but you must be 18 years of age to attend.

To reserve a spot in these classes or if you have any questions, please contact Dr. Peter Loiacono at (570)457-2945. Also, you can click on the document icon below for a set of printable directions.

At approximately 0840 hours, Station 143 was dispatched to Washington Terrace for a report of a car into a house with no injuries. The Hughestown Police Department was first to arrive on the scene and reported that the car was on fire and that the driver was hurt.

While enroute to the scene, Chief 143 would request the full first alarm assignment to be dispatched. Squad 143 arrived next and begun to knock down the fire while Engine 143 laid a supply line from the corner of Leonard Street and Washington Terrace. The crew from Engine 143 would quickly place two hand lines in service to knock down the fire that extended into the front porch of the residence.

The remainder of the companies on the first alarm would handle ventilation and checked for extension on both sides of the double block home. After the fire was knocked down and overhaul on the front porch was completed, Command 143 would start to release the companies. No one was injured except for the driver of the vehicle, who was transported to Geisinger Wyoming Valley by Ambulance 543 and Medic 303.

First Alarm: Chief 143, Squad 143, Ambulance 543, and Medic 303.

Remainder of the First Alarm: Chief 126, Chief 166, Engine 143, Engine 126, Truck 963, Rescue 166, and Ambulance 512.

Working Fire Dispatch: Chief 165, Engine 165, RSU 565, and Engine 933 (Requested to Stand By at Station 143).

This year's annual Breakfast with Santa was one of the best in Hose Company history, during which many of the borough residents enjoyed good food and company. Despite the bad snowy weather, this year attendance was better than expected.

The canned food drive was also a great success, raising much needed canned goods for the local food pantry in Pittston City. It was estimated that the canned food collected during this years food drive will feed approximately 200 families in the Greater Pittston Area over the holiday season.

At 2316 hours, a box alarm was transmitted for the house on fire at 1812 Scarboro Street in Exeter. Chief 143 and Engine 143 would respond to their second structure fire of the evening. Original information from the caller stated that the house was filling up with smoke and when the police department arrived on scene shortly after dispatch, they confirmed the working basement fire.

The crew from Engine 128 placed attack lines quickly into service and made a hit on the main body of the fire. Engine 143 set up as the Rapid Intervention Team, controlling exterior utilities and assisting with laddering the building. Chief 143 would be assigned to accountability by Command 128.

All units remained on scene for approximately two and a half hours before being released and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Chief 143 & Engine 143 would respond into Dupont for the residential structure fire late Thursday evening. The first arriving crews made their way into the attic to find fire burning between the attic floor and second floor ceiling. Additional crews also encountered fire burning across the building's roof. The fire was held in check by using two water extinguishers until the first due engine companies could get attack lines in place.

Chief 143 would assist at the Command Post, while the crew from Engine 143 would assume the duties as the Rapid Intervention Team. All units would operate for more than an hour to extinguish the blaze.

Chief 143 and Squad 143, along with Ambulance 543 and Medic 303 responded to Rock Street for a vehicle that crashed into a pole with unknown injuries. While enroute to the scene, Luzerne County 911 advised all responding units that there were multiple utility poles and wires down on the scene.

Chief 143 was first arriving, reporting that there was one occupant still in the vehicle and two utility poles down and a third one damaged. The crew from Squad 143 made initial contact with the patient, while they began to stabilize the vehicle. Once the vehicle was stabilized, the crew from Squad 143 assisted EMS with removing the patient from the vehicle.

After the patient was loaded into Ambulance 543, the squad crew then went to work controlling the hazards while awaiting the arrival of PP&L and Verizon. Crews would remain on the scene for more than four and a half hours before returning to service.

Recently, the Hughestown Hose Company placed a new Fire Police vehicle in service at Station 143. It was purchased from the Bethlehem City Police Department and re-striped. It has been the goal of the current operational management to re-build a strong and viable Fire Police Unit at Station 143. The strength of the volunteer membership in the area has been on a steady decline in recent years, but Department Chief Merlino and Fire Police Captain Meranti have taken great strides to continue to improve the unit, no matter what challenges they are faced with. This new vehicle will enable the Fire Police Unit to provide a stronger presence on the scene of an incident whenever possible and provide the members of the Fire Police Unit with a vehicle that is equipped to handle incidents with a long term operational period.

From the Times Leader

Hughestown Volunteer Firefighters received praise at Monday night’s council meeting. The borough recently received official notification that, as of August of 2009, the state fire commissioner has recognized the volunteer fire department as a participating member of the Pennsylvania Fire Services Certification Program.

The program acts to recognize those departments that promote and encourage their members to voluntarily train and educate themselves in order to obtain official certification in the various emergency and rescue services that fire departments provide.

Fifty percent of the active Hughestown firefighters are not only statewide, but nationally certified firefighters. Council member Phil Falvo, himself a volunteer for more than 26 years, noted that the borough’s firefighters undergo approximately 3,000 hours of training each year. "A lot goes into being a firefighter these days," he said. "It’s not a question of just strapping on your gear and going to the fire anymore."

While Falvo stated his belief that the Hughestown Volunteers were always among the best departments in the area he acknowledge that the training has increased under the tenure of Chief Jamie Merlino.

Falvo described Merlino as "rigorous" with regard to his emphasis on training for official certification. He also pointed out that his passion serves not only to motivate the veteran firefighters but to inspire the up and coming firefighters. At the time of Monday’s meeting, several of the borough’s firefighters were taking part in an vehicle rescue class that was being conducted by state instructor John Lussi.

B. GARRET ROGAN Times Leader Correspondent

Squad 143 and Ambulance 543 were dispatched to Parsonage Street for a one car crash with injuries. Squad 143 arrived on scene to find a car that struck a utility pole. The driver and both of the passengers were already out of the vehicle prior to the fire department arrival on scene. The vehicle had severe front end damage and PP&L had to be called to the scene due to the damage to the utility pole. Three patients were transported from the scene by Ambulance 543 and Ambulance 512 with minor injuries. Crews operated on scene for about 45 minutes before returning to service.

Students at the Pittston Area Primary Center met with firefighters from the Hughestown and Pittston City Fire Departments on Monday, October 19th. The students learned about fire safety, fire equipment, and smoke alarms. Each student received a red fireman’s helmet from the firemen. Student representatives are pictured with the firemen and Mrs. McAndrew, Principal.

On Sunday night, a box alarm was transmitted for a possible commercial structure fire at the old Potbelly Bar on Railroad Street in Duryea. Ambulance 526 was the first to arrive on scene and reported smoke showing from the exterior of the building. Truck 963 would arrive on scene next and began to force entry to the building and search for the location of the fire. Engine 126 laid the primary water supply from a hydrant on New Street and their crew along with the crew from Engine 143 would stretch multiple attack and back up lines into the building. Rescue 112 would then open all of the walls around the chimney where the bulk of the fire was located. Multiple crews would rotate in and out of the bar area, where most of the overhaul was needed. The fire was contained to the rear of the building and all units would return to service an hour and a half later.

Around 1450 hours, Chief 143, Squad 143, and Ambulance 543 responded to a three car motor vehicle accident with injuries on Center Street in the area of Griffith Street. Upon arrival, the driver from one of the vehicles involved required medical attention. The crew from Squad 143 began to stabilize the vehicle while the crew from Ambulance 543 started to fully immobilize the driver. The injured driver was taken by Ambulance 543 with Medic 12 on board to a local hospital. Chief 143 had command and all units returned to service within 40 minutes.

A bus driver was hurt Monday morning when the school bus she was driving crashed into a house at 376 Parsonage Street in Hughestown around 7 A.M. There were no children on the bus at the time of the crash. The driver said the bus lost power as she was coming down a steep hill and she was unable to stop. The bus hit a utility pole, a concrete wall, and then crashed into the front of a house.

Chief 143 and Squad 143 arrived on scene and begun to stabilize the bus with cribbing and placed a rescue strut in service to support the front porch roof. Due to the amount of damage caused by the large bus, Chief 143 would then request Rescue 166 to the scene to assist with stabilizing the bus and the porch roof. When Rescue 166 arrived on scene, they placed two high lift jacks in service to support the bus and one screw jack in service to help support the weight of the porch roof.

A stretch of Parsonage Street was closed in both directions for a time after the crash. The driver was taken to a local hospital by Ambulance 543 with minor injuries. All units would return to service after operating on the scene for more than two hours.

Chief 143 and Engine 143 responded into Exeter Borough at Pride Mobility for a possible commercial structure fire as the Rapid Intervention Team. Upon arrival, Chief 143 was requested to assist Assistant Chief 128 (Johnson) at the Command Post with Accountability and Incident Command. The crew from Engine 143 wasted no time conducting a size up of the structure for potential hazards and then stood fast at the Command Post with the necessary equipment for RIT Team operations.

The first arriving companies found a small fire in the R&D Department that had already been extinguished by the staff prior to their arrival on scene. Even though the staff closed the interior fire doors, most of the building was filled with smoke which took several ventilation fans to properly ventilate the large building.

Engine 143 remained on scene for approximately one and a half hours before being released by 128 Command. There were no injuries reported on scene and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.