Early this afternoon the alarm was struck to assist Station 16 with a tractor on fire inside a garage in Middlesex Township. With a full crew on station, Engine 42 was out the door quickly, with Tanker 42 not far behind. Arriving units found a well involved detached garage. Crews from Engine 42 stretched a 2.5" preconnect to protect exposure "D", and a blitz gun to assist in knocking the fire down. Crews operated on scene for approximately 2 hours before returning to service. Thanks to Station 228 for standing by at Station 42.

After a busy Monday, the pace did not let up for the Adams Area volunteers. Tuesday brought yet another run to Cranberry for smoke in another commercial structure on Route 19. Tower 42 and Rescue 42 responded on the alarm and assisted with finding the source and ventilation. While returning from that run, Engine 42 and Tower 42 picked up a fire alarm on Route 228 that turned out to be a false alarm. Shortly after all units returned to the station, power was lost to a large part of the first due area. Tower and Rescue 42 again responded out to Crider Road for persons trapped in an elevator. The people were rescued from the elevator and crews were able to return to the station. Tuesday evening crews headed to Wexford's station for a joint training. Capt Capuzzi gave a refresher on Confined Space operations, and members worked several scenarios. The day ended with a total of 6 fire runs.

Adams Volunteers got a quick start to the week with an early morning run to Cranberry to assist with smoke in a commercial structure. Engine 42-3 and Tower 42 responded on the call and assisted with searches and ventilation. After several fire alarms and medical runs, the day ended with back to back fires - a first due job in Adams Twp, followed immediately by a mobile home fire in Middlesex Twp. Engine 42 was able to get a quick knock down on the first fire, freeing the Tower and Tanker to continue directly to Middlesex for the second fire, joining them after completing overhaul. The day wrapped up with a total of 9 runs.

Braving unseasonably cold weather, Adams Area Fire District, along with members from Cranberry VFC and Wexford VFD, as well as community members, government representatives and local businesses celebrated the Grand Opening of AAFD Station 3 with an Open House, Dedication Ceremony, and Luncheon on Saturday, April 28th.

The Open House featured tours of Tower 42, Rescue 42, and of course, Rescue Engine 42-3, which is housed in the new station. Station 3, which shares the newly constructed building with the Seven Fields Road Department, was also open for tours, and inside our garage bay, AAFD members provided activities for kids while Seven Fields Veterinary Hospital provided Pet Emergency, first aid and fire prevention information.

The Dedication ceremony began at noon with the raising of the American Flag provided by Representative Daryl Metcalfe’s office and the National Anthem, sung by Katie McCormick, and Invocation by Pastor Jeff Lawther of Mars Alliance Church. Seven Fields Borough Council President Jack Oakley and AAFD President Mark Reighard spoke about the inception and construction of the Station as well as the history of the Adams Area Fire District, as well as the traditions of the fire service … most notably, the housing ceremony, which began years ago when horse-drawn apparatus had to be backed into fire stations by hand. Our dedication therefore concluded with a housing ceremony, and members from AAFD, Cranberry, and Wexford all “pushed” Engine 42-3 into its home (with a little help from driver Al Minjock!).

The Grand Opening concluded with a luncheon, featuring sandwiches from Jimmy’s Strip District Grille of Mars and a hot and cold potluck provided by AAFD Company Members.

AAFD would like to offer a special thanks to all of our local business sponsors who helped us celebrate!

--Seven Fields Veterinary Hospital, who provided a Pet Emergency Kit for a door prize and also donated two Pet Oxygen masks to AAFD and provided guidelines for pet rescue!

--Paramount Senior Living who provided a monetary donation.

--AXA Advisors who provided a monetary donation.

Shortly after the 1st alarm came in for a possible house fire in Cranberry Township, a member Station 21 who lived in the vicinity marked up on the radio reporting flames visible from the roof of a single family dwelling. A 2nd alarm was struck, bringing the Adams Volunteers to the scene. Engine 42-3 (Llewellyn) arrived as 3rd due engine and was assigned to interior duties. Tower 42 (Pesanka) arrived moments later as 2nd due Truck, and was assigned RIT duties. Rescue 42 (Mann) was a few minutes behind and supplemented the RIT crews. The interior crew assisted with extinguishing all remaining fire and overhaul, while the RIT crews threw and repositioned additional ladders. Members operated for around two hours before returning to quarters.

Congratulations to Firefighter Michele Madl and Firefighter Jeremy Nickl for passing the Pro Board Certification for Firefighter I. This is a great accomplishment for them individually and for the Department.

Adams Area Firefighters visited the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy in April.  Assistant Chief Rich Mann spent the first week of April in the Engine Company Operations at Residential Fires class.  There he worked with Firefighters from different departments enhancing Firefighting skills.

Chief Bill Hayes also spent a week in April finishing up his Supression Instructor Development course. He graduated and now has become  a Supression Instructor. Congratulations for his hard work and dedication.

 

The members of the Adams Area Fire District got a little treat tonight as Sean Ornot, our Premier Safety rep, called and stated that the long awaited bunker gear was in and that he was on his way to delivere it.




Four members had made a trip to the Morning Pride plant in december to see how the gear was made and to finalize a spec for the AAFD. The committie was made up of Officers and Firefighters who made an effort to find a combination of gear that was both lightweight and also very protective.

Just before 03:00, Adams Area volunteers were alerted for a vehicle crash on Pittsburgh Street. Crews arrived to find a vehicle which had struck a utility pole and landed on its roof with one person trapped inside. A door was removed to extricate the patient who was transported to an area hospital. As crews prepared to leave the scene, it was noticed that there was smoke coming from the second floor of a nearby business. Crews sprung back into action, located and extinguished a fire in a second floor office. As soon as that situation was under control, residents in the vicinity were notified to check their homes for any issues that may be arising due to the damaged utility pole. Sure enough, a few minutes later smoke was found in the basement of another nearby business. A small electical fire was found there also, which had already self extinguished. Crews checked for extension, and finding none returned to service.

DID YOU KNOW?

Maintaining an all-volunteer fire company saves taxpayers on average $4 million per year!

Federal, state, county and town government funding accounts for approximately 50% of the operating expenses of a volunteer fire company. However, year-after-year, restrictions for government funding get tighter and the competition for these limited dollars increases. The balance of the costs must be covered by money raised through annual fund drives and other fundraising campaigns and activities, such as our annual AAFD Herb Kaufman Memorial 5K Run/Walk.

We need consistent annual support from individuals like YOU, to meet the growth of our coverage area, train to achieve stringent training standards and develop the next generation of volunteers. You need to know that you can count on a skilled group of first-responders in your times of trouble.

Adams Area Fire District is a 501 (C)(3) organization and gifts to the Annual Fund qualify as charitable contributions that can be fully deducted for Federal Income Tax purposes.

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