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2009 Call Totals

In the early morning hours Company 5 was alerted to the area of Old William Penn for a smoke investigation. Upon entering the area crews from Company 5 encountered heavy amounts of smoke and were able to find the source to be originating from a suspected vacant house on the same street. Crews from Company 5 established a water supply and began to go to work while crews from 4 and 6 were alerted to the scene to fill the assignment. Crews encountered a basement fire with some extention but were able to make a knock in a fair amount of time. Crews were out about three hours during the incident.

This evening, heavy storms rolled through the area dumping nearly three inches of rain in a very short period of time creating numerous incidents for Monroeville and surrounding communities. All five Monroeville Companies were being innindated with requests for assistance for hours during the storms that lasted well into the night. Company 4 used crews on E42, R4 and T4 to handle 23 different requests for assistance in a three hour period alone. These calls mostly consisted of welfare checks on flooding homes, checking stranded vehicles for occupants and pumping flooded basements. After things in Monroeville became under control assistance was then given to Pitcairn borough, a neighboring community that was devastated by massive flooding.

This afternoon Company 4 received a direct call and request to assist two workers who were possibly stranded on a high lift machine within a local office building. Company 4 arrived and found a high lift machine that was in fact disabled, and two painters stranded about 40 to 45 foot in the center of a lobby. After contacting support personnel for the lift and not being able to get the workers lowered it was deemed necessary to remove them from the unit. Crews from R4 and M-47 assembled multiple life safety lines from a major support column while also working to remove a window from a fourth floor office space along with building maintenance personnel. Crews then proceeded to use a 14 foot roof ladder off of R4 to bridge a gap between the lift and the office space which is how the two workers were able to exit the machine. Crews operated on scene for about 90 minutes during the operation.

One of Company 4's members, Jim Edgar was recently injured while serving his country in Iraq. Jim was traveling in his Stryker vehicle when the vehicle overturned. The incident was not from any combat mission, although during the event Jim was injured and required treatment. According to his family, he is now doing well and has decided to finish his service in Iraq. Jim did have the option of being transferred to a hospital in Germany but decided against that since it would have extended his potential return home date.

Company 4 wishes Jim a speedy recovery and we will all be praying for a safe return in the next few months.

Stay safe Jim!

Early this morning Truck 4 was alerted to the 400 block of Broadway Boulevard for a working structure fire. Truck 4 went en-route with six personnel immediately. When initial crews arrived, fire was venting the rooftop of one of the eventually two involved structures. Command after sizing up the scene for hazards of the abandoned structures made the call the not allow entry into the structures and gave orders to begin defensive operations. Crews from T-4, T-283, E-230 and several hand lines operated for several hours at the scene. Crews were able to extinguish a majority of the fire load in both structures which were side by side. T-4 along with E-302 operated for an additional two hours flowing CAFS on the two buildings to help mitigate any rekindles which were minimal. The scene is being investigated by the county fire marshall's office.

Just after 02:24 Hours crews were alerted to Route 130 for a report of an MVC with injuries and entrapment. C-30 arrived shortly after to find a single vehicle on it's side into the structure and a power pole sheared off, one patient possibly DOA. Crews from R-4 arrived and stabilized the vehicle while crews from E-31 provided fire suppression. Crews from R-4 began operations by accessing the patient from the rear of the vehicle and working forward. Once access was made to the patient it was confirmed the patient was DOA and the scene was turned over to the medical examiners office / Monroeville PD for further investigation. Crews remained on the scene for several hours during the process and assisted until all hazards were removed.

This afternoon Company 4 responded to the intersection of Mosside Boulevard (Route 48) and Northern Pike for a reported motor vehicle collision with injuries. M49 arrived on-scene to find five vehicles involved and several patients blocking all lanes. R4 arrived immediately after and handled fluids / hazards and then assisted EMS with patient packaging. M49 transported one patient to a local trauma center while M48 transported 3 patients to Forbes Regional. A59 also transported one patient to Forbes. R4 remained on-scene until vehicles were removed from the roadway.

This afternoon Rescue 4 was requested into Penn Hills to assist units already on scene with an elderly female stuck between two floors of her residence. Rescue 4 arrived and was assiged to stablize the basement floor with Air Shores so that the patient could be removed. All units on the
scene work fast to free the victim and also worked very well together. Once the patient was extricated her care was then turned over to the Penn Hills Medics who transported her to a local hospital for evaluation of her injuries. Units operated on the scene for hour one hour.

Early this morning crews were alerted for a reported vehicle fire in the area of Leslie Drive and Haymaker Road. Shortly after dispatch crews were updated that the fire was possibly endangering a structure bringing a third company and CMD-32 to the assignment. Crews arrvied to find a passenger SUV fully involved in the driveway with melting siding on the residence. Crews advanced a handline to entinguish the fire along with dry chemical extinguishers. Crews did manage to bring the fire under control within a short period of time, and returned in service.

This evening crews were alerted to the area of Forbes Road for a reported brush fire. C-42 arrived on-scene and found a brush fire ascending the hillside from a residence about 100 yards from the roadway. E-42 arrived and staged while Mini-3 arrived and made it's way into the scene to provide a water supply for the fire. Crews were able to contain the fire within a half hour.

This evening as crews were out on a fire alarm, company 4 was alerted to Haymaker Road for a MVC with entrapment. Monroeville PD arrived upon dispatch and confirmed a single vehicle on it's side and one patient still inside.

This morning crews were alerted to the 100 block of Tyrolia Drive for a reported structure fire. E-42 arrived to find a residential structure with smoke showing and the homeowner reporting a stove fire. Crews stretched a 1-3/4" attack line to the kitchen and found the fire had been extinguished as crews were entering by the homeowners. Crews checked for extension and removed all debris from the fire location. Crews then began ventilation ops. Crews were out about 45 minutes.