| On September 15th, 2007, the day started off great with several members practicing and reviewing material for their fire 1 class. The members practiced everything from tying knots to the dreaded 60 second air pack donning. Then a call came in for the QRS division to assist the Martins Corner Fire Company with an injured person on Kings Highway. The QRS was recalled and returned to the station when Chief Supplee walked into the bingo hall and noticed the our soda machine was not working.
Chief Supplee investigated and found that the firehouse had an electrical fire in one of the electrical outlets in the wall. Chief Supplee immediately turned off the breakers to the bingo hall and requested for the thermal imaging camera (TIC) inside the bathroom. Members used the camera to check for any extension of fire that may have gotten into the walls.
Luckily the fire was contained to the electrical socket of the wall burning just the wires. If Chief Supplee would not have noticed this problem we may not have had a firehouse left. This would have been the second firehouse to have caught fire in a week the first fire to have happened at a firehouse was the Schuylkill Hose Company No. 2 where everything was lost from trucks to turnout gear.
Every resident should take the time out of their busy work schedule to investigate your house for hazards ranging from electrical outlets to electrical cords and also the common house hold chemicals. Please remember that certain chemicals should never be mixed together. If you have any concerns or you need any assistance feel free to contact your local fire department to setup an inspection of your house for potential hazards. Please remember that if this happened at a firehouse this problem could happen to you also. |
