Shortly after  20:00hrs on Friday May 17^th, the company was dispatched to a dwelling fire on the 700 block of Miller St. in Radnor Township for a RIT assignment (Rapid Intervention Team). It is the job of the RIT to deploy should a firefighter become lost or trapped. Thankfully, Oakmont’s crew left having not been used as such.

For more information, go to:

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=9106884

or:

http://www.brynmawrfirecompany.org/apps/public/news/newsView.cfm?News_ID=31

At 14:47 hours on Thursday, May 2nd Oakmont Fire Company was on Dayton Road for the C.O. Alarm. 38-9 (McGoldrick) checked the residence with the meters and found 0 readings on the meter. As 38-1 arrived on location Fire Board called 38-9 advising him of a second call in the local on Haverford Road in the area of Ardmore for the trolley fire. Ladder 38 was on the way to the C.O. call and checked the P&W line from Haverford & Wynnewood towards Ardmore Ave. Engine-38 checked the P&W line from County Line Road down to College, when the engine passed over College Ave smoke was visible. Engine 38 asked for the traffic to be stopped on Haverford Road. Ladder 38 & 38-9 arrived on location as a hand line was stretched towards the trolley. 38-12 (T. Straub) informed 38-9 that there was an active fire on the trolley, in the area of the breaks. Two dry powder extinguishers were used to extinguish the fire as the trolley was still energized and the fire was spreading to the brush. The passengers were escorted to Ardmore Avenue Station by the operators of the trolleys and the Haverford Police. Traffic along Haverford Rd. was eventually restored as the company went available.

On Monday April 15th, members from Oakmont Fire Company made a special trip out of station. Part of the crew travelled to Goshen Fire Company in Chester County to practice door breaching techniques on the “prop” door. The extra repetitions provided by the specialized door (which can be reset rather then replaced after every use) made for efficient and effective training. Special thanks to the crew and company at Chester County Station 54 for the opportunity to come in and work with them.

On March 10th, while operating on Township Line at the scene of an accident, Comapany 56 (Manoa) received a second dispatch at 13:24 hours for a motor vehicle accident with entrapment at the intersection of Dill Rd. and N. Drexel Ave. 56-9A (Assistant Chief Kelly) requested a second due dispatch be added to supplement man power adding Rescue and Squad 38(Oakmont) to the assignment at 13:28 hours. Company 56 made quick work of a single door pop to assist EMS crews in extricating the patient who had struck a telephone pole. EMS transported the patient to a nearby hospital. All units cleared at 13:34 hours and normal traffic flow was resumed.

At 11:30 on March 3rd Company 38 (Oakmont) was dispatched along with Company 35 (Brookline) to the 100 block of Haverford Ave. for smoke reportedly in the basement. Engine 38 arrived to report a single family dwelling with smoke showing from the basement. Crews went to work locating the fire which was contained to the heater and surrounding basement area. 38-9 (Chief McGoldrick) placed the incident under control releasing Company 35, while Company 38 stayed on scene for ventilation and clean up. No one was injured and the company went available at 12:27.

Decorating homes and businesses is a long-standing tradition around the holiday season. Unfortunately, these same decorations may increase your chances of fire.

Following a few simple fire safety tips can keep electric lights, candles and the ever popular Christmas tree from creating a tragedy.

• – Don’t put your live Christmas tree up too early or leave it up for longer than two weeks.
• – Place trees away from heat sources, including fireplaces or heat vents. The heat will dry out the tree, causing it to be more easily ignited by heat, flame or sparks.
• – Keep the live tree stand filled with water at all times.
• – Use only nonflammable decorations.
• – Don’t link more than three light strands, unless the directions indicate it’s safe. Connect strings of lights to an extension cord before plugging the cord into the outlet.
• – Avoid using lit candles; consider using battery-operated flameless candles, which can look, smell and feel like real candles
• – Ensure that Christmas trees and other holiday decorations don’t block an exit way.

For more tips on how to prevent a holiday fire and what to do in case a fire starts in your home, visit the U.S. Fire Administration’s website at www.usfa.fema.gov

Sincerely,

Mark your calendars because Sunday December 16, Santa Claus is coming to town. Santa and his helpers will be riding through the Oakmont neighborhood on board a whole lot more than a one horse open sleigh! Should anyone have questions or a request for a specific stop call the fire house at 610-446-9837 and ask for Captain Thomas Straub.

Saturday November 17, Oakmont Fire Company held its first Turkey Raffle in over a decade. What began as yet another way to celebrate the company’s 100th Anniversary, turned out to also be a great community gathering! The engine bay was filled with friends, family and neighbors testing their luck in winning a frozen turkey for the family. The company raffled off 40 frozen turkeys, along with 9 complete Thanksgiving meals. The 10th frozen meal was donated to Shannon Straub (Daughter of Captain John Straub) and her girl scout troop to be givin to a family in need.  It was a great event in all, and the community continues to show their support for the fire company. During the morning preparation, several members helped get the station ready for the event with the help of  several future members as seen in the picture below.