Date: 3/31/08
Tonight all five Haverford Township fire companies participated in a drill at the Township’s fire tower. The training committee, made up of members from all five companies, drew up the plans for evening. Though the companies only completed three evolutions, the lessons learned were invaluable. The drill was observed and evaluated by all five Township chiefs. The OIC of each evolution were the junior officers from all five companies. The training committee would like to thank all members that participated and Brian Feeney for taking the time to record the whole event. Nice work everyone!, see you next time. Photos courtesy of Brian Feeney.

Date: 3/30/08

At approximately 8pm Company 1(Oakmont) and Engine 3 (Brookline) were dispatched to the 1700 blk. of Karakung Drive for a fire on the roof. Oakmont 5 (McGoldrick) arrived and confirmed same, while taking command. Quick work by the crews prevented this from escalating. Rescue 4 (Bon Air), 34-7 and Medic 108 were also on the assignment, but were not needed. The companies returned to service just prior to 10 pm. Photos courtesy of Steven Hand, Jr.

Date: 3/9/08

Don’t forget to “Spring Forward” this Sunday morning and change your clocks ahead for Daylight Savings. We also recommend that you change the battery in your smoke and carbon monoxide detector when you change the clocks.

Date: 3/5/08

From the Officers and Crew of the Oakmont Fire Company our sincerest condolences go out to the family of Lt. Nicholas Picozzi, Jr. and the Lower Chichester Fire Department. Nick made the ultimate sacrifice on March 5th, 2008 at the scene of a 3-alarm house fire in Upper Chichester Township. Nick was a 7-year member of the Lower Chichester Fire Department and was, like the rest of the firefighting community, extremely dedicated to what he volunteered to do. Rest in Peace.

Date: 3/1/08

This is the architects drawing of our latest project. This will be the new home of the Oakmont Fire Company when all is said and done. The new building will be erected on the same spot as the existing 82 year old firehouse currently stands. We have outgrown the existing building, which has served us well during the years. We are attempting to break ground sometime this year. Stay tuned for updates regarding the status of the construction.

Date: 2/28/08

This evening the fire crew and several surrounding fire company officials came to the station to celebrate the “changing of the guard.” After 20 years as fire chief William G. Hatton stepped down. His successor Robert J. “Mags” McGoldrick was appointed by the board of directors. It will be tough to fill Bill’s shoes, but Mags’ work is cut out for him. Thank you to Bill for all of your guidance and leadership and Good Luck to Mags, lead on!

Date: 2/28/08
Shortly after 10 am the call was recieved for Engine 11 to cover up at Radnor FC. Radnor and several surrounding companies were busy fighting a stubborn house fire in Radnor Township. The engine covered Radnor’s local along with Ladder 25 (Merion of Ardmore) and Ambulance 4 (Malvern FC). The engine crew assisted Radnor’s crews with getting their equipment back in service and they did not handle any calls while covering. The engine returned to service at approximately 1:15 pm.

Date: 2/27/08
A few members left or will be leaving shortly, for basic training in several different branches of the military. Patrick Kelly, son of Michael Kelly (life member and board of director) left for ARMY training at Fort Benning Georgia. Kevin Sweeney will be leaving shortly for Air Force training. John Millison will also be leaving for additional training in the near future. And Eric Hatton will be re-deployed to Iraq for an unknown amount of time. We wish them all the best of luck and please keep them in your prayers. Stay safe, guys!

Date: 2/25/08
Tonight ended 6 hour refresher class in Hazardous Materials Operations. Our skills were enhanced, in part, by the addition of the “Level B” SWAT teams from Haverford Township, Upper Darby Township and Upper Chichester Township Police Departments. They are all part of a five county Anti-terrorism response team. If there were a large scale “event” the team would be called into action. The participating counties are: Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Bucks and Philadelphia. Each county was given a Major Incident Response Team (M.I.R.T.) vehicle. Pictured is the Homeland Security vehicle that is housed at the Haverford Township Police Department for Delaware County. Our scenario involved the team needing to be decontaminated after an incident involving Hazardous Materials. Thanks to the participating teams for suiting up.

Date: 2/2/08

Just after 5:30 pm Company 1 (Oakmont) and Engine 3 (Brookline) were dispatched to the 2400 blk of Whitby Road for a fire in the bathroom. Assistant Chief Sava arrived on scene with a light smoke condition on the 2nd floor. Deputy McGoldrick also arrived and noted heavy smoke coming from around the vent pipe on the roof. Crews went into service quickly and held the situation to the bathroom. It seems that a plumber on scene soldering pipes and possibly ignited some combustible material in the floor and wall area. Engine 31 stood by the hydrant in case a water supply was needed. The companies were returned to service just before 7 pm. Also assisting on scene were HT fire police, HTPD and FM-1.