On Saturday, January 28th members and families joined to celebrate the 100 years of service in which Oakmont Fire Company has prided itself. The official celebrations kicked off with a January 9th mass at St. Denis church and continued this past Saturday at Wynnewood Bowling Lanes. The crew will continue to mark this momentous occasion throughout the year. Past members are encouraged to call the fire house at (610) 446-9837 and leave a message with contact information or email Oakmont1@comcast.net. Please do so in time to be invited for the June 9th Centennial Parade and any other events upcoming.

At the annual crew breakfast for santa sunday a plaque was presented to Steve Tiberio in recognition of the fantastic breakfasts that he prepared for the crew. The plaque was entitled “THE BEST OF OAKMONT” and was in appreciation of his efforts in preparing the made to order meals for over 20 years. Steve would make omelets along with the standard fare of bacon, eggs, pancakes, hot coffee and toast. During the presentation the crew gave Steve a well deserved standing ovation. Steve is a 31 year member of Oakmont as a both a firefighter and executive board member. He has also served as an engineer.

Answering the third alarm of the day, firefighters were called upon for a dwelling fire at 2816 Haverford road between Woodcrest ave. and Georges ln. At 1:56 PM Company 38 (Oakmont) along with 35 (Brookline) and Medic 108 (Haverford Paramedics) were dispatched after a call from the home owner was placed reporting smoke coming from the house with no occupants inside. 38-9 (Chief McGoldrick) arrived on scene to report a working fire with flames showing on the A and D sides (front and right when viewed from the street). 38-9 also requested Squad 56 (Manoa) be dispatched as the Rapid Intervention Team along with Rescue 58 for the air bank and Company 34 for man power, EMS and rehab. Manoa was soon after put into service with the Squad and Engine while the crew from Squad 38 placed a knock on the fire. A request for MontCo 23 (Bryn Mawr) was then made for a new RIT. Also on scene were District 9 Fire Police for traffic control and PECO Gas/Electric. Thanks to the speedy response and quick actions taken, the fire was placed under control at 2:18 PM; just 22 minutes after the initial 911 call was placed and most importantly, no injuries were reported. 

Photos courtesy of Dannon Voight

Santa Sunday 2011 was yet again, a great day as the Oakmont Fire Company came out in force to chauffer Santa through Havertown. Thanks to all who came out! This day is not just a fun tradition for families in our local but an exciting day for the firefighters also and this is because of the great support that our residents give to us year in and year out.

  Just hours before the firefighters of Oakmont were set to greet Santa for his annual pre-Christmas tour of Havertown, Companies 38 and 35 (Brookline) were dispatched for a working dwelling fire at 713 Haverford rd. in the Bryn Mawr section of Haverford Township. 38-9 (Chief McGoldrick) was en route when police advised that the fire was visible through the roof from the front of the house. 38-9 was the first arriving fire unit followed shortly thereafter by Squad 38 which was put into immediate service, stretching an 1 3/4″ hose to the front of the house. At this point, 38-9 requested Squad 56 (Manoa) for the RIT, and Rescue 58 (Bon Air) for the Air Bank. Also on scene was Haverford Car 1 (FIRE MARSHALL MARINO) Ambulance 34-7, Medics 108-108-9A-and MontCo 313. Haverford PD and HTBF Fire Police assisted with traffic control while units operated on the fire ground. No one was injured at the home and the company was able to make it back the station in time to great old St. Nick.

We regret to pass on the sad news that life member and former Chief Arthur J O’Connor Jr. has passed away. Arthur joined Oakmont in 1954 and served as Chief from 1981-88 before retiring a 35 year member. The thoughts and prayers of the Oakmont family go out to his loved ones at this time. At this time, funural arrangements have not been announced.

 On Monday, October 17th, the crew from Oakmont completed the 2011 HazMat refresher, a two day course on rapid response to hazardous materials incidents. The course goal was to ensure that HazMat knowledge and skills were maintained the fire company. Foam 35 and Engine 35 were brought in for equipment review.

The crew stood by at Darby and Clearfield after being dispatched around 21:15 hours on Tuesday, October 19^th. PECO contractors struck a low pressure main around that time and immediately notified the Delaware County 911 center which dispatched police and fire. Thanks to a PECO Emergency Response crew responding quickly, the hole in the main was temporarily patched until a crew could respond later for a permanent fix. Squad 38, Ladder 38, and Engine 38 stood by in case the natural gas ignited while assisting families from four houses in temporarily evacuating. Rescue 58 was also called in to ensure that PECO responders had a sufficient air supply while working in the trench. The scene was declared under control 2 ½ hours after the initial dispatch and the families were allowed to return home. No gas services were disturbed by the incident.

Thanks to all who joined us for our fire prevention demonstration. We hope this week has been both informative and interesting for you and that you will join us again next year for this important annual event. Remember to stay safety smart and check your smoke detector batteries every time you change your clocks. Have an emergency exit plan and rally point in place and a practice using them. Keep baking soda near any cooking areas and don’t play with fire. In case of an emergency call 9-1-1 and don’t go back to retrieve belongings. Finally, as everyone knows, if your clothes are on fire just Stop-Drop-and Roll.

The display this evening has been moved from Grasslyn Park to the Firehouse at 23 W. Bendict and will start as planned at 7:00 PM. We hope you will join us for this exciting and informative event.