Swarthmore Fire & Protective Association Report (June 29 - July 12)
The Swarthmore fire department was dispatched to 800 Avondale Road. Photo: Pat O’Rourke Jr.
June 29 - July 12
On July 9, the Swarthmore Fire & Protective Association was called to the scene of three separate fires.
11:04 a.m.: 24 Althea Lane, Morton. The dispatch read: “Clothes on fire in bathroom, working fire.” Firefighters responded by laying 700’ of supply hose and extending a 1¾” handline to extinguish the fire. Additional units came from the Morton and Springfield fire departments.
11:35 a.m.: 800 Avondale Road, Nether Providence Township. Dispatched as “working mechanical room fire.” Firefighters discovered a trash compactor on fire next to the mechanical room. The blaze was quickly extinguished, primarily with tank water,* although supply lines were laid and hose connected to the building’s fire department connection.† Additional units came from the Garden City and South Media fire departments.
3:09 p.m.: 313 Rolling Creek Road, Ridley Township (near Girard Avenue). Firefighters were called to assist Ridley Twp. fire departments for an alarm dispatched as “Bed on fire on second floor. Entire room filled with smoke. Entire room catching fire, working fire.” Tower 14 responded and was the second apparatus on the scene. Firefighters participated in laddering the building, overhaul (opening walls, ceilings, and partitions to check whether the fire has spread), and salvage. The fire extensively damaged the room of origin and caused smoke and heat damage to the rest of the second floor. Additional units came from Holmes, Prospect Park, Woodlyn, Folsom, Milmont, and Vauclain fire departments.
Other Alarms
In this two-week period, the ambulance responded to 21 calls for medical assistance, to Swarthmore, Rutledge, Morton, Springfield, and Nether Providence Township. The calls were for a variety of emergencies, including respiratory difficulty, a fall, hemorrhaging, seizures, a psychiatric emergency, and an overdose.
In addition, the fire company responded to:
Three automatic alarms, including two smoke detector activations in Swarthmore (Drew Avenue and Wellesley Road).
Three building alarms (see active fires above).
One automobile alarm.
One alarm for the smell of smoke near the intersection of Rutgers and Harvard avenues.
Four mutual aid calls to Morton-Rutledge, Nether Providence Township, and Ridley Township.
* Tank water is the water carried on the fire engine. This varies from 300 to 1000 gallons. Swarthmore uses 750-gallon tanks on the engines and 300-gallon tanks on the ladder.
† “Fire department connection,” or FDC, is a connection on the outside of a large commercial building where fire departments can attach a hose. Water is then pumped into the building to supplement the water pressure in the internal sprinkler system.
