In Action Photos/Articles of the Lingohocken Fire Company in action: 2008-08-11 6th Extrication of the Year on Swamp Road Drivers continue to have problems on Swamp Road, requiring Lingohocken firefighters to go to work extricating them from their vehicles.  On Monday, August 11, 2008 at 1103 hours, Lingohocken firefighters were dispatched along with Medic 135 from Central Bucks Ambulance to the 1100 Block of Swamp Road in Wrightstown Township, near the Buckingham Township Line, for an auto extrication. Crews from Rescue 35 and Engine 35 found a pickup truck that had overcorrected and careened across the roadway and heavily impacted a tree at the driver’s door.  The crews removed the roof of the pickup to extricate the patient within 30 minutes of the call, and the patient was transported by Medic 135 to St. Mary’s Hospital. In the last 3 months of 2007, Lingohocken firefighters worked 3 more extrications on Swamp Road. Click here to view photos...   2008-08-06 Firefighters Revisit Lookaway Court To meet the neighbors under different circumstances, Lingohocken firefighters took Engines 95 & 35, Field 35, and the Chief’s vehicle along with FP35’s truck back to Lookaway Court on the evening of August 6, 2008.  They brought along coloring books, informational handouts, packets on “Living With Sprinklers,” other materials and some refreshments and answered the neighbors’ questions about the recent fire on the street, fire extinguishers, and escape ladders and gave all a tour of the equipment.  Thanks to Firefighter Skwara for sharing some of his delicious Wrightstown peaches with the crowd (you can get them at his farm stand on Swamp Road in Rushland). If you are interested in having firefighters visit your neighborhood, drop us an email or call the Wycombe station. Click here for pictures....   2008-07-31 Lingohocken Firefighters Keep Car Fire from Spreading to House At 2033 hours, Thursday, 7/31/08, Lingohocken firefighters went to work again to 1715 Lookaway Court in Buckingham Township.  Initial reports of a car fire in the driveway with an explosion. Enroute, units were advised the car is 6’ from the house with a full gas tank.  The house fire assignment was filled out, bringing Midway Fire Co. Engine 5 and Ladder 5. Engine 95 arrived within 7 minutes of dispatch to find a Saab sedan with the engine and passenger compartments well involved just outside the front door of a large 2 story single family dwelling.  The Engine went in service with a 2” CAFS (compressed air foam) line, and within 4 minutes, after 372 gallons of water and 1 gallon of Class A foam, the fire was knocked (including magnesium car parts that were burning) with no extension to the house.  Engine 35 had arrived and pulled a backup line and entered the home to check for extension. Their crew and the crews from Tanker and Rescue 35 ventilated the house.  The mutual aid companies were able to be returned due to the quick knock with no extension. Units cleared the scene by 2145 hours. Click here for pictures....   2008-07-29 Lingohocken Volunteers Protect Nursing Home Residents At 2320 hours, Tuesday, 7/29/08, after a busy evening work detail for the firefighters, the company was dispatched to the Buckingham Valley Nursing Home, 820 Durham Road in Buckingham Twp. for a fire alarm.  Enroute, the county advised Chief 35 that the nursing home was reporting a false alarm and the Chief held the companies in station.  The Deputy and Chief arrived and found active water flowing from the sprinkler system in the attic.  There had been an earlier accident on Durham Road that had taken power down to the area and apparently resulted in the dry sprinkler system in the nursing home to trip and water flowing from multiple leaks in the attic. Lingohocken Engines 35 & 95, and Rescue 35 quickly responded.  The sprinkler system was shut down and crews assisted nursing home personnel with removing patients from several rooms affected by the water.  Newtown Rescue 45 and Upper Makefield Engine 81 responded to assist due to the impact across the building – which was housing approximately 120 patients.  In several rooms, problems were found with the electrical system affected by the water.  The nursing home brought in extra staff to assist with the situation.  Once the power was restored, and sprinkler system was being restored by a sprinkler contractor, firefighters checked the building again to ensure no further electrical problems.  Companies cleared the scene at approximately 0300 hours.   2008-07-27 Mother Nature Pays a Violent Visit to the Wrightstown Area Another round of severe storms pounded Lingohocken’s coverage area just before 2 pm on Sunday, July 27, 2008.  Engine 35 was initially sent to assist Northampton Sta. 3 with a fire alarm on Sackettsford Road, just outside of Wrightstown Twp.  While the alarm was determined to be storm-related, crews found the first of many trees down completely blocking Sackettsford Road.  Shortly thereafter, the main station was alerted to go to Robin Road in Penns Park, where a tree was blown onto a house causing significant structural damage. Crews assisted with stabilizing the situation and salvage, while Engine 95 moved from Forest Grove to Wycombe to better cover the area and check for further damage.  While conducting reconnaissance of the area, Eng. 95 found a tree on top of a car on Cherry Lane (Cherry Lane Storm Damage photo) and other large trees down at homes on Cherry Lane, wires down blocking Southbound 2nd Street Pike below the Wrightstown Twp. Building, multiple large branches on roadways in Penns Park, and significant tree damage on almost every property on Mud Road – including trees split 20-30’ up in the air, as well as some large trees split close to the ground and almost all homes out of power. Where they could, the crew checked with homeowners to confirm no imminent hazards, and the county dispatch center was notified of incidents involving power lines. Click here to see photos....   2008-07-26 Lingohocken Volunteers Work Another Extrication – This Time in the First Due Lingohocken Rescue Box 35-2 was sounded on Saturday morning, 7/26/08 at 1031 hours for Penns Park Road and Second Street Pike in Wrightstown Township. A Toyota pickup and a Lexus SC430 met head-on at the intersection. One patient was trapped in the Lexus as the driver’s door could not be opened. Rescue 35 arrived within 8 minutes of dispatch, stabilized the car and removed the driver’s door to allow the patient to be removed.  The extrication was completed within 6 minutes of arrival and Lingohocken personnel cleared about 10 minutes later.  Central Bucks Ambulance Medic 135 transported the patient.   2008-07-20 Lingohocken Volunteers Run 2 Mutual Aid Auto Extrications on a Hot Sunday As temperatures reached 95 degrees, with high humidity, Lingohocken firefighters were requested twice in 3 hours on Sunday, July 20, 2008 to assist neighboring companies with serious accidents. At 1304 hours, Engine 35 responded to assist Doylestown Fire Co. and Midway Rescue 5 at a head-on collision involving a minivan and a pickup truck on Route 202 just North of Route 313 in Buckingham Twp. One victim was heavily entrapped, and additional manpower was needed due to the heat.  The engine crew took over fire standby for Station 79 firefighters while they rehabbed, then assisted with hazards control. The entrapped victim was extricated and transported by a Pennstar/Temple helicopter. Lingohocken personnel cleared the scene in 30 minutes. Just 2 hours later, at 1504 hours, Rescue 35 was requested to assist Upper Makefield Rescue 71 and Engine 81 at a Scion into a retention wall in the 200 block of Stoneybrook Road in Upper Makefield Twp. Crews from Upper Makefield and Lingohocken had to remove the roof of the vehicle to remove the patient to Medic 145 (Newtown American Legion Ambulance) which transported the victim to St. Mary’s Hospital.  Lingohocken personnel returned home from this one in 40 minutes. Click here to view pictures from the Stoneybrook rescue....   2008-07-14 Truck Fire An accident occurred at 9:40 AM, at 981 Swamp Rd.  The engine was dispatched for a truck fire. Chief 35 arrived to find the pickup truck with heavy fire involvement to the cab and engine compartment, which had quickly spread to the cab of the dump truck. The tanker and rescue also responded for man power and water. Engine 35's crew extinguished the bulk of the fire in about 1 minute with CAFS (compressed air foam), utilizing 300 gallons of water. Crews were in service for an hour, containing leaking diesel fuel and assisting towing companies.  Central Bucks Ambulance also responded to check the drivers after the crash. http://picasaweb.google.com/briwaz/WrightstownAccidentWithFire   2008-06-23 Early Crash At 00:55 hours on Monday, June 23, 2008, Lingohocken Engine 95 and Rescue 35 were dispatched with Central Bucks Ambulance Medic 135 and Buckingham Police for a traffic accident on the 1700 block of Swamp Rd. between Creamery and Lower Mountain Rds. in Buckingham Township.   A VW Jetta had struck a telephone pole, lifting it completely out of the ground, was spun around and smashed its driver side into a large tree. Engine 95 arrived on scene within 9 minutes of dispatch, quickly stabilized the vehicle and placed its Holmatro combi-tool into service to began removing the rear passenger door per the paramedics to do a rapid removal due to the patient's serious condition. Rescue 35 arrived and assisted the engine crew, as well as to set up a landing zone in an adjacent field for medevac service Penn Star 6 to land. The patient was removed from the car within 10 minutes of the arrival of fire apparatus, packaged to a long spine board, and transferred to the medic unit for additional care. The helicopter landed, received the patient and flew to Temple trauma Center in Philadelphia .  Engine 95 remained on the scene until 0440 hours to assist the police with the investigation.   2008-06-02 Auto Extrication At 1620 hours, June 2, the Lingohocken Fire Co. along with Newtown Emergency Services Engine 55-1 were dispatched to Route 413 in the area of Wrightstown Road in Wrightstown Township for an auto extrication. Chief 35 on the scene found a 2 car accident, with 1 vehicle on its side and 1 patient trapped in each vehicle. Engine 55-1 and Rescue 35 crews went into service stabilizing both vehicles, removing doors and the roof of the vehicle on its side to allow the medics access to the patients. Both patients were removed and transported by Medic 145 (Newtown American Legion Ambulance) and Medic 135 (Central Bucks Ambulance - Wycombe) to St. Mary's Hospital Trauma Center. Lingohocken Engine 95's crew assisted with hazards control. http://picasaweb.google.com/briwaz/WrightstownAutoExtrication   2008-05-31 Lingohocken Firefighters Assist Doylestown on 2 Working Fires in 2 Days Shortly after 0715 hours on Friday, May 30, Lingohocken Rescue 35 was dispatched to assist Doylestown Fire Co. and other units on a mobile home fire at 422 Fordhook Rd. in Doylestown Township. The rescue crew assisted with overhaul on the scene. http://www.doylestownfireco.org/fires/2008/fordhooktrailer.htm Shortly after 1000 hours on Saturday, May 31, Lingohocken Engine 95 was dispatched to cover Doylestown Station 19 (Shewell Ave. Station).  Bucks County has a system that automatically backfills fire stations that are tied up at working incidents to ensure adequate area coverage. Engine 95 responded from the Wrightstown Twp. Open House.  Shortly after arriving at Station 19, Engine 95 was called to the scene of the fire, a barn at 4320 Tersher Drive in Buckingham and stood by as the Rapid Intervention Team – a team designated to provide safety/rescue if firefighters get into trouble at an incident. http://www.doylestownfireco.org/fires/2008/tersherbarn.htm   2008-05-24 Lingohocken Firefighters Search for Missing Boy Scout On Saturday morning, May 24, 2008 at 0334 hours, Lingohocken Fire Co. was dispatched to assist the police with a search at the Briarwood Day Camp on Creek Road in Buckingham Twp.  The Boy Scouts had an encampment of 535 Scouts there, and a 13 year old from Canada was reported missing.  The Scout leaders, many of whom were firefighters and police officers from both this area and Canada, had developed a plan and had 17 search groups, but needed assistance with logistics (lighting, communications, etc.). Rescue 35, Utility 95, Deputy and Asst. Chief 35 responded.  After performing a grid search of the property, the missing Scout was located.   2008-05-21 2008-04-20 Lingohocken Firefighters work 2 Mutual Aid House Fires At 1735 hours on Wednesday, May 21, Lingohocken Engine 35 was dispatched to relocate to Newtown Station 55 (Durham Road substation). About 45 minutes later, Engine 35 was called to assist at the working dwelling fire on Gaucks Lane in Newtown Twp.  A large 18th century farmhouse had apparently been struck by lightning and had heavy fire in the attic area.  Engine 35's crew assisted with suppression and overhaul, and Tanker 35 was called later in the incident to supply water to the scene so that supply lines could be picked up to reopen Route 532. During the incident, Lingohocken maintained a 3rd volunteer crew with substation Engine 95 relocating to Station 35 to provide coverage for the area. http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-05222008-1537837.html http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6157435   At 0130 hours on Sunday, April 20, Lingohocken Engines 35 & 95 responded to assist Midway Fire Co. with a house fire in the 4500 block of York Road in Buckingham Township. Heavy fire was through the roof in the 2nd story portion of the house, which sat on a hill overlooking Route 263.  Fire was spreading into the 1 story section of the house.  Crews assisted Midway and several other mutual aid companies with ventilation and suppression. http://www.doylestownfireco.org/fires/2008/Route263fire.htm   2008-04-13 Poor Richard’s Fire Engine 95 covered Point Pleasant Fire Co. Station 41 for 5 hours on Sunday, April 13, 2008 during a 2 alarm fire at Poor Richard's on River Road.  During the cover, the crew ran 1 assist to the medics for a cardiac call on Point Pleasant Pike a few blocks from the Station. Tanker 35 was originally dispatched to cover Station 41 earlier into the call, but as the incident escalated, was called into the tanker shuttle and trucked several loads to the scene. 2008-04-01 Lingohocken Firefighters Work Another Swamp Road Extrication For the 4th time already in 2008, Lingohocken firefighters had to cut victims from vehicles on Swamp Road. This time, it was on April 1 at 1708 hours in front of 1046 Swamp Road in Wrightstown. A Chevy vs. a Jeep required driver’s side doors on both cars to be removed to extricate the 2 victims.  Rescue 35 and Engine 35 were in service, while Engine 95 stood by.  The first victim was extricated in 19 minutes from dispatch, while the 2nd victim was extricated within 24 minutes of dispatch. 1 patient was transported by Central Bucks Medic 135 Class 2 to St. Mary’s, while the 2nd patient was transported by Newtown Ambulance Squad 145 Class 3 to St. Mary’s.  As units were taking up from this call, they were dispatched to a fire alarm on Wilkinson’s Court in Buckingham that wound up being a non-incident.   2008-02-25 Lingohocken Firefighters Kept Busy in February With Vehicle Extrications On Sunday, February 10, 2008 at 1530 hours, units from Lingohocken and medics from Central Bucks 135 and Newtown Ambulance 145 were dispatched to Durham Road and Worthington Mill Rd. in Wrightstown Township for a vehicle rescue. Newtown Engine 55 was special-called to assist.  Chief 35 on scene with a 3 car collision, 1 entrapped in the rear of the 3rd car. Rescue 35 and Engine 55 went in service to remove a door and assisted the medics with packaging and removing the patient in under 30 minutes from dispatch.  Engine 95’s crew assisted in securing the scene.  On Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 1257 hours, units from Lingohocken and medics from Central Bucks and Warrington ambulance were dispatched to Swamp Road in the area of Creamery Road in Buckingham Township for a vehicle rescue with 2 male victims trapped.  Chief 35 requested an engine from the Midway Fire Co. (Eng. 5) to assist.  Battalion Chief 35 arrived with a Ford Expedition on its side off the road resting with its roof against a tree with 2 victims heavily entrapped. Rescue 66 from the Warwick Fire Co. was requested to assist as well.  Rescue 35 and Utility 95 were on the scene at 1308 hours. Units set up a picket system for stabilization and cut half of the roof off to remove both occupants. Units completed the extrication and cleared the scene in under an hour.  Both patients were transported by the medics. On Thursday, February 14, 2008 at 0758 hours, units from Lingohocken and Central Bucks Medic 135 were dispatched to Swamp Road in the area of Mill Creek Road in Wrightstown Township for a vehicle rescue with 1 female trapped, but possibly uninjured. Deputy 35 arrived at 0804 hours to find a car on its side and the female victim inside.  Rescue 35 arrived shortly thereafter, removed the sunroof, and assisted medics with removing the patient through the sunroof. Medic 135 transported the victim. On Monday, February 25, 2008 at 0805 hours Lingohocken Rescue 35 was dispatched to assist the Upper Makefield Fire Co. for a vehicle rescue on Lurgan Road at the entrance to Bowman’s Tower in Upper Makefield Township. Units on scene found a stake body truck head on vs. an SUV with a female victim in the SUV trapped behind the steering wheel in and out of consciousness. Rescue 35 arrived on scene and assisted Upper Makefield Eng. 81 and Rescue 71 with a door and roof removal and dash displacement with extrication being completed in approximately 30 minutes from dispatch.  The woman and another patient with a minor injury were transported by medics from the Newtown Ambulance Association.   2008-01-27 Field 35 Gets Workout on Durham Road Shortly before 3:30 pm on Sunday, January 27, 2008 the Lingohocken Chief Officers were paged to call Bucks County Communications.  Deputy Chief Fran Gorski called in and was told a homeowner on Durham Road in Wrightstown had 4-5 feet of water in his basement, and needed assistance as the water was threatening the gas/electric utilities.  Lingohocken maintains several electric pumps that are loaned to residents when water intrudes into low-lying areas of their homes, but callers normally report a few inches, not a few feet.  Deputy Fran Gorski and Assistant Greg Jakubowski loaded several pumps up and headed to the home on Durham Road at Parsons Lane in Wrightstown.  Sure enough, once they arrived, they found an internal water leak had filled the basement almost to the window level and quickly determined that the arsenal needed to be upgraded. Fortunately, the water was quite clean as the home was under renovation and the basement was virtually empty. While a 35 GPM electric pump was placed in service, FF Steve Gorski brought Field 35 with its 350 GPM pump to the scene. The gas was shut off to the home, Bilco doors to the basement were forced, and the field truck was positioned to draft right out of the basement feeding a Blitzfire portable monitor.  The pumps operated for about 2 hours, removing well over 10,000 gallons, leaving the basement almost dry.   2008-01-24 Woman rescued from fiery crash At 0819 hours on 1/24/08, Lingohocken units, along with medics from the Central Bucks Ambulance, were dispatched to Swamp Road near Mozart Road in Buckingham Township for an auto extrication car vs. tree.  While responding, Lingohocken Firefighter Chas McHenry came across the scene, which was near his home, and found a woman trapped in the vehicle with a fire starting in the engine compartment.  With assistance from another passer-by, Chas was able to rescue the woman from the vehicle prior to the arrival of fire apparatus and before the car became involved in fire.  http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-01252008-1477115.html   2007-12-14 Garage Fire At 0321 hours, Tanker 35 was dispatched to assist Midway firefighters on Tactical Box 5-27 at 5501 Mountain Top Road for a garage fire. Police saw the fire and initially reported it from over a mile away. Units arrived on scene down a long narrow roadway with significant icing on trees/wires to find a garage heavily involved in fire.  At 0329 hours, Engine 95 responded to assist as the call was upgraded.  Tanker 35 was the first arriving tanker and provided water supply to the scene. Engine 95 personnel filled the manpower pool and assisted with extinguishment/overhaul. Unfortunately, a victim was found DOA in the remains of the building.  The Intelligencer Article: http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-12142007-1456440.html   2007-11-06 Auto Extrication On November 6, 2007, at 0935 hours, the Lingohocken Fire Co. was dispatched for an auto extrication in the 1000 block of Swamp Road in the Rushland section of Wrightstown Twp. for an auto extrication. Crews had been sent for an auto extrication in the same area at 0744 hours just 12 days earlier. This time, units arrived on the scene in 8 minutes to find a Chevy Malibu vs. a Peterbilt tri-axle dump truck. Rescue 35’s crew removed the driver’s side door of the Malibu, and assisted the medic with removing and packaging the patient while Engine 35 and Utility 95’s crews controlled hazards and provided fire protection.  The extrication was completed 10 minutes after arrival with transport handled by the medics.   2007-10-16 Auto Fire At 0116 hours, Tuesday, October 16, 2007 Lingohocken units were dispatched to the intersection of Edison-Furlong Rd. and Route 263 in Buckingham Twp. for a report of an auto fire. Enroute, units were advised that a vehicle was smoking as a result of a police chase, and to standby on Swamp Road to await notification that the scene was secure.  E95, E35, U95 and the Chief/Deputy were standing by when the police requested lighting to the scene. E95 and U95 went to the back of the parking lot of the offices/stores on the SW corner of Edison-Furlong and 263 and set up lighting.  After conferring with the police, sent E35 and R35 to the Heritage Business Center on Route 263 to provide lighting there for police officers searching the wooded area.  Multiple PDs on scene, including Buckingham, Warwick, Doylestown Twp., Doylestown Borough, Solebury, New Britain, and Warminster plus canines. The perp had allegedly burglarized the Buckingham Wawa and was pursued to this location when apparently his engine blew and he ditched his vehicle in the woods.  Eventually requested Tower 66 (Warwick Fire Co.) to assist in aerial surveillance of the wooded area with a thermal imager, and New Jersey State PD helicopter for FLIR survey of the area (Phila. PD and PA State were unavailable).  Units cleared the scene around 0600 hours. Additional information: http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-10172007-1424973.html   2007-10-06 Auto Extrication On Saturday, October 6, 2007 at 2231 hours, Lingohocken units along with Medic 135 from the Central Bucks Ambulance were dispatched to the 700 block of Swamp Road for an auto extrication. Originally it was reported in the 700 block of Swamp Road in Wrightstown Township (near Neshaminy St.), but the accident was located in the 700 block of Swamp Road in Buckingham Township, near Apple Hill Road, which is also Lingohocken’s coverage area, albeit about 2 miles apart.  Rescue 35 and Engine 95 arrived along with the Chief and the Deputy to find a pickup truck off the road into the trees, with 1 subject entrapped. Crews removed the driver’s door of the pickup, and assisted the medic with removing the patient. Extrication was completed by 2247 hours and the patient was transported by the Medic to St. Mary’s Hospital.   2007-09-21 Lingohocken Firefighters Respond to Ultralight Crash Just before 7 pm, on Friday, September 21, Lingohocken firefighters responded along with Central Bucks Ambulance Medic 135 to a report of a small plane down with the pilot reported to be entrapped on Township Line Road in Buckingham. Units arrived on scene to find an ultralight plane down in the field with 1 occupant.  Rescue 35’s crew assisted the medics with freeing the pilot and packaging him for transport. Engines 35 and 95 responded, but were not needed on the scene.  Medic 135 transported the victim to St. Mary’s Hospital in Langhorne with multiple injuries. http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-09222007-1411833.html   2007-07-21 Bucks/Chester/Montogomery County Firefighters in West Hancock, MS. Click here to view the presentation and pictures. Some additional articles: from the Bucks County Herald from the BucksLocalNews   2007-07-18 Dump Truck Extrication At 0448 hours, on Wednesday July 18, 2007 Lingohocken firefighters were dispatched with Central Bucks Ambulance Medic 135 to Route 413 and Worthington Mill Road in Wrightstown Township for a dump truck on its side with the driver entrapped. Rescue 35, Engine 35, Engine 95, and Utility 95 responded and confirmed a 10-wheel dump truck loaded with screenings on its side with much of the screenings dumped along the roadway and a small fuel spill.  Chief 35 had command. The vehicle's windshield was removed to gain access to the driver, and a portion of the fiberglass roof was removed to allow the driver to be extricated. The extrication was complete within 35 minutes of dispatch and the patient transported to St. Mary's Hospital in Langhorne. Fire police assisted police in closing this busy stretch of road for several hours while the investigation was completed, truck uprighted, and spilled material removed. 2007-07 Pump Testing at Tyler Park Click here to view pictures of LFCO members testing fire truck pumps at Tyler State Park while local residents watch. Each year the fire company is required to recertify fire pumps on its apparatus. The two fire engines located at the Wycombe and Forest Grove stations are required to pump at least 2000 gal/minute. Testing demonstrated that the trucks could pump over 2300 gal/minute.   2007-07 Perry Lane Flow Test Click here to view pictures of LFCO firefighters testing a water supply on Perry Lane under the direction of the Wrightstown Fire Marshal. Wrightstown, along with the other townships serviced by the fire company, requires developers to address water supplies for fire protection. In this Wrightstown development, the developer installed a 15,000 gal holding tank capable of delivering 1000 gal/minute flow. The under ground tank is filled by a dedicated well.   2007-06-29 On Friday, June 29, a 4-alarm fire in Quakertown called upon many of Bucks County's tankers to respond to handle the incident, along with tankers from Montgomery and Northampton Counties. Tanker 35 was requested to relocate originally to Midway's Fire Station 5, but then redirected to cover Hilltown Township Station 61. The crew stood by with Montgomery County Rescue Engine 12 (Colmar) from 1830-2300 hours but was not needed to respond to any calls while on standby.  This relocation arrangement is part of the County's emergency management procedures for major incidents.   05-30-2007 Tanker 35/Engine 95 Work Doylestown Dwelling Fire http://www.doylestownfireco.org/fires/2007/edisonfurlong5302007.htm At 0114 hours on Wed., May 30, 2007, Tanker 35 was dispatched with Tanker 66 (Warwick Fire Co.) to assist Doylestown Fire Co. for a well-involved dwelling fire in a non-hydranted area of Edison-Furlong Rd. A short while later, Engine 95 was added to the assignment and Lingohocken's fire police were also requested to assist.  On arrival, Battalion 95 was assigned to be the Incident Safety Officer and dealt with downed electrical wires that had burned through and dropped into the front yard. Tanker 35 shuttled 7000 gallons of water from a hydrant on Swamp Rd. in Sta. 95's local, while E95's crew assisted with running lighting, extinguishment and overhaul.  Units cleared shortly after 4 a.m. Lingohocken firefighters Jeff Choi and Karl Bromm and Captain Dan Gilmartin taking a breather in "Division C" at the house fire on Edison-Furlong Road.   05-01-2007 Fire at Second Street Pub On Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at 2256 hours, Box 35-14 was transmitted by Bucks County Communications for a building fire at the Second St. Pub, 2296 Second Street Pike in Wrightstown Twp. The initial dispatch brought:        Lingohocken Fire Co. - Engine 35, Rescue 35, Tanker 35, Engine 95        Newtown Fire Assn. - Engine 55        Northampton Fire Co. - Engine 3, Tower Ladder 3 with a total of 33 firefighters (including 5 chief officers). A PECO pole next to the building, or the building, was struck by lightning and ignited the wall in/around the electric service. Chief 35 on-scene with smoke showing side B.  Crews stretched several handlines into the pub/bar area on the 1st floor and the apartment on the 2nd floor while verifying no extension in this balloon-frame building beyond the immediate area of the electrical service in the wall.  Crews were in service for a little over 1 hour. As part of our ongoing training program, the fire company had used this building as an example incident during an incident command simulations drill in 2004. http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=local&id=5264696   04-29-2007 Auto Extrication At 1741 hours, Sunday, April 29, 2007 the Lingohocken Fire Co., along with Rescue 66 from the Warwick Fire Co. and Central Bucks Ambulance Medic 135, were dispatched to the 1600 block of Swamp Road in Buckingham Township for an auto extrication. Units arrived to find a full-size pickup truck with the driver’s door into a tree/pole and a female heavily entrapped.  The medics requested an aeromedical helicopter, and PennStar 1 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/pennstar/index.htm was dispatched from Blue Bell with an 8 minute ETA.  While crews removed the roof and the door of the pickup to allow for the patient to be removed, Lingohocken personnel established a landing zone in the field directly to the North of the accident scene.  The patient was extricated 33 minutes from dispatch and transported by PennStar 1 to a local trauma center.   03-25-2007 Tanker Shuttle Click here for pictures: http://www.lfco.org/2007_03_TankerShuttle/ On Sunday morning, March 25, 2007 volunteers from the Lingohocken Fire Co., with assistance from water tanker trucks from the Northampton Fire Company, Midway Vol. Fire Co. of Lahaska, Eagle Fire Co., and Upper Makefield Fire Company "showed their stuff" to Wayne Press, a field representative from ISO, a leading supplier of risk information to insurance companies. The companies performed a number of demonstrations at the Wrightstown Hunt development on Fox Hill Drive, off of Route 413, in Wrightstown Township: 1. Each tanker was timed for both dumping water and refilling. 2. Lingohocken firefighters did a timed evolution for driving a pumper 200', stopping, and stretching 300' of 3" handline and placing it in service. This took slightly over 2 minutes to do - ISO wanted to see 200' of 2 1/2" line pulled and placed in service in 5 minutes or less. 3. Lingohocken firefighters did a timed evolution for their tanker to drive 200', and then have 3 firefighters set up a portable water pond, which was set up with drafting hose in place in under 2 minutes. 4. Lingohocken firefighters did a timed evolution for driving a pumper 200' and hooking to a drafting hydrant and begin to flow water. This was also done within 2 minutes. Each evolution had to be performed safely and efficiently. These demonstrations were intended to prove that firefighters can work as effectively using tankers and water shuttles in Wrightstown Township, which has no public water supply, as they can in areas with fire hydrants supplied by public water. This may have an impact on fire insurance rates in Wrightstown, which is currently has a Public Protection Classification (PPC) of "9" on a scale of 1-10. In comparison, the City of Philadelphia is a "3" http://www.isomitigation.com/ppc/1000/graphs/PA.html. Many fire insurance companies rate properties based upon the PPC of the community. Wrightstown has never before been officially rated due to the lack of a public water supply. The Lingohocken Fire Co. has been working on this project for 3 years, first submitting a 3-inch binder of documentation to ISO, which they requested before they would ever come out to do the rating. The Fire Company had to prove to ISO on paper that it could provide the necessary water supply. A field review of training and response records, as well as Company equipment, was done by ISO on February 26. http://www.isomitigation.com/ppc/0000/ppc0010.html Once the demonstrations were completed, the ISO rep advised the Fire Company that we will receive an updated rating for Wrightstown in 1-3 months. After that is received, the Company will work with surrounding communities to see if the data will allow expanding the rating beyond Wrightstown Township. For further information about ISO and their public protection classification system - http://www.isomitigation.com/ 03-09-2007 Field Truck Donation The Lingohocken Fire Company donated our 1969 International Field Truck to the Central DeKalb County Fire Protection District in Mayfield, Missouri. The truck was replaced by the 2006 Ford/Guardian that was primarily paid for from a Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant. Here are some pictures of the truck be loaded, using some ingenuity, onto a flatbed for the trip to Maysville, Missouri.   02-26-2007 Auto Extrication At 2350 hours, on Monday, February 26, units from Lingohocken were dispatched with Medic 135 (Central Bucks Ambulance) to Durham Road (Rt. 413) just North of Township Line Rd. in Buckingham Twp. for an auto extrication. Battalion 35 arrived to find a female heavily entrapped in a single vehicle vs. tree accident.  Rescue 5 from the Midway Fire Co. was added to the call. Rescue 35 and Engine 95 arrived and began stabilizing the vehicle and placing all of the hydraulic rescue tools from both units into service to remove the roof, doors, and push the front end.  Rescue 5 personnel arrived and assisted with this, and place additional hydraulic tools into service.  The patients lower extremities were heavily entrapped in the damage and required extensive effort and teamwork to remove her safely, with approx. a 1 hour extrication time.  Once the patient was removed, Medic 135 transported her to St. Mary’s Trauma Center.   02-09-2007 Garage Fire At 0838 hours, Friday, February 9, 2007, units from the Lingohocken Fire Company assisted by Engine 55-1, Ladder 45, and Utility 45 from the Newtown Fire Association/Emergency Services and Engine 81/Tanker 71 from the Upper Makefield Fire Company responded to the unit block of Thompson Mill Road in Wrightstown Township for a detached garage on fire in sub-freezing conditions.  Arriving units found the 2-bay garage fully involved and went into service to contain the fire to the garage.   01-25-2007 House Fires 1004 hours, Lingohocken Engine 95 was dispatched along with Doylestown Fire Co. units for a house fire in the 3600 Block of Sablewood Dr. in Buckingham Township.  Units on scene advising large 2 ½ story dwelling fire in the attic.  E95 assisted with fire attack/overhaul along with several other mutual aid companies including Midway, Warwick, and Plumsteadville. http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-01262007-1263133.html  1855 hours, Lingohocken Rescue 35 was dispatched as the RIT team along with Newtown Fire Assoc. units for a house fire in the 400 Block of Durham Rd. in Newtown Twp.  Units on scene advising barn fully involved – exterior attack only.   12-18-2006 Electrical Wires Call- 200th Response for LFCO in 2006 On Monday evening, December 18, the Lingohocken Fire Co. was dispatched for what we consider a "routine" type of call, for electrical wires arcing at Route 232 and Route 413 in Wrightstown Township. While the call itself was rather ordinary for us, what was significant about it was that it was our 200th response for 2006.  Previously, our busiest year ever was 179 calls in 2005, which we have already exceeded by more than 10% in 2006.  Our area, and the requests for service continue to grow. Are you able to help us meet this growth? We are looking for new firefighters, as well as support members, and your contributions to our fund drive help us to meet the expenses necessary to continue to run an effective emergency response organization. You can also help us by at least annually replacing batteries in your smoke detectors, keeping your chimney clean, and following local controlled burn regulations. 12-08-2006 Garage/House Fire in Doylestown At 0430 hours, on Friday, December 8, Lingohocken Engine 95 responded with other area fire companies to assist Doylestown Fire Co. at a working garage/house fire on Chestnut Drive in Doylestown Borough. For more information, see the Doylestown Fire Company website: http://www.doylestownfireco.org/fires/2006/19chestnut12806.html   10-29-2006 Dwelling Fire On 10/29/06 at 0116 hours, Rescue 35 and Tanker 35 were dispatched to assist the Upper Makefield Fire Co. at a  dwelling fire at 1593 Wrightstown Rd. . Chief 71 arrived to find the house to be well involved and requested additional Co's to assist. Firefighters were hampered by high winds.   08-12-2006 LFCO Drill at the Wrightstown Hunt Development On Saturday, August 12, 2006, with a little help from our friends, we set out to prove we could move 1000 gallons of water per minute for 1 hour in Wrightstown in a demonstration for one of the final items we need to receive our ISO review (www.isomitigation.com) and hopefully improved rating. To minimize any impact to traffic, we set up on Fox Hill Drive off of Route 413 in the Wrightstown Hunt Development. Engine 35 drafted from the dry hydrant near the entrance to fill tankers, and Engine 95 set up around the corner to flow back into the basin, fed by 3 porta-ponds of 3000, 3000, and 3500 gallons capacity. The route was for the tankers to enter the development, loop all the way around Fox Hill Dr. back to Engine 95’s setup (0.8 miles) and dump their water while E95 flowed it into the pond.  The tankers would exit the development, head South on 413, and enter Parsons Lane (new development) and loop around, coming back to the fill site (1.7 mile loop) for a total loop of 2.5 miles.  Tankers assisting were 5 (Midway – Lahaska), 41 (Point Pleasant), 46 (Eagle – New Hope), 66 (Warwick), and 71 (Upper Makefield) in addition to Tanker 35. In 60 minutes, we trucked and flowed more than 60,000 gallons of water (all recycled back into the basin from whence it came). Flowing from Engine 95’s deck gun with a 2” tip, we flowed about 800 gallons per minute for the first 35 minutes of the exercise, then added an additional suction line and flowed almost 1100 gallons per minute for the final 25 minutes of the exercise.  Thanks to all of the mutual aid companies for their assistance in a well-executed drill on a beautiful day. Click here for photos...   08-08-2006 Garage Fire Early on Tuesday morning, August 8, Engine 95 and Tanker 35 responded to assist Midway VFC with a well-involved garage fire on Route 413 in Buckingham. http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-08092006-695433.html   07-18-2006 Severe Weather Tuesday evening's drill on July 18 was interrupted by a severe thunderstormthat rolled through Central/Lower Bucks County. http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=local&id=4378077 Crews watched from the bays as strong wind gusts shortly after 8 pm split trees in the rear yards of homes across from Station 35. Shortly thereafter, calls began to come in for several electrical fires in homes, as well as wires arcing/on fire, and a tree into a house on Penns Park Road. Trees/branches across Cedar Lane made it impassable, and crews were kept busy ensuring homes/roadways were safe.  By 10 pm, things quieted down, but on the overnight hours, the Chiefs handled several fire alarms, with another coming in at 7 am. On Wednesday morning, at 1025 am, tactical box 35-18 was dispatched for the 100 block of Buckmanville Road in the Upper Makefield Twp. Section of Lingohocken's district for a dwelling fire (click here for pictures) bringing the Lingohocken Fire Co. with Tanker 35 as well as an engine and Tanker 71 from the Upper Makefield Fire Co. (Sta. 71/81). Battalion 35 arrived with a single family ranch dwelling with heavy smoke from the attic/roof.  Further sizeup indicated fire showing from Side "B", and the box was struck bringing Engine 55-1 from the Newtown Fire Assoc., a second engine from Upper Makefield and Tower Ladder 46 (Eagle Fire Co./New Hope) to assist. Engine 71 arrived first, followed closely by Engine 35 and these crews stretched dual 2" CAFS handlines into the dwelling for extinguishment. Engine 55-1 arrived shortly thereafter and went to work on the roof, while Tower 46's crew opened the garage. Other special calls brought Ladder 5 and Tanker 5 from Midway, Rescue 45 from Newtown, and Rescue 19 from Doylestown. The fire apparently began in an emergency generator enclosure immediately behind the house, and spread to the soffit/roof/garage area. Crews contained the fire to these areas. The generator was apparently running due to the ongoing power outages from the previous night's storms.  Two ambulances from Newtown also assisted units on the scene.  Units cleared by approximately 2 pm. http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-07202006-686423.html Including the working fire, crews handled more than a dozen calls in a 14 hour period. 07-04-2006 Devonshire Estates Bike Parade Lingohocken firefighters helped lead the 4th of July bicycle parade in the Devonshire Estates Development in Buckingham.   Click here for photos   06-22-2006 Mobile Home Fire On Thursday, June 22, 2006 at 8:50 am, units from the Lingohocken Fire Co., assisted by an Engine from the Warwick Fire Co., were dispatched to 1293 Swamp Road in Buckingham for a mobile home on fire. Chief 35 arrived with a working fire, and Tanker 66 from the Warwick Fire Co., and Engine 55-1 from the Newtown Fire Association were special-called to assist. Engine 35’s crew advanced a 2” CAFS line and quickly knocked down the fire. Other units assisted with a back-up line, ventilation and overhaul. Click here for photos   06-18-2006 Brush Fire On Sunday, June 18 (yes, Father’s Day), Units from the Lingohocken Fire Co. work a brush/debris pile on fire on Durham Road under the high-voltage power lines across from the Buckingham Springs Development. Click here for photos   06-10-2006 Auto Extrication On Saturday afternoon, June 10, Rescue 35 was dispatched to assist the Upper Makefield Fire Co. with a serious accident with a vehicle on its roof after crashing through a utility pole on Highland Road between Wrightstown Rd and Scott Rd in Upper Makefield Twp. There were several injuries, including a teenager trapped in the vehicle. After working with PECO to ensure the scene was safe, crews worked together for over an hour to extricate the trapped teenager.  The pt was taken to St. Mary’s Trauma Center in Langhorne , PA with severe head injuries and later air lifted to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Click here for photos   05-20-2006 LFCO Picture Video 04-25-2006 Tuesday, April 25 proved a bit busy for Lingohocken firefighters. The afternoon began with an unusual call – an elevator rescue on Pineville Road.  Unusual as there are very, very few elevators in our coverage area! This was a small residential elevator that was stuck between floors with 3 ladies inside. All were ok, and it took a few minutes for Lingohocken firefighters from Rescue 35 and Engine 95 and Upper Makefield police to adapt and overcome.  The elevator was lowered by hand-cranking it to the basement, and the basement access door removed, allowing the ladies to graciously exit. It was recommended that the elevator be serviced. While returning from this call, Engine 95, with a crew that included 2 EMT’s, was a few blocks from Smith Road and Route 413 where an accident with injuries was reported. Engine 95, and Chief 35 (a paramedic) responded as Quick Response Service (QRS) to find a victim with a minor head injury caused when a loose musical drum in the backseat struck the patient when the vehicle came to a sudden stop.  No serious injury here. Later in the evening, as crews were doing a major cleaning of the Wycombe station in preparation for the upcoming pancake breakfast, Engine 95 responded again as QRS with 2 EMTs on the crew to an accident with M145 (Newtown) at Wrightstown Road and Route 413.  Fortunately, again there were no serious injuries, although the crew assisted the police with lighting and hazard control. Finally, to wrap up the night, crews responded to a fire alarm in the Devonshire Estates neighborhood at 0314 hours to find a battery had gone bad in a smoke detector.  Please remember to change your smoke detector batteries at least annually! While you won’t read about most of this in the paper, these are examples of how our firefighters serve our community on a daily basis. 04-08-2006 Route 232 Vehicle Accident At 2312 hours, Saturday, April 8, the Lingohocken Fire Co. along with E55 from the Newtown Fire Association and Medic 145 from Newtown were dispatched to Route 232 in the area of the Penns Park Pub for an auto extrication.  Chief 35 found the accident in the 2200 block of Route 232 in front of the Better Materials offices.  One vehicle had struck a pole with high impact in the driver’s side door, with about 2 feet of intrusion into the driver’s side compartment. The victim was heavily entrapped, and due to this, and 2nd rescue company was added to the assignment – Rescue 3 from Northampton. A medevac helicopter was also placed on standby. Crews worked together to extricate the patient from the mangled car in under 45 minutes, and the patient was airlifted by PennStar 1 to HUP. The helicopter was able to land in a field directly adjacent to the accident scene. 02-27-2006 Apple Hill Road House Fire On Monday, February 27, Lingohocken, along with Engine 3 from Northampton Fire Company, responded to a call for smoke from a house on Apple Hill Road. Units arrived with light smoke showing and found a fire in the wall behind a chimney. Crews needed to remove the chimney with a backhoe from Buckingham Township as the chimney was unstable, and this was the only way to reach hidden fire between the hearth and the chimney. Units cleared within 90 minutes. Click here for photos.... Photos by Phil Leiggi   01-10-2006 Aquetong Road House Fire At 0836 hours, Tuesday, January 10, Tanker 35 was dispatched to relocate to the Eagle Fire Co. of New Hope while several area companies were battling a house fire in the 2000 block of Aquetong Road in Solebury Township.  While enroute to the cover, the Tanker was dispatched 1st due with apparatus from Midway, Doylestown, and Point Pleasant Fire Cos. to Tactical Box 5-35, at 3400 Aquetong Rd. for another house fire.  At this job, Ladder 5 (Midway, which already had 2 crews at the first fire) and Engine 19-1 (Doylestown, coming from the cover assignment) arrived first with Deputy 5 to find heavy fire coming from a 3-car attached garage and involving propane. Tanker 35 backed up the driveway and provided the primary water supply for an intense, but effective knockdown, saving the bulk of the home from fire spread. Other neighboring companies, including units from Stockton and Lambertville, NJ also assisted as all hands operated.  It appears at this time the fires were unrelated – just an unusual coincidence. Meanwhile, Lingohocken kept an engine crew to cover the area, handling a first due dump truck accident on Route 413.   01-10-2006 Dump Truck Accident at Swamp and New Hope Road Photo courtesy of Ron Wilson Lingohocken firefighters were busy on Tuesday, January 10. While Tanker 35 was assisting Midway at the house fire in Solebury, Engine 35 handled a hydraulic fluid spill from this accident involving 2 dump trucks at New Hope Road and Route 413 around 10:00 am. 01-07-2006 Lower Mountain and Swamp Rd Auto Extrication The first vehicle extrication of 2006 occurred on Saturday evening, January 7 at 1902 hours at Lower Mountain and Swamp Rds. in Buckingham Township.  Units from Lingohocken and Warwick Fire Companies responded to a 2-car accident, and crew from Engine 95, Rescue 66 and Rescue 35 had to stabilize a car on its side, and remove the roof of the vehicle to extricate the driver.  Initially, a medevac helicopter was put on standby but was later stood down as the patient’s condition was not as serious as initially thought. The driver was transported by Warrington Ambulance to St. Mary’s Hospital in Newtown as a trauma. Also assisting were Warwick and Midway Fire Police. 11-15-2005 Vehicle Rescue Drill On Nov. 15, 2005, Lingohocken firefighters spent some time at Wrightstown Used Auto Parts practicing extrication techniques. Click here for photos... Photos by Phil Leiggi   08-19-2005 Forest Grove Rd & Swamp Rd Auto Extrication Photo courtesy of Gian Luiso/The Intelligencer On Friday, August 19, units from the Lingohocken Fire Company assisted by Rescue 66 from the Warwick Fire Company were dispatched to Forest Grove and Swamp Roads in Buckingham Township for an auto extrication.  Units worked together to extricate 3 victims, two of which were Class 1 traumas flown to Hahnemann and St. Mary’s Hospitals by Pennstar 3 and Medevac 1.  The other victim was transported by ground to Abington Hospital trauma center by Central Bucks Ambulance. Also assisting were fire police from Midway and Warwick. Also on scene was Battalion 79 from Doylestown Fire Co. who was in the area when the incident was dispatched and established initial scene command. 08-14-2005