Report of Monthly Activities
Month ofJuly 2011 Total Hours
General Alarms 29 174 ¼ Hrs.
Meeting(s)2 34 ¾ Hrs.
Drills 2 72 ½ Hrs.
Driver Training3 12 ½ Hrs.
Fire Duty 28 686 ½ Hrs.
Other (Equipment Check) 8 7Hrs.
Fire Prevention 0 0Hrs.
Training & Certification (FF1) 6 47 Hrs.
Total Man-Hours for the Month 1,034 ½ Hrs.
Classifications:
Fire
Road or transport vehicle fire 1
Rescue & EMS Incident
Motor vehicle accident with injuries 2
Motor vehicle accident with no injuries 1
Service Call
Assist other agency 2
Service call, other 1
Hazardous Condition (No Fire)
Gas leak (natural or LPG) 1
Arcing, shorted electrical equipment 4
Oil or other combustible liquid spill 1
Good Intent Call
Dispatched & cancelled en route 1
No incident found on arrival of dispatch 2
Hazmat release investigation w/no hazmat 1
False Alarm & False Call
Alarm system activation, no fire-unintentional 5
Alarm system sounded due to malfunction 2
Smoke detector activation, no fire-unintentional 5
Total: 29
During the month of July, mutual aid was utilized three (3) times, being given all three (3) times withnone received. On 7/8,a requested response with Quint 1 was made into Madison for a reported structure fire in a residence on Wayne Blvd.Crews performed fire suppression and overhaul operations on the second floor.On 7/15, a RIC was requested into New Vernon for a reported structure fireon Village Road. Finding no fire on arrival, mutual aid units were cancelled by Fire Command while en route. On 7/16,an engine and a crew responded to BerkeleyHeights on a lengthy pre-arranged cover assignment at their firehouse during a fireworks detail. Our engine was part of a UnionCounty task force to provide fire protection while BHFD was unavailable. No responses were made during the cover assignment which lasted from 5PM to 1 AM.
Contrary to past trends of July being one of the most active months for call volume, this year, call volume dropped quite a bit. In 2010, the department responded to forty-one (41) calls in July, and this year the incident response dropped to just twenty-nine (29). The primary responses for this month were motor vehicle accidents, natural gas odors, out of town assistance calls, and the usual fire alarm activations. In July, drills and monthly training focused on Ladder Operations and Hose Line Selection & Placement. Again, fire duties accounted for a large amount of man-hours including administrative reporting, and the execution and cleanup of the Independence Day Celebration, and continuing preparations for the LRS Golf Outing. I would like to thank our July 4th Chairman Jeff Fricke, Co-Chairman Steve Williams, and all the members of the department for providing an outstanding parade and a great day for the community. Almost five hundred and fifty (550) man hours were devoted to the July 4th event this month.The highlights and summary of July’s events are as follows:
- On 7/4, the department held its 57th Annual July 4th Parade and fireworks, celebrating its 113th Anniversary of Firefighting and serving the Borough of Chatham.
- On 7/8, the department first responded to a mutual aid request from Madison to assist at a working structure fire in their town. Later on, an electrical fire in a wall outlet was reported in a residence on Lincoln Avenue. Power was shut off, and the outlet and wall were checked with the TIC to confirm no spread of heat or fire.
- On 7/9,response was made to Watchung Avenue near Bridge Street for a reported fuel spill in the roadway. The source was found to be a broken fuel line on a refrigerated trailer truck, which was unable to clear the bridge and was attempting a turn around. Speedy Dry was applied to the roadway by FD personnel to absorb the fuel, and notifications were made to the DEP and Morris County Hazmat Unit. A cleanup contractor was brought in to complete the job, and all materials used by the FD to mitigate the spill were immediately replaced by the spiller from the cleanup contractor prior to clearing the scene.
- On 7/11, a vacant house drill took place on Lum Avenue, utilizing a building that was scheduled for demolition. Ladder use and ventilation were reviewed and practiced, and several vent/enter/search evolutions were run. The use of power saws was also reviewed and practiced. Thank you to the CES, who provided support and kept the members hydrated during the drill due to excessive heat (85-90 degrees F).
- On 7/13, Annual Pump Testing for the apparatus was conducted at the firehouse. All apparatus pumps passed and were certified for their rated capacities for another year.
- Later on 7/13, a tree fire on Girard Avenue was reported as a result of a failed primary wire coming in contact with a nearby tree. JCP&L was notified and the area was blocked off with yellow tape to maintain a safetyzone until repairs could be made.
- Also on 7/13, a smell of natural gas was reported in a Center Avenue residence. The home was checked with a gas meter and the source was found to be a stove burner that had been accidently left on with no flame. The knob was turned off and the home was ventilated with no further problems.
- On 7/16, one engine and crew responded into BerkeleyHeights on a pre-arranged cover assignment at their firehouse during a fireworks detail in their town.
- On 7/17, black smoke was reported coming from the end of Commerce Street near Bill Pryer Disposal. On arrival, a roll-off dumpster truck was found to be on fire, totally involved at the rear of the vehicle. One foam line was stretched and put into operation to extinguish the blaze, and overhaul was completed. Notifications were made to the vehicle owner, CPD and the Detective Bureau, and the Fire Official for investigation purposes.
- On 7/29, a seized motor on a sump pump caused a smoke condition and an activated alarm at a Main Street restaurant. The pump was de-energized and cooled and the basement was thoroughly ventilated, allowing the alarm system to be reset.
Although call volume was down a bit from last year , the department still answered a wide variety of calls for the month of July. With this month’s activity, false alarms and false calls were45% of total calls andwere down in comparison to last year (45% vs. 54%). Fire loss for this July is estimated at $1200.00 as opposed to last year’s July loss of $0.00. Once again, there are no injuries to report for the month of July, holding the injuries report total for 2011 at 0.
Respectively Submitted,
Peter S. Glogolich
Peter S. Glogolich, Chief