Engine Company Heads South
 
By West Grove Volunteers
February 3, 2015
 

At 1547 hours Chester County Fireboard alerted West Grove for an engine transfer to Cecil County, Maryland Fire Station 13. Engine 22 made the response with a crew of four volunteers. Station 13 and other County Fire Departments were battling a commercial building fire at Triton Marina.

Engine 22 met Rising Sun Engine 28 at Station 13 and stood by to cover the Elkton local until the units at the box alarm were cleared. The engine crew played a few rounds of basketball and talked to the Engine 28 crew in the radio room. As Elkton units were clearing the fire and made their return back to Station 13, both engine crews helped them clean all hose and hang up to dry before being released by Deputy Chief 13.

As Engine 22 was traveling north on 213 Fire Box 304 was alerted for the odor investigation in the first unit block of Kennedy Boulevard in the Elk Mills section of northern Cecil County. Deputy 13 was first to respond and requested to Cecil County Fire Dispatch to raise Engine 22 and have them make the response. Reports from Fire Dispatch was the homeowner has a strong odor of gas in the house and that all occupants had evacuated.

Engine 22 was at Kennedy Boulevard and State Route 213 and arrived to a 2 story single family ordinary wood frame constructed house and went into investigation mode. Deputy 13 arrived to establish command and Engine 22 crew went interior to investigate. Crews encountered at strong odor of propane at the front door and did a full sweep starting at the basement and controlling all gas fired appliances. The crew of Tower 3 secured the outdoor propane tank that was reading 5% on the gauge. Once all three floors were deemed safe and clear the crew used natural ventilation and turned the situation over to the homeowner to contact their propane company to refill the tank and re-start all appliances. Crews picked up and were ready within 15 minutes and Engine 22 returned back to West Grove just after 2100 hours.

 
Units: Engine Company 22