The Campville Fire Department responded under mutual aid to an Apalachin Fire Department request last week. The call was received a few minutes after 1 p.m. with Campville being placed on standby and then was quickly upgraded to a full response.
The scene was located within the Post Trailer Park near the Eastern Tioga County line. At the time the temperature was about 10 degrees with little wind and overcast conditions. The trailer was fully involved upon the arrival of the first Apalachin units with no one inside. However, one resident was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
Campville responded with Rescue Engine 303, Engine 302, EMS Squads 331 and 332, Fire Police and Emergency Support Services along with about 15 personnel. In addition, Vestal Fire Department (Broome County) responded with an engine and a tanker.
The Apalachin Fire Command immediately established an exterior, defensive strategy and led off with hand lines from their attack engine. Engine 303 laid in 600 feet of 4-inch from the nearest hydrant and established a water supply for both engines and the lines in operation. A 2 1/2 -inch hand line was placed into operation from 303 and the fire was out in about one hour.
There was flawless integration between the crews and departments and this in part can be credited to the standardized training provided by the NYS sponsored fire courses on a routine basis. Overlaying the state curriculum is the individual department training on a weekly basis.
Among the lessons learned was if a civilian is thawing frozen pipes under a trailer, which is a very common wintertime occurrence, the application of excessive heat has the potential for rapid combustion. In this case a “salamander” device, which is a large area heater coupled with a forced air blower, will quickly overheat and ignite the underside of the structure. The blower acts to accelerate the spread of the fire.
There were no firefighter injuries and everyone went home safe. Campville returned to quarters and was back in full service by 6 p.m.
