Tuesday, January 3, 2012  At approximately 1800hours the crews from WTES were dispatched to Springside Road and Rolling Hills Drive for a motor vehicle collision. BLS 2782, SQ2723, and FP2729 were en route quickly. Upon arrival on scene BLS 2782 reported a two vehicle MVC with entrapment and ordered SQ2723 to go into service with extrication upon arrival and requested a second BLS. BLS2781 responded at that time. BLS2782 crew took patient care and SQ2723 extricated a victim from one of the vehicles. BLS2781 arrived and the two BLS units transported patients to local hospitals. FP2729 worked with WTPD to handle the traffic control during the incident. Crews were clear in about an hour.

Sunday, January 1, 2012  WTES WOULD LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! WE WILL BE STARTING OUT THE YEAR WELCOMING OUR FRIEND DAVID FURTADO FROM www.thebattalion.tv BACK TO WORK WITH US FOR A COUPLE WEEKS. WE ARE WORKING TO MAKE 2012 ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR OUR PROGRAM AND THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE. TO ALL OF OUR EMERGENCY SERVICES FAMILY, BE SAFE AND BE SURE EVERYONE GOES HOME!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011  Below is an excerpt from a recent ABC News article. Please take the time to read. 

Holidays Most Dangerous Time for House Fires

The next two weeks are the most dangerous time of the year for house fires, according to fire safety experts. From Dec.23 through Dec. 25, and Dec. 26 through New Year’s, the chances of a candlelit fire soar more than 300 percent.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, new homes — built with and stuffed full of synthetic materials — burn up six times faster than older homes built 50 years ago.

“Ultimately [these products] are made of crude oil,”  Tom Chapin, vice president of corporate research for Underwriters Lab,  said of  most modern furniture and construction. “Crude oil makes products easier to make, but in a fire they revert back  to their liquid state.”

According to FEMA, fire deaths have been down 2 percent in the past five years, but deaths from accidental fires have gone up 18 percent. Cooking fires are up 16 percent.

 As part of a demonstration for ABC News, Underwriters Lab in Chicago constructed a full modern living room in a warehouse, replete with plush couch, wide-screen TV, books and even kids’ toys.

“Everything … eventually everything will burn,” said Chapin. “We are surrounded by many synthetic materials, plastic … toys. … A lot of it is in the details of what is in the fabric, the foams, the cushioning. … This whole room is fuel, and the appearance is deceptive.”

The I-beams that  form the superstructure of most newer homes are also susceptible to fire and heat. They tend to be stronger, lighter and more durable than traditional two-by-fours. But because they are composed of pressed wood – essentially woodchips glued together — they weaken at a rate of three times faster than traditional lumber. Those weakened floor beams cause floors to cave in and are among the leading cause of death among firefighters.

“That strength rapidly changes, and we see surprising changes in that structure,” Chapin said. “You wouldn’t want to be upstairs in just a little while.”,

As part of  the demonstration staged for ABC News at the Underwriter’s Lab, a fleece blanket was  ignited — rather easily by placing it near a candle. Within a minute the fleece caught fire and about a minute later later the couch was ablaze, spewing noxious gases. Roughly four minutes after the fleece caught fire,  the warehouse room became an inferno, with flames spewing 8 feet out and dozens of feet high. The temperature in the demo area spiked quickly to nearly 1000 degrees.

While synthetic materials have made household construction and products sturdier and cheaper, they’re also more flammable. And technology has been slow to respond. Mattresses, however, once the chief killer in fires, seem to be an exception. They are now designed to burn more slowly.  Some mattresses ABC News tested at the Underwriters Labs were nearly self-extinguishing.

But the real lifesaver in a fire, said Chapin, is awareness.  A  smoke detector with working batteries is likely the best bet.

“That’s the sound,” he said of the “beep, beep.

Friday, December 16, 2011  At approximately 2300 hours, the RV structure taskforce was dispatched to Washington Street in District 50's local for a reported basement fire. The incident was called in by FF Rob Henry who happened to come across the fire while traveling down the street. FF Henry quickly alerted the residents and used a fire extinguisher to knock down some of the fire. Chief 5000 (Hoff) was on scene, established command and reported a basement fire with smoke showing. SQ2723 was first due and led off with the attack line to the basement. The crew then proceeded to the first floor and extinguished the extension. L5015 was second due and took care of the truck duties. Crews made a good stop and quick work of the fire. Other units on location that assisted with the incident were E1314, RE3411, E5012, E2721, BLS 509, FP5019, Chief 1300, AC 1310.

Monday, December 12, 2011  Check back weekly for our Safety Message Saturday QR code! They will take you to a valuable fire or life safety tip to help protect yourself and/or family! 

Saturday, December 10, 2011  On Saturday, December 17th the WTES had the pleasure of escorting Santa Claus around Westampton Township! He had a great time and met many members of our community. Thank you to all the members, thier Families, Mayor Camp, and Committeeman Maybury for helping us give Santa the grand tour of this great community.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011  The 2012 Operational Line Officers were announced at the Department Meeting. The Operation officers are selected through a process that includes a letter of interest, resume, interview, and Qualifications review by a selection committee. The 2012 Operational Line Officers are:

Chief 2700                                           Wylie C. Johnson III (Career)

Deputy Chief 2701                               Craig R. Farnsworth II (Career)

Captain 2702                                        Matthew Augustino

Lieutenant 2703                                   Colin Leaper

Lieutenant 2704                                   Vincent Knott

Safety Officer 2750                              Melissa Whitley (Career)

Training Officer                                    Bryan Iannacone

Fire Police Captain 2740                     Wylie C. Johnson Jr

Fire Police Lieutenant 2741                 William Baduske

We would like to say congrats and wish the 2012 officers luck on another progressive year. We would also Like to thank Lieutenant Marques Fields for his service and best of luck finishing up his paramedic certification!!

Monday, November 28, 2011  A group of our members have joined together to form a Team to raise funds for Movember. It’s Moustache Season and we're growing  fine moustaches for Movember! The team shaved their mustaches off on November 1st and must grow them for the enitre month of November. Please support our growing efforts and the 33,000 men who will die of prostate cancer and the nearly 8,300 men who will be diagnosed with testicular cancer this year.

The funds raised in the US support prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. The funds raised are directed to programs run directly by Movember and our men’s health partners, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG, the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Together, the three channels work together to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world-class programs in line with our strategic goals in the areas of awareness and education, survivorship and research. To learn more about this organization follow this link: http://us.movember.com

To Donate to our team follow this link: https://www.movember.com/us/donate/your-details/team_id/278058 

Thank you in advance for your help for this great cause!

Saturday, November 26, 2011  Happy 3rd birthday to our Station Dalmation Jake! Jake has been a huge asset helping us spread the word about Fire Safety throughout our community. Thank you Jake for all your hard work and enjoy your Birthday!