Quakertown Fire Co. No. 1

Twenty two years is the standard age at which a Quakertown Fire Department engine is replaced.  Engine 17-1, a 1986 Mack CF, is now 23.  Despite its age, it’s still going strong, serving as the first-out piece on structure fires.  While time hasn’t taken a toll on Engine 17-1, new safety regulations and equipment have come about which Engine 17-1 does not comply with or have room to carry.  Mechanical parts are also becoming scarce for Mack CFs.

Over a year and a half ago a truck committee was formed to design a replacement engine.  The committee took numerous trips to fire companies far and wide to inspect their newest trucks and decide on a chassis manufacturer.  A final decision was made to go with Spartan, the manufacturer of the chassis of Engine 17, now 10 years old.  A decision was also made to use Swab to build the body.  Engine 17, Engine 17-1, and Chemical 17 all have Swab bodies.

Countless hours and much thought was put into the design of the new truck.  Designed from the ground up, the new engine is packed with features that were chosen to fulfill specific needs.

“We designed the engine with a limited daytime crew in mind,” said Lieutenant David Erwin, chairman of the design committee.  Heavy equipment such as fans and saws will be placed low on roll-out shelves to allow individual firefighters to lift them without unecessary effort or possible injury.  The cross-lays have been lowered to allow shorter firefighters to pull them with less effort.  The pump has a computerized throttle that will maintain a set pressure, and the deck gun can be remotely controlled from the ground, allowing the driver to operate a master stream while the crew concentrates on preparing to place handlines in service.

The engine will carry 750 gallons of water in its booster tank, as opposed to the 1000 gallons currently carried by both Engine 17 and Engine 17-1.  This allowed for 24″ deep compartments, greatly increasing the storage capacity of the truck.  Roll-up doors will allow compartments to be opened in tight areas where swinging doors would not fit.

An inline inductor system with a 30-gallon foam tank is also included, allowing crews to operate foam lines immediately without the need to manually set up an inductor and foam buckets.  Crew seating has been fitted with an easier release mechanism for the airpacks, addressing a common complaint among the firefighters riding the current engines.

Delivery is expected in July of 2009.

Field 17 was dispatched at 2119 hours on Wednesday, March 11th to assist Milford Township Fire Company and Trumbauersville Fire Company with a large brush fire on Upper Ridge Road in the area of the Finland Lodge.  Battalion 17 and Deputy 87 responded as well.  A 69,000 volt PP&L transmission line had been pulled to the ground by a fallen tree and started a brush fire that quickly spread to a few acres surrounding the PP&L lines.  Field 17 made its way off of Upper Ridge Road into the woods along the East.  Captain 17 took Southeast Operations.  A base line was established along a creek bed between Field 17 and the fire.  Firefighter Jim Mindler stretched a hose line to the East side of the head of the fire, where it was quickly halted.   Captain Erwin went in service with a chainsaw clearing fallen trees and snags that would slow crews down.  Engine 57’s crew used hand tools and indian tanks from Field 17 to work the South end of the Eastern flank, establishing a line directly along the flank and stopping the spread of the fire.  Additional crews from 58 used equipment and a second hose line off of Field 17 to extend the line farther North, supervised by Deputy 87.  Field 36 came in to Field 17’s location to supply water to Field 17.  Battalion 17 handled water supply, crew, and equipment distribution from Field 17.  Lieutenant 17-1 drove Field 17 and operated the pump.

Field 75, Montgomery County Field 65, and Berks County Field 58 were wrapping up after operating a large brush fire in the Upper Perkiomen area.  These three trucks responded and established the West line along Swamp Creek Rd.  The fire was contained while crews awaited the arrival of PP&L.  After PP&L confirmed that both ends of the transmission segment were disconnected, crews extinguished the remaining fire and wet down the entire area to take care of any hot spots.  Field 17 went available around 0130.

Field 17, along with Field 65 from Pennsburg and Engine 57 from Milford, was added to a brush assignment on Canary Road with Station 58 (Trumbauersville) on Thursday, February 19th at 1945 hours.  The truck made its way down a long narrow driveway and through the woods to a 20×20 outbuilding that was fully involved.  The fire was extinguished by Field 75 with Field 17 and Field 65 shuttling water in from the street where Engine 57 and Engine 58 were staged.  Some hand tools and a chainsaw off of Field 17 were also used.

Squirt 18 and Engine 17 were dispatched at 13:07 to a roofing material plant on Pacific Drive for a smoke investigation.  The incident was quickly upgraded to a building fire which went to two alarms.  A large saturation machine on the side of the building was burning.  Companies in service with copious amounts of high expansion and AFFF foam.

At the business meeting on July 7th, 2008, exempt member and past chief Paul Schultz brought two items of historical significance to the meeting and presented them to the company.

The first item is a medallion from the first annual convention of the Firemen’s Association of Bucks County, now better known as the Bucks County Firemen’s Parade, held in Quakertown on June 12th and 13th, 1914. Quakertown Fire Company No. 1 most recently hosted this parade, the 88th of its kind, on June 10th, 2006 in celebration of 100 years of incorporation.

The second item is a rubber stamp bearing the name “Good Will Social Club.” The Good Will Social Club, affectionately known as “The Gluepot,” was a social club owned and operated by the company until the 60s. The club was located along Third Street where the shopping center is now located.

Paul Schultz provided over 35 years of active service to Quakertown Fire Company No. 1 and served as chief of the Quakertown Fire Department.

Quakertown Fire Department hosted the traditional Water Battles at Quakertown Borough’s annual Community Day, held in Memorial Park on July 4th.

The Water Battles are a series of competitions between local fire companies in which teams of four firefighters from each company compete to push the rocket - a sliding target suspended on a wire between two telephone poles - to the opposing team’s telephone pole. The team that hits the opposite pole with the target wins the round. Rounds are 90 seconds long; if neither team can hit the opposing pole within those 90 seconds, the round is awarded to the team whose side the rocket is not on.

---

The companies that participated were Quakertown Fire Company No. 1, West End Fire Company No. 2 of Quakertown, Richlandtown Fire Company, Haycock Fire Company, Trumbauersville Fire Company, Milford Fire Company, Richland Township Fire and Rescue, and Coopersburg Fire Company.

Three teams of junior firefighters competed against each other as well.  The teams were from Quakertown Fire Company No. 1, West End Fire Company No. 2, and Trumbauersville Fire Company.

Quakertown Fire Company No. 1 took second place in the senior competition, with West End Fire Company taking first place.  Quakertown Fire Company No. 1 took first place in the junior competition, with West End taking second place.

Companies were dispatched on Friday, June 13th at 0919 hours for a dwelling fire on Perkasie Avenue. Bucks County Dispatch informed Engine 17-1 (with Battalion 17 as the officer) that the caller was reporting a window air conditioner to be on fire, spreading to the house. Engine 17-1 informed Dispatch that there was smoke visible from approximately one half mile out and requested that the box be filled. Engine 17-1 arrived on scene and went in service with two 1.75″ handlines. Tower 18 arrived and went in service with ventilation. Battalion 18 had command, reporting heavy fire. Additional companies in service with third handline off of Engine 17-1. A quick knockdown was made.

On Saturday, May 31st, 2008, Engine 17-1, Chemical 17, and Hazmat 17 traveled to Kutztown for a parade held in celebration of the Borough of Kutztown’s 100th anniversary as well as the recent expansion of Kutztown Fire Company’s station and the housing of three of their trucks.

Chemical 17, a 1979 Mack/Swab rescue body, won a second place trophy for “Most Functional Squad/Special Service,” competing against trucks of all ages. Members worked hard to clean the trucks for the parade. Mark Simon, who drove Chemical 17 in the parade, worked especially hard to get it into top shape.

Members who cleaned the trucks and attended the parade were David Reinhart, Linda Reinhart, Collin Reinhart, Mark Simon, Celeste Graziano, Mike Graziano, Chris Erwin, Vince Sakaitis, Brian Kershes, and past Chief Ray Stever, Sr. Several additional members assisted with preparing the trucks but were unable to attend the parade.

Field 17 was dispatched to assist Station 58 (Trumbauersville) with a brush fire on Camp Rock Hill Rd on April 19th at 1630 hours. Station 58 units arrived on scene with a fully involved shed several hundred feet from the road with extension into a travel trailer and multiple exposure problems. Field 17 made its way back to the fire and 58 personnel went in service with two of its lines, performing a quick knockdown.

Engine 58 stretched a 3″ line with a wye up the hill and connected and continued stretching an 1.75″ apartment pack and brought it into service. Field 17’s crew stretched a 1.5″ supply line back to the wye and continued operations. Two additional field trucks and a tanker were added.