Exposing an Invisible Killer: 
The Dangers of Carbon Monoxide
Each year in America, more than 150 people die from accidental non-fire related CO poisoning associated with consumer products. These products include faulty, improperly-used or incorrectly-vented fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, stoves, water heaters and fireplaces. Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) would like you to know that there are simple steps you can take to protect yourself from deadly carbon monoxide fumes.

Understanding the Risk: What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas. Because it is impossible to see, taste or smell the toxic fumes, CO can kill you before you are aware it is in your home. At lower levels of exposure, CO causes mild effects that are often mistaken for the flu. These symptoms include headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea and fatigue. The effects of CO exposure can vary greatly from person to person depending on age, overall health and the concentration and length of exposure.

Where does carbon monoxide come from?
CO gas can come from several sources: gas-fired appliances, charcoal grills, wood-burning furnaces or fireplaces and motor vehicles.

Who is at risk?
Everyone is at risk for CO poisoning. Medical experts believe that unborn babies, infants, children, senior citizens and people with heart or lung problems are at even greater risk for CO poisoning.

What Actions Do I Take if My CO Alarm Goes Off?
What you need to do if your carbon monoxide alarm goes off depends on whether anyone is feeling ill or not.

If no one is feeling ill: 

If illness is a factor: 

Protect Yourself and Your Family from CO Poisoning
Install at least one carbon monoxide alarm with an audible warning signal near the sleeping areas and outside individual bedrooms. Make sure the alarm has been evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Carbon monoxide alarms measure levels of CO over time and are designed to sound an alarm before an average, healthy adult would experience symptoms. It is very possible that you may not be experiencing symptoms when you hear the alarm. This does not mean that CO is not present.

Have a qualified professional check all fuel burning appliances, furnaces, venting and chimney systems at least once a year.

Never use your range or oven to help heat your home and never use a charcoal grill or hibachi in your home or garage.

Never keep a car running in a garage. Even if the garage doors are open, normal circulation will not provide enough fresh air to reliably prevent a dangerous buildup of CO.

When purchasing an existing home, have a qualified technician evaluate the integrity of the heating and cooking systems, as well as the sealed spaces between the garage and house. The presence of a carbon monoxide alarm in your home can save your life in the event of CO buildup.

Structure Fire in Clinton Twp.
 On 1-10-12 around 10:15 pm Station 9 was dispatched to 208 Savage Rd. in Clinton Township for a possible structure fire.  Chief 9 (B. Gow) arrived to find a mobile home fully involved. 

Chief 9 requested a second alarm.  Engine 9 arrived and layed 5" hose from SR 11 down Savage Rd into the scene.  The Engine crew deployed one 1 3/4" attack line, and the 3" Akron Step Gun.  An aggressive exterior attack was done which knocked down the bulk of the fire. 

There was some stubborn fire still burning up in between the roof, and underneath the debris inside.  Tanker 9 arrived and supplied as a tanker nurse.  Engine 17-2 picked up the lay and went into a nearby pond.  An extensive over haul was done due to the collapsed multiple layer roof, and heavy debris inside.  Ambulance 9 transported one patient to an area hospital.
 

Units On Scene Engines- 9, 17-2 Tankers- 9, 17-2, 5, 63, 12, 7-2 Rescues- 9, 2 Ladder 5 Ambulances- 9, 1-11 Utility 9 Car 2

Units Relocated/On Stand By Engine 12 & Tanker 60 @ Station 9 Hop Bottom Fire @ Station 17 Station 4 & 4-9 @ Their Station

Utility 9 in service
The newest addition to the Factoryville Fire Co. is now in service.  Utility 9 which is a F-450 4x4, four door truck, with a reading body.  The truck was purchased last year at the beginning of spring, and it has taken a total transformation into what it is today.

With the hard work and dedication of Fire Co. members, we are proud to say we built this truck ourselves.  We did send it out to get painted, and have some diamond plate added, but the mounting of the tank, pump, plumbing, tools, etc. was all done by our own members.

B&B Lighting Solutions installed a siren, warning lights on all sides of the tuck, and a split traffic advisor on the rear.  This truck will be first due on brush fires, MVA's in snowy/icy weather, and nuscience calls (wires/trees down, traffic control).  It will also run EMS calls when Ambulance 9 is already on a call or out of service.  Utility 9 can also travel out to water sources off of the roadway, and be used as a supply piece. 

The truck has seating for 5 personnel, 250 gallon fiberglass tank, 500 gpm CET Pump, Amkus/Genesis Hydraulic Rescue Tools, EMS equipment, Brush Fire equipment, 100 ft of preconnected garden hose, 150 ft preconnected 1" attack line, and 100 ft of 1 3/4" attack line.  We also carry additional 1" attack line, and forestry hose in the compartments.

The truck is also set up for pulling the Wyoming County EMA Mass Casualty Trailer that is stationed at our fire house. 
 

2 Alarm fire at Keystone College Times Leader 11-30-11 - At 530 am Station 9 was dispatched for a reported working fire in the art building at Keystone College.

Chief 9 (B.Gow) arrived on scene, established the Keystone Command, and reported visible flames on the A/D side immediately requesting the 2nd alarm bringing Ladder and Tanker 5, Engine 17-2, Rescue 2, Tunkhannock BLS, and EMA.  E-9 arrived and was requested to wrap the plug along College Ave. and lay in.

 Once the supply line was connected the crew from E-9 advanced one 1 3/4" handline to the side A door and make a quick knock of the front fire room. L-5 arrived and split crews advancing a second handline into the main portion of the building and pulling double duty checking for extension while performing vent operations. 

E 17-2 arrived and assigned to split crews to cover both the attack and truck crews while R-2 staged for RIT and took care of the utilities. Minutes into the fire, command requested E-4 into the scene to back up the RIT crew and E 12-2 to stand by. 

A-9, 5-9 and Station 1 BLS performed both accountability and rehab during the operation. Crews were able to hold the fire to the kiln/workshop area of the art building but crews spent over 2 hours performing overhaul. Crews cleared the scene just after 11am. A great coordinated effort by all personnel on scene. Thanks to all mutual aid companies along with the Red Cross for your assistance.

New Rescue Tool Arrives
The New Hydraulic Rescue Tool has arrived, which was purchased with funds from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant.  The unit was purchased from Howell Rescue Systems, and its manufacturer is Genesis. 

The items purchased were the Electric Mach III Simo Pump, S60XL Spreader, C165 Cutter, 17C Combination Tool, 31PP & 55PP Hydraulic Rams, 2 cord reels w/ 50ft of Hydraulic hose on each, (4) 50 ft Hydraulic hose lines, 2 Ram Kits, and a Rocker Panel support block.  All items except for two of the 50ft hose lines have one-step couplers.  The two hose lines that don’t have them have two-step couplers on one end, and one step couplers on the other.  This is so it can be compatible with the Amkus Rescue Pump that we still have. 

The Factoryville Fire Co.’s Relief Association purchased an additional 17C Combination Tool for the Fire Co.

The Fire Co. already owned a Genesis All 9 Cutter, an Amkus Spreader, Amkus Cutter and an Amkus Ram.  The Amkus Cutter we owned was traded in towards this new system.  Rescue 9 carries all of the above with the exception of the Amkus Hydraulic Pump, Amkus Spreader, Amkus Ram, 17C Combination Tool, and (2) 50ft Hydraulic hose lines.  These items are carried on Utility 9.

This purchase has helped the Factoryville Fire Co. in a big way.  We now have tools that are all capable to cut, and spread the new metals found in vehicles today.  The Factoryville Fire Co. would like to thank the Assistance to Firefighters Grants for awarding us the funds to purchase this new system

Factoryville, Dalton to try shared fire company coverage
By: Virginia Cody (Staff Writer)

The Factoryville and Dalton fire companies will officially start job sharing Monday - at least on a 90-day trial basis - but Factoryville Fire Company Assistant Chief and trustee Ned Sherman wanted to make one thing perfectly clear.

"It's not a merger," Assistant Chief Sherman said.

The two fire companies plan to start alternating weeks of taking the lead when fire and ambulance calls come in.

It is, as Dalton Fire Company President John Holbert explained, a way to ease both companies' financial burden and still ensure there's adequate ambulance protection for both communities.

Volunteerism is down, Mr. Holbert added, and both companies are finding it hard to staff their daytime shifts, when many people are at work.

Assistant Chief Sherman also noted that the costs of operating the fire companies have risen lately. That's particularly true when paramedic services by Community Life Support are needed.

"If CLS goes on a run, we have to pay an extra $200," he said.

Factoryville spends $8,000 a month just on staffing its Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-6 p.m shifts. Dalton, which has daytime crews available from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, pays out a little bit less. Volunteers cover the rest of the weekday hours and all weekend hours.

"But there's no cost to the residents," Assistant Chief Sherman said, adding that operating costs for the fire companies come out of refunds from insurance claims.

The fire companies will use the 90-day trial to make sure the financial arrangements balance out, he added. If Factoryville has six calls one week and Dalton has two the next week, the financial responsibility and insurance refunds should be split evenly between the two companies. After 90 days of working that way, it is expected the costs will balance.

Assistant Chief Sherman said the two companies have had a long-standing excellent working relationship.

"What we're trying to do is help each other out financially because we were going under," he said. "If we don't try to do 

The article above was published in the Scranton Times, and Wyoming County Press Examiner

To better summarize this for the residents that are served by these two fire companies.  Both Dalton Fire co., and Factoryville Fire Co. were contracted with Community Life Support to supply two EMT's each for EMS coverage Mon-Fri during the daytime.  With rates going up, and Insurance Companies not paying in a timely manner, both companies were feeling a financial burden.  So we teamed together, and we split the bill for two EMT's supplied by Community Life Support to cover EMS calls Mon-Fri during the hours of 6 am-6 pm.  So instead of both Ambulances being staffed in the daytime only one will, and they will answer calls for both fire companies.  We will be alternating which ambulance is on duty.  The week of October 7, Ambulance 9 is the staffed truck, and the week of October 14, Ambulance 5-9 (Dalton) will be the staffed truck, and so on and so forth.  If you have any questions on this subject feel free to call our fire house (570) 945-5769 ask for Tom Schofield or Dalton's fire house (570) 563-1313 ask for John Holbert.

Helping Brothers Out

On Saturday September 9,  Station 9 sent crews with Tanker 9 and Utility 9 to Tunkhannock to assist Station 7 (Triton Fire) on clean up of the recent flood.  Crews assisted with parking lot clean ups, and cleaning McCord St. in the borough.  Crews operated for approx. 8 hrs.  The members of the Factoryville Fire Co. were glad they could help, and are willing to help anytime needed.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families, and businesses that had lost anything due to the flood.

MVA near Blue Bird Diner
Around 7:46 a.m. on September 7, Station 9 and Ambulance 9 were dispatched for a 2 car MVA on SR's 6&11 in the area of the Blue Bird Diner, with possibly one vehicle over the embankment. 
Chief 9 (B.Gow) arrived on scene and found one vehicle in the median with moderate/heavy front end damage, and the other vehicle over the embankment. 

The patient in the car over the embankment was confined to the vehicle due to a T-Bone impact.  Rescue 9 arrived and deployed the hydraulic spreaders & cutters, and removed the drivers door.  The patient was then removed and went into the hands of ems, and the rest of the hazards were controlled.  Ambulance 5-9 and an extra ALS out of lackawanna county were called into the scene to assist with patient transport.

Three patients total were transported to the hospital.  Units operated on scene for an hour.

Units on Scene
Rescue 9, Ambulance 9, Ambulance 5-9, CLS, Lackawanna Ambulance, PSP Tunkhannock 

Fire Co. Awarded AFG Grant
The Factoryville Fire Co. received word from Senator Bob Casey's office on Thursday June 30, that we have been awarded a grant.  With the grant the fire co. will be able to purchase a brand new hydraulic rescue system.  Items that will be purchased will be a new power unit, cutter, spreader, two rams, combi tool, and two pre connect reels to be mounted into Rescue 9.  This grant was awarded by the Assistance to Firefighters Grants through FEMA.  The Fire Co. would like to thank everyone involved with this process, and thank you to AFG for awarding the Factoryville Fire Co. with this grant.  The communities we serve will be better protected with this new rescue system.
 

Working Fire in the Twp. At 19:35 on Tuesday March 29, Station 9 was dispatched for a unknown type fire in a residence off of SR 6 west in Clinton Twp.  Chief 9 (B. Gow) arrived to find a one story Ranch style home with a moderate smoke condition outside of the structure coming from Side C.  Chief 9 walked around to Side C of the structure to find smoke venting from the bilco doors, and the home owner coming out after attacking the fire with a dry chem extinguisher.

Engine 9 pulled in right behind the chief and the crew got off and entered through the bilco doors and extinguished the rest of the fire and removed the charred items from the basement.  The fire was held to the utility room in the basement with some moderate damage to the floor joists of the first floor.  It was a good stop by all involved.  Ambulance 9 checked out one patient on the scene.
 Units on scene: Engine 9, Tanker 9, Ambulance 9

Working Fire in Laplume Twp. 

Around 4:00