Building Fire 3700 Block of Hull Street

At 1004 hours Richmond Fire was alerted to a building fire in the 3700 block of Hull Street. Quint 17 arrived on scene to find a single story commercial building with smoke showing from side A. Quint 17 took the hydrant across the street and began forcible entry into the building. While units were engaged in fire attack they found six puppies and they were removed. Richmond Ambulance Authority and fire personnel provided oxygen to the puppies using the pet rescue mask. The fire was marked under control at 1020. The fire caused about $2,500 in damages and is under investigation.

Two People Injured in Early Morning Fire

On June 14 at 0600 hours Q-15, Q-14, Q-5, Q-16, Rescue 1, Safety 2 and BC 1 were dispatched to the 3200 block of 5th Avenue for a reported house fire. Q-15 arrived on scene with smoke showing from the A-side of a two story duplex. Q-15 established command and secured a water source at the corner while launching an aggressive interior attack. Command later learned that four people jumped from the second floor and two of them required transport to an area hospital. The fire was marked under control at 0636 hours. A total of six people were at home, five of them requested the assistance of the Red Cross. The fire was ruled accidental and caused $50,000 in damages.

House Fire on Northside

On June 10 at 1703 hours, Richmond Fire and Emergency Services were alerted to a reported house fire in the 2600 block of The Plaza. E-14, Q-6, Q-15, E-5, Rescue 2, Safety 2 and BC 1 were dispatched. E-14 arrived on scene to find fire showing from the A-side of the structure on the second floor of a two story wood frame dwelling. Other units worked to check for extension and assisted E-14. The fire was marked under control at1734 hours. One person was treated by Richmond Ambulance for smoke inhalation. The fire remains under investigation.

On June 2 at 1316 hours, Quint 6 (Q-6) was dispatched to 1250 East Marshal Street for a car on fire on the third level of a seven story parking deck. Q-6 arrived on scene with a lot of smoke showing from a parking deck. Q-6 established command and established a water source. Q-6 used the truck as an elevated standpipe stretching handlines from the tip of the ladder. Additional companies came in to assist them, as they responded to several fire alarms on the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) campus of Medical College of Virginia. The original call reported that a car had smoke coming from the engine compartment. Q-6 and E-5 advanced several handlines as they found three cars on fire. Units remained on scene until 1700 hours assisting VCU police and fire investigators.

Early Morning Accident with Entrapment

At 0811 hours on May 31st, Richmond Fire units were dispatched to the intersection of Maury Street and East 17th Street for a two car accident. Rescue 3 arrived on scene to find a truck on its side and a car that had damage on the driver’s side of the vehicle. Rescue 3 reported that they had one person trapped and quickly stabilized the vehicle and began extricating the person. Quint 17 stretched a handline as Quint 6 assessed the patient. The person was extricated in about 10 minutes and was checked by Richmond Ambulance Authority. Units remained on scene until 1000 hours.

Richmond Fire Handles School Bus Accident

On May 31st at 1350 hours, Richmond Fire units were dispatched to the 1800 block of Commerce Road for a school bus accident. Rescue 3 arrived on scene to find a school bus had hit a power pole and then struck a truck parked in the parking lot. Rescue 3 requested Virginia Power and advised that they had two people on a school bus that were injured. Members of Rescue 3, Quint 21 and Quint 17 worked together to remove the patients from the bus. Only one person required transport to the hospital. The bus driver swerved to avoid hitting a man on a moped. The street remained closed until 6 p.m.

RFD Receives Governor's Fire Service Awards

On Saturday, February 26, the 2010 Governor’s Fire Service Awards were presented to recipients in eight categories during the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association’s Expo & Symposium opening ceremonies. The event was held at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. The Governor's Fire Service Awards were established in 2002 as a formal recognition of excellence in Virginia's Fire Services. Nominees are carefully reviewed and selected by the Virginia Fire Services Board Executive Committee and forwarded to the Governor through the Secretary of Public Safety for final approval. The awards are presented annually each February.

This year we were fortunate to receive two of the eight awards. The Fire Prevention Division received the award for Excellence in Virginia’s Fire Prevention for their programs and accomplishments. The Metro Richmond Fire Training Chiefs received the award for Excellence in Virginia’s Fire Service Training relating to the regional training initiative. It is quite an honor to be recognized by our peers and receive these awards. Please take a minute to congratulate the staff members from both Divisions on their accomplishments.