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.

Vehicle Into A Building

On February 14th at 1110 hours Rescue 1 was dispatched to 1602 Jennie Scher Road for a vehicle into an apartment building. A contractor that was cutting down trees indicated that they parked the truck and set the brake and was loading the truck when it rolled into the building. No one was injured. The building official did condemn the building. Rescue 1 cleared at 1340 hours.

Busy Day For Richmond Fire

Valentine’s day proved to be a very busy day for Richmond Fire starting just before 9:30 a.m. when units were dispatched to the 3400 block of W. Franklin Street for a house fire. Engine 18 arrived on scene with a 2-story masonry constructed house with heavy smoke showing. Units entered the house and found fire in a room in the rear of the house. The fire was contained to room of origin. Several animals were rescued from the house. The fire was marked under control at 10:10 a.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

At 10:49 a.m. units were dispatched to 7101 Forest Hill Ave for a report of a ½ acre brush fire. Battalion 4 was in the area and arrived on scene within two minutes of the call and requested two more units to assist Q-20 with the fire. E-22, Brush 22, Quint 23, Quint 25 and Foam Tanker 25 were added to the assignment. The fire was marked under control at 11:17 a.m.

Early Morning Fire Claims A Life

Richmond Fire units were dispatched to the 1800 block of Peter Paul Blvd at 12:13 a.m. for a reported house fire.  Quint 11 arrived on scene with smoke showing from a brick rancher.  Units forced the front door and found a victim a few feet inside the door.  The victim was removed and declared dead at the scene.  The fire was marked under control at 12:36 a.m.  The fire is under investigation.

Two Escape House Fire without Injury

On Sunday, January 23 at 1621 hours Quint Companies 14, 11, 16, 6, Rescue 2, Safety 2 and Battalion Chief 2 responded for a report of a house fire in the 2900 block of Woodcliff Ave. Q-14 arrived on scene with a two-story wood frame structure with heavy fire showing from the C-side. Q-14 established a water supply and took command launching an aggressive interior fire attack.  The occupant of the house was able to safely escape the structure with his pet. The fire was marked under control at 1711 hours. The Red Cross assisted two residents as a result of this fire. The fire is under investigation.