(Jan. 5, 2017) The flooding of late 2016 demonstrated to the Snow Hill Volunteer Fire Company that a new station at the north end of its response area is necessary. As a result, the company will present an informational session at the firehouse on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. to explain its perspective to residents.
“We’re going to be answering questions — we’ve received 20 letter this week in support of the effort, and asking questions about the proposal,” Chief Trey Heiser said.
Call volume to the company doubled during the flooding, while access to its response area was halved because of the washout at Snow Hill Road, which took about a month to reopen to traffic. The fire company used an unorthodox, but familiar, tactic for members to serve the area despite limited access.
“We stationed a truck and an ambulance at my parents’ house, and had personnel there,” Heiser said.
From the makeshift station, the department affected 40 service calls, most of which were rescues as motorists tried and failed to ford the floodwaters.
A new station, proposed to be located between Iron Furnace and Millville roads, would alleviate some of the strain.
“It’d be a smaller station with two bays. One for a ambulance and another for a truck,” he said.
Heiser said his fire company has one of the largest service areas in the state. As most of it is rural, there are a limited number of routes available to certain places.
The National Fire Protection Agency in 2014 released an updated standard for the organization and deployment of fire suppression, emergency medical and special operations by volunteer fire departments.
According to this standard, volunteer fire departments should be able to respond with six emergency personnel within 14 minutes to a rural area, which is defined as less than 500 people per square mile. The goal should be met 80 percent of the time, according to the standard.
The distance from the current and only station to some of the farthest points in its district, Heiser said, is 15 miles — and a virtual lock on failing the standard for that call.
A new station located at the north end, and closer to some personnel who already live in the area, would help the company meet the standards.
“The first step is land and we’d either buy or lease,” he said.
The company has been saving money towards building a new facility for a while, but doesn’t have enough to pay for it outright.
“We’d likely have to get a loan,” Heiser said. “But we’d do it on our own.”
“We’re going to be answering questions — we’ve received 20 letter this week in support of the effort, and asking questions about the proposal,” Chief Trey Heiser said.
Call volume to the company doubled during the flooding, while access to its response area was halved because of the washout at Snow Hill Road, which took about a month to reopen to traffic. The fire company used an unorthodox, but familiar, tactic for members to serve the area despite limited access.
“We stationed a truck and an ambulance at my parents’ house, and had personnel there,” Heiser said.
From the makeshift station, the department affected 40 service calls, most of which were rescues as motorists tried and failed to ford the floodwaters.
A new station, proposed to be located between Iron Furnace and Millville roads, would alleviate some of the strain.
“It’d be a smaller station with two bays. One for a ambulance and another for a truck,” he said.
Heiser said his fire company has one of the largest service areas in the state. As most of it is rural, there are a limited number of routes available to certain places.
The National Fire Protection Agency in 2014 released an updated standard for the organization and deployment of fire suppression, emergency medical and special operations by volunteer fire departments.
According to this standard, volunteer fire departments should be able to respond with six emergency personnel within 14 minutes to a rural area, which is defined as less than 500 people per square mile. The goal should be met 80 percent of the time, according to the standard.
The distance from the current and only station to some of the farthest points in its district, Heiser said, is 15 miles — and a virtual lock on failing the standard for that call.
A new station located at the north end, and closer to some personnel who already live in the area, would help the company meet the standards.
“The first step is land and we’d either buy or lease,” he said.
The company has been saving money towards building a new facility for a while, but doesn’t have enough to pay for it outright.
“We’d likely have to get a loan,” Heiser said. “But we’d do it on our own.”