Right around noon, companies 69 (Lima), 50 (Middletown) & 104-7 (Riddle EMS) were dispatched back to the Granite Run Mall for an odor inside the similar to the one yesterday. Truck69 & Telesqurt50's crews checked the entire mall & discovered that the odor was emanating from the JC Penny's store. Employees were ventilating the lingering fumes from the furnace fire the previous day. The fumes however were traveling into the main mall & causing numerous complaints of sick persons. Riddle EMS handled the complaints & transported some for further evaluation. After a meeting with the fire department, mall management & Middletown Township officials,  it was determined that the best course was to close down the mall completely & allow the whole facility to air our for a couple of hours while the contractors worked inside Penny's to repair the problems. The fire department assisted mall management ensuring a safe & orderly closing of the mall. Units cleared again around 1500 hours. Also assisting on scene were 54 (Lenni), 104 (Riddle EMS), 23(Media EMS) & 59 (Concordville EMS).

Sunday was a busy one for the 69 house. It all started at 0645 hours when the company was dispatched to a building fire at Riddle Memorial Hospital. Truck69 had a crew in station & responded moments after dispatch. The initial report was given as an odor of something burning and smoke coming from the ceiling in the Birth Center. Truck69 & Telesqurt50's crews investigated. It was then determined that the cause was a malfunctioning towel warmer in the hallway and the odor/smoke was carried through the HVAC unit. Additional companies on scene were: 54 (Lenni), 73 (Rose Tree), 72 (Aston Beechwood), 71 (Chester Heights), RIT45 (Parkside) & M1047-D (Riddle EMS). Later on at 1142 hours, the TAC and Engine responded to a dumpster fire. Upon arriving on scene the residents controlled the fire by shoveling snow into the dumpster, however we still utilized a hand-line to extinguish the remaining smoldering fire. Then right after the fire was extinguished, 69 & 50 (Middletown) were dispatched to the Granite Run Mall at 1151 hours for an odor of diesel inside the JC Penny store. Initial investigations showed very high CO readings. Lima Firefighters made entry to the furnace room & found heavy smoke conditions inside. There was a oil burner malfunction in the furnace room and the air handling system carried the odor throughout the entire mall. Once the source was located, crews secured the furnace as well as the air handlers & ventilated the remaining CO. Units operated on scene til just before 1500 hours. Also assisting were companies: 54 (Lenni), 50 (Middletown), 73 (Rose Tree), 72 (Aston Beechwood), 45 (Parkside), 52 (Brookhaven), 65 (Garden City), 16 (Yeadon), 23 (Media EMS) & 104 (Riddle EMS). Truck63 (Green RIdge) also covered station 69. 

Thank you to the members who came up to staff the station during the storm. The company ran a vehicle crash as well as a couple EMS assists. During the down time, a handful of members took in some EMS training while others prepared meals, shoveled the parking lot & cleaned up the fire storage area.  With another storm on the horizon, we will spend the next couple of days getting everything back in order just to start all over again. Any members who may be available Tuesday night into Wednesday are asked to come up if you can & staff the station.

About 7pm last night, the 2nd Nor'Easter of the winter season moved into the region. Within a few hours the road conditions had begun to deteriorate. The storm is expected to drop about 24" of snow on the area & continue until late Saturday evening.

** ATTENTION RESIDENTS **

Help us help you. With the large amount of snow falling, it is important to keep fire hydrants from being blocked by vehicles & clear of snow. If you, your neighbor or your business has a fire hydrant located on the property, please assist us by clearing the snow from around the hydrants.

On Saturday January 23, the 69 house had a 3 call day. Around 0300 hours, Company69 was dispatched to a carbon monoxide alarm. The Riddle medics were already on scene for an unrelated emergency when their personal CO alarms activated. Upon arrival Engine69's crew was informed that the carbon monoxide was caused by a motor vehicle running in the garage. The elevated CO levels quickly dissipated once the source was secured. Engine69's crew checked the rest of the home & also assisted the medics. Ambulance 697A was also on location & assisted the medics. Later that day at 1320 hours, TAC69 was dispatched to a crash reported on route 352 by Williamson Trade School. With a crew already in station, the TAC was on the street within minutes to the scene of a two car crash. No injuries were found & the scene was turned over to the State Police.  No sooner did the TAC's crew get back to station & hang their gear up, the company was dispatched to another motor vehicle crash, deer versus motorcycle, near the WAWA Dairy Farms. The 69 crew assisted the medics & helped with traffic control. Riddle medics transported a couple of patients to area hospitals with minor injuries. The police are still on the lookout for the deer that fled the scene.......

At 2310 hours companies 54 and 50 and Medic 104-7 were dispatched to 263 Glen Riddle Rd, in Co54's local, for a motor vehicle crash. Upon arrival of Medic 104-7 at 2316 hours the assignment was upgraded to a motor vehicle crash with entrapment, adding company 69. At 23:17 TAC 69 was responding with a crew of 5 Vehicle Rescue Technicians. Upon arrival, TAC 69's Officer assumed command. The 69 crew assisted with extrication and clean-up and became available around midnight. Good work to all on scene.

Just after 11:30am, the 9-1-1 communications center began receiving calls for a possible vehicle crash into the Ridley Creek, just off Knowlton & Fox Rds. in Company 50's local (Middletown) . Fireboard dispatched the township "entrapment" response bringing Co's 50, 51 (South Media), 54 (Lenni), 69, ambulance 52 (Brookhaven), Medic 45 (Parkside) and Medic 100 (Crozer Chester Medical Center). 50-9 (Chief Tull) went responding & was immediately advised that Fireboard was in telephone contact with the driver of the vehicle. She said she was still inside the vehicle, floating down the creek & that her passenger had exited the vehicle, attempting to swim to shore.  Chief Tull advised the caller was still inside the car & the passenger was clinging to a log just off shore. He asked Fireboard to dispatch swift water rescue teams from 23 (Media) and 54 (Lenni) as well as 65 (Garden City) and Rescue 52 (Brookhaven). Crews responded & worked feverishly for almost an hour in the freezing temperatures & icy waters to rescue the victims. Crews from 50, 51, 65 & 52 rescued the passenger from the swift waters while crews from 69 & 23 worked utilizing Truck 69 to reach the stranded occupant in the middle of the creek. Both victims were rescued within an hour & transferred to local hospitals for evaluation & treatment. Numerous firefighters were also taken to area hospitals for possibly hypothermia. 

News footage can be found at the links below.

**Photos courtesy of Dannon Voight**

What started off as a light rain this morning quickly turned roads all over Delaware County to an icy nightmare. About 0830hrs, Co73 (Rose Tree) & EMS-23 (Media) were dispatched to the Media Bypass (Rt.1) Northbound in the are of Ridley Creek Rd for an Accident w/ Entrapment. Chief 73-9 (McCain) went responding & asked Fireboard to add Co.69 to the assignment. Engine69 was crewed up & out the door moments after dispatch. Chief 73-9 arrived with a vehicle on its side & 1 occupant inside. Eng69 arrived, along with Rescue 73 & began stabilization & extrication. Both crews worked well & had the occupant extricated in just over 10 minutes. As Eng69 was operating on the accident, Ambulance 697 & 7A were dispatched for a crash on the Blue Route (I-476).  Just as Eng69 cleared from the first crash, Fireboard notified us of another crash on Rose Tree Rd & Heilbron Dr in Middletown Twp. Eng69 responded & had 697A redirected to assist since no other EMS was available.  Crews found a vehicle unoccupied & no hazards at that crash. Immediately following that, Eng69 & 697A responded to Old Forge Rd & Darlington Rd for a multiple vehicle crash. Crews found an SUV overturned. All occupants were already out of the vehicle & no injuries were reported as well. The Engine's crew secured the scene until road crews could mitigate the icing conditions & PA State Police arrived on the scene. Units were back in quarters just after 1100hrs.

The Lima Fire Company is once again proud to be a collection site for the Marine Corp's Toys for Tots Program. We are seeking help from all our members, friends, relatives and neighbors to make this year more successful than the last. The goal of the Marine Corp's Toys for Tots Program is to collect new unwrapped toys during the months of October, November & December and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to children in OUR community who are in need. Please take a couple of minutes during your shopping this holiday season to pick out a toy for a child and drop if off at the fire station. The joy it will bring them this Christmas will make it well worth it. For more information, visit the Marine Corp Toys for Tots website link below, stop by the firehouse at 1174 W Baltimore Pike or call us at  610-565-3736.

After a couple years of planning & meetings as well as months of construction, the new Tac69 arrived today. It made the journey from Southern Fire Service & Sales in Jasper, Georgia to Lima over the last few days. A group of members were on hand to escort & welcome the Tac to its' new home. Over the next few weeks, the truck will be outfitted with its' new equipment & all the members will be thoroughly trained on it before it is placed in service. Congratulations to the apparatus committee for a job well done, thank you to Southern Fire for making a beautiful piece of equipment and also a huge thank you to Dean Keyes Towing of Media for getting our new addition home flawlessly. Feel free to stop by Station 69 to check it out.