The PennStar 4 Medical helicopter based at Reading was forced to make an emergency landing at Reading Regional Airport due to mechanical problems. No one was injured during the incident, however there was a patient on board at the time. The disabled helicopter was forced to sit in the middle of Runway 18 until a tug crew could be called in to remove it to a hangar.

Since the incident occurred during a time when the airport is not staffed, Greenfields Firefighters were requested to assist the aeromedical crew with transferring the patient from the disabled helicopter to an awaiting ambulance. Upon the arrival of fire units, the patient transfer had already been completed. Firefighters assisted the pilot with flares to mark the position of the disabled helicopter on the runway.

The Reading Airport Control Tower is out of service between midnight and 6AM. Harrisburg Tower was notified and  monitored the airspace to warn aircraft inbound to Reading to utilize an alternate runway.

Captain Brian Fisher organized another training site drill; this time to review ground ladder operations. The basics of ground ladder safety were reviewed and different types of resuces were practiced.

Participating firefighters each had several opportunities to refresh themselves on this most basic and necessary firefighter operations. 

Schuylkill Valley EMS came to Station 55 on Monday evening to participate in Captain Fisher\'s EMS familiarization drill.

Crews practiced patient stabilization and packaging techniques as well as loading patients into the ambulance. Several practical scenarios were held at the end of the night to test the personnel on what they were taught.

Thanks to Captain Fisher and Medic Fred Massa from Schuylkill Valley EMS for the training.

The Berks Heim (the Berks County Nursing Home in Bern Township) held their annual Fire Prevention Day on Monday October 6th.

The day started with a visit to the Heim Building by five students from Millmont Elementary School in the city. The school held a fire prevention poster contest and the students at the Heim were the winners of the contest.

Berks Heim Security Director Ed Ratajczak handed out awards to each of the students and had them briefly describe their winning posters. Firefighters from Greenfields Fire Company then presented a program demonstrating the turnout gear and equipment that firefighters use while performing a search and rescue operation. The firefighters emphasized that the equipment is not meant to scare anyone, and people inside a smoke filled building should go to firefighters for help.

Later that evening, fire crews from Greenfields, Mount Pleasant, West Reading and Leesport Fire Companies participated in an evacuation drill on the 3rd floor of the B-wing at the Heim building. A smoke machine was used to simulate fire conditions and the staff was ordered to evacuate residents from the wing to a safer part of the building. Once the staff evacuated all residents, some staff members went back into the residents' rooms so firefighters could practice their search and rescue operation.

Fire crews donned SCBA and  performed a primary and secondary search of the wing,  locating all 10 "victims" who were then led to another part of the building. Firefighters also connected a high rise pack to the interior standpipe connection and stretched that dry attack line to the seat of the simulated fire.

Once again all participants worked together and performed well to complete the operation.

As always, we thank Mount Pleasant, West Reading and Leesport for all your help.

The crew from Company 55 spent their weekly drill night at the Berks County Training Site this past Monday to review standpipe and hydraulic ventilation practices in the drill tower.

As always, Captain Brian Fisher had an activity packed session planned where crews connected an attack line to the fire department standpipe inside the drill tower stairwell. The line was then advanced up to the fire floor and into the fire room. Crews sprayed water to extinguish a simulated fire and then positioned the hose out the window to ventilate the room.

Several evolutions were practiced before the crews returned to station and followed with a "debriefing" session at Malibooz.

Two vehicles collided on a rain-soaked Route 183, in front of the Bern Church, near Palisades Drive. No one was injured in the collision which required the closure of Route 183 for over two hours. 

One of the vehicles involved was a pick-up truck hauling a trailer with four ATV's and several gasoline containers. The impact caused the trailer to fail, launching the ATV's and the gas cans in different directions. Most of the gasoline containers landed on the road and spilled their contents.

Firefighters from Greenfields and Mount Pleasant used absorbent to contain the spilled gasoline and absorbent pads to protect a storm drain. 

PennDOT was requested to the scene to spread sand over the highway to aid in traction. Fire Police from Greenfields, Bernville and Lower Heidelberg kept Route 183 closed until PennDOT arrived. 

Greenfields and several other mutual aid Fire Departments participated in the tri-annual Reading Airport Emergency Preparedness Exercise held Saturday morning. Bern Police, Western Berks EMS, Muhlenberg and several other EMS squads participated as well.

There were two scenarios involving emergency workers at the drill. The first exercise was a simulated breech of the security area while passenger were boarding an airliner. Bern Township Police were called in to take an individual into custody who threatened passengers and also stated that he planted an explosive device somewhere in the terminal building. The Police, with the assistance of a bomb sniffing dog from the Berks Lehigh Police Department, performed a room by room search of the building to find the device. Once the device was found, the area was secured until the device was neutralized.

The second scenario was unrelated to the first, but involved a small fire in the galley of the aircraft which created a smoke condition on the aircraft. the 29 passengers on board the aircraft at the time needed to be evacuated from the aircraft and placed into triage depending on the severity of their injuries.

Firefighters and Reading Airport ARFF personnel  evacuated all passengers from the aircraft in short order. EMS personnel attended to and transported the injured passengers to Reading Hospital.

All in all, the drill went very well and all who participated were reminded of the potential we face at Reading for serious incidents.

We appreciate the willingness of the Mount Pleasant, West Reading, Spring Township, Leesport and the City of Reading Fire Departments to assist us with this drill. We are glad to know we can count on your help.

Greenfields, Mount Pleasant and West Reading Firefighters were dispatched to an automatic fire alarm activation in the basement of the Riveredge on Bernville Road early Saturday evening.

Upon their response, Captain Brian Fisher was notified of a report of smoke in the building. Captain Fisher immediately upgraded the alarm to a Structure Response, adding Goodwill of Hyde Park and Spring Township Fire Department for their Rapid Intervention Team.

Company 55 personnel arrived and found a medium smoke condition in the basement resulting from a fire inside a dryer used to dry cleaning towels for the establishment. The burning contents of the dryer were removed and set outside where Engine 55-1 extinguished the smoldering towels.

Deputy Chief Phil Haupt assumed Incident Command and ordered a ventilation operation set up as well as a search for fire extension.  The search found no signs of fire extension.

The dryer was placed out of service and emergency crews were released once the smoke had vented.

Thanks to all our mutual aid Fire Companies for your quick response and assistance.

Two vehicles were involved in a rear-end collision on the Route 222 southbound entrance ramp from Route 183 in Bern Township.

Greenfields and Mount Pleasant Firefighters had to pry open the rear hatch of a mini-van to extricate an injured patient from the vehicle.

The patient was transported to an area hospital. No condition was known.

Immediately after this incident, Greenfields personnel were requested to assist the Bern Township Police at a large sink hole which opened off Route 183 in the area of Macarthur Road.

The hole, which may have been caused by a water main break, was approximately 5 feet round and 10 feet deep. Firefighters and Fire Police barricaded the area until utility personnel arrived to mitigate the problem.

Greenfields Fire Company was dispatched to a crash where the driver of a car apparently lost control of the vehicle while traveling north on Route 222 near the Tulpehocken Creek Bridge. The car rolled up an embankment and eventually flipped on to its roof.

The female driver was seriously injured and had to be removed from the vehicle by rescue personnel from the Spring Township Fire Department.  

Fire Police closed the northbound lanes of Route 222 between Spring Ridge Drive and Route 183 for about one hour until the scene was cleared.

The incident was originally dispatched as being in Spring Township, however Police arrived and found it to be in Bern Township. Responding units from Spring Township were requested to continue to the scene to assist with the extrication of the patient.

Mount Pleasant and Wyomissing Fire Companies also assisted with Fire Police.

The driver of a car traveling west on County Welfare Road apparently did not see the end of the road at Palisades Drive and careened across Palisades Drive into a field, striking a utility pole.

The driver , who was not injured, escaped the vehicle prior to the arrival of emergency personnel.

Wires were down around the vehicle and power was out in the area.

Greenfields and Mount Pleasant Fire Companies responded and contacted Met-Ed to confirm power was shut off  to the area.

At the same time, the two Fire Companies were also dispatched to a transformer fire in the 1500 of Hilltop Road, which was found to be related to this incident.

The power outage also shut off all the traffic lights on Route 183  between Van Reed Road and West Leesport Road. Fire Police set up temporary stop signs to control traffic at those intersections.

Power was restored after about two hours. 

A 1970 Triumph TR6 Roadster caught fire while the owner was driving the vehicle on Grange Road.

The owner reported that the car began to sputter and lose power and then smoke began to pour from the engine compartment.

Leesport Engine 37-1 was the first apparatus to arrive on scene and found the car well involved. Firefighters quickly knocked down the flames and extinguished the fire.

Unfortunately,  the car sustained heavy damage from the fire.

The owner was in the process of restoring the car and has vowed to restore it again.

Fire and police units were on the scene for approximately one hour until the vehicle was towed.   

Two vehicles collided at the intersection of Route 183 & West Leesport Road injuring one driver. The driver's injuries were not reported to be serious.

Firefighters from Greenfields and Mount Pleasant Fire Companies assisted EMS with patient care and packaging as well as controlling fluids leaking from both vehicles.

Traffic was slowed around the intersection for about 45 minutes until the scene was cleared. 

A Cessna Citation 550 was landing on Runway 31 at Reading Airport when it struck a tractor mowing grass along the side of the runway. The impact sheared the right wing off the jet and resulted in a spill of Jet A fuel along the runway.

Thankfully neither the pilot or co-pilot in the jet, nor the Reading Aiport employee operating the tractor mower were injured. 

The Control Tower immediately called 911 and Greenfields and Mount Pleasant Fire Departments were dispatched.

Firefighters arrived and found the jet sitting on the runway, leaking fuel out of its damaged wing and also the center of the aircraft. Greenfields Engine 55 immediately set up foam line to protect firefighters. Oil dry was then applied to contain the fuel spill.

Goodwill Fire Department arrived with their Haz-Mat trailer and applied absorbent pads and drain covers to the storm sewer grates near the impact scene.

West Reading and Spring Township Fire Departments were also dispatched to provide extra personnel to assist with the spill control operation.

Once the spill was mitigated, the aircraft was towed from the scene back to a hangar at Tower Aviation. Goodwill's "Foam 10" escorted the aircraft back to the hagar as a pre-caution.

Fire units were on the scene for about 90 minutes until the incident was stabilized.

Fire Police were utilized to control acces to the airport operations area at Gate 3.

A clean-up then crew arrived from Elk Environmental to begin the removal and disposal of the hazardous debris from the incident.

The Reading Airport remained open throughout the incident utilizing Runway 36 as the primary runway.

The Cessna aircraft is owned by Drug Plastics and Glass Company of Boyertown, Pa. The aircraft  had reportedly just landed at Reading after a short flight from Pottstown Airport. Of the 150 gallons of fuel on board the aircraft at the time of the impact, approximately 35 gallons leaked on to the runway. 

Crews from Reading Jet Center had witnessed the impact and arrived on scene immediately afterward to render assistance and begin to control the fuel spill.

An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident.

A Big THANK YOU to all the crews from Mount Pleasant, Goodwill, West Reading and Spring Township Fire Departments for your assistance.

The volunteer Emergency Services members of Greenfields Fire Company held our 2nd Annual Company 55 Picnic on Monday evening July 28th.

Plenty of food and activities were enjoyed, including a pick-up touch football game.

The purpose of the event was to express our gratitude for all the work our volunteers perform at calls and especially training details every Monday night.

Also a thanks to the crew from Mount Pleasant Fire Company who also attended our event.