WPFD was dispatched to Stewart and Burlingame Roads on Monday (4/19/10) for a PCSSD School Bus that caught fire while on the way to school with children on-board. The bus began to smoke from within the engine compartment and the driver evacuated the children quickly before the fire begain to overtake the bus. WPFD was dispatched quickly and worked to control the fire that was fully engulfing the vehicle. Firefighters extinguished the blaze quickly but the vehicle was considered a total loss due to the extent of damage. At least there were no injuries to the occupants or driver in this incident. Only one minor injury was suffered by a responding firefighter. The firefighter is expected to make a full and hopefully a quick recovery.
WPFD and Lake Maumelle FD Fight Structure Fire on Jones Rd.
West Pulaski Fire Department with assistance from Lake Maumelle Fire Department fought to control a large structure fire in an unoccupied home in the Ferndale area. Home owners were out of town when a fire broke out and our department was summoned to the early morning incident on Jones Road. Difficult access to the large home on a hilltop made fighting the fire a challenge as the fire fully engulfed the structure before firefighters arrived. The intensity of the fire made it impossible to save the house. A neighbor heard an explosion then saw flames and called 911. Assistant Chief Greg Brewer described the difficulty, “We’re probably 800 feet off the road back there to it. When you see it from the road burning there’s nothing you can do it’s already through the roof.” He continued, “We’re hauling water with tankers. We’ve hauled in about 25,000 gallons so far. This is a loss for this family and the firefighters who so desperately wanted to save the home.”
Follow this link to the story reported by Fox 16 News:
http://www.fox16.com:80/news/story/Fire-destroys-West-Pulaski-County-home/i9_T66u1_060p6tiOAdYTw.cspx?rss=2413
Newer Tanker #2 – Now In Service!
WPFD is excited about a newer fire vehicle that has just completed construction at Station #2 (Kanis Road). A truck chassis donated by the Arkansas Forestry Commission has been re-purposed as a Fire Tanker truck that will bring thousands of gallons to our fire responses. This vehicle has been designated as our new Tanker #2.
This 1993 International chassis was originally a stakebed truck used by the military for construction material delivery and will now work for us with its 2, cure 000 gallon water tank. After receiving this chassis in October, it was sent to be retrofitted at the ADC fabrication facility in Tucker, look Arkansas to get it in shape for its new life as a fire truck. Four new storage compartments were added, the entire vehicle was sandblasted, painted and then the interior was refurbished.
Firefighters at Station #2 got the truck back in early January and got right to work adding the necessary components to place it in service. Lots of wiring was added to install power controls, emergency lighting, sirens, air-horns, radios, work (scene) lighting, and tools/hardware necessary to get it roadworthy as a fire vehicle.
We are always happy to upgrade our equipment to serve our community better!
Click this link below to see additional pictures that are available at our gallery page for Tanker 2- Retrofit:
http://www.wpfirerescue.org/photo-galleries/apparatus/before-and-after/
WPFD Rescue @ Wildland Medical Extraction
WPFD Firefighters were dispatched for an emergency patient extraction from a heavily wooded timber area recently. Responders coordinated efforts with MEMS Ambulance, thumb Baptist Med-flight, Arkansas Game and Fish Officers, Saline and Pulaski County Sheriff offices to access extremely remote area within timber property to mobilize and extract the patient to a hilltop landing zone for emergency medical airlift to a hospital.
West Pulaski Fire Department responds to all emergency situations in our fire district area. At the time you dial 911 for emergency assistance, all necessary local (and sometimes state agencies) will be summoned as needed to begin the response, no matter what the call may be.
Choose Read More to see some images of the wildland rescue>>>>>>>
WPFD Rescues Injured Climber On Shinall Mountain
WPFD firefighters, treat with the help of LRFD Rescue 2, LRFD Engine 21, and MEMS worked to extricate a fallen climber from Shinall Mountain that suffered a broken ankle after falling 30 feet from a cliff area. See the story below reported by KATV.