Cover Story New Jersey                                                                                                                               Home

About Us      Contact     Announcements    Events    Editorial     Links     Subscriptions  


Multiple Alarms Need in Hammonton

 

On May 30, 2008, the Hammonton Fire Department Fire Companies Number One and Number Two, in Atlantic County, were dispatched to an alarm of fire at Patriot Storage on Old Egg Harbor Road. Patriot Storage is part of a facility that is also occupied by Universal Products, a building supply company and a manufacturer of wood products such as windows, doors, and home remodeling supplies.


Chief Ruberton arrived to find heavy fire showing from the roof of a 200 x 200 foot block building and requested a second and third alarm simultaneously. This brought fire apparatus from all four fire companies of Mullica Township, Folsom, Newtonville, and Collings Lakes, from Winslow Township, Camden County, and Indian Mills, Burlington County. Immediately after this was accomplished, several Water Tender Task Forces were dispatched; one from Atlantic County, one each from Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties.


A large diameter hose relay was set up along Route 30, utilizing two fire hydrants; one directly at the front of the facility at Old Egg Harbor Road and Route 30, the second several thousand feet west in front of Giles and Ransom on Route 30.


The second plan of attack was to set up dump tanks in the parking lot of the facility, this would allow for one Hammonton engine to pump out of and supply master streams to the fire on the “A” and “B” side of the fire building, while the hydrant at Old Egg Harbor and Route 30 would supply one Hammonton engine to supply the Hammonton tower. A second relay engine pumping from the dump tanks would supply an engine and ladder to cover the “B” and “D” sides of the fire.


Once the water supply was established, an uninterrupted flow of water could be poured onto the fire. A Winslow Township platform was set up directly in front of the fire building and was fed from three separate dump tanks supplied by an engine. Twenty-six water tenders, 15 engines, six ladders, and several other utility vehicles responded and provided assistance for the call. Each water tender delivered approximately 10 loads of water each to the fire scene, as four fill sites were established with two water tenders each being filled at each site. It should be noted that each water tender ran ten loads of water each at 2500 gallons per water tender, and the other engines flowed water onto the fire from 23:45 on Friday to 07:00 hours Saturday. It is estimated that 1,070,000 gallons of water was used to battle the blaze.
 

 -Fire News photos by Dennis C. Sharpe

 


146 South Country Road, Bellport, New York 11713
Phone: 631.776.0500 · Fax: 631.776.1854

Copyright © 2003 Fire News Inc.- All rights reserved.