South Strabane Fire Chief Wants 24/7 Department Staffing
SOUTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - The South Strabane fire chief says it took eighteen minutes for his crews to respond to a fire that engulfed Thomas Campbell Apartments in December, killing one woman and displacing dozens of people.
The chief says the township has been talking about staffing his department 24/7 for years and now he says this fire has given them even more reason. He's hoping he can be staffed around the clock in the next month or so.
The fire happened at Thomas Campbell Apartments just two days before Christmas, around 12:30 in the morning when a fire started in the kitchen of a sixth floor unit. Nearly 50 people were displaced from their homes. One resident, 78-year-old Frances Venen was hurt and died a few days later.
South Strabane Fire Chief Scott Reese says his full-time staff had gone home at 11 p.m. so it was up to volunteers to fight the fire.
"The on-scene records, all the timestamps by Washington Control Center, that was showing 18 minutes on arrival of our truck," said Reese. "It's not an acceptable time for anybody."
Reese says the city of Washington, a 24/7 department that was called for mutual aid, responded in five minutes. He says responding in four to six minutes is ideal based on a fire service study the township conducted. However, when it comes to the response of volunteers in any department, he says there are a lot of factors to consider.
"Which is people getting out of bed, getting dressed, getting to the station, getting dressed again then getting apparatus and getting on scene," said Reese.
Township Manager Brandon Stanick says the fire department has nine full-time staff with two new hires coming on in a few months and 12 active volunteers. He says the township has the funds and the go-ahead from the firefighters union to make the department 24/7. It's just a matter of getting all the ducks in a row.
"Given we are the largest commercial corridor in Washington County," said Stanick. "We are also an interstate community which also zaps some resources from fireside in responding to accidents that can happen on the interstate."
Frances Venin's best friend Jody Mullis who also lives at Thomas Campbell Apartments says an 18-minute response time is unacceptable and is on board with a 24/7 department.
"There would've been more people to make sure everyone would've got out adequately," said Mullis.
She says every minute matters, especially when it comes to saving lives.
"Frannie was a wonderful person. She was a kind, caring person. She loved her neighbors and friends," said Mullis.
KDKA's Amy Wadas asked Reese if he thought having a 24/7 staff would've made a difference in saving Frances Venen's life.
"The first company on scene, a lot of challenges there. If we would've been there in two minutes, it probably would've still been the same because of the style of the building. The age of the building and fire suppression system not there, non-sprinkler in building," said Reese.
Reese they can make the fire department 24/7 with 11 full-time firefighters, but ideally, he says the goal is to have 12, and he says the station is still hiring.