Alternate Water Sources Needed At Fire During Severe Drought
FEATURES
When the water reservoir for the Borough of Ashland, Pa., started drying up during the drought last November, Fire Chief Thomas Towers and other borough officials began searching for alternate supplies for fire fighting.
Several sources were found or rigged. Most unusual was the million gallons of waste water being treated at the sewage plant. In an emergency, it becomes necessary to consider every possible source, even if questionable at first glance.
Ashland’s emergency came at 9 a.m. on Jan. 24, a Saturday, when an already well-involved fire was reported on Center St. As feared, the reservoir was dry and had been since Dec. 17. Furthermore, the type of construction in the area—wood frame row houses—would contribute to rapid fire spread.
Fortunately, Ashland had a plan ready.
Ashland is one of the many coal mining towns that are located along State Highway 61 running through Schuylkill County. Its population is 5000, and it is famous for the Pioneer Coal Mine, a tourist attraction that brings thousands of visitors to the town during the summer months, and also for the statue of Whistler’s Mother, a gigantic stone work that sits atop a hill at the intersection of Center St. and Hoffman Blvd.
Like most other towns and boroughs along Route 61, it is mostly urban in nature, with very little open suburban area, due to the coal mining. Driving into Ashland, one gets the impression that it is a 1 1/2-mile strip lined with close, clean, row frame dwellings. In fact, the borough is estimated to be 99 percent frame.
Protection is furnished by two fire companies. The Washington Company at 13th and Center Sts. has its station certified as a national historical monument. The American Hose Company is at 7th and Walnut Sts. Equipment consists of two 1000-gpm pumpers, a 750-gpm pumper and one 85-foot aerial ladder. Membership is listed as 50 volunteer fire fighters in each unit.
The department is under the command of Towers and Assistant Chief Edward O’Donnell. Joseph Halko is fire marshal, and William McFadden, assistant fire marshal.
Drinking water found
After it became apparent that drought was seriously affecting the town’s water supply, Borough Manager Douglas Hanley made arrangements (at a cost of $400,000) to begin laying 2000 feet of 10-inch pipe underground from an old stripping pit filled with water at the top of town to the million-gallon town water tank. The water was tested by the State of Pennsylvania and found to be OK for drinking.
In the meantime, Towers began making plans with different fire departments for mutual aid in the event tankers were needed. None was located in Ashland, but the reservoir near Fountain Springs was estimated to still contain 110 million gallons of water that other tankers could use. Charles Guy, county dispatch center coordinator, was instructed to compile a list of all available tankers in Schuylkill County.
Each department was contacted. Would they help? What would be their capacities? How were they equipped.
Mutual aid lined up
Plans were made. A second-alarm request in Ashland would bring a tanker 2 miles from Fountain Springs and a tanker borrowed from the Pennsylvania Department of Forest and Waters would come from Frackville (6 miles). A 1200-gpm pumper would respond from Gordon.
A third alarm would result in the dispatch of seven additional tankers.
When the borough reservoir went dry at 10 a.m. on Dec. 17, Towers immediately asked for two tankers from southern Schuylkill County, even before a fire occurred. The Liberty Hose Company of Schuylkill Haven and the Friendburg Fire Department responded with 5500 gallons of water to be used in case of fire. These units were manned by volunteers from their own companies. They remained for 24 hours until relieved by units from the Deer Lake and the Landingville Fire Departments, and they in turn were followed by tankers from the Ryan Township Fire Department and the Friendship Fire Company of Shamokin.
Pottsville, Pa., Republican photo by Harry Folino
First crisis passes
Fortunately, no fire broke out then. In all, the tankers remained on location in the Ashland fire stations for 96 hours until water started coming in from the pump at the stripping pit and all tankers were relieved.
A 1500-gpm pump on a float was installed in the pit, designed to lower as the water level dropped, but with the severe winter the pump became “frozen” in place. Borough employees had to go out daily and chop away the ice in order for the pump to drop down to the level of the water.
This “emergency” made Towers think of even more preplanning. The borough council was asked to purchase a portable dam capable of holding 2100 gallons of water so that tankers could “drop their load” and go for more water. Council agreed to the purchase.
The next question was where to draw water from. The stripping pit supply was inaccessible because of the terrain. A partial solution was found when the Adukaitis Contracting Company in Frackville loaned the Ashland department a 500-gallon tank truck. (It is still in service in the borough.)
Well, why not?
The real answer came from Sewage Plant Supervisor William Proctor, who came up with a plan to use water from the treatment plant. All water in the plant was directed to the No. 2 clarifier, to be pumped out if needed. The clarifier had a capacity of 94,000 gallons of clear water, plus perhaps a million gallons of other treated waste water, if needed.
The plant is a secondary treatment, activated sludge process plant. It is designed to remove 90 percent of the organic solids, so that it could give the fire department relatively clear water.
In fact, most of the water used on the fire of Jan. 24 was returned to the plant through the sewer system because Ashland has a combined system.
Proctor and Towers took two pumpers down to the plant and held a drill on the drafting operation and the refilling of tankers. They were satisfied they could obtain all the water they needed.
The portable dam arrived on Jan. 23, the night before the fire. Even though it was bitterly cold, Towers called an emergency training session of all personnel for instructions on how to set up and use the tank. It was then placed on the aerial truck, ready for use.
Just in time
The planning stage was completed. How would it work out in actual practice? It did not take long to find out.
Photo by John J. Youskites
The next day Towers was attending a seminar at Palo Alto along with members Joe Halko, Joe Cuthie, Charles Orth and Ed O’Donnell, Jr.
Assistant Chief O’Donnell, Sr., and Assistant Fire Marshal Bill McFadden were the officers in charge. McFadden was at the station of the Washington Fire Company when someone knocked on the door and told him of a “fire up the street.” At the same time, the fire phone rang. McFadden stated, “We’re on the way,” and activated the alarm system. As he pulled out of the station on the first pumper, heavy flames and dense smoke were visible ahead on Center St.
McFadden immediately radioed the dispatch center in Pottsville to “Activate the tanker mutual aid plan to Ashland.” This was first interpreted as a mutual aid call for pumpers until McFadden corrected it: “We have a large fire with reports of people trapped … send all the tankers you can get.”
Attacking the fire
McFadden directed members to lead off with a 2 1/2-inch and two 1 1/2-inch lines from the pumper at the closest hydrant. Fire fighters attempted to enter 1905 Center St., the origin of the fire, where they were informed “people were trapped.” Heavy flames, intense heat and dense smoke prevented their gaining entry in spite of valiant efforts. Trapped in the dwelling were 24-year-old Mary Yoder and her daughter Mellisa, age 4, both of whom perished.
The fire was spreading rapidly in both directions, driven by a western wind and threatening to cross 19th St. to involve a row of dwellings there. First priority was to prevent this. If it did cross, a conflagration of major proportions would have been under way.
The fire spread rather rapidly to the east where it quickly involved 1901-03, a vacant three-story bar and apartment building, and moved westward to ignite a three-story property at 1907. Twin properties at 1909 and 1911, a beauty shop and two apartments, were also soon burning.
While most of the tankers responding were equipped to pump, McFadden (and by this time Towers) and the other assistants were most interested in a “quick drop” into portable tanks and drafting from them.
In all, five portable tanks were set up on Center St. with a capacity of 10,000 gallons of water.
Made a stand
Towers decided a stand had to be made at 1913, a large three-story frame building, and entry was made with lines by fire fighters equipped with SCBA. Outside streams were also concentrated at this point.
Through hard work, the westward march of the fire was halted.
In the meantime, tankers responded from numerous area departments and businesses. Brandonville sent two, as did the Goodwill Fire Company in Frackville (including the one borrowed from the state). Ryan Township and Liberty Fire Company, Schuylkill Haven, each sent a tanker and a portable dam. Tankers also came from Weston and Fountain Springs Fire Departments, plus the Gilberton Coal Company. Jim Ryan, a private contractor, sent one with the Minersville Fire Department.
Fire department pumpers responding on the mutual aid call included Altamont, West Mahanoy Township, Gordon, Centralia, Fountain Springs, Lavelle and Girardville.
Tanker relays
Five holding tanks were set up in the center of the street. With the aid of fire police who rallied from all over Schuylkill County, traffic was diverted completely from busy Route 61. Tankers were directed down Walnut St. about a mile to the sewage plant, where pumpers at draft quickly filled them. They returned up Center St., dropped their contents quickly into a holding tank and rolled back for a refill. Tankers carried an estimated 400,000 gallons of water from the sewage plant to the fire.
As soon as the tanker setup was completed, Ashland shut down the two borough hydrants they had been using, and Hanley estimated that they had used only about 50,000 gallons of the precious city water.
The depth of the tank that pumpers were drafting from was 10 feet. At the sewage plant, Proctor was making an effort to keep the 94,000-gallon tank full, but some of the water became rather “odorous.” Some companies were left with hose lines that did not smell very good as they left the scene, and yet they could not return to the station and clean the hose due to the water shortage.
About noon, Towers declared the fire under control. Local officers and Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal Thomas Slane began concentrating their efforts on finding the bodies in the smoldering ruins. Using the borough’s backhoe and front-end loader, assisted by fire fighters with hand tools, the body of Mrs. Yoder was recovered inside the front door at 2:35 p.m. Her daughter’s body was found 15 feet away at 3:20 p.m. These were the first fire-related deaths in Ashland in over six years.
Successful planning
The Ashland Fire Department had been going over its preplanning for a period of two months. When the emergency arose, Towers stated: “We had practiced with the new setup, and our work paid off.”
With the support of other units from three Pennsylvania counties, Ashland had learned to put out an already wellinvolved fire with a minimum amount of water.
Not only had they averted a possible conflagration, they had at the same time preserved the borough’s precious drinking water supply.
