RFD Engine Co. 6, "The Pride of Southeast Roanoke"

12th St. SE Working Fire

2010-07-27T23:42:00.008-04:00

On the afternoon of 7/13 around 1500 crews from the southside battalion received a call for smoke coming from a dwelling. Initial crews responding were E6, E8, E1, L1, M6, BC1, & RS1. Arriving first was E6 who advised heavy fire showing from the Bravo side, making this a working fire. Additional units responding were E11 & M1. Initial crews entered the structure & found a kitchen fire which was quickly extinguished a few minutes later, isolating the majority of the fire damage to the kitchen area w/ heavy smoke damage to the rest of the residence. All searches revealed no one inside the home at the time the fire started & there were no injuries during the incident. Job well done!!! (photos courtesy of PIO Tiffany Bradbury).

Station 6 A-shift crew members from L-R:
Lt. Kelcey Branch, FF/PM Derek Surratt, FF/EMT Brad Creasy, FF/EMT-I Adam Troutt,
FF/EMT David Wray, (not pictured) Capt. Todd Stone.

Spring Cleaning on the First Day

2010-05-25T13:06:00.008-04:00

Today is the first day back for A-shift & it has proven to be pretty busy so far, well, for the Medic unit that is; five runs before noon & the HTR truck almost getting out of the house on a vehicle into a house in NW earlier. And if you haven't visited the #6 firehouse recently you've missed out on "Operation: Paint our Firehouse". The painter is doing a great job & the change is very welcome. In doing so alot of the furniture had to be moved & it was discovered that certain areas of the floor needed some attention. Last cycle was fairly steady but w/ no real significant runs to report on. Last cycle on Sunday the 16th, companies on the South Side were invited to a community picnic on Highland AV here in SE. Companies included were E6, M6, E11, E8, M8, E1, L1, & M1. There was plenty of food to be eaten & City Councilman Court Rosin also attended the event. Below are some pictures of the event, including a special Texas Ranger badge presentation made by FF Andy Foley to Capt. Todd Stone. Now he has the badge to go w/ the denim jacket haha!! On our last day we had a special guest come eat w/ us for dinner. Ladies this is Roanoke's newest most eligible bachelor, "Roc" Sink. Roc has been a long time friend of many of the firemen & visits on occassion to catch up on firehouse gossip & to see how everyone is doing. Stay tuned, you never know what we will be in next.

City Councilman Court Rosin discussing politics with company officers.

"Chuck Norris doesn't need the badge, the badge needs Chuck Norris".

Roanoke's newest most eligible bachelor "ROC".

Welcome back Creasy, but you missed a spot!!!

Busy Middle Day for A-Shift

2010-05-09T22:24:00.011-04:00

When you think of Sundays, you typicall think of a nice relaxing day where not much goes on & everything is kind of QUIET, right? Wrong, most of the time Sundays are a busy day for this department as well as the local hospitals. We see everything from people becoming overly-relaxed & stuffing themselves on good ole Sunday luch until they have made themselves sick, to people making up excuses & suddenly "coming down w/ something" to get out of work. That's right folks, people really do fake a weekend illness to not have to go to work on Monday morning. Today has been one of those busy days for us here in Southeast. Up to this point the medic unit has totaled in at nine runs & the Engine w/ five runs not including a Swiftwater Rescue Team deployment a few hours ago for a stranded boater. Thankfully, E11 personnel were able to assist the boater to the shore line w/o utilizing the SRT & cancelled the team, putting multiple pieces back in service that had to be marked out to to get the necessary bodies to #6 to deploy. And just now, the Engine had to mark out of service to take the air-bottle truck to our brothers on the Northside for a residential fire, as well as dropping off two other personnel from this station to Station 1; The Big Show, so that the Fire Investigators could respond to the fire. See folks, even after you go to bed, out of the ordinary things still happen around here & we adapt to the changes to still provide the protection that everyone here vowed to provide. I also want to congratulate the members of the Roanoke Rampage Football team that traveled to Orlando,FL this weekend to play football for charity. Even though we sustained another loss (13-23), the team was finally able to pull the offense together & put a few points on the board. I spoke to some of the team members earlier in the day & they all say they feel great & are having a blast. Our next & final battle of the season will be in June when we take on the Charlotte Cobras. This will prove to probably be the toughest challenge our team has faced thus far. Have fun & be safe down there guys. Below are some action shots caught on a MVC the Engine & Medic ran in early afternoon. The driver sustained a minor injury to the hand & did not wish to be transported. The rest of you, be safe out there tonight & stay tuned, there may be more action to unfold tonight.

What does Brad do when he's not "Chiefin" in Bedford????

Drive-Thru Service

2010-05-02T22:50:00.010-04:00

The last two days of the cycle here have been fairly quiet. The first day after the daily checks & morning duties both units, well I guess I should say the medic unit had a few runs w/ two minor MVC's back to back in northeast w/ our neighbors from #14 firehouse. After a wonderful meal of homemade tuna salad provided by the Good Son the medic unit ran a few more runs. While on one of the nine runs we had in the afternoon, companies on the northside were called to the 7-11 on Williamson Rd for a car that had ran through the building. Upon arrival of E5 they found what you will see below. HTR6 was requested for collapse hazard & crews went to work stabilizing the support beams, installing two T-spot shores. After returning to quarters, dinner was a little delayed but nevertheless, delicious & much needed. Believe it or not, both units slept all night; a rare occasion here in Southeast. The last day has been a nice break from training all day on the first day & a busy second half of the day on Friday. As of now only seven for the "box" & only two for the engine. Folks, please take this advice; if you call 911 from your cell phone when passing by what you think could be an emergency, stay put until help arrives!! I think I speak for everyone in this business when I say that it is very frustrating & could potentially cause someone their life if you call 911 reporting an emergency & don't stay to show us where it is. Time after time we have seen it where we are dispatched to a location, sometime a full compliment (engines, ladders, battalions, ems supervisors, medic units), only to find that there is either no emergency found or the wrong location was given by the caller; think about it. Stay safe out there!!!

T-Spots placed by members of the HTR team.

View From The High Life

2010-04-28T15:58:00.012-04:00

Yes folks, we're back!!! I know it's about time since we haven't put anything on here in about 2-3 months but really, how many of you want to hear about how many times we go out for "man-down" calls, or how many times we get called to respond w/ PD & disgregarded?? Don't get me wrong, we do run our fair share of legitiment runs but the majority of them do require more PD intervention rather than a trip to the hospital. We haven't built a table to keep track of like or fellow brethern of the Melrose Misfits , and since dispatch isn't in our first due territory we can't really go down there & hang out. By the way, I know it's a little late, but I would like to thank our dispatchers for all they do. They do a great job & w/o them what would we do. I like to give you the more interesting stuff we do here at #6, not just the everyday same old ordinary runs. Such as today, we had Division 6 HTR (Heavy & Tactical Rescue) training w/ our neighbors from Salem. Along w/ their personnel we were given four different scenarios w/ trapped victims that required movement of the body using different haul systems w/ live rescue personnel tethered to the stokes. This was excellent training that gave us real possible scenarios where anchor points may be limited. Special thanks to the training division for putting this together. Below you will see some of the pictures of todays training excersises. I did have one video that has been giving me a hard time getting it loaded, but I will keep trying to get it on here. Have a great day & stay safe out there.

Making the final adjustments before our dummy takes to the air

Charles Wilkins of Salem FD

The HAUL Team

We Be Rowin'!

2010-01-20T00:55:00.003-05:00

Today is the first day back for A-Shift & vacation sign-up day but it has been a typical unpredictable day. As I'm sure most of you know by following the news & local media, a 2 y/o child was reported abducted last week from a local residence. Area & federal officials have worked around the clock to try & locate him & today the Swiftwater Rescue Team took part in those efforts. We joined teams from around the state including many state, local, & federal police agencies, both urban & wilderness search & rescue organizations, & K9 SAR groups. The swiftwater rescue team was privlaged enough to be able to spend time w/ K9 SAR team that specialized in cadaver searches. Thanks alot to handlers Bidwell & Shrewsberry & K9 Petra from Powhatan,VA for not only assisting in the search but educating the team on operating w/ a K9 in the boat. After operations had ceased we returned to clean all the gear & finally go get some grub. If you haven't eaten at Blues BBQ down on the market, you need to visit this establishment. You won't be dissapointed with the food & an overall good atmosphere. Below you will find some shots captured today of the swiftwater operation. Stay safe out there!!

A New Group In the East

2010-01-15T02:06:00.004-05:00

Starting tomorrow, each shift will have at least one new person to join their individual crews. Below is a list of the individuals per shift that will be assigned to The Pride Of Southeast.

A-Shift
Capt. Todd Stone
Lt. Kelcey Branch
FF/EMT David Wray
FF/EMT Brad Creasy
FF/EMT-I Adam Troutt
FF/PM Derek Surratt

B-Shift
Capt. Alan Austin
Lt. Jeff Peay
FF/EMT Kevin Taylor
FF/EMT-I Zach Slayton
FF/EMT-I Brad Dinwiddie
FF/EMT James "Red" Williams

C-Shift
Capt. Scott Mutter
Lt. Baron "Smurf" Gibson
FF/EMT-I Davel Muse
FF/EMT-I Josh Compton
FF/EMT Joseph Boswell
FF/EMT Jarod Tryal

"Y'all be safe" (Lt. Todd McFall)

Last Day of A-Shift As We Know It

2010-01-14T23:37:00.016-05:00

Today Thursday January 13, 2010 marks the end as A-shift as we know it. With all of the moves that occured, not too many stations & shifts were passed over. Here at #6 firehouse all three shifts sustained big changes. Effective tomorrow, B-shift will be losing FF Karim Thompson to #4 firehouse on C-shift. In his place, FF Kevin Taylor will be reporting to the greater SE district tomorrow. Effective first day of C-shifts return, FF/EMT-I David Lucas will be reporting to #3 A-shift it's first day back. In his place FF/EMT-I Davel Muse will be back returning from 7C, just can't get away can ya pal haha. And effective A-shifts first day back next cycle, Lt Kelcy Branch from The Big Show (1A) & FF Brad Creasy from The Raleigh Court Xpress (7A) will be joining us. In return, these gains have cost us on A-shift the loss of Lt. Todd McFall to Ladder 1 A-shift, & FF/(future EMT-I) Rusy Zimmerman to 9A until the new #5 firehouse opens in March.

pictured above is when Todd was assigned to Firehouse #3 (the real 3) w/ Lt. Jason Crouch, Lt. Chris Decker, FF/PM Justin Heinz "57", FF/EMT Adam Fleming, & now BC Terry King).

Lt. Ted McFall spent his last day here enjoying time w/ the men that he has come to tolerate haha over the past 5yrs, as the chaueffer on Engine 6. Over the past five yrs Lt. Tim McFall has gained alot of experience as not only the chaueffer but also periods of riding the hot seat on the Engine & the medic unit. Lt. McFall is one of two Lt.'s that still ride one day/cycle as an ALS provider on the medic unit. He has countlessly stepped up to the plate when other medics have been either on vacation or injured & served more than his share of sleepless nights on the SE Medic Unit. Tim brought to the table many years of volunteer experience from his years at the Hollins Fire Station in Roanoke County as well as working for LCM & Roanoke County dispatch before becoming "a paid guy". Many memories have been made over the last five years but nothing will follow him better than the 100 item list of things he WILL NOT eat & the ever so famous sayings such as, "Y'all be safe", "I've got half a minds to write you up!", and "Ain't Nothin' Between Us But Air & Opportunity". Good luck Roger! Today Lt. Tom McFall was treated to his favorite meals. Below you will see breakfast & supper but unfortunately due to calls received at lunch time, the oh so famous meatball sub was not captured. Did I mention that he volunteered at Hollins, worked for LCM & dispatched for Roanoke County? If I didn't, just ask 'em, he'll tell you haha. All jokes aside, Todd you will be missed by the guys & citizens here in Southeast. Take care & good luck in your new assignment.

photo of Ted on a fire on Sweetbriar AV SW (courtesy of Roanokefirefighters.com)

Breakfast of Champions (not pictured, Arbys gravy/biscuit)

And supper, The Loaded Calzone (and yes all you race fans, he is in fact a Jr. fan).

THE LIST!!!!!!!!!

Also pictured below is FF Rusty Zimmerman. Rusty came to the Fire-EMS department in 2005 & has spent time at #11, #7, & #6. Rusty has spent the last nine months preparing for the EMT-I class that is currently going on & will be reporting to 9A the first day back next cycle. Unfortunately Rusty was unable to join us for a last cycle due to him receiving adjusted hours for the cycle for EMT-I class. Below are a few pics of Rusty that we dug up from the archives. Best of luck Rusty in your new assignement, & Misfits, getcha some earplugs haha.

"I'm not yellin', this is just how I talk"!!!!

Rusty pitoing a hydrant during the annual Spring hydrant flow.

"Just a lil more off the top Kincer".

Summer '09 Highland AV SE residential fire.

Rusty w/ son Aiden at the Layman Family Farm

Rusty & the rest of the A-shift crew minus Capt. Stone on a 5th St. attic fire.

Roanoke City says Goodbye to Another One of Its Own

2009-12-26T01:41:00.005-05:00

1952-2009

It is with great sadness that the Roanoke Fire-EMS Dept. announces the passing of Retired BC Billy Obenchain on Wednesday December 23, 2009. BC Obenchain has been battling a long fight against cancer for the past nine years. After 33 years of service in the department, his final assignement was as the Northside Battalion Chief on C-shift, housed in the #2 firehouse in Northeast Roanoke, where he retired in 2006. Funeral arrangements are as follows: Viewing will be held at Vinton Oakeys on December 27 from 1-4 & 6-9. Funeral service will be December 28 at Vinton Baptist Church at 1100 with the graveside service being held at Mountainview Cemetary. If there are any personnel that will not be attending the funeral & can work for anyone that would like to attend the services please contact Capt. Doug Rorrer via e-mail with a number you can be reached at. (below photo courtesy of Mike Overacker & RoanokeFirefighters.com)

House Saved in SE

2009-12-08T12:28:00.008-05:00

The middle day for the crew of Engine 6 proved to be an eventful day. The Medic unit stayed busy throughout the day with the Engine catching a few runs as well. All, yes i said ALL of the downtime was spent preparing for upcoming promotional tests. I want to wish the best of luck to all the candidates but especially to three of our very own on A-Shift; Lt. Todd McFall who will be testing for 1st Lieutenant on Wednesday December 9, & FF David Wray & FF/Medic Adam Troutt, both of which will be testing for Lieutenant today. Good luck guys, you all have worked & studied very hard for this. Just as the studying was winding down around 2230 crews from E6,E1,E11,L1,M6,BC1,& RS1 were dispatched to the area of 5th St. & Bullitt AV SE for a fire in a house. Just after pulling out of the house, heavy smoke could be seen & BC1 immediately requested the dispatch of L7 b/c L1's crew was in HTR6 (no aerial ladder & only a 6ft ground ladder on this piece of apparatus) b/c L1 was out-of-service. BC1 arrived & reported heavy smoke pushing from the eaves of the house & marked it a working fire. Interior lines were stretched & only a small access was found to the attic. It was said that the access to the attic was so small that even "Slim" wouldn't be able to get in haha. Great job to all the crews that responded & provided a quick knock down that isolated the fire to the large attc.

The Search For A New Name

2009-10-30T23:56:00.004-04:00

It's been a fairly steady Friday in Southeast. To start off with, the usual daily checks were done & then the floors were stripped in waxed. Through out the day both units ran enough calls to keep us busy with the Engine running two during the day & the Medic unit running a total of four. Just before midnight both units were sent on a pedestrian that had been ran over by a car in the 700 blk of Mountain AV SE. Upon arrival a male subject was found to have severe lacerations from the incident & was transported to RMH. Hopefully the rest of the night will have peace in store.
Just a reminder to all members of the Roanoke Bravest Football Club, a team meeting will be held on November 5, 2009 at the Union Hall at 1830. The meeting will include a finalization of the list of all individuals that are commited to playing in the 2010 season, a decision on team colors will be made & another team name will have to be decided. A new rule in the league this year prohibits the duplicate use of team names so a new team name will be decided that evening. If you are unable to make the meeting, please make every attempt to contact Capt. Stone or Chris Price. Be safe out there!

Rest Easy Brother

2009-10-25T12:29:00.005-04:00

Capt. Chris Brown

1965-2009

It is with great sadness that the Roanoke Fire-EMS Dept. announces the death of Capt. Chris Brown. Capt. Brown was a 15 year veteran of the department with his most recent assignment being the Capt. of the Roanoke Fire-EMS Station #1. He will be greatly missed but not forgotten. Capt. Browns 1st. Lt. JJ Price recalled that "...he was a fair man, always gave someone a clean slate no matter what he had heard about someone...". Our hearts & prayers go out to both his family & his fellow brothers & sisters of the Fire Department. Visitation will be held on Sunday October 25, 2009 at Oakey's East Chapel in Bonsack from 2pm to 6pm. Funeral service will be held Monday October 26, 2009 at the 1st Baptist Church at 1pmw/ a graveside service held at the Evergreen Burial Park.

FOOTBALL FOOTBALL FOOTBALL

2009-10-17T09:31:00.005-04:00

JUST AS A REMINDER, THE INFORMATIONAL MEETING FOR THE 2010 NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY FOOTBALL LEAGUE SEASON WILL BE ON TUESDAY OCTOBER 20, 2009 AT 1830. THIS MEETING IS FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN JOINING "THE BRAVEST" & IT WILL BE HELD AT THE TRAINING CENTER. CAPT. STONE HAS RECEIVED MULTIPLE PHONE CALLS OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS FROM TEAMS FROM CHARLSTON, SC, WASHINGTON D.C., & CLEVELAND ALL HOPING TO GET A SHOT AT US THIS YEAR. THIS IS A GREAT THING FOLKS, LET'S NOT LET THIS DISSOLVE!!

Busy Last Day

2009-10-16T21:07:00.011-04:00

Today, started off to a busy start. It all began with a pub-ed event at Fallon Park Elementary School. The crew of E6 & M6 were joined by Capt. Bedwell, FF James Rivers of the Melrose Misfits, FF Colin Humphries of The Rock, FF Rachel "Stormy" Winters of The Green House, & our very own PIO Tiffany Bradbury. The Fire Safety House was taken to the elementary school so that five classes were able to go through it with the guidance of our firefighters, instructing them on some fire safety tips they can take home with them.

FF Zimmerman instructing students on fireplace

safety.

The "Good Son" in the control center

Lt. Mcfall going over how the students should get as low to the floor as possible if the room has alot of smoke in it.

FF Humphries instructing students on things "not to do" in the kitchen.

"Would you like fries with that"?

Later in the day the medic unit was sent w/ E1, E8, L1, RS1, & M101 to North bound 220 for an MVC w/ possible entrapment & possible four calls involved. M1 was later dispatched for the possibility of multiple patients. Upon arrival of E8, it was discovered that this was a minor MVC w/o serious injury. Later in the evening it seemed that one of the men needed a hair cut. Slim had requested that Adam to the cuttin' but we had a guest barber in the house that took his part in the cutting. Otherwise it was a fairly quiet night w/ only two calls after midnight. We'll see yawl next cycle!!

Middle Day for A-Shift

2009-10-16T20:46:00.003-04:00

Out here in the East was a pretty busy day. The medic unit totaled out at 11 w/ two after midnight & the hose jockies only ran two; one of which you will see pics of below. At 1956 both units along w/ E11, E1, L1, BC1, & RS1 were dispatched to a residence on Church AV in Southeast for a chimney fire that was extending into the roof. E6 arrived to find a 1 1/2 story residential structure w/ some fire visible from the chimney. The normal chimney bombs weren't enough however to extinguish the fire due to the high buildup of residue in the chimney. L1 then took the electric fan to the basement where it was placed in front of the clean out. A dry-chem extinguisher was then discharged into the chimney & the fan was utilized to blow the agent up through the length of the chimney to extinguish the fire. A water can was used from the roof by M6 personnel to extinguish some hot spots near the top. After a small clean up all crews returned to service.

"Fooseball Is The Devil"!!

2009-09-15T11:27:00.009-04:00

Do you have a desire to live a healthier life style? Do you want to be a part of an exciting opportunity? Or do you just want to hit someone? Well, if you answer yes to any of the three & are a part of a local public safety department (Roanoke City FD, Roanoke City PD, Roanoke City Sheriff, Roanoke County FD, Roanoke County PD, Roanoke County Sheriff, Salem FD, Salem PD, Vinton FD, & Vinton PD), then we have just the thing for you. Capt. Stone along w/ Chris Price & Richard Lipes are putting a semi-pro football team together to compete in the 2010 season in the North American Football League (NAFL) or the National Public Safety Football League (NPSFL). You have until 2010 to get in shape & lose those pounds you put on after you became a fireman or police officer, so if this seems like something you are interested in, be at the informative meeting at the Roanoke Valley Fire-Rescue Regional Training Center on October 20, 2009 at 1830. If you can't make it, you can contact Capt. Todd Stone at the #6 firehouse at 853-2413.

Teein' It Up

2009-09-06T21:40:00.004-04:00

Today has been a pretty uneventful day in Southeast, a couple EMS calls, medic unit has ran three up to this point. At 1802 E6 & M6 were dispatched to a car into a house in the 1700 block of Wise AV SE. Upon arrival it was determined that there was no injuries or immediate life hazards. Details are not clear yet but an elderly woman escaped injury after her pickup truck drove through a back yard hitting another small car which caused the car to take out a brick supporting column in the rear of the house. Additional units were requested to place a temporary shore to stabilize the back porch of the house. Additional units that responded were E11 who brought HTR6 from #6 Firehouse, and the crew from L1. After successful stabilization utilizing of the back porch utilizing a simple T-Shore, units returned to service. Let's hope that the quiet day continues through the night, so long folks.

Extreme Home Makeover-Southeast Edition

2009-08-28T20:50:00.005-04:00

On Saturday August 15, 2009, A-Shift revealed it's talent for replacing our very own Lt. McFall's roof on his house. The crew began around 0800 & by the time it was over at 1800, we all realized how great of a job we have now, & also how we all have no desire to be roofers for a career. Beverages and food were provided by the McFall's & a big thanks goes out to all who provided their services. Capt. Todd Stone, FF David Wray, FF Rusty aka "Slim" Zimmerman, FF/PM Derek Surratt, FF Brad Creasy, FF/EMT-I George Harris, & our brother from C-Shift FF Adam Flemming.

A-Shift "Doin' Work"

2009-08-21T17:58:00.004-04:00

It's now 1800, & we are finally able to sit down & take a break. Here in the great East, we started the day on a project that was projected to be done at 1500, quitin' time. A wall mounted rack was built & mounted for our collapse shoring. Leading the way on welding the stuctural components of the rack was FF Zimmerman, with the rest of the crew doing their part as well w/ assembly & mounting. This rack is being built in response to a recent call on C-shift where the City was called for mutual aid in Vinton for a car in to a structure. This rack will help to better organize, store, & keep track of inventory of shoring lumber. Monday, a full load of lumber will be delivered here to fully supply our stock for future collapse runs. Unfortunately as we all know though, if you have a project you need done, you will constantly be pulled away on runs. Speaking of runs, we recently returned from car into a house w/ a child in the vehicle. When crews of E6 & M6 arrived, it was discovered that an SUV had rolled down a hill, striking the B/C corner of another house & finally coming to a rest against a large tree which prevented the vehicle from going down another small embankment & into the middle of another house. Fortunately the child escaped w/o injury & no significant structural damage that would compromise the safety of the occupants who lived there was found. A little over 13hrs left folks, stay tuned...

5 for 5, will the streak continue?

2009-06-17T23:35:00.009-04:00

Well folks, we reached a milestone on A-Shift last cycle; 5 fires in 5 cycles. The first was in NE at1322 Johnsburry Ct., the second being 1929 Wise AV SE, the third being at Abbots store on the Boulevard, the forth at 532 Highland AV SE, & finally the second fire of last cycle being on Wayland in the NE sector of the city where one patient was transported, no word of his condition. So far it's been a pretty quiet first day of the cycle w/ the Engine running three, & the Medic unit totaling seven thus far. Have a good night brothers & check back to see if we continue our 6-cycle stretch of battling the beast.

Multi-tasking

2009-06-08T17:07:00.003-04:00

First order of business, congrats to David Wray & his wife Mindy on the birth of there daughter. Madelin Grace Wray was born between 10PM & 11PM on June 2, 2009. Both mom & baby are at home doing great & The Good Son hasn't lost that proud papas grin. We also want to congratulate Lt. Brian Wray of #8 A-Shift who is now a proud uncle. On to todays business...

lawn was cut, 28 hydrants flowed, both the Engine & Medic both switched out units, & oh yeah by the way, the working house fire at 532 Highland AV SE. Photos are below, and folks, it's only 5'oclock.

Middle Day for A-Shift

2009-06-02T16:33:00.003-04:00

The middle day for the crew of E6 proved to be fairly steady for the medic unit but slow for they guys on the engine. However good use was made of the down time. Early morning duties were done around the house, then we attempted to make our 1991 model war wagon a little more presentable. All of the equipment was taken out of the compartments & the compartments were cleaned, the Capt. & ever so loud firefighter removed the water cooler holder & sanded/repainted that, & also placed a fresh coat of wax over the area that the water cooler covered. Other than that the Engine only ran one EMS run to which it was cancelled on before we arrived, & the medic unit ran a total of six runs. I'm proud to say that both trucks slept all night, & for those of you that have been assigned to Southeast, you know that this occurance is a very rare thing. Until next time, be safe out there!!

A-Shift back on the board

2009-05-31T00:29:00.018-04:00

Alot has gone on since our last post from us here on A-Shift but in most recent history it seems that War Wagon 6 is back in business. Over the past three cycles for A-Shift E6 has been on three working fires & the Medic unit has been on two of those three. And as best as I can remember, B-Shift has had good working fires over the past couple of cycles, so it seems that the reputation of Firehouse #6 being a good house to catch a fire at is coming back. In other recent events, A-shift had some good quality training for our Swiftwater Rescue Team (SRT) which you can see by the pics & a couple video clips below. And the other clips were of our car seat installment day. We would like to give a big thanks to our own PIO Tiffany Bradbury & her team from Carilion & the Roanoke City Police Office on a fine job. And as always, it's been a busy day & night for us here. Stay tuned for more updates.

SWIFTWATER TRAINING DAY

Mike Peay getting some use out of the rope gun.

"Hey look, it's a chicken".

Awaiting deployment of the rope gun on river left.

I'm no swiftwater expert but I believe they were establishing a high tension line.

CAR SEAT DAY

Our very own making sure that he & his wife are ready for there soon to be new arrival.

2009-04-28T04:16:00.000-04:00

C-SHIFT cycle update to come.

BUSY DAY WITH A WORKING FIRE

2009-04-24T02:24:00.003-04:00

It is 02:20 and we just got back from the fire on 5th & Elm. I will write more tomorrow but you can access a video at http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/breaking_news_old_southwest_home_catches_fire/33795/

And pictures on Mike Overackers site at http://www.roanokefirefighters.com/ when he post them.

Hope to have a home made video of this fire sometime Friday.

Time for some sleep (hopefully)

Be safe

BG

BACK TO THE GRIND

2009-04-21T21:13:00.003-04:00

Last Thursday the 17th was the last day for C-shift and nothing really exciting happened and I got to go home early to prepare for a trip to Concord NC to watch Kayla's dance competition. Motor home was loaded up and I arrived at 18:30 hours. Kayla finished first in her duet. Trip was not good, A $17.00 part made the van not run and cost me $500.00 in towing and diagnostic charges. Amazing the way life goes!!!!!!

Today has been busy with the usual first day back and morning chores. A student has been riding with us and we had a few runs. Medic has been very busy. Four air packs repaired and counting. Diesel exhaust for L-13 was finally repaired. More air pack stuff to go on after I finish this post. If anything else happens worth posting I will put it up. Until then.

Be safe out there boys and girls.

BG

The last Sunday

2009-04-12T21:35:00.005-04:00

Well here it is another pretty Sunday with rain fore casted the next three days and we are starting a new cycle. The day was the usual for the first day back getting the apparatus checked and the house cleaned up. Around 13:00 E-1, 6, 8 L-1 & 2, M-1, RS-1 & BC-1 were dispatched to smell of smoke in the structure at 32 Elm SW. E-1 arrived and started investigating, L-1 took the front of the structure, E-6 stopped at Elm & Jefferson and established command water supply. Investigation found light smoke in the structure and the smell of plastics burning. We decided to change our position to Elm & first street to establish a dry supply line to E-1. We nosed into the hydrant and hooked the manifold up while some others drug a line to our engine. L-7's crew found a plastic lid had been left on a stove eye and turned on. Structure was then ventilated and residents allowed to go back inside.

And here a pic of our old girl after I moved her out of the way for traffic reasons.

That is all for now. Hope we have a quiet night.

BC Audie Ferris Retires

2009-04-08T22:36:00.004-04:00

Effective Wednesday April 8, 2009, 29 year veteran Battalion Chief Audie Ferris retires. On April 6, 2009 a dinner was held & Firehouse #1 for Chief Ferris then companies from around the city were allowed to come say goodbye. This event also brought out some former members of the department as seen below w/ a picture of FF Brad Creasy & Ret. Lt. J.R. Patterson. ChiefFerris has been a member of the Fire Department for 29 years & brought alot of knowledge & experience to the table not only as the Battalion Chief for the Southside on A-Shift but also as the Special Operations Chief for the cities HTR team. Battalion Chief Jeff Beckner will now be taking over this postion. Chief Ferris' last official day was today April 8, 2009 and at 1900 he walked out of his office for the last time as an active member of the department. Chief Ferris will continue to be around the valley as he took a position as an assistant to the medical examiner here in Roanoke. Best of luck chief in retirment, you will be greatly missed.

Ret. Lt. J.R. Patterson w/ FF Brad Creasy

Capt. Todd Stone see here talking w/ Chief Ferris

Just another day in the life!!!!

2009-04-05T14:15:00.008-04:00

Well we are back for day two of our cycle and the last day for the new guy Josh "Stovetop" Stovall as he is headed to M-8 on Tuesday. After the morning ussual (Housework stuff & truck check off) we headed to the store for meals and as is customery we plan to have steak tonight, we bought some small ones,

but for breakfast Stovetop wanted a Jared specialty, "Blintz's" it is a jewish breakfast pastry, we also had french toast, bacon & eggs over easy. Heres a picture of Stovetops plate

After breakfast it was over to #1 for some preperation training for the training scheduled Tuesday at the College of Health Sciences (college of knowledge as some of us call it). See pictures here. (if they post them)

Back to the station for the rest of the shift. We stayed busy doin stuff around the station until time for dinner, and what a good dinner. The steaks were great for Stovetops last meal here.

The medic truck has run a few more calls and now it is time to consider shutting down and gettin in the bunk. We can only hope for a restful night. Definently gettin too old for this up all night stuff. Stay in the house and remember "Reading is Fundamental"

Busy day for the Prides Crew

2009-04-03T22:23:00.010-04:00

Well, as the other blogs have posted, it has been one busy day over here also. The Medic truck left this morning runnin calls, barely made it back for lunch and back out the door again and we did not see them until 7pm. The engine crew has been steady also with house work, changing trucks (we got our old girl back), Food Tiger for meals. Just as we were finishing lunch we had a walk in from across the street and it was for a 1 month old with difficulty breathing, I have never been so glad to hear a baby cry as today. Everything turned out fine for the child and Mother.

After lunch we did some more HTR training with FF David Lucas' invention "The Roanoke Boom". After the last drill with this device, FF Lucas tweaked this device into a workable unit and it worked very well. Here are some pics of it in use.

As we were picking up from the drill, we got a service to call to the house on 6th st that was on fire the other evening for the til roof blowing in the wind and upon arrival we found what was left and may I say, B-shift you did a great job on this one. I snapped a few pics as we looked at the tin roof. Here's a couple

Not long after we left there we got a run for an MVA at Tazewell & 8 1/2 st. No apparent serious injuries but the female that was in the car was packaged and transported.

After this call it was back to the house to start dinner. Everyone (well not the medic boys, they were tearing the road up) chipped in and helped get the grub going and on the table. Chicken casserole, steamed broccoli, a bean medley and some hot rolls. MMM MMMM GOOD STUFF.

After dinner we washed the trucks up and finally at 21:00 hrs. we kicked it of gear and put our feet up. Hope since we ran all day, we can stay in tonight. Every be safe and remember "Don't do drugs"

Southeast Says Goodbye To One Of It's Own

2009-04-02T17:17:00.009-04:00

The last two days were pretty uneventful. The medic unit ran several EMS runs along w/ the engine over the past couple of days, & both the Engine & Medic had to be called back over to the scene of the fire on 3/31 to extinguish some hot spots in a rafter. Good job B-Shift, from the looks of the house, they kept it confined to the C-side of the structure. Also great job on protecting the exposure which suffered some heat damage to the vinyl siding. If you want to see the pics from this fire, head on over to http://www.roanokefirefighters.com/. Unfortunately though, Engine 6 wasn't on the initial alarm due to providing man power for an EMS call, but soon realized what was happening in Southeast & was able to clear up from RMH in enough time to be dispatched to the fire. Medic 6 however never made it to the fire. Yesterday, the Engine also had to be marked OOS briefly from 1800-2200 for Paramedic class. This brings me to my next part of the post. Due to the opening of Medic 8 on 4/6, Southeast had to say goodbye to one of it's own, FF/EMT-I George (no middle name) Harris. George has been a member of Engine Company 6 now for a couple of years & will be deeply missed by the citizens of Southeast I'm sure, best of luck George. George came to Station 6 as a FF/EMT in the EMT-I class & did exceptionally well in class as well as testing. He remained consistent in his desire to get all of his precepting done as he rode the medic unit everyday for 6-8months. He has displayed his constant ability to go above & beyond on many occasions, especially w/ taking the I-P bridge w/o being required to or asked. George became a part of the well oiled machine @ #6 & will be missed by all. For his last supper, George was allowed to eat free-of-charge a delicious meal prepared by FF Troutt. The meal consisted of T-bone steaks on the grill, cheddar/bacon red potatoes, green beans, & garlic bread. Apple pie was also prepared for dessert. Also to mention, FF/EMT-I Barry Kincer who's roots also run deep here at Engine 6 will now be assigned to the South Roanoke Fire Station. Best of luck to the both of you. Pictured below are George (left) & Lt. Mcfall (right) on scene after a fire at the Hickory Woods Apartment complex in Northeast last summer.

In other news, it's that time of year again; that's right, it's time to get out & start mowing. And C-shift wasted no time in making sure everyone around the 6-House knew when to mow the grass. The grass was immediately cut on Saturday in fear of C-Shifts long arm of the law.

Until next time, so long from A-shift.

Car Vs. Garage in NW

2009-03-30T14:50:00.004-04:00

On Saturday, the shift began w/ a DOA w/ E6 & M6. Later in the afternoon, E5,E9,M9,RS1 were sent to the 1600 Block of Orange AV NW for a car into a building. It was determined once units were on scene that no injuries were found, but that the small garage would need to be shored up so that the owners could remove a vehicle before it collapsed. Pictured below are some of the pictures taken by a set of free hands. The rest of the shift was fairly slow for the Engine, however the Medic unit was up most of the night.

Ladder 1 arriving

Upon arrival of E5, there crews placed the Rescue Jacks for temporary stabilization.

One of the questions raised was whether a raker shore would be needed on this wall that appeared to be displaced. It was later discovered that the greater need was on the other wall due to the wall being seperated from the foundation.

Two-Post vertical shore put in place by crews of the HTR team.

Slow in the East

2009-03-27T20:55:00.002-04:00

We are well into our second day of the cycle and things have been slow for the Engine and steady for the Medic truck both days. Nothing really great or interesting to report,,,,wait, the city finally finished paving the drivway in the curve where back in the middle of September they tore up the old pavement and put concrete down. Budget cuts I guess is what took them so long.

If anything else happens that may be worthy of posting, I will be back on and post it.

Be safe and stay in da house!!!!

Abnormal Saturday in The East

2009-03-23T09:43:00.005-04:00

Saturday began as a non-typical day here at #6. Everyone knows the routine in the fire service on the weekends around here (breakfast, washout, & down time after noon); not the case on Saturday. Due to our yearly entry requirments for confined space, breakfast was eaten @ Erny's. If you haven't eaten here, it's a fine establishment downtown next to Sams on the market. After that, we headed over to the training center to provide equipment for the yearly entries. Personnel from stations 1,2,5,6,7 took part in the training. After crews were done w/ the training everything was put back in to service. The rest of the evening was spent gathered around the radio listening to our fellow brothers in NW fighting what sounded like a good burner. Best of luck to our two brothers that sustained minor injuries, get well soon guys. The engine crew ran a few EMS runs & the medic unit paid for being out-of-service for the majority of the day. The medic unit totaled six runs w/ three of them being after midnight. Below are some shots caught @ the yearly entry training. So long till next time!

Capt. Swecker coming out of a tight squeeze

The good son on the comm. lines

Big Trav on the comm. lines w/ FF Peay & 1st Lt Alford going in the hole.

HTR 6 showin' her guts

The good son (FF Wray) assisting w/ getting everything ready for entry.

2009-03-20T20:36:00.008-04:00

OK, gonna try this blogging stuff for the first time seein as the overseer of our blog has given me the correct codes to enter data and pics.

Let me say that I am really glad that "HELL WEEK" is almost over and we all cannot wait for a 4-day break and one of us is gettin a 13-dayer. For those that do not know, Hell week is workin the job on a Monday, Wednesday & Friday. The first day started with a rip roaring school bus fire, them IMS training and the week just has not slowed down. Wednesday I spent time runnin around the city doin air pak stuff and working on the dieasel exhaust system on L-13. Thanks go out to FF Fleming for rewiring the transciever on L-13. We had an HTR drill (see the Misfits blog for pictures and info). Then came today, not only did we have the ussual morning chores and apparatus checks, but the Medic and Engine had to be checked over for state recert of our EMS license. Then we reported to # 1 to recieve a new 2 1/2 fixed gallonage nozzle to replace the one on the rear pre-connect.

Then it was off to the store for grub for the day, rush back to the station, fix lunch, eat, run a fire call that turned out to be mulch on fire then an EMS call. We then decided to try the new nozzle out and see what it was made of. This is a breakaway nozzle that has two turn offs on it, one on the body and the other on the nozzle. Be aware that we found that while crawling forward, the nozzle will rotate to the off position. I am sure there will be more info forth coming on the operation of this new nozzle.

This picture shows the Captain backing the rookie up so the nozzle does not keep pushing him backwards.

In ths picture the Captain is showing the rookie how to handle the nozzle properly. Notice the Captain needs no back up!!!

The Engine & Medic have been steady this evening but we are hoping for a slow night. The weather looks great for the weekend, come on 4-day.

Bus Fire Monday the 17th

2009-03-19T07:39:00.005-04:00

At 08:07 Engine 6 was toned out for a school bus on fire in the 600 block of Morrill AV SE. Capt. Mutter requested the Medic unit to respond with us. Just before turning onto Buena Vista we noticed a large column of black smoke. E-6 & M-6 arrived to find the bus fully involved. Attack was made initially with the 100 ft 1 ¾ trash line with an additional 1 ¾ cross lay pulled to assist in the attack. A hydrant supply was established due to the amount of fire and size of the bus. The guys made a quick knockdown of the job and within a few minutes the fire was under control. This bus is for transporting handicapped students. The lucky part is only 1 student was on the bus at the time of blaze, but just minutes before the driver had dropped off 16 children. I dare to say by the amount of fire we had upon arrival and the short time it took to get there, if there had been a lot of children on the bus, we could have had multiple injuries if not fatalities. Most of the hose on the ground was covered in some type of oily mess and had to be sent to the wash bay at the garage and man did they do a top notch job of cleaning it up, it almost looks new.

Story by Baron Gibson
Photos courtesy of Tiffany Bradbury

A Slow Day in The East

2009-03-12T21:58:00.003-04:00

Tuesday proved to be a slow day all around in Southeast. Both the Engine & Medic were slow before lunch, running only two runs for the medic unit before lunch & one EMS run for the engine. During the afternoon, both units were OOS for the suspended ceilings class put on by Rke County Retired BC Poff. This was a very informative class on the hidden risks of suspended ceilings that alot of us hadn't thought about. One of the main concerns during the practical part of the class was the discussion of what was the best tool to carry to cut the tracts, metal wires that suspended the ceiling, & anything that may entangle a fireman during a collapse. The two hand tools that performed the best, of course w/ a little muscle applied to it, was the tin snips & cable cutters. Both had downfalls & the brilliant mastermind FF Kincer came up w/ a hybrid tool that would be "the perfect tool" for freeing yourself from a suspended ceiling. Good luck Barry w/ the fabrication. After class was over, things went into low gear w/ the Engine running one EMS run at night, & the medic unit ran five more. Medic 1 was later dispatched to the church fire in Vinton for a firfighter injury, due to Medic 6 being on an ABD pain at the Mission. Set aside from the Service Truck going to the northside to provide air bottles after a small room & contents, both units slept all night. Until next time...

Two-Banger for C-Shift

2009-03-05T22:08:00.007-05:00

On 3/2 C-Shift managed to catch two working fires in the East. The first, just a small chimney fire that extended into the walls of the structure. The second on 18th St. around 2200 appeared to have a little more to it. The following write-ups & pics were courtesy of Lt. Gibson.

At 13:09 hrs E-6, E-11, L-1, M-6, BC-1 & RS-1 were dispatched to the 900 block of Moorehead Ave. for a Flu fire. E-6 arrived to find nothing showing from the outside but found the flu on fire on the first floor behind the wood stove. An 1 3/4 line was stretched but not charged and the manifold was placed in the street should water supply be needed. Crews worked to get the fire out quickly and to remove the contents of the stove. Fire did not spread and we all came home safe. E-6 also responded to Berkshire Nursing Home to back up Vinton FD for an automated alarm activation. Upon arrival E-6 took water supply and was cleared after about five minutes. M-6 has been steady most of the day.

The second fire was around 2200, here is the following from C-Shift: At 22:09 station 6 was notified of a structure fire in the 500 block of 18th st. SE. E-6, E-11, L-1, M-6, RS-1 & BC-1 were dispatched. M-6 was returning from the hospital and arrived on scene to find a two story structure with heavy smoke showing from Alpha side and advised dispatch of the working fire. Upon arrival E-6 took their water supply with them with the help of M-6 connecting the hydrant for us. E-6 gave a size up and began stretching an 1 3/4 line into the structure and made a fast and aggresive attack on the fire (it was the rookies first nozzle job and he did ok) that was located in an upstairs bedroom. A second 1 3/4 was stretched as back up but was never charged. Cause of fire appears to be electrical, but is still under investigation. It was very cold water began freezing quickly but we never experienced any problems with the cold temps. A cat was found under and behind a couch on the first floor after the fire much to the delight of the owners. No one else was hurt and we all came home from the working fire at apprx. 23:50hrs.

St. Patricks Day Shirt

2009-02-27T11:31:00.004-05:00

Below is the design for the Station 6 St. Patricks Day shirt. I want to give a big thanks to Bug out at #9 C-Shift for developing the angry irishman design on the back. Also a big thanks to Capt. Mutter & his crew at Acute Designs for putting everything together for us. The shirts will be available in a light gray & green I believe; prices to follow. Contact either A-Shift or C-shift at Station 6 if you are interested in purchasing.

Busy day for A-Shift

2009-02-25T20:12:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a busy day for 6-Engine. A total of 9 runs for the Engine, 10 for the Medic. Calls ranged any where from flu-like s/s to critical hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) Pt's as well as Stroke pt's. Southeast was also the burrough of car fires yesterday. The first was at Salem AV & Williamson Rd SE on the bridge. A large column of black smoke could be seen pulling off the apron at the house. The second car fire was around 0140 in the 1200 block of 14th St. Both fires had a quick knock down & crews were back in service within 30min. Another call had everyones blood pumping at first when companies from the Southside received calls for a large column of thick black smoke coming from the industrial park. While en route, E11 advised upon pulling out of the house that they had a very large column of black smoke coming from the general direction. Upon arrival of E6, E11, L1, & BC1, further investigation revealed that employees were attempting to get some of the boilers rolling. Pictured are the shots captured of E6 personnel extinguishing the two car fires.

Priceless

2009-02-22T12:37:00.005-05:00

One SCOTT mask: $200
One SCOTT regulator: $800
One headnet for SCBA mask: $95
Having a Lt. who devotes countless hours off the clock to make sure our equpment is in proper working order: PRICELESS

I want to take a few to give a big thanks to Lt. Gibson (Smurf) of #6 C-Shift for maintaining our SCBA program. Pictured above is Smurf starting his fifth consecutive day of SCBA inspections & repairs. It was rumored that yesterday he began working on finishing up the inspections @ 0750 & was found still working on the @ 0230 when the Engine was sent on a fire alarm @ Wachovia Tower. Thanks again Smurf! On another note, it appears that there was a malfunction of equipment here yesterday that C-Shift proved how to adapt & overcome. If you will notice, this is the printer that we receive our dispatch information from; good thinking guys.

War Wagon 6, Back In Business

2009-02-20T23:56:00.002-05:00

For most of the day, E6 was OOS (out of service) for personnel staffing other vacant spots in other stations in the city until some came back from Dr. School; like one of our own FF/EMT-I George "I got no middle name" Harris. After all units were back in service the medic unit ran a couple, and the Engine sat dorment until around 2330 when E6 was dispatched along w/ E1, E5, L1, L2, M151, BC1, & RS1, went Oscar Mike (on the move) for a dumpster fire next to a structure on 8 1/2 St. SE. E6 arrived to find a small dumpster on fire & made it a can handle for a single Engine Co. No E6 personnel were transported for minor injuries & the above pictures were taken while E6 personnel worked diligently to extinguish the blaze.

Friday the 13th

2009-02-19T22:44:00.002-05:00

Friday the 13th proved to be a typical day in SE. Both Engine & Medic unit were steady through out the day, but once the sun went down, the Engine slowed & the Medic was up. Shown above was a call earlier in the day on 4th St. SE @ the Thrift Store. The above vehicle was said to have backed into the building both both occupants escapred w/o harm. Further investigation revealed that the A-side wall had been pushed in an estimated 2". Units dispatched were E6, M101, & M6 later placed themselves on the scene as the passenger of the SUV was found running at blinding speed down Tazewell AV. It was discovered that he was not injured as well. I do apologize for not updating the blog as I should, will try to do better in the near future.

Getting the pre-plans done.

2009-02-13T18:20:00.004-05:00

Not a real busy day on Wednesday but Capt. Stone decided to crack the whip & have the crew of Engine 6 do three pre-fire plans that afternoon. In all the Engine ran a total of three runs w/ only one wires down, & the medic unit totaled seven runs. In the top picture, Stone is making sure that FF/PM Surratt is filling out the pre-plan info appropriately. In the lower picture, well I'm not sure what Lt. Mcfall was trying to explain.

Station 6 coins

2009-02-13T18:05:00.003-05:00

Station 6 coins are in and can be purchased for $10/each. If interested, you can either contact Joe Boswell at #7 C-Shift or any members at #6 on A-Shift or C-Shift.

Welcome to the 6-Engine page

2009-02-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Engine Co. 6 page. This page was modeled after the idea of our brothers of #9 Engine. This website is designed to provide a way to let the public & our fellow brothers & sisters follow daily life at #6 fire station. I will try to update the blog every few days w/ recent runs, training exercises, etc. & if you have any ideas please let me know.