On Thursday evening, 8 members of Station 5 hopped aboard eng. 5-5 to travel to West Bradford to cover their local while station 39 members helped host a night of fireworks and festivities at the United Sports complex. East Witeland crews were also joined by crews from Eng. 69-2 (Twin Valley) and Downingtown EMS. Crews enjoyed the a fairly quiet night, running only 1 brush response at the conclusion of the fireworks. East Whiteland would like to thank Station 39 and Chief Buttner for inviting us and for the food and warm hospitality. Command: Lt. 5-A (Finucane) Apparatus: 5-5, Command 5

The East Whiteland Volunteer Fire Company would like to thank everyone who came out to the Fair last week and supported your local volunteers. Special thanks to all our sponsors and volunteers, who the fair would not have been possible without their support, donations, and time. More details, facts, and figuers will be posted soon! Thanks to Stations 2 (Berwyn), 6 (West Whiteland), 39 (West Bradford), 47 (Lionville), 61 (Kimberton), and Delco 52 (Brookhaven) for covering any and all Emergancys in the 5 local during the fair. Photos by Mike Schon

The East Whiteland Volunteer Fire Company will once again be hosting the annual fair and fundraiser. This year the fair has MOVED to a new home - Rt. 30 (Lancaster Ave.) just west of Rt. 401. Please come out and enjoy a night of games, rides, food, and fun, all while supporting your local volunteers. Hours are Tuesday (6/24) through Friday (6/27) 6 to 10 pm, and Saturday (6/28) 1 pm to 10 pm. Thank you in advance for your support!!

At 0844 hours, Chester County communications alerted Kimberton Fire (61 & 72), Phoenix #1 (Ladder 65), and Valley Forge (Engine 68-5) for a house on fire on Sycamore Lane in Charlestown Twp. Deputy 61 arrived and reported a 2 story single family dwelling with heavy fire on the first and second floors. Deputy 61 then established ‘Sycamore Lane Command’ and requested 2 additional tankers (Engine 5-5 and Tanker 47 from Lionville Fire). As fire quickly overwhelmed the home, firefighters were forced to take a defensive/exterior attack on the fire. At 0858 Hours, Sycamore Command requested a 2nd alarm for manpower & additional water, brining in a tanker from Ridge Fire (Engine 62-5) and Malvern (Engine 04-5), as well as re-alerting Station 68 for a full company assist. Engine 68-2 set up a fill site for the tankers at the CAT Pickering school. The narrow street created an obstacle course for tanker drivers. All tankers had to back down the lane which was approximately 9/10’s of a mile off the main road and dump there water to Engine 61-2. Engine 5-5 responded with a crew of 4 to the fire. Two members shuttled equipment up to the fire scene and assisted with extinguishment, while the remaining 2 members drove and assisted with the tanker shuttle. Once the fire was put under control, crews began to overhaul the residence. At that point, Sycamore Command released Engine 5-5 and Station 5 then went available. Assisting on the scene were the Chester County Fire Marshals office, PA State Police FM, Charlestown Twp FM, and Belfor Restorations. Losses were estimated at $750,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation but not believed to be suspicious. Photos by Deputy 61 (Fields) Incident Command: Deputy 61 (Fields) Water Supply Officer: Chief 61 (Hughes) Stations: 4, 5, 47, 61/72, 62, 65, 67, 68

East Whiteland is pleased to announce the new delivery of a 2007 Lifeline Ambulance that will be responding to a medical emergency near you. The Specs are as follows: -2007 Ford E350 6.0 L Powerstroke Diesel -147" Paraliner box -Full compliment of Basic Life Support (BLS) equipment -Dual Buell Airhorns -Whelen 200 watt Rumbler Siren -Whelen all LED lighting package -4 Weldon HID Scene lights The new Ambulance 5 will be in service later this week after it completes its rigorous PA Dept. of Health Certification. Station 5 would like to note that the "old" ambulance is still in service until the new one is licensed, and is also currently For Sale. Any interested in purchase should contact the station. Photos by Mike Schon

On Tuesday evening, Chester County got slammed with high winds and hail as a severe storm system moved through Eastern Pennsylvania. Station 5 started off the night with a wires calls at the Outback Steakhouse and never looked back. Other calls covered included an assist to Station 61 (Kimberton) with trees and wires down on 2 cars, a house fire response due to a lighting strike, and numerous other trees and wire calls in Charlestown Township. Station 5 Fire Police also had a very active night with numerous road closures, notably in Charlestown Township. Fire Police finally cleared their last call at 23:00 hours. Thank you to all crew members who sacrificed their evening and came out during the storm. Incident Command: Chief 5 (Brown) Interior Operations: Lt. 5 (Temple)

On Saturday evening, 6 members of station 5 traveled to Berwyn to cover station 2 while they enjoyed a night off at their banquet. Overall a quiet night, tho crews did run 1 trash fire in Valley Forge Park. We would like to thank Station 2 for inviting us to enjoy their station, hospitality, the pool table, and a great meal. Photos courtesy of Mike Schon Incident Command: G. Morgan (Berwyn) Apparatus: Eng. 5-2, Eng. 2-2

Station 5 would like to thank the following sponsors who donated door prizes to this year's Banquet: Cosimo SS Detailing & Car Wash Gentle Touch Car Wash America Bar & Grill Eagles Produce What’s Cooking King Street Grill Mandarin Renato’s BELFOR Courtyard By Marriott Sheraton John Mott Stuart Jewelers Home Depot John’s Pizza Super Cuts Hampton Inn Varani Formal Wear Voque Nail Salon Ruby Tuesday George’s Grill McKenzie Brew House Health First Centers Tire Plus Homewoood Suites Cheeburger Cheeburger Zoup Soup Also Special Thanks to our members that who collected them: Tari Gordon, John Temple, Kevin Castle, Barb Comiskey, Stacy Catren, James Troppia, Rachael Troppia, Jim Skymba

BUSINESS & CORP SPONSORS NEEDED FOR OUR FAIR Tuesday June 24th to Saturday June 28th ON Lancaster Ave RT 30“Deerfield” just west of RT 401 DIAMOND LEVEL $1000 Receive 15 free wristbands for one night of rides GOLD LEVEL $800 Receive 12 free wristbands for one night of rides SILVER LEVEL $600 Receive 8 free wristbands for one night of rides BRONZE LEVEL $300 Receive 4 free wristbands for one night of rides BASIC LEVEL $150 Receive 2 free wristbands for one night of rides All levels except basic will also receive free food and drink tickets. All of the sponsors will be able to display banners or signs on the fair grounds. Your support is needed and appreciated. Remember all donations are Tax Deductible! We are a 501 (c) 3. Please contact Jim Skymba for more details. jskymba@chesco.org or 610-636-4792 Thank you for your donation. East Whiteland Fire Company 170 Plane brook Road Frazer PA 19355

APRIL 2008 STACY CATREN 117 RONALD JONES 97 BILL HUMPHREYS 88 ERIC NOWACZYK 84 KEVIN CASTLE 84 JOHN TEMPLE 82 JEFF BROWN 64 LISA GARVER 61 JOE BADMAN 51 APRILLE FINUCANE 37

The 3rd annual fire company fair will start on June 24, 2008 till June 28, 2008. This year the fair will be located on Lancaster Ave (Rt.30) just west of Conestoga Road (Rt.401) More details will be post as they become available.

By Assistant Fire Chief John Sly March 14, 2008 On Friday, March 14th, 2008 the United States Department of Homeland Security through the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded a grant to the Westwood Fire Company to assist Chester County volunteer fire companies recruit more personnel. The grant, in the amount of $445,000, is to be used for recruitment and retention of firefighters. Back in 2006, Assistant Chief Sly developed the project on a Countywide level to aid fire companies in the ongoing search for more volunteers. All of the 47 fire companies in Chester County participated in the program which was organized at the Chester County Fire Chief's Meetings. Data, statistics, call volume, budgetary information, and personnel rosters were obtained from each station to determine a needs assessment. From the statistics compiled, there are currently 1,514 volunteer firefighters in Chester County. Fifteen years ago there were more than 1,800. Statewide, in the mid 1970's the estimated number was 300,000 firefighters, in the late 1990's the estimate was 70,000. Today, that number has dropped to between 50,000 and 60,000. Additionally, there are only 64 paid firefighters in Chester County, and no fire companies or departments rely solely on career personnel. After months of preparation obtaining statistical information about each fire company in the County, Chief Sly wrote and submitted the application to FEMA's "SAFER" grant program last year. The SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) Grant program was created to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations in order to help them increase the number of trained, "front-line" firefighters available in their communities. According to Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner Ed Mann, volunteer firefighters save approximately 6 billion dollars a year to Pennsylvania taxpayers. In 2006, there were 16,439 fire and rescue emergencies in Chester County, and there were 33,995 medical emergencies. Most Ambulance services have been forced to pay crews during business hours due to declining volunteerism and additional calls. Currently, in Chester County, only the Westwood Fire Company Ambulance service remains all volunteer, however all fire companies in the County are still serviced by volunteer firefighters. Several have a paid driver or firefighter on duty during the day, but volunteers make up the bulk of the staff. Funds from the grant will go towards paying for media campaigns in local newspapers, billboard advertisements, and a website where citizens can locate their nearest fire department and obtain information about how they can help. Funding is also being provided to make presentations in high schools throughout the County to help recruit younger troops. In order to meet state and National standards, training is required for volunteer firefighters. A major problem that continues is that in order for someone to get the required training, they are giving up their evenings and weekends, or losing wages by taking off of work. The grant provides more than $300,000 in funds to pay for lost wage reimbursement for new recruits joining their local fire company. This incentive provides hope that more people will sign up. The main goal of this grant is to make the public aware of the services the firefighters provide to the citizens of Chester County, and spark interest in people who want to give back to the community. This is the fifth largest grant ever awarded in the United States in the history of the grant program for recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. An official Press Release will be forthcoming from the Westwood Fire Company and the Chester County Fire Chiefs Association. Any media inquires are requested to be directed to Assistant Chief John Sly at assistantchief@westwoodfire.com. We would like to thanks John Sly for all the hard work he put into getting this grant.

While returning from a small electrical fire on Valley Stream Parkway, CCFR contacted Chief 5(Brown), advised of him of a reported building fire at the William Henry Apartments. Chief 5, Eng053 with Batt 5 (Nowaczyk) and Eng052 immediately responded to the complex. Upon Chief 5's arrival, he encountered a haze throughout the complex, upon pulling up to the fire building, he had heavy fire from the third floor with the beginings of self roof ventilation. Chief 5 immediately asked for the working fire dispatch and quickly followed by striking the second alarm. Interior crews made it to the third floor to make an initial attack in the original fire apartment, when Chief 5 observed the roof collasping on itself, and ordered the initial crews out of the building. An aggressive exterior attack and a re-organized interior attack on the east end of the fire building prevented further spread from the original section of the building. After many hours of exhaustive work by all companies on the scene the fire was placed under control at 2310 hours with all hands working. A lot of the companies began to clear the scene approximately at 0115 hours with the final Station 5 unit clearing at 0246 hours. The Fire Chief and all of Station 5 members would like to thank the mutual aid companies for their help.

The East Whiteland Volunteer Fire Assco. will be having a Spaghetti and Meatball dinner on Saturday, March 29, 2008 from 5pm till 8pm at the firehouse. Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for Children, and can be purchased at the door. So come on down, show your support and let the fire company cook for you.

Lieutenant Nick Picozzi of the Lower Chichester Fire Department lost his life this morning in the line of duty. Nick was operating at a fire on the 100 block of Moser lane in Upper Chichester Twp (Delaware County,Pa) just before 9am when he became trapped in the basement. It took approximately 40 minutes to extricate him from the basement and had succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced at Crozer-Chester Medical Center Hospital in Chester at approx. 10:30a. Lieutenant Picozzi was 35 years old and leaves behind a wife and two sons. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and member of the Lower Chichester Fire Department.