Mill buildings burn in overnight blaze - Turners Falls, MA

Mill buildings burn in overnight blaze
Sunday, May 27, 2007By MICHAEL McAULIFFEmmcauliffe@repub.com
MONTAGUE - Firefighters from throughout Western Massachusetts and from as far afield as Brattleboro, Vt., and Winchester, N.H., were called in early yesterday morning to battle a major blaze at the former Strathmore Paper Co. Plant in the village of Turners Falls here.

The cause of the fire, which was brought under control by firefighters from at least 35 fire departments after several hours, is under investigation.

Turners Falls fire Capt. James P. Bartus estimated the blaze caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.

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No one was injured in the fire, Bartus said. The Turners Falls Fire Department received the call there was a fire shortly before 3 a.m., he said.

"We could see the fire from the top of the hill here in town," he said. "We could see the glow in the sky."

The fire, in a complex of 11 buildings that is now largely occupied by Western Recycling, destroyed a five-story structure in which were stored rolls of paper, skids of cardboard and large rolls of plastic.

"It overwhelmed the sprinkler system in there, if it was even working," Bartus said.

"We don't know how long it burned before somebody noticed it," he added.

Bartus said last night that while under control, the fire had not yet been extinguished.

"We have a few hot spots popping up," he said.

Fire Capt. David Dion said the owner of Western Recycling, Jerry Jones, had an apartment in the building that was destroyed. Another business in the area, Southworth Paper Co., sustained damage.

Among investigators probing the fire are state police and personnel from the state fire marshal's office.

Firefighters who responded to the blaze came from Agawam, Amherst, Ashburnham, Athol, Bernardston, Brattleboro Vt., Charlemont, Chicopee, Colrain, Deerfield, Easthampton, Erving, Fitchburg, Gill, Greenfield, Holyoke, Leverett, Leyden, Montague Center, Northfield, Northampton, Orange, Petersham, Shelburne, Shelburne Falls, South Deerfield, Southampton, Southwick, Springfield, Sunderland, Wendell, West Springfield, Westfield, Westhampton and Winchester, N.H.

Firefighters from Amherst and Winchester, N.H., also covered the Turners Falls Fire Department during the fire.

Upcoming Events in Northern Berkshire County

Adams Ambulance Service "Open House":

On Wednesday, May 23, the station will hold an Open House to provide additional services to the community. The event will be held at the station, located at 185 Columbia St. in Adams, from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Click to read the full story on the Open House:

Adams Ambulance Open House Article on iberkshire.com


FLORIDA VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT "SPRING PANCAKE BREAKFAST":
FLORIDA,MA — The Florida Volunteer Fireman's Association will host its annual spring pancake breakfast on Sunday, May 20, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the fire department's main station on Route 2.
The cost is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and children ages 3-12, free for children under 3. Information: Mike Gleason, 664-9535.


North Adams Ambulance Service sets open house:
http://wwww. TheTranscript. com


NORTH ADAMS — Free food, fun games and a bevy of safety information will all be part of an open house at the North Adams Ambulance Service on Sunday, as the organization celebrates National Emergency Medical Service week.
John Meaney, director of the ambulance service, said the public is encouraged to come to station at 10 Harris St., at the corner of River Street, to join in on the fun. The event runs from 10 to 4.

"We'll also be dedicating a polished granite bench in memory of Barbara Wagner, who was the original founder of the ambulance service in 1977," Meaney said.

Wagner, who died last year, served as the organization' s president from 1978 to 2006. The bench will be dedicated at 2.

Meaney said the open house will feature children's games, including a large "bouncy-bounce, " the Safe House fire prevention truck, the North Adams Police Department's K-9 dogs, a car seat checkpoint, and a cookout with free food. The North Adams Police Department will also have a Triad booth, providing both the File of Life refrigerator magnets and Yellow Dot program information packets



VILLAGE AMBULANCE SERVICE OPEN HOUSE:

The VAS is hosting an May 26 Open House at the Water Street headquarters to celebrate the 25th anniversary. The public is welcome to tour the facility from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the scrapbooks will be available for public viewing, Miller said.

Click to read the full story:

Article on VAS 25th Annversary on iberkshire.com

Cheshire voters to decide rescue-vehicle purchase

From left, Capt. Shawn McGrath, firefighters Shawn Martin and Kim Martin, Capt. Corey McGrath, Capt. Tom Francesconi, firefighter Corey Swistak and Chief George Sweet pose with the department's broken-down rescue truck that they hope to get replaced. Ryan Hutton/North Adams Transcript


Friday, May 4
CHESHIRE — Firefighters are asking voters to approve $165,000 loan over five years at the May 16 town meeting to replace its rescue truck, currently immobile and sitting behind the firehouse.
A few weeks ago, the exhaust literally blew apart on the 21-year-old ambulance that the department uses to shelter accident victims from the elements until a certified ambulance arrives.

"We have a unique setup here because we don't have ambulance service for 15 or 20 minutes out here, and we have to at least stabilize our victims until it gets to the scene," Fire Capt. Fred Balawender, an emergency medical technician, said Thursday at the firehouse. Adams Ambulance Service is usually the closest service available.

The proposed rescue vehicle was designed by the Fire Department's truck committee, beginning with a wish list of features that were slowly whittled away to be more cost effective. Now, according to Capt. Corey McGrath, the department is hoping for a truck that has none of the frills but all of the necessities for modern emergency response.

"We have a unique situation here in Cheshire — we have the lake, we have two recreational trails, we have the


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schools, all with a volunteer department," McGrath said. "We've had accidents on Route 116 where we need to keep the victims out of the elements because we're so far from ambulance response."
The department is not currently licensed to transport victims but the new truck could easily be outfitted to do so for $1,300 extra, said McGrath. That makes sense, he said, because it could cost thousands of dollars to retrofit it in the future.

Town officials have talked positively about purchasing a truck, though some concerns have been raised about the price, which appears on the town warrant as Article 5.

The Board of Selectmen and the Advisory Committee discussed the truck's price tag at Tuesday's board meeting. Selectman Paul Astorino and committee member Joseph Greenbush wondered if a lower price could be had.

"The last time we bought a truck it was cheaper, (but) there have been significant market increases in firefighting apparatus," Capt. Shawn McGrath said. "Everything is twice as much as the last time we had to update equipment."

Selectmen Chairwoman Carol Francesconi agreed Thursday.

"I think that the Fire Department found a truck to best fit its needs," she said. "Yes, there are cheaper models but if it's not going to work for the town then we need to buy what does work for them."

Fire Chief George Sweet said the truck is specifically designed to fit all the needs of the town and will be an investment that lasts decades. The old truck, a 1986 ambulance used in New York state, was purchased for $10,000 by the department out of its own funds, so there was no cost to the town.

"We got it in the mid-1990s and it's been in and out of the shop ever since," Sweet said. "We just can't keep pumping money into that thing."

CHIEFAROO II Vincent Dunn at Greenfield Comunity College , July 28th

CHIEFAROO II:
2nd Annual Fireground Command Seminar

Fireground Tactics,
Leadership Challenges

0800 -Registration, Continental Breakfast & Vendors
0900 -Welcome & “Housekeeping”
0915 -Wooden Structures: Size-Up and Collapse

Dep. Chief Vincent Dunn, FDNY

1015 -Break
1030 -Collapse Rescues

Dep. Chief Vincent Dunn, FDNY

1200 -Chicken BBQ Under the Tent
1330 -Getting a Grip, and Then What

with Fire Safety Training Concepts, Inc.

Who’s in Command Here?

Command Issues Session for Chief Officers only

*

with Vincent Dunn.

1530 -Closing

Book signings, distribution of attendance certificates, vendors

* A DVD of “Getting a Grip” will be sent to each Chief attending the
closed door session with Dunn, so they won’t miss out on either!
LIMITED SPACE! Reservations CLOSE July 13. (Really.)
QUESTIONS? E-MAIL: ChiefarooU@yahoo.com
READY TO REGISTER? Call 413-775-1803 to reserve with


credit card – or mail form at right today.


Vincent Dunn, FDNY

is “Chiefaroo U.” The nation’s foremost authority and author
on fire ground tactics and firefighter survival returns to
GCC by popular demand. If you’ve never studied with Dunn,
you don’t want to miss this!

NEW THIS YEAR:

Dunn’s closed-door session for Chief Officers on those touchy
command issues that keep you awake at night. He’ll bring his
experiences from 46 years with
FDNY. You’ll bring yours.
VincentDunn.com

Fire Safety Training Concepts

Univ. of Nevada Fire Instructors Dan Eaton and Joe Aschenbrenner
are career guys in Lowell, MA and NYC, respectively. Their workshop
today will be on "maintaining focus when overwhelmed.” (As in, you’re
first on scene, and it really is The Big One.) Get some tools for
managing your own stress — and taking command.
Fire Training Concepts



$20
$48 $39
Order your copy of a Dunn bestseller or a Chiefaroo U II T-shirt
now to have them on arrival! Just add purchase to registration.
Click to Download the Registration Form
This year’s program is being brought to you by


GCC Fire Science Technology Program


Massachusetts Call/Volunteer
Firefighters Association


Montague Center Fire.org



Tri-State Fire Mutual Aid Association

Directions to GCC Main Campus:

Greenfield Community College’s Main Campus
is conveniently located near the intersection
of Interstate 91 and Route 2.


Take Exit 26 off I-91 and follow the traffic rotary
around as needed to get onto Route 2 West.


Once on Route 2, immediately take a right
at the first traffic light, onto Colrain Road.


GCC is located on College Drive,
six-tenths of a mile ahead, on the left.


Follow signage for parking and event locations.


and Fire Safety Training Concepts, Inc.

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH

NORTHERN LITCHFIELD-SOUTHERN LITCHFIELD-NORTHERN BERKSHIRE-
SOUTHERN BERKSHIRE-BENNINGTON-
310 PM EDT SUN APR 22 2007

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBANY HAS ISSUED A FIRE WEATHER
WATCH FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 1500 FEET IN SOUTHWEST VERMONT AND THE
BERKSHIRES IN MASSACHUSETTS AND FOR ALL OF NORTHWEST
CONNECTICUT...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING.

AN UNSEASONABLY WARM AND DRY AIR MASS WILL CONTINUE TO BE OVER
THE REGION TOMORROW. TEMPERATURES WILL RISE INTO THE UPPER 70S TO
MID 80S...WITH SURFACE DEW POINTS ONLY IN THE 30S TO LOWER 40S
DURING THE AFTERNOON.

THE COMBINATION OF RELATIVE HUMIDITIES EXPECTED TO BE LESS THAN
30 PERCENT...DRY WEATHER SINCE LAST WEDNESDAY...SOUTHWEST TO WEST
WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS 30 TO 40 MPH MONDAY AFTERNOON
INTO EARLY MONDAY EVENING...AND DRY FINE FUELS IN MANY AREAS ARE
EXPECTED TO PRODUCE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS MONDAY
AFTERNOON INTO EARLY MONDAY EVENING.

A FIRE WEATHER WATCH MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE FORECAST TO OCCUR. LISTEN FOR LATER FORECASTS AND POSSIBLE
RED FLAG WARNINGS.

---------------------------------------------------------------

[MCVFA] Hindley Scholarship Application period closes May 1

Hindley Scholarship Application period closes May 1
The application period for the Hindley Memorial Scholarship closes on May 1. Please get your completed applications in ASAP.

Robert B. Hindley Memorial Scholarship page

High Wind Watch

/O.NEW.KALY.HW.A.0001.070415T1600Z- 070416T1000Z/ NORTHERN LITCHFIELD- SOUTHERN LITCHFIELD-NORTHERN BERKSHIRE- SOUTHERN BERKSHIRE- BENNINGTON-WESTERN WINDHAM-EASTERN WINDHAM- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF... TORRINGTON...OAKVILLE...NEW MILFORD... TERRYVILLE...PITTSFIELD...NORTH ADAMS...GREAT BARRINGTON...LEE... LENOX...HOUSATONIC...BENNINGTON... JACKSONVILLE...NEWFANE... BRATTLEBORO...WEST BRATTLEBORO... BELLOWS FALLS 502 PM EDT SAT APR 14 2007
...HIGH WIND WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBANY HAS ISSUED A HIGH WIND WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOONTIME SUNDAY UNTIL 6 AM MONDAY FOR WESTERN NEW ENGLAND...

AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE NEAR THE MID ATLANTIC REGION THIS EVENING WILL RAPIDLY DEEPEN AND INTENSIFY SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...AS IT MOVES NORTHEAST ALONG THE ATLANTIC SEABOARD. THE STORM WILL BE NEAR LONG ISLAND SUNDAY EVENING. THE LOW WILL STALL NEAR CAPE COD MONDAY MORNING. STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS COUPLED WITH WET SNOW MAY DOWN TREE LIMBS AND POWER LINES IN SOME LOCATIONS.

THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE HIGHEST TERRAIN... INCLUDING THE SOUTHERN GREENS... BERKSHIRES AND LITCHFIELD HILLS...WITH THE WIND DIRECTION SHIFTING FROM SOUTHEAST SUNDAY MORNING TO EAST SUNDAY AFTERNOON...AND THEN NORTH OR NORTHWESTERLY SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS FROM 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. EAST AND NORTHEAST FACING SLOPES OF MOUNTAINS WILL BE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE.

A HIGH WIND WATCH MEANS THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT. SUSTAINED WINDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH...OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR STRONGER MAY OCCUR. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS