Bradenville firefighters respond to an average of at least 20 brush fires per year on Derry Ridge.
Recent improvements to their utility task vehicle mean they’ll have more water and other resources at hand when they’re called to the next emergency on the Derry Township ridge.
A $12,500 grant from gas line company Energy Transfer helped the fire department purchase the all-terrain vehicle in 2017.
With a follow-up grant of $7,605 from the company, the firefighters have added a new skid unit, water tank, pump, hose, reel and rescue stretcher to the back of the vehicle.
The new 70-gallon tank replaces a homemade 60-gallon version the department had been using. It has 300 feet of lines for delivering water.
With the litter carrier, Fire Chief Mark Piantine said, “we can carry patients who are deep in the woods out of the woods,” by strapping them to the rear of the vehicle.
Before, firefighters would have to carry the rescue stretcher, called a heavy litter or Stokes basket, by hand to evacuate people in distress from remote areas.
Another tank supplies foam to attack fires in more dense growth. Also, Piantine said, “We can dam up a creek and draft water into our tank right at the fire scene. It saves valuable time.”
“The fire department needs that type of equipment,” said township Supervisor Dave Slifka. He estimates about 25% of the municipality’s 105 square miles is wooded.
The Bradenville department received the competitive grants from the Energy Transfer First Responder Fund, which awards money semi-annually to emergency response organizations including fire and police departments, ambulance services and emergency management agencies.
Energy Transfer’s Mariner East 2 natural gas liquids pipeline passes through the township.
“We’re supporting the communities that we operate in and supporting first responder organizations to make sure that they’re trained to be effective for our assets in the community and to continue to build that relationship,” said Chris Koop, Energy Transfer’s lead specialist for public affairs.
