Around 1pm this afternoon the first alarm box was struck for the J Crew store at Tanger Outlets for a reported building fire sending units from 63, 410 (Witmer), 41 (Bird in Hand), 48 (Ronks), and 510 (Strasburg). Deputy 63 (Hershey) was first to arrive and reported a moderate smoke condition in the store. Crews from E633 and E410-2 headed inside while the crew from Tower 63 went to the roof to begin looking for the source of the smoke. Additional crews checked the adjacent stores. After an extensive investigation it was determined that the smoke was coming from a heating unit above the ceiling and the box was held to 63. Units were on scene over one hour. As 63 units were beginning to clear the scene E631 and E632 were sent to the 1200 block of E. King St. for a crash.

During the past week or two the following items have taken place in the new station. The engine bay epoxy floor is complete and the epoxy floor in the museum is well underway. A majority of the flooring in the rest of the building is completed as well. The 2nd floor rooms are all very close to being complete. Carpet was installed in the offices and bunk rooms. The exhaust system in the engine bay was installed and a majority of the painting is complete. Work also continues on the fire alarm and sprinkler systems.

Shortly after 10pm this evening Co. 63 was alerted for the fire alarm at the National Pretzel Co. on Old Philadelphia Pk. E633 was on the street right away due to a crew being in the station. On arrival the engine crew noticed an odor outside of something burning and the sprinkler system gong was active indicating movement in the system. As crews were beginning to enter the building Chief 632 arrived on the C side with a working fire in a large industrial trash compactor with extension into the building. E633 relocated to the C side where the crew forced a door and advanced a line inside while the engine chauffeur charged a second line outside and began attacking the compactor. The interior crew discovered fire inside the chute to the compactor and several sprinkler heads that had activated and were holding the fire in check. The fire was knocked down quickly. Truck 204 used their winch to pull the compactor away from the building while a crew from 41 worked to shut down the sprinkler system and fire pump. Additional crews performed ventilation as the entire manufacturing area was filled with smoke. This fire could have been much worse had it not been for a properly functioning sprinkler system and fire alarm system. Units from 63 were on scene for just over 2 hours.

THE LAPTOPS HAVE BEEN SOLD

Just after 10am this morning Tower 63 was sent to the first block of Green St. in the City of Lancaster for the RIT assignment for a 3 alarm house fire. The Tower arrived and was staged on S. Ann St. while the crew established the RIT at the scene. Thankfully our RIT services were not needed. The tower and crew were on scene for about 45 minutes. While this was going on E633 and E631 handled an investigation call in our first due area.

We are getting closer and closer to moving into our new home!  Over the past week or so we have continued to see significant progress in the building. We now have electric and water turned on. A majority of the restroom fixtures have been installed. The gear racks for the gear room have arrived, and the Plymovent system has arrived and is beginning to be installed in the engine bay. Also late last week our emergency generator arrived. The platforms and ladders have been installed in the hose tower and a majority of the drop ceilings have been installed as well. The kitchen cabinets are mounted and work has begun on the epoxy floors in the day room and stair tower. The parking lot light poles have begun to go up and the engine bay floor heat is up and running. Epoxy flooring has been completed in the 2nd floor restrooms and we continue to see progress on the sprinkler and fire alarm systems. At this point we are hoping to see the majority of the project complete by the end of this month.

Just after midnight Squad 63 was dispatched as part of a squad task force to assist at a house fire in the 400 block of Lancaster Pk. in Providence Twp. near the Buck. The home sat in a wooded area with limited access from the roadway providing for a difficult firefight for the crews who had been battling the blaze since around 2pm. Once the squad and crew arrived they were assigned to assist in some overhaul and clean up duties relieving crews who had been working for several hours. The Squad was on the scene for about 2 1/2 hours.

This afternoon we finally got a chance to see our apparatus inside the new station. The apparatus had to be placed into the station so our contractors could see where such items like the exhaust system and the charging cords needed to be placed. It will hopefully be another month or so until they can move here for good!!!

While cleaning out the station in preparation for our move to the house on the hill we discovered a large box full of slides from the 1970's. Vice President Eric Beiler's father has been gracious enough to scan these slides onto CD's so we can share them with you. Below are some of the ones that have been scanned so far

The members of Lafayette wish everyone out there a happy, safe and prosperous new year. Last year our dedicated volunteer staff handled 539 calls for service without any pay or compensation. This year as we move into our new home we need your help more than ever. Our fire company is totally run by VOLUNTEERS. We are primarily funded by the individual contributions from the residents we serve. While we do receive donations from our municipalities we serve, there is no specific tax in place to fund our operations. WE NEED YOU......please click on the link above or on the Paypal link to make a tax-deductable contribution to help fund our operations.