Again this year, Ferguson and Hassler's Supermarket is hosting a Chicken BBQ that will benefit the Quarryville Fire Company #1.  This has been an annual event for many years.  This years BBQ will be held on Thursday July 16th and Friday July 18th from 10 am to 6 pm (or until supplies last) at Ferguson and Hassler's on Townsedge Drive in Quarryville.  We serve several thousand meals each year, normally selling out early.

Fergies will have drive-thru service, where you will receive a half chicken, Coke product, Herr's Potato Chips, roll and butter and apple sauce.  The cost again this year is $5.00.  Please enter from Rt. 372 (West State Street) and pay at the tent.  The chicken will be cooked by Charlies Chicken BBQ, and is always excellent.

Please plan on attending this years event.  All proceeds benefit the QFD.  For more information, visit www.fergusonhassler.com

At 5:40 am, Rescue 5-7 and Refton FC Engine 5-9-1 were dispatched to assist the Willow Street Fire Company (5-12) on a overturned milk tanker on Rt. 272 at Miller Road in Providence Township.  WSFC units were on the scene with a loaded milk tanker that rolled down into the woods, with the contents of the trailer (milk) running from the tank into a local stream.  On scene crews began diking and damming up the stream in several places to stop the flow of milk.  Dams were made of straw/hay bales, booms and dirt.  The Lancaster County Hazardous Materials Unit Squad 2-9-2 arrived with additional spill containment supplies and assisted with the operations.  With all crews working together, the flow of milk was slowed and stopped.

At first thought, milk may not seem like an environmental hazard.  However, milk that is spilled into waterways can kill fish and other aquatic life by significantly reducing the oxygen content in the water. 

Luckily, the driver of the truck escaped serious injury, however the truck was demolished.  The Rescue and crew cleared the scene at 10:07 am.  QFD Fire Police also assisted at the scene directing traffic.

Check out www.wsfc512.com for more photos.  More pictures will be added to this site later.

So far, 2009 has been a busy year for the dedicated members of the Quarryville Fire Company.  We have seen an increase in emergency calls over 2008, and the members have been very active in training and other company related activities such as the LCFA Convention.  Here is a run down for January 1 to June 30, 2009

• 244 total responses
• 5106 man-hours in service on responses to incidents
• 1497 man-hours in training
• 1835 man-hours in fire safety, work details, meetings, maintenance etc.

If this trend continues, 2009 will be one of our busiest years.  Thank You to all the members that turn out and respond to incidents, come to training, and help with all the other functions that we hold.

On June 16th, 1984, the Rebman's Store on South Queen Street iin Lancaster City burned during a 5 Alarm Saturday fire.  Rebman's Store was loaded with toys, games, paper products and Christmas supplies, which added fuel to the raging fire. 

As the incident escalated, multiple County Volunteer companies were called in to assist on the General Alaram fire.  At 10:14 am, Ladder 5-7 was dispatched to relocate to Lancaster City Fire Headquarters, Station 5.  The 1951 Maxim 85' Ladder 5-7 responded with Captain Charles "Cork" Stoner and Chauffeur Ken Ryno.  Once arriving at Fire Headquarters, they picked up a city fire officer.  While on stand-by, the Ladder responded to one run in the city, returning to Quarryville at 2:10 pm after almost 4 hours of covering the city.

This was the last time that any QFD units responded to a call in Lancaster City.  In 1984, there were far fewer truck company's around the suburbs.  Sine 1984, there has been over 6 trucks added to the area. 

We just thought that alot of people might remember this incident since many, many people of the Southern End traveled to Rebmans, especially during the Christmas season to get supplies and visit the "moon room".

At 8:44 am, QFD and Susquehanna Valley EMS was dispatched to State Street and Church Street in the Borough of Quarryville for a vehicle accident with entrapment.  The accident was located on North Church Street just North of West State Street.  Crews arrived with a car on it's side after striking a building.  Members stabilized the vehicle using the struts, rescue-mounted winch and cribbing.  The windshield was then removed with the Glas-Master, allowing the slightly injured occupant to step out.  Units were on the scene for about 30 minutes.

After almost 20 years of negotiations and timelines, the Stone Arch Bridge (or, as we know it, The Underpass) on Rt. 222 in Providence Township will be torn down.  This bridge was built over 100 years ago to carry the Enola Low Grade Rail Line across the roadway.  The underpass has been the site of many, many accidents and stuck tractor trailers over the years, and has sometimes been known as the gateway to Southern Lancaster County.

Now, for the detour plans.  Any units that need to come into Quarryville from the North on Rt. 222 will have to use Camargo Road.  Any incident on Beaver Valley Pike up to and including the 2400 block, respond as normal.  For companies responding from the Borough side, you must respond out N. Lime St. or N. Church St. to Camargo Road to Rt. 222.  This detour will be in effect from Monday June 15th and will last for about 10 days.  But, then again, we have heard this all before.

If you have any questions, call the station at 786-2898.

At 10:49 pm, Quarryville, Robert Fulton and Bart Township FIre Companies, along with Susquehanna Valley EMS were dispatched to the area of Maxwell Drive and Black Bear Road in East Drumore Township for a reported house fire.  Multiple calls to the Lancaster County 911 Center reported a house in the area on fire with visible fire showing. 

Chief 5-7-2 (Asst. Chief TIm Ryan) arrived within minutes with a single story ranch-type dwelling approximately 75% involved in fire.  Asst. Chief Ryan ordered a defensive operation due to the extensive involvement of the house.  Lt. 5-7-1 (Joel Neff) arrived and assumed command with Asst. Chief Ryan assuming the fire suppression role.

Engine 5-7-4 arrived and began the attack, with other QFD and mutual aid units arriving and assisting with fire attack, water supply, overhaul and lighting.  Engine 5-13-3 established a water supply on Spring Valley Road to fill the tankers that were supplying the scene with water.  Companies operated with multiple hand lines and the Blitzfire step gun.  The house had 3 "built up" roofs which had to be opened up in order to complete fire extinguishment, making for hot, heavy work. 

Union Fire Comany Engine 21-2 transfered to Station 5-7, Gap Engine 4-2-2 transfered to Station 5-1 and Community Fire Company of Rising Sun Tanker 8 transfered to Station 5-13 during the incident. 

The Red Cross responded to the scene to assist the residents with shelter and clothing.  Paul Davis Restoration assisted with the board up and securing the structure.

Units finished overhaul and cleared the scene at 3:30 am.  QFD operated with 6 units and 34volunteer members.

Congratulations to Firefighters Craig Hassinger, Steve Masel and all of the graduating class from the Solanco High School Class of 2009.

After months of preparation, the day finally arrived for the 89th Annual Lancaster County Fireman’s Association Convention and Parade. The morning dawned warm and overcast, but after a week of rain, we knew that the sun was on the way. 

The morning began at the fire station at 7:00 am when over 60 members met for donuts and to go over the days itinerary. QFD “Host Company” shirts were handed out to all members to wear during the day’s festivities. Committee Chairman Jamie Welk advised of what tasks needed completed and what jobs needed done throughout the day. By 7:30 am, members dispersed to various locations to get the day’s activities moving.
 
Parade Registration and Pre-Judging was done at the George A. Smith Middle School on Rt. 472. There, units registered and were able to finish final cleaning in preparation for the judges to go over their apparatus.   We had 103 pieces of apparatus registered along with several special units and a marching unit from the Chesapeake City (MD) Fire Company. 
 
During the morning, other members began preparing food, setting up the trophy and awards display and lining up the units for the parade. Some loaded utility vehicles with food and drinks for the help, while others used them to sell convention books, mugs and shirts to visiting firefighters and community members. Chief Engineer Wayne Brion and his crew had their hands full lining up the units for the parade due to the fact of all the rain on Thursday and Friday that precluded us from using the grass fields. They were able to line everyone up and keep everything in order to make the parade go off without any problems.
 
While the members were working, the Fire Company Delegates to the LCFA held their meeting at the Hoffman Building beginning at 9:00 am. The officers and members conducted business, including the election of officers. A noon meal was served by the QFD Auxiliary for the delegates and guests. During the meeting, QFD members were busy selling food, drinks and novelties, for the most part selling out of some items by 3:00 pm.
 
Just after 2:00 pm, the parade kicked off after the sounding of the QFD “House” and “West End” sirens. The parade wound its way through the Borough, with an estimated 3000 people along the street to watch. We had units from Lancaster, Chester, Lebanon and Delaware Counties in PA, along with pieces from Cecil County MD and New Castle County DE. Some of the units that attended are from very busy companies, such as Christiana DE, where they answer over 3000 alarms a year and still find time to clean and attend parades. The parade lasted just over one and a half hours, with units making their way back to the Legion Park for the awards. The Fire Police did an excellent job of traffic and crowd control, minimizing the impact on the local citizens.
 
After the parade was finished, the judges tallied up the apparatus scores, with Fire Chief Tim Cox bringing the winning names to the grounds just after 4:30 pm. You can read all the award winners on the attached document. Once the award ceremony was over, a Quarryville tradition ensued with units leaving town making a lot of noise with sirens and air horns. The “serenade” lasted about a half an hour.
 
Once our friends and neighbors left, we began cleaning up, which was completed quickly and returned to the fire station. There, items were put away and cleaned up, but not before a water battle ensued with a lot of people getting wet. It was a perfect way to cap off a perfect day.
 
Thank you to everyone that attended, we hope you had a great time. The are too many businesses and people to thanks, but special thanks to Ferguson and Hasslers, Herr’s Foods, Turkey Hill, Walmart, Maplehofe Dairy and all the suppliers of the utility vehicles. Most of all, thank you to the dedicated members that made this all happen. Without your hard work and determination, this convention would not have been possible.
 
We also want to thank our stand by companies from Springfield, Columbia and Martins Corner for covering our district for the day.

Check the gallery as we will be adding pictures to it as we get them.

On Friday evening, convention weekend began with the annual Memorial Service to honor the LCFA members that have passed in the last year.  This years service, like all others in recent QFD Convention memory, was held at the Memorial Methodist Church in Quarryville with Pastor John Keretzman presiding. 

After a very good message geared towards the fire service by Pastor Keretzman, Fire Chief Tim Cox read the names of those deceased while President Sherry Wertz handed each family or fire company representative a red rose.  This is done out of respect for the member and their family for the years of service to their community and Lancaster County. 

A perfect playing of taps by Chris Smyth wrapped up the ceremony. 

After the ceremony the LCFA officers held the annual awards assembly.  Unit Citations were awarded to Rohrerstown Fire Company Engine 6-7-1 and Truck 6-7, East Petersburg Rescue 2-3 and West Lancaster Rescue 6-8 for a technical rescue performed in September 2008.  The 2009 Valor Award was presented to Fire Chief Robert Muschlitz for leading a disoriented firefighter from a mobile home fire in February 2009. 

LCFA Life Membership's were presented to a group of members, including Bart Township Fire Company Treasurer John Graybill.  Other special awards were given to several other members of the Lancaster County Fire Service, inlcuding East Petersburg Chaplain Bob Kauffman among several others.  Congratulations to all of the award recipients.

Thank you to all the firefighters and families that attended the service, and to Pastor Keretzman and the Memorial Methodist Congregation for allowing us to hold the service at their church, and to the QFD Auxiliary that served the light refreshments.