Pennsylvania Locals Partner Up for Fire Ops

October 16, 2007 – Fire Ops programs in Pennsylvania are fast becoming a bonding agent between fire fighters, city leadership and the media. Following the success of the state’s first Fire Ops in Altoona and Johnstown, five locals – Allentown Local 302, Bethlehem Local 735, Easton Local 713, Lehigh-Northampton Airport Local 2227 and Wilson Borough Local 1914 – pooled their resources to put on their own Fire Ops.

“All of the involved locals are small and, geographically, pretty close together,” says Dave Saltzer, secretary of Bethlehem Local 735 and the event organizer. “It made sense for us to put our heads together to plan an impressive event.”

The event took place at Allentown Local 302’s training facility where the 21 participants went through four evolutions: vehicle extrication, CPR using Automated External Defibrillators (AED), burn tower and hose maneuvering.

Participants included: U.S Representative Charlie Dent; state representatives Steve Samuelson, Robert Freeman and Joe Brennan; and city council members and area media representatives.

“We received a lot of positive feedback; many said they couldn’t believe that we do this every day,” says Saltzer.

All participants received helmets and picture CDs in commemoration of the event.