Another Hyattsvile incident - Smoke in the West Hyattsville Metro Station - 7/24/08

[Guest Photounit]

This is another run I took in with Hyattsville around 6:00 am on July 24,2008. They were dispatched along with numerous other Prince George's County units for smoke in the West Hyattsville Metro station. This didn't start out as a good incident for me as one of my lenses slipped out of my camera bag and smashed onto the ground as as I stepped off Hyattsville's Truck. I kneeled down on the ground, stared at it briefly, picked it up and put it back in my bag properly, and moved on....... There wasn't a lot of info to be had as to what the actual situation was when we arrived and one crew went to interview the Station Master as the others went to the platforms to investigate. It was eventually determined that the call was prompted by a small fire on the third rail just outside the station. This was handled by the Metro personnel and all PG unit's took up..... The first in engine hit the standpipe as soon as they arrived before they even knew what they had. I was on several other calls one of which was food on the stove, and the first in engine also laid in on this as well..... Their SOP is to establish a water supply immediately as crews are determining what you have..... I have to say I like this type of thinking although in most local areas, it's a little impractical to operate like this.....But with a fully hydranted response area, and hydrants always in close proximity, it definitely works.. As far as my lens goes, It figures it was the most expensive one I own but it seems to be OK ...... I got lucky as the impact was absorbed by my lens shade and cap.......

Crews head into the station with their high-rise packs and other equipment.

The Chauffeur on the Truck Dan Nichols, Scott's-up..... Dan is a Master Driver for Hyattsville and also an Assistant Chief with the Roosevelt Fire Department in Dutchess County. (AKA 63-3)

Thee standpipe lines now connected, the Engines chauffeur heads back to the pump to charge the system.

Time to open the Knox Box and get the keys to the station.

The morning sun shines through as firefighters talk with the Station Master to get any additional info on the incident.

[Guest Photounit]

The Battalion Chief arrives on the scene and gets briefed by firefighters.

Up we go.... Firefighters ascend to the platform.

Firefighters covered both sides of the tracks and found nothing.....

With nothing found thus far, firefighters await further orders......

With no problem found in the station firefighters are ordered to take-up.

[Guest Photounit]

Back at the fire station, Lieutenant Matt Leonard (At the head of the table) goes over the incident with his firefighters. They spoke about what went right,wrong, and what could be done differently as well as about the various challenges (safety and otherwise) the station can present. Matt is also a firefighter with the New Hackensack Fire Department in Dutchess County.

We went back to the Metro station several hours later for flooding in the station. Here firefighters talk with Metro personnel as workers clean up the water in the backround.....

The standpipe system had a leak........ The temporary fix was to bleed the system........

[Danger 160]

Was the leak caused (or discovered) due to charging the system? I'm assuming...

[Guest Photounit]

Was the leak caused (or discovered) due to charging the system? I'm assuming...

Yes.....

[Guest]

Where is West Hyattsville? Prince George county is in Maryland or Virginia if im not mistaken? Nice pictures as usual.

[ENG47INE 17]

Nice Pics

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Its in Maryland

[eng41hurst 10]

in one of the pictures someone has a yellow pelican case. what is that?? what is it used for??

[texastom791 31]

in one of the pictures someone has a yellow pelican case. what is that?? what is it used for??

It looks like some kind of lighting or power supply maybe.

Edited August 11, 2008 by texastom791

[bartman884 0]

It looks like some kind of lighting or power supply maybe.

I believe that is a piece of equipment that is placed on the third rail and alerts if it is energized. I saw a similar piece of equipment being carried by DCFD down there.

[Guest Photounit]

I believe that is a piece of equipment that is placed on the third rail and alerts if it is energized. I saw a similar piece of equipment being carried by DCFD down there.

I'm sorry that I forgot to mention what it is.... It was the subject of the same curiosity in a thread on another site...... It's called a "WASD" and it stands for Warning Audible Strobe Device and it is in-fact used to monitor the third rail....... Once the power is verified off, this is connected to the third rail and will sound a loud audible alarm and flash a strobe if the power to the rail should it come back on unexpectedly.....

Edited August 11, 2008 by Photounit

[JetPhoto 626]

Looked like you had a little fun

[RICHEB126 5]

Nice shots, always something different in Hyattsville. :

[robert benz 344]

I'm sorry that I forgot to mention what it is.... It was the subject of the same curiosity in a thread on another site...... It's called a "WASD" and it stands for Warning Audible Strobe Device and it is in-fact used to monitor the third rail....... Once the power is verified off, this is connected to the third rail and will sound a loud audible alarm and flash a strobe if the power to the rail should it come back on unexpectedly.....

ok i will bite, you mentioned 2 members in your pics who are members also in dutchess county, one a chief??????

[Guest Photounit]

ok i will bite, you mentioned 2 members in your pics who are members also in dutchess county, one a chief??????

Ok, What response are you looking for?

[robert benz 344]

Ok, What response are you looking for?

one is a lieut in the pic talking about what went on on the call and the other is a master driver for one of the depts if I read what you printed right. If that is the case my question is how is the one guy a master driver in prince georges county and a chief in dutchess? And one a Lt and a member somewhere in Dutchess?

[STAT213 332]

Yeah, I was wondering that too. Sounds like a good gig, being able to go down there and play some. I am asking from the standpoint of being somewhat jealous, not trying to say they are doing anything wrong.

[x129K 1,393]

Going out on a limb here, but I bet they are down there at college.

[Guest Photounit]

Going out on a limb here, but I bet they are down there at college.

Dan,

You are 1/2 correct...... The Lt. is presently going to college and makes his requirements in both organizations to remain active..... The "Master Driver" did attend college and was a "live-in"and now lives back "up here" but makes his requirements to remain active in both organizations......

[robert benz 344]

Dan,

You are 1/2 correct...... The Lt. is presently going to college and makes his requirements in both organizations to remain active..... The "Master Driver" did attend college and was a "live-in"and now lives back "up here" but makes his requirements to remain active in both organizations......

that answers my question, now for another since i am not that familiar with this type of system. Is it an all Vol house? Do Live In members get some sort of college credit? Are they required to "work" a set amount of hours per week / month?

[robert benz 344]

that answers my question, now for another since i am not that familiar with this type of system. Is it an all Vol house? Do Live In members get some sort of college credit? Are they required to "work" a set amount of hours per week / month?

I just read the replies on the other thread and got my answers thanks

[mfc2257 464]

that answers my question, now for another since i am not that familiar with this type of system. Is it an all Vol house? Do Live In members get some sort of college credit? Are they required to "work" a set amount of hours per week / month?

Many fire stations in the mid atlantic (PA, VA, MD, DE, WV) have a combination setup with "live-in's" Hyattsville in PG county has a small complement of career FF's that staff the station during the day along with volunteers. At night the live in's or other volunteers who happen to be in the station at the time of the call run the rigs. There is no blue light brigade in PG county.

The live in's don't necessarily have to be college students. Many are 20's professionals or tradesmen who at this point in their lives aren't tied to a home or property and are essentially willing to trade the comforts of home for a single bedroom with a dresser and a desk. They don't pay rent, electric, or water but are required to run a certain percentage of calls on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis.

You can typically tell the stations that are running a large complement of vollies if you listen to the radio while you're down there OR via dcfirefeeds.com online. Shortly after dispatch, communications does roll call of apparatus to give the BC's or DC's an indication of what resources are enroute. When you hear Hyattsville's truck say "Truck 1 with 8" you know that there is a bare minimum of 4 vollies on the rig b/c career staffing is never greater than 4. A few stations are 100% vollie... Ritchie and Bladensburg (Stations 37 & 9). Kentland is 100% vollie on the fire/rescue side but two PG county career FF's staff the ambulance. A few stations are 100% career like Tuxedo Cheverly (Station 22) and Chillum (Station 44). The majority though have a good complement of career and vollie FF's that staff the rigs.

PG county is a single pull dispatch system meaning that only the most important first due apparatus is pulled from each station UNLESS that station has called communications to tell them that they are staffing multiple crews. Typically on a first due structure fire, a single pull would be the engine from the closest station, the next closest truck, next engine, next truck, engine, engine, truck in that order. NOW if the job is in Hyattsville's first due and they've called communications to say that they have 12 members staffing three pieces of apparatus, then communications will call them first and fill in the remainder based on additional local station staffing.... That is to say that Hyattsville will have the first and second due engines, and the first due truck.

Edited August 27, 2008 by mfc2257

[robert benz 344]

Many fire stations in the mid atlantic (PA, VA, MD, DE, WV) have a combination setup with "live-in's" Hyattsville in PG county has a small complement of career FF's that staff the station during the day along with volunteers. At night the live in's or other volunteers who happen to be in the station at the time of the call run the rigs. There is no blue light brigade in PG county.

The live in's don't necessarily have to be college students. Many are 20's professionals or tradesmen who at this point in their lives aren't tied to a home or property and are essentially willing to trade the comforts of home for a single bedroom with a dresser and a desk. They don't pay rent, electric, or water but are required to run a certain percentage of calls on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis.

You can typically tell the stations that are running a large complement of vollies if you listen to the radio while you're down there OR via dcfirefeeds.com online. Shortly after dispatch, communications does roll call of apparatus to give the BC's or DC's an indication of what resources are enroute. When you hear Hyattsville's truck say "Truck 1 with 8" you know that there is a bare minimum of 4 vollies on the rig b/c career staffing is never greater than 4. A few stations are 100% vollie... Ritchie and Bladensburg (Stations 37 & 9). Kentland is 100% vollie on the fire/rescue side but two PG county career FF's staff the ambulance. A few stations are 100% career like Tuxedo Cheverly (Station 22) and Chillum (Station 44). The majority though have a good complement of career and vollie FF's that staff the rigs.

PG county is a single pull dispatch system meaning that only the most important first due apparatus is pulled from each station UNLESS that station has called communications to tell them that they are staffing multiple crews. Typically on a first due structure fire, a single pull would be the engine from the closest station, the next closest truck, next engine, next truck, engine, engine, truck in that order. NOW if the job is in Hyattsville's first due and they've called communications to say that they have 12 members staffing three pieces of apparatus, then communications will call them first and fill in the remainder based on additional local station staffing.... That is to say that Hyattsville will have the first and second due engines, and the first due truck.

thats the info I was looking for thank you

[powercall 0]

Bill,

Nice Pics- I think that is the first pic of me in Hyattsville ever taken in 13 years! The ironic part that everyone on the forum should know is that second before he got the shot of me donning my Scott and gear, Bill dropped his lens and I've never seen a face like that before! When your as good as Bill is behind the lens, I guess I can understand the value of your equipment. Thanks again for coming down and hope you can come visit Matt and I again.

For those wonderinga bout belonging to both a NY and MD department- With the way Hyattsville works, I put in 2-3 days straight every other month which meets my requirement and do admin work for the department while I'm home. It's nice to get away from the chief's job in Roosevelt every once and a while and wear the black hat (or natural in my case).

Dan

[Guest Photounit]

Thanks Dan.........I guess I should feel honored that I got the first shot in..... When I dropped the lens I think my facial expression was a combination of this , this , and this :angry: ...... Thank god it seems 100% as I used it on the Rte 9 Car vs Ped and I think they came out OK?

And thanks for clarifying your membership status...... It's sad, but I was actually afraid to answer the question here in fear of what trouble it would cause...... And yes.... I'm plotting my schedule so I can come back down and get some more shot's of "The Ventilator" (Petit) and the rest of the team in action..........

Bill,

Nice Pics- I think that is the first pic of me in Hyattsville ever taken in 13 years! The ironic part that everyone on the forum should know is that second before he got the shot of me donning my Scott and gear, Bill dropped his lens and I've never seen a face like that before! When your as good as Bill is behind the lens, I guess I can understand the value of your equipment. Thanks again for coming down and hope you can come visit Matt and I again.

For those wonderinga bout belonging to both a NY and MD department- With the way Hyattsville works, I put in 2-3 days straight every other month which meets my requirement and do admin work for the department while I'm home. It's nice to get away from the chief's job in Roosevelt every once and a while and wear the black hat (or natural in my case).

Dan