Mahopac -Working Fire 3-7-05 Discussion

[EJS1810 7]

Sorry about a delay in an update but we didnt get back in service till around 2am then I had computer issues.

The address was 12 Croton Falls Rd between East Lake Blvd and Route 6. The building was next to the Jewish Temple and about 100 yards from Mahopac Headquarters. It was built in the early 1900's and originaly was a school. It later served as the original Mahopac Hospital and then Mahopac Fire Department Headquarters. It has since been converted to a multi family dwelling. There is a picture taken in the 1920's with our two engines in front of it hanging in the lounge at Station 2.

The 1st report was a verbal to our current headquarters where members were assembling for Monday night house duty and truck checks. As they opened the bay doors they could see heavy fire through the roof and coupola and in the attic area. Initial attempts to control the fire with a deck gun to the roof did not work. Tankers were used (18-4-2, 19-4-1, and 12-4-1) at first until water supply was established.

There was a problem getting water from Lake Mahopac (approximattly 300 feet away) due to heavy ice. Engine Co. 3 (18-2-3) hooked up at a dry hydrant on East Lake Blvd at Croton Falls Rd. They supplied a 5" line to 18-4-1 (Scene). 18-2-3 suffered a pump problem and was replaces at the dry hydrant by 18-4-2. A second 5" line was laid to the Mahopac School District Beach property by 18-2-2 to supply Mahopac Tower 18-5-1. They had to cut several holes in the ice to get good water. There was 30 ft of suction going into the lake.

Carmel Tower 12-5-1 set up on the 3/4 side and was origionaly fed by 3" lines from wyed off the 5" line to 18-5-1. that was changed and Croton Falls(I believe) laid a 3rd 5' Line to a pressuriezed hydrant in front of the Carmel Town hall aon McAlpin Ave at Croton Falls Rd.

Brewster FD was called for the FAST and when they arrived they asked for a 2nd FAST Team due to the size of the building. (60x60 at least). Command asked for Mohegan FAST so as to not strip all of the Putnam resources. (We already had 3 of the 4 ladders in the county there). Mohegan responded with 258.

I didnt get to see much of the operations as I was driving 18-4-2 and the dry hydrant was out of sight of the fire. Command was 18-1-3 (Asst Chief Grundman), Operations were 18-1-2 (Asst Chief Kinash). Chief Storino was working and arrived later in the fire. Water supply was handled by Mahopac Ex-Chiefs. Assisting at the command post was Emergency Services Coordinator Car 4 (Ex-Chief Ciulla). There were a lot of M/A Chiefs.

Other units I know were there include were Rescues 18-6-1(lighting), 19-6-1 (Cascade & Lighting), Utility 18-6-2, EMS was 18-7-2 & Medic 3. Putnam County Fire Police with BES4 and 22-8-1 and the Putnam County Fire Investigation team. I'm not sure on any relocates other then Croton Falls into Mahopac Headquarters.

I havnt heard a determination on cause yet. I believe the building will be razed. Another piece of Mahopac history gone.

One last note, this was the first working incident for the new Putnam 911 center. It sounded a little confusing at first but all in all from what I heard before I shut my radio off scan they did an excellet job.

EJS1810

[RH31379 0]

Mahopac falls 19-2-1 laid the 5" line from Route 6 and Croton and Croton Falls Road across Route 6 to the hydrant located at the town hall (Croton Falls Road and McAlpin Ave.) They were initially going to suppply 19-4-1 and then switched to 12-5-1.

[Guest chief865]

It's amazing and we take the blame for it. A fire within site of the firehouse during rush hour traffic "burns to the ground". Why doesn't the public report it sooner? Are people that distracted or do they just assume someone else is going to call. Similar situation in Lake Carmel back in January. A fire on Rt. 52 (across from the firehouse) at 9:30am on a Saturday morning went unreported for some time before the call was dispatched. It took the fire department three minutes to get on scene in Lake Carmel, but the fire already consumed the first floor and started burning through the roof. I'm assuming the situation was the same for Mahopac as they're the ones who probably notified dispatch. I'm sure the members of Mahopac made a valiant effort to control the fire, but unfortunately, the public only sees the end result. Hopefully, I'm wrong, but it usually turns out that way.

[Guest squad]

Couldn't they smell the smoke? Unbelievable.....

[fitzjr11 17]

Rough having a building burn down across the street from your own dept, at least now lake carmel not alone

[Guest BLSPECIAL19]

There was nothing wrong with Mahopac at this fire. It was way to involved by the time they rolled up. And yes maybe we can blame the public for waiting so long to notify Mahopac FD headquarters. Besides the hydrant problem, Mahopac did an excellent job, and i being a member of the Falls enjoy working side by side with them. Excellent job to all- Just way to much fire from the get go.

[Guest]

16 homeless in Mahopac fire

By SHAWN COHEN

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original Publication: March 9, 2005)

MAHOPAC — Sixteen people were left homeless after a fire Monday tore through their apartment house, a century-old building that once was the original Mahopac firehouse.

Authorities said the blaze at 12 Croton Falls Road did not appear to be suspicious. It started in the attic, where, the owners said, contractors had been working on a new roof about an hour before the fire was reported.

The co-owner, Robert Rudemyer, his son and police safely evacuated the residents. But the 12-unit, two-story building, used by the Fire Department between 1914 and the 1940s, might not be salvageable. 

As Rudemyer surveyed the damage yesterday, he choked back tears as he spoke about the tenants, who he said lost all their belongings, have no insurance and must now find somewhere else to live.

"I just feel sorry for the people," said Rudemyer, who has owned the building with his wife for 30 years. "We were like a tight community. I wish I had more rooms to put these people in because this place was full, and these poor people are going to have a hard time finding apartments. They lost everything — everything." But he was heartened when members of Temple Beth Shalom, the synagogue next door, stopped by with clothes for the families, part of an outpouring of community support.

Rudemyer's son, Robert Rudemyer Jr., was the first to notice the fire, about 6:30 p.m., when nearly all of the residents were home. His son saw the glow from his first-floor kitchen window and ran outside to alert his father and fetch keys to unlock all the doors.

At first, he thought his son was kidding when he said there was a "big fire," but he turned and saw flames shooting through the roof. As his son ran downstairs to grab fire extinguishers, Rudemyer ran upstairs and ordered residents out of the building. He then ran down the street to the Mahopac Fire Department, at the Route 6 intersection, to report the fire.

Lt. Brian Karst of the Carmel police beat everyone to the fire. As he drove up, he said, "I could see the roof was totally engulfed in flames, and I was immediately aware of the seriousness of the situation. My main goal was to evacuate any people remaining in the building that was on fire and the adjacent residences that were at risk."

Karst and three other officers who arrived soon after him evacuated people from the first floor, then ran to a bordering building, which was threatened by heat and flames. There, Karst carried one woman from that building and assisted in removing another.

About 100 firefighters from five fire departments responded, extending hoses into the building at first but retreating when the roof caved in. They then fought flames from the outside, using the "surround-and-drown" strategy, Mahopac Fire Chief Steven Storino said. 

The bulk of the fire was brought under control within 45 minutes, but crews continued their efforts until 1 a.m. Yesterday afternoon, they returned to the fire scene to check on debris that was still smoldering.

The Red Cross is helping some of the homeless, including three children, with temporary shelter, but most are staying with relatives or friends. Temple Beth Shalom has fielded "hundreds of calls" from people wanting to help, Rabbi Joshua Kalev said. As snow fell yesterday, he and two congregants stopped by with bags of clothes and gave them to one affected family, a young Russian couple and their infant child. The family was staying nearby.

"Thank you, thank you so much," the father, Danny Yakyb, told them.

"This is just the beginning of a ton of stuff that's going to be coming in, blankets and whatever we can do to help these families," Kalev said. "This is our community. Whatever religion you are, we just want to make sure that during this cold time and any time that the families are taken care of. That's our responsibility as human beings and something we take very seriously."

[brian19fd 22]

even though we lost this one, i must say mahopac did a very nice job and worked their butts off =D> along with all mutual aid departments... its a shame we couldn't have gotten to it earlier...

[foreman1923 22]

Mahopac did an outstanding job with what their first arriving units had to deal with. I wasnt there first but i heard it was pretty well involved and when i got there there was a decent amount of fire still there. Once again great working along side mahopac