With Aqua Pennsylvania’s Delaware River intakes in Bristol Borough shut due to Friday night’s chemical spill, Bucks County officials have brought in tankers from around the county to support local firefighters, levittownnow.com reported.

Aqua provides hydrant and drinking water to Bensalem Township and Bristol Borough and parts of Bristol Township. With the Delaware River intakes shut, there has been concern hydrants may not put out enough water if a blaze occurs, a fire source said, according to the report.

The tanker trucks will provide additional water for fire trucks if needed in place of hydrants, the report said. The trucks will be stationed throughout Bristol Borough, Bristol Township, and Bensalem Township, according to officials.

Aqua has not announced when their Delaware River intakes will reopen. They have been closed since the chemical spill in Bristol Township was discovered late Friday night.

Bucks County spokesperson James O’Malley said the tankers will remain in their locations through Monday evening, the report said.

Bucks County Monitoring Chemical Spill

Late Friday evening, a leak at Trinseo Altuglas chemical facility in Bristol Township spilled between 8,100 and 12,000 gallons of hazardous materials into the Delaware River, Buckscounty.gov said in a press release. Bucks County officials have been closely monitoring the situation and helping to contain the spill. This morning, Bucks County activated its Emergency Operations Center to provide support to, and remain in constant communication with, local, state, and federal officials, as well as affected water providers. The material spilled is a water-based latex finishing solution and non-toxic to humans.  

The county has communicated with providers Pennsylvania American Water, Aqua, and the Lower Bucks Joint Municipal Authority, who have all advised that there are currently no known adverse impacts to drinking water in Bucks County. 

Residents in Bristol Borough, Bristol Township, and Bensalem Township who may have questions should contact their water provider. The county will update residents as information becomes available. 

Statement from Pennsylvania American Water: 

“The health and safety of our customers is our top priority. Pennsylvania American Water is monitoring the water quality of the Delaware River following a chemical release that occurred yesterday from a manufacturing plant into a tributary of the river in Bristol, Pa. The company is maintaining regular communication with state and federal agencies regarding the situation. The company has determined there is no impact to the company’s Yardley Water Treatment Plant, which is located approximately 15 miles upstream of the chemical release. In Bucks County, Pennsylvania American Water serves Lower Makefield Township, Yardley Borough, and parts of Falls Township. We will continue to monitor the source water and provide updates if there are any developments.” 

Statement from Aqua: 

Aqua Acted Immediately to Protect our Drinking Water from Spill on Delaware River Trib

PRESS RELEASE

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – On March 23, 2023, the Syracuse Fire Department placed the first of three new Pierce Sky-Boom engines into service at Engine Company 5 on South Geddes Street.

The other two new engines are expected to go into service at their respective stations in the coming weeks. Engine Company 10, on East Genesee Street, and Engine Company 1, on East Adams Street, will be assigned the new engines.

These new engines continue Syracuse Fire’s long tradition of innovation and being on the cutting edge of firefighting technology. The engines are each equipped with a 55-foot aerial telescoping boom that can function as a ladder or an elevated waterway. These booms are a hallmark of Syracuse Fire Department engine company apparatus. The new rigs are also equipped with two-stage pumps, a first for the department in recent years. These will enhance our ability to pump fires involving high-rise structures effectively.

By Bill Adams

“It’s not like the good ole days” is a statement often made by former as well as older and experienced members of both the fire service and the fire apparatus industry.

It is debatable whether the statement expresses appreciation and fondness of times past or is disparaging of the current state of affairs. The earlier is admirable; the latter is discouraging. The statement is worth examining, especially in the realm of writing specifications and purchasing fire apparatus. This narration is a personal observation of the industry and fire service and is not influenced by or beholden to purchasers, manufacturers, vendors, and advertisers.

Some apparatus purchasing committee (APC) members do not exhibit the same degree of enthusiasm when serving on a committee as did their predecessors. Perhaps they are less educated; don’t have the time; or just aren’t interested in the process of writing, understanding, and evaluating fire apparatus specifications. Being educated is being well informed and knowledgeable of both the product and the process of purchasing fire apparatus. Apathy is displaying a lack of concern or interest, which is a disappointing trait. It is an injustice to the taxpayers who are funding a new purchase. More importantly, it is a disservice to the firefighters who must staff the apparatus.

• Apparatus Purchasing Archives

There ought to be logical reasoning behind the lack of eagerness in belonging to an APC and an unwillingness to become learned in the technical nuts and bolts of fire apparatus construction. Demonstrating apathy is not unique to either the career or volunteer side. No such accusation is inferred. Reasons might best be found if a fire department does an objective analysis of how its APC is chosen and how specifications are formulated. Such a self-evaluation could also help in determining the effectiveness of an APC’s performance. Merely backing a new rig into the barn that is painted the proper color and has the name spelled correctly is not an indication that the APC has done an exemplary job—or even an adequate one. That determination often takes some “in-service” time.

COMMITTEE ORGANIZATION

Commentators do not have the right to proclaim there must be a specific number of people who should comprise an APC. Likewise, APC members’ areas of expertise, levels of experience, and years on the job should not be stipulated—recommended maybe, but not stipulated; there are too many variables. It is best to provide examples of APC organization criteria for readers to evaluate.

The makeup of APCs in career departments is often determined by the size of the organization. Those with large fleets of apparatus may have designated personnel whose primary, and possibly only, responsibility is apparatus procurement. Some are very good at it. It’s their job—they’re paid to do it. Large career departments have been known to rotate personnel throughout an organization to gain experience in administrative functions as well as operational firefighting. Such rotation may be mandatory and, in some instances, a requirement for advancement. Career entities are not immune from having an assigned APC member who may be more interested in becoming

SVI Trucks—Oklahoma City (OK) Fire Department ventilation unit. Ford F-450 4×2 cab and chassis; Ford 7.3L 2V DEVCT NA PFI V8 430-hp engine; Onan 15-kW generator; Super Vac 48-inch SVU Ford gas-powered fan with 250,000-cfm output; 270-degree electric turntable with scissor lift; 30-gpm @ 60-psi shroud misting ring; OnScene Solutions LED compartment lights. Dealer: Cary Provence, Conrad Fire Equipment, Olathe, KS.

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