Rescue and Medic 72 and 72-8 along with Co. 63 and numerous other civic organizations attended the official dedication ceremony for the Aston Township Veterans Memorial Park located at Concord and Pennell Rds. The park has been in the works for close to 10 years at the site of an abandoned gas station. The committee has been hard at work fund raising and designing this beautiful park. The cornerstone of the park is a Granite Memorial listing the names of all those Aston residents who have given their lives in defense of our freedom and our community. As of the dedication, there is only one firefighter's name on the wall, FF Herbert Pinkowicz from Aston-Beechwood who died in the line of duty in 1986.

The dedication was marked by speeches from local and state politicians, the Sun Valley JROTC color guard, boy scouts and girl scouts as well as representatives from local military veteran organizations. There was also an apache helicopter fly over.  M72-7 and QRS 63 did tend to several patients throughout the day who were suffering from the effects of the heat. We were assisted by ambulances 52 and 40 along with M100C.

Thank you to Aston Twp. and Veterans Memorial Committee for a wonderful job on the park and for inviting us to the ceremonies!

Congratulations to ABFC Volunteer Mikell Jones and his wife Jen on the birth of their first child today. McKenzie came into the world at 12:31pm weighing in at 8lbs 3 oz and measured 20 1/4 inches long. Mom, dad and McKenzie are all doing wonderful. Happy Birthday Baby McKenzie

On Sunday evening, company 72 and rescue 63 were dispatched to the 6000 Block of Pennell Road for an accident, reported with entrapment. ABFC Vice President Dave Favinger was in the area and arrived first along with 54-9B (S. Maffi) and reported one vehicle, on its side and the driver trapped. Rescue 72 responded within minutes under the command of LT. Moletteri (72-13). 63-9B (K. Dawson) arrived next and reported the driver was able to self extricate through an opening in the vehicles windshield. Crews from Rescues 72 and 63 worked under the command of 72-9A (M. Keiser) to secure the vehicle,  control hazards and assist with patient packaging. Rescue 72 stood by the scene for approximately one hour until the tow truck was able to remove the vehicle and the roadway  opened . Medic 72-7 transported the driver to CCMC ER, and Fire Police had the roadway shut down in both directions between Mount Rd. and Glendale BLVD. during the incident.

Today, members of the Aston Twp. Emergency Services hosted “The Courage to Be Safe, So Everyone Goes Home” class presented by PA State Fire Commissioner Ed Mann. Mr. Mann presented 5 hours of his personnel experiences dealing with Line of Duty Deaths and encouraged the 150 firefighters and paramedics on hand to have the courage to BE SAFE on every call. The Commissioner challenged every student to define and advocate the need for a cultural change within the fire service relating to safety by incorporating leadership, management, supervision, accountability and personal responsibility. It was highly recommended that everyone involved in the fire service subscribe to receive free weekly updates from the Firefighter Near Miss website. We would like to thank A/C K. Dawson (63-9B) for taking on the responsibility of organizing this class and to all the volunteers from ABFC and GRFC that made it happen. We would also like to thank Mr. Ed Mann for traveling to Aston Township, Neumann University for the use of their facilities and to Lincoln Fire Co. (Montgomery County, PA) for covering our local all day.

The Rescue and Medic unit responded to Concord and Shick Road today for a rear end collision reported with injuries. No EMS services were needed but the Rescue secured the vehicles and used oil dry for fluids on the roadway. Meanwhile, D/C Keiser (72-9A) and  A/C Dawson (63-9B) found State Fire Commissioner Ed Mann, who just arrived into town. They then escorted Commissioner Mann to station 72 for a welcome dinner with members from Aston-Beechwood and Green Ridge. After the dinner, CCMC Paramedic Bill Richards presented the facts of the Wade Dump Fire in 1978.

Station 72 held their annual Memorial Day picnic today at the station. The day started with the company participating in a few parades then everyone headed back to the station for a fun, relaxing afternoon with friends and neighbors.

"Who let the dogs in"? Deputy Chief Keiser and his wife Sarah brought their two greyhounds, Meatball and Torpedo, to join in the festivities. Also, Chief Lloyd was able to finally answer Chief Herre's question of "where is my ice cream"? The afternoon also saw the first "Are You Smarter then a Fifth Grader" competition between the boys and girls. No winner has been determined yet.

At about 13:00 hours, the building fire response was dispatched for the 200 block of Crozerville Road. Engine 54 arrived on location reporting smoke showing from the garage. 72-9 (J. Lloyd) arrived behind Engine 54 and ordered Engine 71 to lay the 5" supply line and established the Crozerville Command. Engine 72 arrived immediately following. Crews from Engine 71 established water supply and assisted with advancing the initial attack line, 71-12 took the initial Interior Sector. The crew from Engine 72 assisted with forcing entry through the garage door and immediately began protecting the homeowner's car collection. Crews from Engine 63 and Truck 69 laddered the building and began opening up. After the knockdown, crews checked for extension and ventilated the building. Due to the day's heat, the cover companies from 72 & 69 were called to the scene for manpower. Companies on scene: 72, 63, 71, 54, 69, NCC RIT 13, 47, 65, 66, 16. Pic courtesy of Chester Heights Fire Co.

In addition to attending the Marcus Hook Memorial Day Parade, the members of company 72 spent the holiday weekend keeping busy with calls and events. On Friday, the weekend was kicked off at 6:00 am with the continuation of the search for former ABFC member Warren Fields. Mr. Fields was found to be at a friend's home at approximately 7:30 am and the search was called off.

At around 5:00 pm, the rescue assignment was dispatched to Concord Rd. and Raymond Ave. for a motor vehicle accident. Rescue 72, 72-7 and 7a responded. Crews from Rescues 72 & 63 aided with patient care and hazard control. Both ABFC ambulances transported patients. Fire Police from 72 were also on scene and handled traffic management during the incident.

Shortly after returning to the station, representatives from Ferrara Fire Apparatus stopped by Station 72 to show a demo rescue truck that the Truck Committee saw at the Fire Expo in Harrisburg. The committee and other members spent several hours going over the truck and looking at ideas for our future apparatus purchases. No sooner than the representatives left, the company was dispatched to Pizza Hut on Pennell Rd. for the building fire. Full company 72 responded within seconds, and Engine 72 under the Command of D/C M. Keiser arrived behind 63-9A (M. Evans) and found a light smoke condition inside the building. Crews from companies 72 and 63 worked under the command of D/C 63-9A . 72-9A (M. Keiser) had the Interior Sector, 63-9B (K. Dawson) had the Roof Sector, and 72-9 (J.Lloyd) had Manpower. Crews found the source to be a refrigerator compressor motor. The building was ventilated, and units went available.

On Saturday, after returning from the Marcus Hook parade, Companies 63 and 72 were dispatched to Ice Works on Duttons Mill Rd. for a fire alarm. Engine 63 arrived and found a pull station had been set off by a child and recalled the assignment. Within a few minutes of clearing the first call, the company was notified by fireboard that they were going to be dispatched to Upland for a building fire on Main Street. Engine 72 responded within seconds of dispatch under the command of Lt. J. Moletteri (72-13) and staged at the hydrant, on John F. Kennedy Blvd. Crews from Companies 45, 52 and 57 were able to quickly extinguish the fire and the company returned with in 30 minutes.

On Saturday ABFC members traveled to Marcus Hook for the annual Memorial Day Parade. Many String and High School Bands marched with the local fire departments in attendance. As ABFC approached the middle of the parade the Aston Township rescue response was dispatched for an accident in 63's local. Engine 72 and Command 72 made the response from the parade, along with Rescue 63. The Tac and 72-7A stayed to finish the parade.

On Thursday the Aston Township Lions Club honored the Fire Firefighter and EMS Person of the year at their annual dinner. EMS Captain Kane Presented ABFC EMS Person of the year, Lisa Tudo with the Lions Club Plaque. Chief John Lloyd Present Wayne Stewart with the plaque for the Fire Department of the Year. Ken Dawson, although he was not able to attend was given the Annual Plaque by Past Chief Thomas Morgan. Thank you Lions Club for your donation. It will be put to good use.

On Wednesday Night ABFC held its annual EMS WEEK Appreciation Dinner and Con-Ed Class. This year about 50 people had a great dinner and two Classes on special needs patients. The classes started out with Basics of Autism for the EMS Provider. The night ended with a presentation from the Alzheimer's Association. Thank you to all who helped make this night a success.

Today ABFC EMS was requested to stand-by at Neumann University for their annual commencement exercises. The ABFC Gator was debuted at the ceremony. During the ceremony Gator 72, under the command of Chief John Lloyd and Paramedic Jeffrey Kane, responded to 3 emergencies in the crowd. Many attendees commented on the presence of the Gator and the responses it made. Medic 72-7 transported one patient to RMH. During the gradutaion the President of Neumann announced the transition of Neumann College to Neumann University. The Gator, Medic 72-7, BLS 72-7A were on stand-by for 5 hours.

Just prior to 0800hrs, Medic 72 was dispatched for a medical emergency in the township. Five minutes later, County Fire Radio sent the remainder of Company 72, along with Rescue 63, QRS 63 and Medic 100C to the 6000 block of Pennell Road for the multi vehicle car crash. 72-7A, Rescue 72 and Tac 72 made the response. Rescue 63 arrived and requested a 2nd squad bringing Medic 104-7D to the event. Rescue units worked to secure the vehicles and assist EMS. Both squads transported as units worked under the command of 72-9B (W. Stewart).

On Mothers Day ABFC held its Second Annual EMS Celebration, in preparation for National EMS Week. National Emergency Medical Services Week was developed to provide understanding of EMS, its purpose in the community, and how the EMS system works. This year we highlighted the purchase of the ABFC John Deere Gator in a creek side rescue where conventional rescue vehicles are unable to gain access. Chief John Lloyd and EMS Captain Jeffrey Kane along with EMS Captain John Ellmore from Brookhaven EMS and EMT Sara Walters from Green Ridge made the trek from our station to the creek side injured person ABFC EMT Judy Kirby. The crew showed how the Gator could drive right up to the creek and evacuate the patient to the awaiting Ambulance driven by Parkside EMS Captain Dave Wilkie. ABFC Deputy Mike Keiser MC'd the rescue for the public. During the 3 o'clock hour Deputy Keiser held a service to honor Mothers and their dedication to their children. Our Township K-9 Police officer Jax and his partner Mike Jones gave us a wonderful ending to the day with a demonstration of his skills. We would like to thank all who attended and for all those who helped with preparation. Thank you Green Ridge, Chester Heights, Brookhaven, Parkside and Lima EMS for your assistance making this day such a success. We will see you next year!

Vice President Dave Favinger, along with his wife Annie, attended the Upland Fire Company Banquet tonight. Upland does an annual airpack challenge every year and Chief Eusden was a judge of that competition for the last 10 years. This year, that award was renamed “The Rocky Eusden Airpack Challenge Award”. Rocky was a longtime member of Upland Fire Company and his memory carries on there as it does at Aston-Beechwood Fire Company.