Westmoreland County firefighters draw on past experiences to deal with subzero cold

As Westmoreland County firefighters prepared to potentially respond to emergencies in subzero temperatures late Wednesday into Thursday, Delmont Volunteer Fire Department Chief Rich Balik said lessons learned at a fatal fire last year in Salem Township assisted in its planning.

On Jan. 5, 2018, multiple departments battled subzero windchill as well as flames at a 1 a.m. fire on Fennel Street that claimed the life of 22-year-old Jeremy Rugh.

Balik said the below-zero windchill that night caused some equipment to freeze, including breathing apparatus and extension ladders. Like many area departments, Delmont firefighters this week prepared to deal with potentially worse conditions if they are called to a fire.

“We’re trying to be proactive based on our experiences. We’ve got a some torpedo heaters loaded to take to a scene so our pumps don’t freeze on us,” Balik said.

Firefighters also had electric heaters ready to keep warm in the event of an emergency, he said.

“Due to the extremely cold weather, we’ve also asked for volunteers to stay overnight (Wednesday) at the fire department so we don’t have to worry about firefighters’ cars not being able to start... We’ll be able to move out instantly on a call instead of having to wait from someone to respond,” Balik said.

In Greensburg, fire chief and public works director Tom Bell said that fire department also had been making preparations.

“My biggest concern is when you have such a deep drop you could have hydrants freeze. That is a major concern because you just don’t know,” Bell said.

It’s most important to have enough volunteers to respond to emergencies.

“When it dips to temperatures this cold, some guys may be reluctant to come,” Bell said.

Protecting volunteers who do respond in severe cold weather also is a significant concern, Bell said.

Murrysville Medic One’s support 610 unit will be available to establish warming stations and “provide firemen with hot soup and hot chocolate to help warm them up,” Bell said.

A plan also is in place with the Westmoreland County Transit Authority to get a bus to the scene of a fire.

“We can get the firefighters out in the cold into a warm bus to fight the temperatures. We also have a smaller, special operations van that we can rotate firefighters in and out of to get them warm,” Bell said.

Even after temperatures rise above zero later Thursday, emergency responders could still have major tasks ahead, he said.

“One other thing that is very worrisome when we have such a deep freeze is when we thaw out. As frozen pipes thaw in some of these buildings, they could burst causing flooding problems,” Bell said. “At this point, we just don’t know what’s going to happen. But I do know I’m keeping my fingers crossed right now.”

Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@tribweb.com or via Twitter @ppeirce_trib.