Six firefighters with the Forest Volunteer Fire Department were taken to the hospital Wednesday after a pumper truck overturned at about 6:30 a.m., officials said.
All six were released from the hospital before noon. Chief Nick Thomas, of the Forest Volunteer Fire Department, said Wednesday evening five of the firefighters are ready to return to duty, but one is on crutches for leg pain.
Thomas said he believes all six firefighters wore seat belts at the time of the crash.
The department's Pumper 5 truck was traveling south in the 4000 block of New London Road, near New London Steak House, en route to a fire on Wyatts Way in the Huddleston area, officials said.
The engine went off the right side of the road, and the driver overcorrected, Virginia State Police Sgt. Bob Carpentieri said. The engine crossed both lanes and struck a fence in front of New London Steak House before overturning.
Monty Coleman, 40, of Forest, was driving, Carpentieri said.
Coleman started with the volunteer fire department in 1989 and served as its chief from 2004 to 2008, according to the department's website.
Also involved in the wreck were Jared Staton, 23; Zach Coleman, 18; Brad Ellis, 26; and Adrian Blazejewicz.
Carpentieri would not identify one of the firefighters because he is 17.
Deputy Chief Marci Stone, of Bedford County Fire and Rescue, said Coleman has completed the Emergency Vehicles Operations Training Course through the Virginia Department of Fire Programs.
The course requires 16 hours of classroom training in addition to time spent behind the wheel.
Stone said firetruck drivers must undergo all other training courses for that department. She added drivers typically are with the department for a year before driving a fire truck.
The emergency vehicle course does not require recertification. However, Stone said many firefighters will take the class more than once.
"Most of the departments recommend remediation training," she said.
Thomas said firetruck drivers with the Forest Volunteer Fire Company must undergo about 100 hours behind the wheel before they can drive to scenes.
The pumper engine was totaled in the wreck, Carpentieri said, but he could not estimate a dollar amount of damage.
The engine was the only vehicle involved, said Deputy Chief Janet Blankenship of the Bedford Fire Department.
Carpentieri could not comment on the speed of the engine at the time of wreck. The cause remains under investigation.
Pumper 5 is one of eight vehicles in the Forest company's inventory, according the department's website. Built in 2005, the engine can carry six people and 1,000 gallons of water.
The Forest Volunteer Fire Department has just more than 40 members.
On Dec. 1, Bedford Fire Department's Engine 1 overturned while responding to a brush fire. Four firefighters were injured in the wreck, but all were home recovering a few days later and no charges were filed.
Pumper 5 was traveling to a fire Wednesday morning at 16522 Wyatts Way in Huddleston.
Bedford County Fire and Rescue said a caller reported the entire back of the home was ablaze shortly before 6:15 a.m.
When crews responded, they found flames spilling from the back and roof of the home.
According to Bedford Fire and Rescue, the fire was sparked by an electrical system malfunction.
Crews from the Bedford County Fire and Rescue, Huddleston, Evington, Saunders, Moneta, Bedford and Brookeville-Timberlake fire departments responded.
Two residents from the Wyatts Way house are receiving help with meals and clothing, said Amy Whittaker, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross.
"The family has a place to stay," Whittaker said in a news release.
Firetruck driver training
Every firetruck driver nationwide is required to meet standards set by the National Fire Protection Association.
The organization requires drivers to be knowledgeable of vehicle driving, operating and maintenance.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency also offers a class titled FA-110: Emergency Vehicle and Roadway Scene Safety.
The class teaches firefighters safety precautions when behind the wheel, including the need to wear seat belts.
About 30,000 firetruck crashes occur across the country each year, according to a report by the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine.
The report analyzes data from 2000 to 2009 and argues firetruck wrecks are particularly devastating, since many firefighters neglecting to wear seat belts.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, vehicle collisions ac-counted for about 25 percent of fire-fighter deaths in 2012.
Copyright 2013 - The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.
