GREENDALE FIRE DEPARTMENT
Chief: Steve Beebe
Personnel: One career firefighter, 25 part-time firefighters
Apparatus: Two engines, one aerial, one heavy rescue, one command unit
Population: 4,296
Area: 15 square miles
A large fire load, limited access and a limited water supply combined to challenge crews from 40 departments in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio that responded to a multiple-alarm fire in a warehouse in Greendale, IN.
The July 7, 2005, fire occurred in a concrete and brick building that was 240 feet long, 160 feet wide and 120 feet tall and had a concrete roof covered with tar and gravel. The building was constructed in 1936 by Schenley Distillery and used for storing alcohol until 1989. Currently, the building was occupied by Alternative Plastics and used as a plastics-recycling warehouse. The building was equipped with sprinklers, but they were not operational at the time of the fire.
At the time of the fire, there was no pre-plan for the building. Since then, the other similarly constructed buildings in the complex have been pre-planned. The city water supply ran low during the extended operations and required firefighters to find an alternative water source. Drafting operations were established in a creek 500 feet from the building. The large fire load inside the building and limited access from the outside made it difficult to fight the flames and reach the seat of the fire.
The Greendale Fire Department was dispatched to the fire at 11:55 A.M. Engines 310 and 320; Truck 340, an 85-foot aerial platform with a 1,250-gpm pump; and Heavy Rescue 330 responded with 16 firefighters under the command of Fire Chief Ed Noel (who has since retired). While enroute, firefighters were advised that two electricians might still be in the building. Mutual aid was requested from Lawrenceburg and Aurora while enroute.
Crew Forced Back
Upon arrival, Captain Shannon Craig and Firefighter/EMT Matt Stelle found that the fire was located in the northeast corner of the first floor. Engine 320 was positioned near the northeast corner of the building; supplied by a 200-foot supply line from a hydrant. Truck 340 was also positioned at the northeast corner and set up for aerial master stream operations. Engine 310 laid a second 200-foot supply line from a hydrant to Truck 340 for water supply.
Two firefighters advanced a 1¾-inch line into the building in an attempt to make an interior attack. The firefighters encountered extremely high heat conditions and remained inside the building for less than one minute. Upon exiting, they were burned, their helmets were melted and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) facepieces were partially melted.
Additional mutual aid was requested from departments in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio at 12:57 P.M. Numerous attempts were made to access the fire until 5 P.M., when Noel ordered defensive operations. He declared the fire under control at 3 P.M. the following day, 27 hours after the initial alarm. All mutual aid departments were released by 6 P.M. on July 9, and the last Greendale units returned to their station at 5 P.M. on July 10.
Three hundred twenty-five firefighters responded to the scene with 60 pieces of apparatus, including engines, aerials, rescues, foam units, hazmat units, mobile command posts and ambulances. Five hundred gallons of foam concentrate was applied with handlines and truck-mounted nozzles. Six million gallons of water was flowed from the municipal water systems of Greendale and Lawrenceburg.
Aerial Replaced
The fire was investigated by the Greendale Fire Department, Indiana Fire Marshal’s Office and Greendale Police Department. Damage was estimated at $4 million to the building and $500,000 to the contents. The fire department had to replace $8,000 worth of equipment and Greendale Truck 340 sustained $10,000 in damage. The 1974 Howe aerial platform caught fire when a power steering line broke and sprayed power steering fluid on to the engine and exhaust. The engine compartment, front tires and all hydraulic hoses burned. This apparatus was replaced with a 95-foot aerial platform (see page 167). Two firefighters suffered heat exhaustion and one suffered minor burns to the hand.
Jay K. Bradish/IFPA, Firehouse news editor, is a former captain in the Bradford Township, PA, Fire Department. He has been a volunteer firefighter and fire photographer for more than 25 years.
