Progress Report – Pennsylvania

Benner Township, PA, March 26, 2005 – The Bellefonte and Pleasant Gap fire departments were dispatched at 2 P.M. to a reported plane crash at the Centre County Prison, at the intersection of Benner Pike and Rishel Hill Road. Bellefonte responded with a rescue engine and two engines with 22 firefighters under the command of Assistant Chief James Beaver Jr. Pleasant Gap responded with a rescue engine and a heavy rescue squad with 15 firefighters under the command of Chief Gary Royer.

Upon arrival, crews found that a single-engine aircraft had crashed into the parking lot at a prison facility under construction. There was no fire, no fuel spill and very little vapor odor. One 1¾-inch line was stretched for firefighter protection, but not used. No signs of life were found on any of the accessible victims. Firefighters used several sets of hydraulic tools to gain access to the interior of the aircraft to search for survivors. None were found, so firefighters awaited arrival of local and federal authorities. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official arrived on scene at 6 P.M., and after a preliminary examination of the scene, firefighters began extrication of the six victims. It took firefighters two hours to complete the recovery. Other agencies assisting at the scene included the Centre County Emergency Management Agency, Centre County Coroner’s Office, Centre County 911 mobile command post, Centre County administration, Centre County Sheriff, Pennsylvania State University Hazardous Materials Response Team, Pennsylvania State Police, Centre County Prison staff, Bellefonte EMS, Pleasant Gap Fire Department EMS, Mount Nittany Medical Center paramedics, Civil Air Patrol and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

—Jay K. Bradish

“Hot Spots on the Web”
This month’s focus: Fire department profiles

• Baytown, TX, Ladder 1 Information, pictures, statistics and more.

Bowdoin, ME, Fire & Rescue Response, stations and more. California, PA, Volunteer Fire Department Apparatus, links, history, photos and live scanner feeds. Greenback, TN, Fire Department Profile, services provided and station information. Nichols, NY, Volunteer Fire Department History, events, calendar and more. Rib Mountain, WI, Fire Department Stations, demographics and news. Sun Prairie, WI, EMS Department and employment information, kids page and more. Thornapple Township, MI, Emergency Services Stations, demographics, recruitment and more. Yellowstone Club, MT, Fire Department Stations, demographics, recruitment and more.

Site of the month...

Eureka, MI, Fire Protection District Administration, community programs, photos and more.

Submitted by
Deputy Chief Charles Werner
Charlottesville, VA, Fire Department
Firehouse® Magazine contributing editor
Firehouse.com TechZone Editor