The pilot of a single engine Cessna Centurion P210 (similar to the one pictured)  was inbound to the Reading Airport when he reported that he was experiencing mechanical difficulties with his aircraft.

The pilot was accompanied by one passenger and had an estimated 50 gallons of fuel on board when he declared the emergency.

The pilot  was able to land the aircraft safely on Runway 31 while  Greenfields Fire Company and the Reading Airport Crash Fire Rescue crews stood by. 

The aircraft was then towed back to a hangar for service.

The driver of a 1998 Plymouth Voyager minivan noticed an odor of gasoline while driving in the southbound lanes of Route 222. As he drove past the Route 183 interchange, another driver pulled along side his vehicle and told him that flames were coming from beneath his minivan.

The minivan quickly pulled over and flames erupted frm the engine compartment. The driver frantically removed the contents of the van as passers-by called 911.

Engine 55 arrived on location shiortly thereafter and attacked the fire, quickly knocking down the fire. Greenfields firefighter John Kissling and Mount Pleasant firefighter Mike Wertz worked together on the attack,  as other firefighters used halligan bars to open the hood of the van to gain access to the engine compartment.

The flames were fully extinguished in about 15 minutes, but the van was destroyed as a result of the fire.

Greenfields and Mount Pleasant crews were on scene for about 30 minutes until the vehicle was removed from the highway.

Our new SUV "Utility 55" arrived from Odyssey Auto Specialty in New Jersey after an eight-week outfitting job.

The unit was at Odyssey for lettering, striping, equipment , radio, rear cabinetry  and a light tower installation.

Utility 55 will enhance our service to Bern Township with added communicatons abilities, command boards and tracking tools, computer access as well as trailer towing and personnel transport.

With a few minor adjustments to be performed yet, the unit could be in service by Monday March 30th.

We are very proud of our new Utiltiy 55 and believe it will serve our community now and well into the future.

The Chief would like to thank the Utility Committee members Phil Haupt, Steve Keppley, Matt Hoffmann and especially Brian Fisher for all the hard work that went in to the buiding of this new unit.

Great Job!! 

Greenfields Firefighters were dispatched as part of a second alarm assignment to assist at a working structure fire on Kinder Way in Muhlenberg Township. 

Goodwill of Hyde Park, Temple and Laureldale firefighters were on location battling a basement fire which had extended to the first floor of the residence when the next alarm was requested by Command.

Greenfields, Wyomissing and Spring Township Fire Departments responded to the scene while Leesport and Blandon Fire Departments covered the rest of Muhlemberg Township.

Greenfields Firefighters assisted with overhaul operations in the first floor kitchen and dining room areas.

A cause of the fire is under investigation.

Cub Scout Troop 190 paid a visit to the Greenfields Fire Station on the evening of March 11th to tour the station and learn about the volunteer fire service.

Approximately 12 Cub Scouts and parents witnessed a demonstration of firefighter dooning their protective equipment and leanred about  the different Greenfields fire apparatus.

Captain Brian Fisher supervised the tour and was assisted by Junior Firefighter Mahlon Auker, Firefighters Jen Reedy and David Steffey and Fire Police Sergeant Dave Braun.

Firefighters from Greenfields, Mount Pleasant, Leesport, Temple, Spring Township, Lower Heidelberg and the Zone 2 Tanker Task Force were on the scene of a working house fire on the 900 block of Center Road in Bern Township late Sunday evening.

Firefighters arrived and found heavy flames emitting from the basement of the single story residence. An initial attack was begun through a basement window to darken down the flames. Fire also ran the inside of the walls and heavily damaged the first floor of the house.

Since there were no fire hydrants in the area, tanker fill sites were set up at ponds along Grange Road and White Oak Lane by Temple, Rehrersburg and Bernville Fire Companies. Firefighters had extra work to cut through the thick layers of ice covering the ponds, which delayed the fill sites going into service.

Deputy Chief Steve Keppley  (Incident Command ) reported that the bulk of the fire was knocked down around 23:10 hours. The fire was placed under control at 23:25.

Fire Companies remained on location for an additional two hours performing salvage and overhaul operations.

Our thanks to Leesport, Mount Pleasant, Temple, Spring Township, Central Berks, Lower Heidelberg, Shoemakersville, Hamburg, Shartlesville, Bernville, Strausstown and Rehrersburg Fire Companies for all your help at the scene of the fire. 

Also thanks to West Reading, Goodwill Hyde Park and Virginville Fire Companies for your stand by coverage during the incident. 

Firefighters from Greenfields, Leesport, Mount Pleasant, Temple and Spring Township Fire Departments responded to a report of a chimney fire on the 1000 block of Mahlon Drive in Bern Township.

Upon their arrival, firefighters found light smoke emitting from the chimney as well as a light smoke condition inside the two story residence. The homeowner reported previously seeing black smoke coming out of his chimney along with an acrid odor.

Firefighters removed all burning materials from a basement wood stove and utilized thermal imaging cameras to check the chimney and surrounding walls for signs of excessive heat. Thankfully no signs of excessive heat of fire extension were found.

A check of the chimney from the roof found an approximate 75% creosote blockage of the chimney. The homeowner reported that he last had the chimney cleaned in October. He was on the phone with his cleaning contractor during the incident.

The light smoke was vented from the residence using fans and all units were available from the scene within about one hour of the dispatch. The homeowner was advised not to utilize the wood stove until the chimney was cleaned and inspected for safety.  

Firefighters from Greenfields, Leesport, Mount Pleasant, Temple and Spring Township were dispatched to the 600 block of Seidel's Run for a possible structure fire. The resident reported the basement was filling up with smoke in the area of the oil burner and she was attempting to evacuate herself and her elderly mother from the house.

Bern  Township Police Officer Vince Mazza arrived,  quickly shut off the oil burner and made sure both residents were safely evacuated from the house.

Firefighters then arrived and confirmed that the oil burner had malfunctioned and there were no other signs of fire in the house.

Smoke from the malfunctioning oil burner was vented using fans and the scene was cleared in about 45 minutes.

The driver of a car traveling south on Grange Road lost control and struck at utility pole, shearing it off at its base. The driver who suffered minor injuries, was transported to the hospital by Schuylkill Valley EMS. Firefighters from Greenfields and Leesport Fire Companies secured the area and notified the utility companies to replace the pole. Grange Road was closed between Snyder Drive and White Oak Lane for several hours until the work was completed.

The PennStar 4 Medical helicopter based at Reading was forced to make an emergency landing at Reading Regional Airport due to mechanical problems. No one was injured during the incident, however there was a patient on board at the time. The disabled helicopter was forced to sit in the middle of Runway 18 until a tug crew could be called in to remove it to a hangar.

Since the incident occurred during a time when the airport is not staffed, Greenfields Firefighters were requested to assist the aeromedical crew with transferring the patient from the disabled helicopter to an awaiting ambulance. Upon the arrival of fire units, the patient transfer had already been completed. Firefighters assisted the pilot with flares to mark the position of the disabled helicopter on the runway.

The Reading Airport Control Tower is out of service between midnight and 6AM. Harrisburg Tower was notified and  monitored the airspace to warn aircraft inbound to Reading to utilize an alternate runway.

Captain Brian Fisher organized another training site drill; this time to review ground ladder operations. The basics of ground ladder safety were reviewed and different types of resuces were practiced.

Participating firefighters each had several opportunities to refresh themselves on this most basic and necessary firefighter operations. 

Schuylkill Valley EMS came to Station 55 on Monday evening to participate in Captain Fisher\'s EMS familiarization drill.

Crews practiced patient stabilization and packaging techniques as well as loading patients into the ambulance. Several practical scenarios were held at the end of the night to test the personnel on what they were taught.

Thanks to Captain Fisher and Medic Fred Massa from Schuylkill Valley EMS for the training.

The Berks Heim (the Berks County Nursing Home in Bern Township) held their annual Fire Prevention Day on Monday October 6th.

The day started with a visit to the Heim Building by five students from Millmont Elementary School in the city. The school held a fire prevention poster contest and the students at the Heim were the winners of the contest.

Berks Heim Security Director Ed Ratajczak handed out awards to each of the students and had them briefly describe their winning posters. Firefighters from Greenfields Fire Company then presented a program demonstrating the turnout gear and equipment that firefighters use while performing a search and rescue operation. The firefighters emphasized that the equipment is not meant to scare anyone, and people inside a smoke filled building should go to firefighters for help.

Later that evening, fire crews from Greenfields, Mount Pleasant, West Reading and Leesport Fire Companies participated in an evacuation drill on the 3rd floor of the B-wing at the Heim building. A smoke machine was used to simulate fire conditions and the staff was ordered to evacuate residents from the wing to a safer part of the building. Once the staff evacuated all residents, some staff members went back into the residents' rooms so firefighters could practice their search and rescue operation.

Fire crews donned SCBA and  performed a primary and secondary search of the wing,  locating all 10 "victims" who were then led to another part of the building. Firefighters also connected a high rise pack to the interior standpipe connection and stretched that dry attack line to the seat of the simulated fire.

Once again all participants worked together and performed well to complete the operation.

As always, we thank Mount Pleasant, West Reading and Leesport for all your help.

The crew from Company 55 spent their weekly drill night at the Berks County Training Site this past Monday to review standpipe and hydraulic ventilation practices in the drill tower.

As always, Captain Brian Fisher had an activity packed session planned where crews connected an attack line to the fire department standpipe inside the drill tower stairwell. The line was then advanced up to the fire floor and into the fire room. Crews sprayed water to extinguish a simulated fire and then positioned the hose out the window to ventilate the room.

Several evolutions were practiced before the crews returned to station and followed with a "debriefing" session at Malibooz.

Two vehicles collided on a rain-soaked Route 183, in front of the Bern Church, near Palisades Drive. No one was injured in the collision which required the closure of Route 183 for over two hours. 

One of the vehicles involved was a pick-up truck hauling a trailer with four ATV's and several gasoline containers. The impact caused the trailer to fail, launching the ATV's and the gas cans in different directions. Most of the gasoline containers landed on the road and spilled their contents.

Firefighters from Greenfields and Mount Pleasant used absorbent to contain the spilled gasoline and absorbent pads to protect a storm drain. 

PennDOT was requested to the scene to spread sand over the highway to aid in traction. Fire Police from Greenfields, Bernville and Lower Heidelberg kept Route 183 closed until PennDOT arrived.