A New Engine In Town

AFD new Engine 1 (2013 Typhoon/E-MAX 1500/750/30)

While there's no question AFD is badly understaffed and Central Station is badly in need of replacement, their equipment at least is top notch.

Let the training begin

This Bad Boy just arrived last week and is currently undergoing specialized small equipment installation and being stocked with routine supplies, but should be in service by the end of the month, just in time for the students return to our (currently) sleepy little college town.

The pumper was originally scheduled for purchase next year but the town moved it up to take advantage of low borrowing rates.  And when your talking $400,000 even a small percentage makes a big difference.  

Last May Town Meeting also approved an addition $20,000 for medical equipment and a specialized drug lock box to allow Engine 1 to act as a stop gap ambulance (but cannot transport a patient). 

 AFD Current Engine 1 ((2001 Cyclone ll 1500/750/30) at rest

Going out fighting:

In what may have been her last battle with The Beast as a frontline piece, Engine 1 was first to arrive Saturday at Southpoint Apartment major structure fire (unfortunately with only 1 firefighter aboard).

Engine 1, alongside Ladder 1 and Engine 2 Southpoint Apartments

No Surrender, Yes Retreat

 Amherst Pelham Regional High School

Silly me, I always thought that when you went "on a retreat" it encompassed more than a couple hours.  Seems the only difference between this "retreat" and a normal run-of-the-mill "meeting" is this one shuts out public comment.

After the last Jerry-Springer-like meeting of the Regional School Committee (well at least the last "official" meeting), I can see why they would like to avoid the general public.

But that is precisely the problem with our dysfunctional education committees:  losing touch with the people who put them in office, although all of them were elected in "contests" that drew less than a 50% voter turnout.

And losing sight of job #1: Providing high-quality education to all children, regardless of race, creed, color, religion ... or political affiliation. At a cost the average taxpayer can bear.

Southpoint Fire Damage (View From Above)

Southpoint Apartments (most fire damage to  rear center building)

Fire cause has been determined:  Tenant left (for the day) a pot on the stove

Considering it took an army of firefighters three hours to bring the stubborn Saturday afternoon blaze under control, I'm actually surprised there's not way more extensive damage to the roof of the structure.  

I just now noticed the time/date stamp on this iPhone video I took, which shows 5:02 PM on Saturday.  Considering the first AFD engine was still a few minutes away, kind of gives you an idea of how far along the fire was before a drop of water was brought to bear

And of course it did not help that the initial arrival truck, Engine 1, had only one firefighter aboard.

Frustrating statement from AFD Local 1764 regarding Southpoint Apartments fire:

   AFD Union Statement Southpoint Fire

Now if you really want to lose sleep tonight envision this scenario repeating itself three weeks from now at Townhouse Apartments in North Amherst, which is almost exclusively UMass students.

And on a Saturday at 5:00 PM too many of them will be under the influence of alcohol.

The extra staffing (4 firefighters) UMass pays for do not report for duty until 9:00 PM on the weekends.

Pay attention! (nothing to cheer about):

A Good Torch

 Flame of Hope enters town center

It wasn't all bad news on the public safety department front yesterday. 

The Western Massachusetts Law Enforcement Torch Run, a 3 mile jog from Amherst PD headquarters on Main Street to Kennedy Dorm Southwest area UMass, managed to step off at the scheduled start, 7:00 PM. 

As they were running up Main Street, South Hadley Fire Department was arriving for a fire alarm at Johnny's Tavern just opposite Town Hall.  All AFD personnel were busy fighting the major fire at Southpoint Apartments.

The Torch Run is a nationwide benefit to raise money for Special Olympics.  This local event is doubly beneficial as the torch run culminates with the lighting of a cauldron to signal the start of the Summer Games.

Line up at APD headquarters

The Morning After

 Crossfire of water directed at roof Southpoint Apartments 6:00 PM Saturday

 

The Southpoint Apartment structures devastated by yesterday's fire are still standing, but four interconnecting buildings are currently uninhabitable -- leaving 36 families, possibly 100 individuals (many of them children), homeless.

 Almost midnight Saturday

In a college town where affordable housing is almost impossible to find.

 

Sunday morning 7:30 AM, AFD still on scene

Salvage operation front lawn 2:00 PM

But it could have been far, far worse.  Two first responders (one PD, one FD) were treated and released at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, but no tenants suffered physical injury.  The psychological injury, however, will take a long time to heal.

 Residents watching fire from a safe distance 5:30 PM yesterday

According to AFD Chief Nelson the list of departments involved via mutual aid goes like this:

Second Alarm

Northampton

Hadley

Pelham

Belchertown EMS

Third Alarm

Belchertown

Leverett

Shutesbury

Sunderland

Fourth Alarm

Easthampton

Northampton – Ladder Truck

Granby

Ware

Town Coverage

South Hadley District 1 – Fire & EMS

South Hadley District 2

Department of Fire Services

Rehab Unit

Incident Support Unit

Other

Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross

The town just last week took delivery of a new pumper that will be used as the front line Engine 1 but it still needs another week or two of equipment installation work, so it was not at the fire yesterday.

Ladder 1 with 102' aerial ladder armed with 1,000 gallons per minute gun swings into action

South Hadley FD responding to fire alarm Johnny's Tavern 7:00 PM

Northampton FD arrived early on to join the fight

Fire was started by pot left on stove in upstairs apartment and spread quickly to attic and then over to other units

Red Cross on scene dealing with "closer to 40 families" from the 36 housing units impacted by the fire

Red Cross confirms this recovery effort will be far more expensive than last year's Rolling Green Apartments fire 

Fireground Southpoint Apartments

 Fire in the middle of the building

No major injuries but the building looks to be a total loss as fire departments from many, many surrounding towns joined AFD to put down a stubborn blaze at Southpoint Apartments, which had a pretty good head start before units first arrived on scene.

 

APD arrived first and assisted in getting people out of the burning building

 Tapping a hydrant immediately adjacent to the building

 

AFD two aerial platforms (Ladder 1, Engine 2) attack from above

Smoke was so thick it blotted out the sun

AFD Assistant Chief Lindsay Stromgren, incident commander, sizing up the smokey scene 

Video below was shot at 5:02 PM a little before the first AFD engine arrived

A Death In The Dead Of Night

North East Street

UPDATE:  April 9, 2015

The driver has been indicted in the death of Hanna Frilot 

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Exactly what went wrong late on a Thursday night in a sleepy part of town, culminating in a fatal merging of fast moving metal and tender flesh may never be known ... exactly. 

What we do know for sure is a promising 20-year-old, Dean's List, UMass engineering student, Hannah Frilot, died almost instantly while walking with a friend northbound along North East Street.  The scenic road has no sidewalks and no streetlights near where the tragedy occurred. 

 Hannah Frilot, age 20

As is usual in the case of a fatality, authorities are releasing precious little information.  But since the driver has not been charged with speeding, negligent operation of a motor vehicle or driving under the influence, safe bet the months long investigation will simply conclude it was a tragic accident.

First responders have their own set of priorities when it comes to emergency dispatch calls.  "Box alarm" -- a credible report of a structure fire -- will mobilize responders in a heartbeat.  As does reports of a "car vs pedestrian."

A total of 13 APD staff responded to the call.  2300 = 11:00 PM, PI= Personal Injury

Ms. Frilot was pronounced "dead at the scene," meaning the injuries were obviously extensive.  First responders -- police or EMS -- cannot officially pronounce death, but they do have the authority to not initiate care. 

Especially in the case of "obvious death" brought on by destruction of the heart or brain.  Or a scene best described in one word: "gruesome."

In the event of a fire or emergency medical incident AFD always has command and control at the scene.  But once EMS personnel have concluded there's "no patient in need of medical care," the accident scene is released to APD for their investigation.  

And leaving the deceased undisturbed at the scene rather than moving the remains to an ambulance can greatly aid the police in their investigation.  Hence no high speed transport to Bay State Medical Center in Springfield. 

 Note old style guard rails along roadside, no sidewalk, no streetlights. 220 North East is house on left. camera traveling north at 40 MPH (posted speed limit)

Already this tragedy is being used for political purposes on social media, suggesting sad incidents like this will only increase if The Retreat, a high-end housing project targeting UMass students, is built in northeast Amherst. 

A bit of a stretch considering this accident scene is two miles away from the proposed Retreat, a distance not usually considered walkable to the average college student.  All the more reason public officials need to be as transparent as possible with sensitive cases like this.

Balancing the public's right to know with the rights of family and friends to grieve in private is always extremely difficult.

Anytime there's even the slightest chance of illuminating facts that could lead to changes in behavior (or infrastructure improvements) to avoid a tragic recurrence, the answer is clear.

Hannah Frilot Funeral Fund