The Harrison Township Fire Co. (Dept 20) of Harrison Valley announced today they have been notified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Congressman Glenn Thompson's office they have been awarded a grant in the amount of $275,000 through the Department of Homeland Security's Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. The grant was awarded under the program's Vehicle Acquisition section and will be used to purchase a new Pumper/Tanker for the department. The new unit will replace two 30 year old pieces of equipment with a single unit. By combining the two units into one vehicle it will help to reduce the overall cost of apparatus operations for the department while providing enhanced firefighting capabilities. The older vehicles are being replaced due to various safety concerns as well as constantly increasing maintenance costs for the aging vehicles. It is hoped to have the new vehicle in service in about a year.

An EMT Refresher Course will be held At Coudersport Ambulance Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays May 6th through May 20th beginning at 6pm. These five nights will provide you with 24 hours of continuing education, split between medical/trauma and other. This will fulfill your con ed requirements to maintain your EMT status, or to reinstate your EMT if it has expired.

For more information or to RSVP, call the hall at 274-7411 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

EMS Instructors: If you would like to teach some of this class, please email Todd.

The Department of Homeland Security has posted the FY 2010 Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program Guidance on the AFG Web site. The application period is scheduled to begin on Monday, April 26, 2010, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). Applications for these grants must be received by Friday, May 28, 2010, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).

Nationally, the AFG awards, which will be distributed in phases, will ultimately provide approximately $390 million to fire departments and nonaffiliated emergency medical service organizations throughout the country. AFG awards aim to enhance response capabilities and to more effectively protect the health and safety of the public with respect to fire and other hazards. The grants enable local fire departments and emergency medical services organizations to obtain training, conduct first responder health and safety programs, and buy equipment and response vehicles.

An applicant tutorial is available at www.firegrantsupport.com. The tutorial provides valuable grant information and will walk you through the preparation and submittal of competitive applications. In addition, the applicant tutorial will provide an overview of the funding priorities and evaluation criteria.

The AFG Program is administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Grant Programs Directorate in coordination with the U.S. Fire Administration.

Applicants who have questions regarding the Assistance to Firefighters Grants opportunity should contact the help desk at 1-866-274-0960 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . During the application period, the help desk will operate Monday to Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EDT), but is prepared to revise hours of operation based on volume and demand.

For access to the FY 2010 Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program Guidance or FAQs visit www.firegrantsupport.com/afg/.

The US Department of Transportation's National Response Team (NRT) has released their Quick Reference Guide: Fuel Grade Ethanol Spills (including E85) information. This information is the first of its kind, providing critical information for the emergency response community in the unlikely event of an ethanol spill. The reference guide covers response criteria topics from chemical properties including a comparison of fuel ethanol and gasoline properties, environmental response techniques as well as general health and safety information. It also includes valuable regulatory and waste disposalinformation.  

The ethanol industry continues to expand across the country and into the lives of Americans. It is important that those responsible for the safety of these communities are well prepared and trained for responding to ethanol related emergencies. Becoming familiar with the NRT Quick Reference Guide is an essential part to first responder training. This guide outlines health and safety precautions to take such as protective clothing suggestions, evacuation considerations and other safety concepts that must be followed when facing an ethanol emergency. Also covered are varying water effects a first responder may experience due to different water types mixing with an ethanol spill, such as still or slow water, large deep water bodies, flowing or fast water, and small shallow water bodies. This guide is critical for all emergency responders to know and should be readily available to first responders at headquarters and out in the field on duty.

Safety is the top priority of America's ethanol industry and to those who transport and bring ethanol to the marketplace. The Ethanol Emergency Response Coalition (EERC) wants to make sure that those involved with ethanol safety are well trained and prepared for any ethanol emergency response. For more information on ethanol safety, please visit www.ethanolresponse.com. For any further questions, please contact Kristy Moore at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Taryn Morgan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Coudersport Volunteer Fire Department (Dept 48) has been awarded $10,260.00 under the Fire Prevention and Safety program. The funds will be used to purchase a live fire extinguisher training system for use in their fire prevention program.

The Star Hose Company of Port Allegany (Dept 3) has been awarded $19,000 under the AFG Operations and Safety program for the purchase of equipment.

The Eldred Borough Fire Department (Dept 4) has been awarded $27,389.00 under the AFG Operations and Safety program for the purchase of equipment and PPE.

The Lawrenceville Fire Department (Dept 8) has been awarded $110,628.00 under the AFG Operations and Safety program for the purchase of equipment and PPE.

The Tri-Town Fire Co. of Ulysses (Dept 47) has been awarded $53,913.00 under the AFG Operations and Safety program for the purchase of PPE.

At approximately 2000hrs Emporium (Cameron County Dept 14) was dispatched to a reported structure fire in multi-family dwelling in the Borough. St. Marys (Elk County Co. 1) has been requested to the scene to assist. Preliminary reports indicate that all residents have been accounted for at this time.

The blaze has vented through the roof of the structure and crews are working to gain access to the attic area of the structure. A water curtain has been set up on one side of the structure due to the proximity to a neighboring structure.

More information will be posted as it becomes available. You can listen to the action live via our scanner feed HERE.

UPDATE: Emporium Fire Caused By Electrical Fault

A stubborn structure fire on Emporium's main drag on April 12, 2001 has been declared accidental by the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal and the Emporium Fire Chiefs in a news release today.

The fire occurred in an apartment building at 101 West Fourth Street in Emporium Borough owned by George Sowers, Sr., of Emporium PA. A doctor's office was located in the downstairs of the building.

The investigation found that the fire started in a downstairs apartment of the structure. An electrical fault occurred where electronic equipment was plugged into an extension cord.

The fire spread into the wall, and then traveled to a second story apartment and the attic area.

Two apartments of the structure sustained damage from the fire. The attic area and the roof of the structure sustained heavy damage from the fire. A second upstairs apartment and doctor's office downstairs sustained smoke and water damage.

All occupants who were home at the time of the fire escaped without injury. Damages were estimated at $85,000.00. Route 120 was closed for hours with auto traffic detoured.

Emporium and St. Mary's Fire Departments successfully stopped the fire from spreading to another house barely 15 feet away.

A wildfire in the Nelson Run Rd. area of Wharton Twp has burned approximately 200 acres of forestland. The blaze was spotted late Sunday afternoon from area fire towers around 1700hrs. Once the location of the blaze was pinpointed fire companies from three counties were dispatched to attempt to control the blaze. Departments responding included from Potter County; Austin Dept 44, Roulette Dept 46, Coudersport Dept 48 with Shinglehouse Dept 39 transferring an engine to cover station 46, from Cameron County; Emporium Dept 14 and Sinnamahonning Dept 16, and Dept 3 Port Allegany from McKean County. The DCNR Forestry Dept. also dispatched crews to the scene including a bulldozer and air tanker.

The blaze was considered to be contained at approximately 2130 hrs with crews remaining on scene until 2230 hrs at which time all volunteer fire companies were released and the incident was turned over to the Forestry Dept.

The Basic Vehicle Rescue Series including Awareness, Operations, and Technician levels is now scheduled to be held at Tri-Town Fire Co. in Ulysses, Pa. This will also include DOH Certification test following the Technician course. Juniors may take both Awareness and Operations levels, but NOT the Tech. level. You may sign up for any or all levels you wish to participate in (provided you have completed the previous level for Ops or Tech). Each level course consists of 16 hours to be split between Sat. and Sun. for the dates provided. Lunch will be provided with a boot donation to help cover costs.

Any questions may be directed to  Roy Hunt @ 814-848-3876 (leave message if no answer) or to  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We look forward to see you all there.

Dates:

Awareness------------------------------------June 19 & 20

Operations-----------------------------------July 10 & 11

Technician-----------------------------------Aug  21 &22

All scheduled times will be 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with a 1 hr lunch break.