PUNXSUTAWNEY - Be it floods, car accidents or overturned railroad cars, the Central Volunteer Fire Department is prepared to handle almost any disaster, thanks to a 7-by-12-foot trailer.
The county purchased the two Hazmat trailers - one of which is housed in Brookville - through a grant with the Northwest Central PA Emergency Response Group.
Central Fire Chief Scott Depp said the county received the trailers in 2004, and they were supposed to be a part of a Jefferson County Hazmat Team, which did not materialize.
According to Depp, the trailer is equipped to handle virtually any type of catastrophe that could occur in the area.
“We're titling it as a specialized trailer,” Depp said. “It's got hazardous material supplies, and it also has supplies for mass causalities.”
Though it may be hard to believe that the list of more than 40 items can fit in the trailer, the department is actually planning to add additional supplies members feel are needed.
The trailer includes 57 mass causality kits, 3,000 five-ounce cups, 16 reflective cones of various sizes, four cases of Neoprene gloves, eight pairs of safety goggles, six pairs of Hazmat boots, 16 rolls of Hazmat marking tape, seven rolls of caution tape, 10 Jane Chem-Bio books and 200 pairs of ear plugs.
The locations to house the trailers depended on housing availability and the geographical details of the locations.
For example, Depp said, Punxsutawney was chosen because of its proximity to Route 36, Route 119 and the railroad. Brookville was chosen because of the town's proximity to the interstate, he said.
Central Fire Department's primary response area includes the boroughs of Punxsutawney, Big Run, Timblin and Sykesville, and the townships of Bell, Perry, Gaskill, Porter, Henderson, Ringgold, McCalmont, Young and Oliver. The trailer may also respond to incidents in the counties of Clarion, Cameron, Clearfield, Elk and McKean.
The department received the trailer Dec. 23, 2005, but it is not yet in service. According to Depp, the company still needs to build shelving for it and organize the unit, and the county must conduct the final inventory. The trailer should be in service by the beginning or middle of February, he said.
Central Fire Department President and Lieutenant Fred Biesinger agreed to manage the trailer, which needs to be inventoried bi-monthly. Biesinger will most likely attend a 16-hour training class for the position, Depp said.
Depp described the trailer as “an asset to the community,” and Central Secretary and Firefighter Mary Ann Biesinger agreed.
“This day and age, you don't know what can happen,” she said.
Though the trailer will be ready to go soon, the firefighters of Central will be happy to leave the unit in the garage.
“Hopefully, we will never need it, but if we do, it's here,” Mary Ann Biesinger said.
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