Haddonfield volunteer firefighters Brian Plodizyn and Brian Poliafico reached a milestone, or maybe you
could call it a 26.2-milestone, on November 20 by completing a marathon. Since making their commitment a year
ago, they have accomplished what less than one percent of the population can, run a 26.2-mile race.
Haddon Fire Company No.1
and Task Force 14 (Cherry Hill Fire Department and Haddon Heights Fire
Department), responded to a reported building fire at 229 E. Kings Highway in Haddonfield at
11:04 AM Friday morning.
The structure is a 3 story "middle of the row" historic brick office
building located in the downtown business district-across from the Haddonfield
Municipal Hall. The office buildings are also located next to the Historic Indian King Museum.
Firefighters encountered heavy smoke and intense heat and had to use
Thermal Imaging Cameras to locate the fire in the walls and ceilings between
the 1st and 2nd floors of the building. They then
extinguished the rapidly spreading fire utilizing advanced compressed air foam and
water. The fire was placed under control in less than 1 hour. The
building sustained significant damage to all 3 floors,
however, there was no apparent damage to either attached office
building or the Indian King Tavern. Significant smoke damage was observed in
all 3 buildings.
Additional
assistance from Barrington Fire Department, Audubon and Westmont Fire Company
was provided at the scene and the remainder of the town of Haddonfield
was covered by Lawnside, Pennsauken
and Collingswood Fire Departments. Under this mutual aid plan, the surrounding
Departments provide support and assistance to each other during emergency
situations.
The fire forced the closing of Kings Highway East
from Grove Street
to Haddon Avenue
for approx. 2 hours. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Camden
County Fire Marshal’s Office. No injuries were reported.
--
Joseph
A. Riggs, Jr
Chief
of Department
Haddon
Fire Co. No. 1
Haddonfield, NJ 08033
joeariggs@gmail.com
856-429-4308
Haddonfield
Firefighters “Climb To The Top” in Support of American Lung
Associations Cure For Lung Disease Campaign
Firefighters from Haddon Fire Company No.
1, Haddonfield NJ, competed in the American Lung
Association’s “2011 Fight for Air- Stair Climb” in Center
City Philadelphia last Saturday. A team of 12 volunteer firefighters from
Haddonfield, each wearing full firefighter gear (coats, pant, boots and
helmets-weighing an estimated additional 50 pounds) , participated in the event
and “climbed” the 50 stories (totaling 1082 steps) of the Bell
Atlantic Tower high rise office building on Arch Street.
Fight for Air Climbs are unique
fundraising events for the American Lung Association. They typically occur in
prominent skyscrapers, stadiums or arenas and involve climbing multiple steps.
Sometimes called a "vertical road race", teams and individual
participants can use the event as a fitness target, as a race, with each
participant challenging themselves, racing against other people, or as a great
way to be active and meet new friends. The race helps raise awareness for the
35 million Americans who suffer from lung disease including asthma, COPD and
lung cancer.
The “first responders- wearing
gear” division has local fire departments compete against each other
while wearing their protective fire fighter clothing. Some firefighters
also wore their SCBA breathing equipment and carried 50 foot lengths of hose
and hand tools to simulate realistic conditions if they were called to fight a
fire on the upper floors of a high- rise building.
The Haddon Fire Company team was the third
largest company participant (behind only Philadelphia Fire Department and
Cherry Hill Fire Department) and included Assistant Chief Sam Trotman,
Lieutenant Jeff Mirabello, President Butch Brees, and Fire Fighters Mike
Miller, Brian Plodizyn, Brian Poliafico, Joe Dunn, John Princiotta, Chris
Kolbe, Jason Kolbe, Mike Carmody, and Mike Bortnowski.
Taking the very difficult challenge one
step further, 8 of the 12 Haddonfield fire fighters also competed in the
“first responders challenge”, a second climb competing against
local police, fire, and EMS personnel while
wearing running clothes (no gear). All 8 completed this additional event
raising their climbing total to 100 stories on Saturday morning.
Haddon Fire’s fastest stair climber,
Lieutenant Jeff Mirabello, finished the race in 8 minutes and 25 seconds, an
amazing rate of over 2 steps per second while ascending the 700 vertical feet.
Haddonfield Firefighters were able to raise
over $3,500 in donations to help the American Lung Association in their efforts
to improve lung health and prevent lung disease.
Haddon Fire Company No. 1 proudly
congratulates its members for participating in the event, supporting this very
worthwhile cause, and demonstrating the proper fitness, health and conditioning
of firefighters protecting our community.
Joseph
A. Riggs, Jr
Chief
Of Department
Haddon
Fire Company No. 1
Haddonfield, NJ
joeariggs@gmail.com
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