Morgantown Fire Department

We would like to congratulate Lt. Jason Ganoe on 20
Years of service with Morgantown Fire Department! We appreciate your service and commitment to your fellow firefighters and the residents/guests of the city. Join us in congratulating him on this great achievement!

**Reminder**
Fall fire season has begun! From October 1st- December 31st, outdoor burning is only permitted between the hours of 5 p.m. - 7 a.m. This time constraint is due to increased humidity levels and decreased winds during the evening time, creating a safer environment for outdoor burning. Here are some additional rules to keep in mind when burning:
- Only natural vegetation should be burned
- Someone needs to be with the fire at all times
- A 10 foot safety area needs to be cleared to dirt around the fire
- Open fires must be 50 feet away from any structure
- A water source must be accessible to extinguish the fire
When you follow these rules, you do your part in keeping yourself and your neighbor safe!

The Morgantown Fire Department would like to thank those who attended Saturday morning's Open House. We had a great time meeting new people, administering demonstrations, sharing insight, and conducting practice tests!

Our thoughts and prayers are with our brothers from South Charleston Fire Department as they had an engine company involved in a serious vehicle accident yesterday. We are hoping for a full and speedy recovery for the Firefighters injured in this event.

The Morgantown Fire Civil Service Commission, in conjunction with the Morgantown Fire Department (MFD), will be hosting an Agility Open House for prospective firefighter candidates on Saturday, September 30, 2023, beginning at 10:30 am. This event will take place at the Northside Fire Station, located at 1000 VanVoorhis Road, Morgantown, WV 26505. For those who wish to participate in the Open House, please contact Christine Wade at [email protected], or at 304-284-7434, so that arrival times can be set for each participant. Responses should be received by Wednesday, September 27, 2023.

Individuals will be notified by email of the time they are scheduled to arrive for the Agility Open House. Arrival times will be set due to the large number of participants. Those participating should arrive at the Northside Fire Station for stretching and warm-up no earlier than their scheduled time.

Participants are expected to wear long pants and a work-type shirt (sweatpants and sweatshirts or t-shirts are acceptable). Participants are also expected to wear a work-type shoe that extends above the ankle area to ensure proper ankle support during the evolutions or may wear tennis shoes. Participants may bring their own leather work gloves, and gloves will be provided for those who do not bring their own. Helmets will also be provided and must be worn throughout the entire test.

The Agility Open House is an opportunity to practice and use all the equipment used in the official agility test. This event will be an opportunity to ask questions and gain a stronger understanding of what it takes to successfully complete the agility test portion of the candidate test. Individuals with questions concerning this event can contact Lieutenant John Moore at 304-694-7663.

Follow the link below to watch a video on how to properly complete the MFD Agility Test.

https://youtu.be/oBxCWxs0FwY

The Morgantown Fire Department extends its deepest sympathy to all the families and loved ones effected from the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Our fallen brothers and sisters will always be remembered and never forgotten for their heroic efforts saving over 20,000 lives, as well as those that worked on The Pile at Ground Zero succumbing to illness and death years later.

The Morgantown Fire Department was delighted to collaborate with WV Women Work, Inc. today; we had a blast introducing this powerful group of women to the world of career firefighting!

Recently, MFD personnel responded to a report of an explosion at a residence. Upon arrival, signs of explosion and loss of structural integrity were apparent as the exterior walls of the house had been pushed away from the foundation. The cause of the blast is under investigation by the Morgantown Fire Marshals as well as WV State Fire Marshals Division.

Thanks to Kayleigh from Scout Troop 10553 for stopping by the station and dropping off some cookies to the guys! Anyone else think those cookies won’t survive the night??

**ANNOUNCEMENT**

Today, the Morgantown Fire Department would like to congratulate Captain John Lemley and Lieutenant Ashley Jenkins, on completing 25 years of service to the City of Morgantown. Please join us in celebrating our Captain and Lieutenant for this achievement!

We have a few firefighters who are working toward finishing their three year apprenticeship program. Pictured here, they are completing some Hazmat JPRs (Job Performance Requirements) where they dressed in encapsulating suits, set up for decontamination, and are going through the process of decon. We are proud of the work and dedication these candidates have shown and are looking forward to promoting them to Firefighter First Class soon!

In the midst of an emergency, knowing how to use your extinguisher properly could save lives. To familiarize yourself with the process, we recommend memorizing the PASS acronym: pull, aim, squeeze, and sweep.

During the early hours this morning, MFD Engines 1 and Ladder Truck 1 responded to a reported fall located in the vicinity of downtown Morgantown. Upon arrival at the scene, firefighters found a subject had fallen an undetermined distance landing in a narrow space between two buildings at the address of 160 High St.

The subject received multiple traumatic injuries sustained during the fall and required removal by a technical rope rescue team. Members from both Engine 1 and Ladder 1 rigged ropes from the alley for hoisting while simultaneously assessing and stabilizing the patient. Once the subject was removed safely to the sidewalk Monongalia EMS took over patient care as well as transportation to receive additional medical care. No further details have been provided about the subject's recovery.

This incident serves as a reminder that accidents can happen at any time. We pride ourselves on working quickly and effectively as a team when on the scene.

Reminder to help us not have to play, “Where’s Waldo, Hydrant Edition!” Here’s a before and after picture of a hydrant that the duty crew trimmed around today. Clear and visible access to hydrants is a vitally important part of our response to fires. If you have a hydrant on your property, please remember to trim around it and ensure we have access so we can best serve you and your neighbors!

Today, we stand with our brothers and sisters of the Morgantown Police Department and mourn the loss of Patrol Officer First Class and K9 Handler, Zane Breakiron. If you had the pleasure of meeting Zane, you couldn’t help but be moved by the positive light he displayed. Our thoughts and prayers are with Zane’s family and loved ones.

This week, MFD crews are training with Granville Fire Department. CO.17 and WVU Safety and Wellness to familiarize ourselves with the PRT system. This transport system is unique to Morgantown only, as it is the only one of its kind in the nation. Thanks to the PRT staff for educating us on the hazards, safety protocols, and best practices associated with the PRT system!

**Active Incident Alert**
MFD Firefighters are operating at a confirmed Structure Fire. Firefighters have searched and cleared the residence confirming all occupants are out of the structure.

It was great to have Mike Dragonetti of Dragon Rescue Management, Inc. in this week teaching each crew Elevator Emergency Management! We’re already looking forward to the next class coming up this fall!

We would like to recognize our brothers and sisters from Monongalia EMS for their committed and professional work to the residents of Morgantown and beyond. It’s our pleasure working with you and we look forward to jointly providing top quality service to the residents of and visitors to the City of Morgantown! Happy EMS Week!

Happy National Police Week to our brothers and sisters in blue at Morgantown Police Department. We appreciate everything y’all do by going above and beyond to keep us safe and the citizens of Morgantown safe. Of course, we wouldn’t be true brothers and sisters without a little ribbing from time to time. 🚒👨🏼‍🚒❤️🚓👮🏻‍♂️👮🏼💙

A portion of University Ave. will be closed from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10 for WVU GradFest. The Morgantown Police Department recommends utilizing alternate routes to navigate around the road closure. Suggested alternate routes are pictured.

Today is International Firefighters Day. A typical day in the life of a firefighter includes working 24-hour shifts, cleaning and maintaining the station, trucks and other service equipment, teaching civilians the importance of fire safety, participating in physical training, and responding to structure fires, car accidents, medical emergencies, technical rescues, and more. Firefighters dedicate their lives to public safety, risking their health daily to ensure that help will arrive in the event of an emergency. When you get the chance, make sure you thank a local firefighter today!

In addition to regular duties and emergency responses, it’s been a busy week full of training around MFD this week! This training has included Rope Rescue, Hazmat, sprinkler drills, vehicle extrication and various other topics. As always, MFD is committed to continually learning to ensure a professional response to each emergency!

To reduce the risk of wildfires due to dry, windy, and drought conditions, Governor Justice has issued a statewide burning ban effective 4/17/23 - 4/24/23. For additional information including exemptions, follow this link:

https://governor.wv.gov/News/press-releases/2023/Pages/Gov.-Justice-issues-proclamation-banning-outdoor-burning.aspx

As we are in the middle of National Public Safety Telecommunications Week, we would like to recognize and express our appreciation to Monongalia County Emergency Management Agency! They too, work around the clock to provide the city of Morgantown and surrounding areas top quality service to ensure the safety of the public. They are responsible for rapidly gathering pertinent information in order to send the appropriate first responders to your emergencies. We appreciate your hard work!

Yesterday, some of our members got to participate in a physical training pilot program through the WVU Exercise Physiology department. Brian Leary, Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology at WVU along with some interns, instructed our crew on various exercises to help with prioritizing our own physical health. We are grateful to be involved with such a great program!

Live burns yesterday and extrication today? Yes please!!! It’s a great week to be a recruit!

Burn building day for our new recruits! We’re glad to have our Assistant City Manager, Emily Muzzarelli, with us today as she gets to see, first hand, live fire and techniques our recruits have been training on. Stay tuned to our stories today to see how the day progresses!

For the last two weeks, Morgantown firefighters have utilized vacant properties in the Woodburn area to conduct training. Upon arrival at each training site, our crews fill the vacant property with food-grade liquid smoke to simulate a structure fire. Then, drills are conducted repeatedly in order to refine the skills of each of our crews. Thank you to the Mon County Development Authority for allowing us to use these vacant structures for training!

Today Morgantown Firefighters had a few visitors in the middle of our weekly in-depth apparatus check. We were able to answer questions, explain different parts of our job and equipment, and most importantly meet residents of our community. Thank you for visiting!

Please join us in welcoming 3 new recruits to the Morgantown Fire Department! For the next 6 weeks, these probationary firefighters will undergo extensive training before crew placement. Welcome aboard Joshua Nypaver, Travis Smith, and Trevor Pickenpaugh! We're excited to have you.

The Morgantown Fire Department will soon be utilizing three vacant properties in the Woodburn area for fire training. These training sessions, which will include search & rescue and ground ladder operations, will span two properties on Richwood Avenue and another on Pine Street. The fire department will utilize these vacant properties for training purposes up until each property’s scheduled demolition. MFD presence will be increased in the area due to these trainings, however there is no cause for alarm.

REMINDER: Today marks the beginning of the spring season burning law. You may burn natural vegetation between the hours of 5pm and 7am. Ensure the fire is 50 feet or more from a structure, you have a water source on hand, and you remain with the fire at all times!

After completion of Recruit School, MFD Firefighters are career students, remaining fluent in the fundamentals pertaining to our job. As seen here, firefighters participate in conventional forcible entry training for when passive methods would be prolonged or ill advised, dependent on the emergency.

An exciting part of being a career firefighter is the broad range of emergencies you may be called to on any given shift. This past Valentine’s Day was a good example! MFD was called to White Park for an animal rescue. People were walking in the park and noticed a dog stranded on a rock ledge on the edge of the reservoir. Mon county dog warden arrived on scene and requested our assistance. Using a rope rigging system, personnel from Engine 1 and Ladder 1 lowered a firefighter approximately 35 feet where he was able to secure the dog and was then hauled back up the rock ledge. The dog was then placed in care of the dog warden.

Yesterday, MFD Engines 1, 2, and Staff 3 responded to a brush fire behind the playground at Eastwood Elementary School.

High winds and dry ground encouraged rapid spreading of the fire. Approximately 1 acre of land was burned before being brought under control.

Upon arrival at the scene, Engine 2 started fire attack while Engine 1 secured a water supply. MFD personnel were on scene for 2 hours before returning to service.

Occupants inside the school were unharmed.

Recently, MFD crews took a yearly refresher course in CPR. This course covered best practice in CPR methods via chest compressions, oxygen administration, AEDs, Lucas device, and more. Our personnel are certified from EMR to Paramedic levels and are committed to continuing education to provide professional care to the residents and visitors of the City of Morgantown.