JANUARY
During the first week of January, near record snow fell. The snow emergency remained for nearly two weeks and resulted in numerous medical assist and weather-related emergency service calls.
6th – Assisted Company 67 (Monaghan Township Fire Company) on a house fire at 9 S. Seasons Dr.. Units remained on the scene for an hour and 45 minutes.
13th – Assisted the Borough of Mechanicsburg at a structure fire at the PNC Bank on the square. Units remained on the scene for more than 5 hours.
19th – Transferred while other companies handled a structure fire at 24 N. Baltimore Ave. in Mt. Holly Springs borough. First due units remained on the scene for nearly three hours.
21st – Assisted Company 67 (Monaghan Township Fire Company) again in Memphord Estates. This time it was smoke in a structure at 22 N. Seasons Dr.. Units remained on the scene for almost five hours.
30th – Assisted Company 24 (Lisburn Community Fire Company) on a house fire next to 3609 Lisburn Rd.. Units remained on scene for nearly two hours.
FEBRUARY
12th – Transferred while other units tended to a fatal house fire at 534 Good Hope Rd. in Hampden Township. While transferred, handled a reported auto accident with entrapment at 6755 Wertzville Rd. also in Hampden Township. Units were available from the house fire at 2053 hrs.
18th – Assisted Borough of Mechanicsburg at a building fire at 64 W. Main St. Units remained on scene for nearly two hours.
23rd – Early morning auto accident with entrapment and a vehicle overturned on US 15 northbound at PA 114. Units out for almost two hours.
MARCH
16th – Auto accident with fire, 903 Hertzler Rd. Assisted by Co. 24 (Lisburn Community Fire Company). Units out for almost an hour.
16th – Garage fire. 711 S. York St. at the Mechanicsburg Borough line. Assisted by Companies 8, 27, & 28 (Mechanicsburg borough Truck, Citizens Fire and Rescue of Mechanicsburg, and Washington Fire Company), Co. 25 (Monroe Fire Company), and Co 12 (Lower Allen Fire Company) units. Life Lion aeromedical service also on the incident. Units committed for three hours.
APRIL
8th – Garage fire. 908 Gettysburg Pike. Incident held to first alarm. Units out for 77 minutes.
16th – Auto accident with a vehicle overturned, Rt. 15 southbound & Lisburn Rd. Assisted by Co 27 (Citizens Fire and Rescue of Mechanicsburg).
29th – Assisted Carlisle area units at an auto accident on the Turnpike at the Carlisle Interchange. Life Lion aeromedical also on the scene. Units remained on the scene for about an hour and a half.
MAY
3rd – A flurry of EMS activity. An accident on Rt 15 SB at the Turnpike, a pedestrian struck at Shepherdstown Rd. and Market St., and an auto accident on the Turnpike in a six hour period.
11th – Five tree-related incidents in two hours. Perhaps evidence of the season’s first thunderstorm.
25th – Assisted Co. 67 (Monaghan Township Fire Company) with an auto accident with entrapment on E. Siddonsburg Rd. Company 23 units committed for almost an hour.
JUNE
8th – Early morning fatal auto accident with ejection at 441 Gettysburg Pike. Units committed for two hours.
11th – Evening auto accident with dual entrapment at Rt. 15 northbound at Lisburn Rd. Life Lion aeromedical was the only assisting unit. Cleared the scene in less than two hours.
16th – Early morning auto accident with a vehicle overturned at Lisburn Rd & Mt Allen Dr. Cleared the scene within an hour.
27th – Assisted by Co. 33 (New Kingstown Fire Company), units responded to an auto accident with a vehicle into the building at the Gettysburg Pike Turnpike tollbooth. Units remained on the scene for an hour and 45 minutes.
28th – At exactly the same time as the incident the day before, the very same units handled an auto accident with an overturned vehicle on the Turnpike at milemarker 235.9, which is on the roadway at the tollbooth.
In all, there were 12 auto accidents during June of 1996. One with a fatal ejection, one with dual entrapment, one with a vehicle into a building, and two with vehicles overturned.
JULY
16th – Assisted by units from Co. 33 (New Kingstown Fire Company) and Cos. 41 & 42 (Union and Friendship of Carlisle), the company handled an accident with entrapment on the Turnpike at milemarker 233.5 eastbound (explaining the extra units). Units remained in the scene for just over an hour.
22nd – Responded to a motorcycle accident in front of the schools on S. Market St. Units cleared in about a half hour.
Later that night, units responded to an automatic fire alarm that turned into a hazardous materials incident involving an acid spill at Book-of-the-Month Club at 1225 S. Market St. Company 200 (The Cumberland County Hazardous Materials Team comprised of units from Citizens Fire Company of Lemoyne, Friendship Fire Company of Carlisle, and Vigilant Hose Company of Shippensburg) responded, as did Cos 27 and 28 (Citizens Fire and Rescue Comapny and Washington Fire Company of Mechanicsburg). Units cleared the scene in an hour and a half.
AUGUST
2nd – Assisted by Co. 24 (Lisburn Community Fire Company) and Life Lion aeromedical at 1130 E. Lisburn Rd. for a motorcycle accident. Units committed for 50 minutes.
6th – A busy 23-06 box this week….again assisted by Co. 24 (Lisburn Community Fire Company) and Life Lion aeromedical, units responded to an auto accident with entrapment and ejection at 2416 Arcona Rd. Units were committed for about 45 minutes.
12th – Assisted Co. 33 (New Kingstown Fire Company) with a mid-afternoon auto accident with fire on the Turnpike at milemarker 235.5 eastbound. Units remained on the scene for just over an hour.
25th – Responded to an early morning auto accident with a vehicle overturned at 1790 S. Market St. Units remained on the scene for about an hour and 15 minutes.
While the month of June was impressive on its own, the entire summer of 1996 thrilled the rescue and EMS gurus. During the months of May, June, July, and August, the company responded to 35 auto accidents, five with entrapment, four with vehicles overturned, two involving motorcycles, two involving ejections and one each involving pedestrians, fire, and vehicles into buildings!
SEPTEMBER
27th – It was an otherwise uneventful month so far, the company assisted on a building and tire fire at Mahantango Industries in Juniata County. The business specializes in recycled tires. Some units were on the scene for nearly a week!
29th – The company was assisted by Co 27 (Citizens Fire and Rescue of Mechanicsburg), Co 28 (Washington Fire Company of Mechanicsburg), Co 12 (Lower Allen Fire Company), and Co 30 (Hampden Township Fire Company) at a kitchen fire at 660 Geneva Dr., Apt. 8 (Sunguild). Units remained on the scene for about an hour.
OCTOBER
10th – Company 23 stood by for the Mechanicsburg Borough companies while they dealt with a house fire to the rear of 526 E Main St. Units remained for about three hours.
22nd – Assisted by Cos 27 & 28 (Citizens Fire and Rescue and Washington Fire Companies of Mechanicsburg) and Co 24 (Lisburn Community Fire Company), Upper Allen investigated and mitigated an electrical fire at 111 Kim Acres Dr. Units remained on the scene for about an hour.
30th – Co 12 (Lower Allen Fire Company) assisted with an auto accident involving a motorcycle on Rt. 15 southbound at Winding Hill Rd. Units were out for an hour and 45 minutes.
NOVEMBER
8th – Co 12 (Lower Allen Fire Company) and Life Lion aeromedical assisted on an auto accident with entrapment at Allendale Rd and Gettysburg Rd (yes, they used to intersect). Units remained on the scene for almost three hours.
25th – Co 27 (Citizens Fire and Rescue of Mechanicsburg) assisted on an auto accident at Rt 15 and Lisburn Rd. Units were committed for about two hours.
DECEMBER
The month began with some bad weather (rain and wind) that resulted in some flooding and downed trees.
16th – Nine companies (including Upper Allen) were dispatched to a shed fire at Williams Grove Amusement Park. Apparently additional information was obtained quickly, as all units were available in nine minutes!
20th – Upper Allen assisted Co 46 (West Pennsboro Fire Company) with a barn fire at 34 Kerrs Rd. First due units were out for over three hours.
28th – In an incident unique for its location and time expended, Upper Allen landed Life Lion aeromedical service at Northern High School and was committed for almost two hours.
