Upper Allen Fire Department

Ronald D. “Pop” Dean, aged 90, of Dillsburg, passed away peacefully with family by his side on Saturday, April 29, 2023, at Sarah A Todd Memorial Home. Ronald was born on June 20, 1932, in Uniontown, PA. He was the son of the late Ralph and Ethel (Murphy) Dean.

Ronald was a US Navy veteran during the Korean War. During his career in surveying, Ronald worked for Erdman and Anthony Consulting Engineers for eight years then spent the rest of his career working for PennDOT Photogrammetry and Surveys for 27 years until he retired in 1991.

Ronald married his wife Marilyn (Davies) Dean in 1957. They were happily married for 65 years. They loved to travel around the US and they loved spending time with their family. Ronald also enjoyed golfing with his family and friends. He belonged to The Mechanicsburg Club and the American Legion. Ronald spent 30 years at the Williams Grove Speedway working on the Fire and Safety Crew. Ronald was active in the Upper Allen Fire Department for 57 years. He was President for 32 years. The fire department was a large part of his life. He loved to help keep his community safe.

In addition to his wife his was survived by daughter, Sharon Popper (Steve) of Cape May, NJ and his son, Kenneth Dean (Penny) of Carlisle; two grandchildren, Robyn Gorodetzer (Scott) of Piles Grove, NJ and Amy Schram (Jeff) of Navarre, FL.

Ronald was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Jerome Dean; two sisters, Marlene White and Carol Dobbins.

Visitation will be held Friday, May 12th from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM at the Upper Allen Fire Department. An additional visitation will be held Saturday, May 13th from 11:00 AM until 12:45 PM at Daybreak Church 321 Gettysburg Pike Mechanicsburg. A Celebration of Life will start at 1:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Pop’s name to the Upper Allen Fire Department 104 Gettysburg Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055, in recognition of his many years of service and dedication to the organization.

https://www.malpezzifuneralhome.com/obituaries/Ronald-D.-Pop-Dean?obId=27848112&fbclid=IwAR0dMzoOju7nOD7e1GoqSbxLjHU03YZA5F5W5wjcKWfEgzuRnVxkLIwHH4I#/celebrationWall

This evening, members got together to wax the Engine and Squad for an upcoming service and enjoyed dinner which was kindly donated by Vito’s Pizza.

Yesterday, March 19, 2023, at 14:13, Upper Allen Fire Department (UAFD) and mutual departments were dispatched to the 2000 block of Hastings drive for a garage fire. Lieutenant 1-23 arrived on scene as Duty Chief at 14:14 and requested a working fire dispatch with possible entrapment due to two male adolescents being unaccounted for. Captain 23 arrived on scene moments later and completed a 360 of the house, reporting heavy fire from the rear of the house. Chief 1-23 arrived at 14:17 and assumed command asking for 2nd alarm. Engine 29 and Engine 23 arrived at 14:23 and made entry performing fire attack and a primary search of the structure for victims. Squad 33 established RIT at Side A at 14:29. A primary search of Division 1 was completed at 14:30, and primary search of Division 2 was completed at 14:34, both with negative findings. The two adolescents were later both accounted for and were not in the home at the time of the incident.

At 14:38, while crews were interior working on the second floor, a portion of the second floor collapsed into the garage, trapping two firefighters under a large amount of debris. A third firefighter was able to self-extricate. A fourth firefighter that was initially reported missing, was located on the fire ground. The first firefighter that was located was awake and talking, and the second firefighter was located and was provided air supply from the RIT pack. The second firefighter located was removed at 14:59, and the first firefighter located was removed shortly thereafter. Both firefighters were transported by ground via ambulance with minor injuries. A secondary search of the home revealed that two dogs perished in the fire. There was also damage to the adjacent home from the heat of the fire. UAFD cleared the call at 19:26 and worked to return the apparatus to service.

UAFD would like to thank all mutual aid companies, EMS, transfer companies, and UAPD for assisting. This was a joint effort by everyone present. Despite the emotional toll an event like this takes, everyone continued to work together to complete a successful rescue and also complete the fire suppression and overhaul tasks. We would also like to thank Mission BBQ, Vito’s Pizza and the UAFD Support Force for bringing food for the firefighters.

Photo credit to Curt Werner, Dustin Weese and SH2Photos.

Last evening for training, Assistant Chief performed an intro to RIT for our newer members and refresher training for our veteran firefighters. We began in the classroom with a review of our SOM and watching videos on RIT procedures and tools needed to perform the task. Next, members moved to the engine bay to review the location of tools on the rigs and ways the tools could be used.

At the same time, Fire Police reviewed radio functions and also performed a rig check on Traffic 23.

Then as training concluded for the night, RIT 23 and Tanker 23 were dispatched to Monroe Township to assist with a reported barn fire.