Sterling Volunteer Fire Company

Cascades 10K Fire Chase & 911 Fun Run

Saturday, May 26, 2007
8:00 AM

For more information, please visit www.runwashington.com

March 2007 – Members of the Sterling Volunteer Fire Company took part in a relief mission to Pearlington, Mississippi.

posts by D/O Kerri Smith and FF Bryan Knight

Day 1

On Saturday morning, March 17, 2007, our team departed Station 18 en route to Pearlington, Mississippi as part of a disaster relief convoy. We are partnering with Convoy of Compassion to assist in home construction projects in that town. We are also going to deliver a fully stocked MedBag and other supplies to the West Hancock Fire Department.

Our first day was spent on the road where we experienced a variety of weather patterns while soaking up the Southern scenery. The trip took us from Virginia, through Tennessee, and into Alabama where we stopped in Birmingham for the evening. We are expected to arrive in Pearlington sometime tomorrow.

We would like to extend our gratitude to the following persons:
• The Sterling Volunteer Rescue Squad for providing us with a van.
• Home Depot of Reston for a gift card to buy tools.
• Gama Printers for the bottled water.
• Sterling Safety Center for toilet paper.
• Capt. Radcliffe, Capt. Featherstone, Lt. Firmin, MTECH Morimoto, and D/O Benham for providing coverage for us while we’re away.

The crew and our rides.

All sorts of road conditions.

Cruising through Tennessee and Alabama.

A beautiful sunset in Alabama helped close out our day.

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Day 2

Sunday, March 18. After a long day, we have arrived in Pearlington.

Our first stop was the West Hancock Fire Station where we met with Chief Kim Jones and other personnel. Prior to the storm, they had 34 members. Many have moved on, leaving 6 remaining, though 3 new members have recently joined. Most of their 11 pieces of apparatus were destroyed. NASA provided a bunker at the John C. Stennis Space Center for Engine 16 to be kept in for protection. They now have Engine 16, Tanker 17, two on-loan pieces, and a squad. Chief Jones and his family and fire department were very welcoming and also provided us with radios so that we can assist them in running calls while we are here in town.

From there, we met up with Tracy, our contact from Convoy of Compassion, who showed us around the Pearlington Recovery Center which is a small camp based within and around the Charles B. Murphy Elementary School and Public Library. We are currently staying in one section of the main building which has been converted to a bunkroom.

Just before we entered Mississippi, we passed a large FEMA collection point. These are the trailers that they provided to Katrina survivors which are now being taken away.

Pearlington.

West Hancock Fire Department, their brand new blue and white pieces, and their two on loan pieces.

Our team at the Pearlington Recovery Center.

The school that we are staying in.

The gymnasium has been converted into a storeroom and distribution center.

Lt. Carlo and Asst. Chief Bischoff check out the waterline which reached the basketball hoop and backboard.

Our sleeping quarters.

The mess tent.

Delicious, steaming apple cobbler. Don’t be jealous.

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Day 3

Monday, March 19. Reality check. Today was our first work day. It has been almost a year and a half since Katrina hit. This area is still devastated and people are truly struggling to recover. The Sterling Team, along with Tracy and two students from Ohio, Megan and Matt, went to work as part of a construction detail. We were assigned the task of rebuilding a home for Sandra, a woman who lived not too far down the road. When Katrina hit, she retreated to the second floor to escape the rising waters. She described how the water level increased several feet per minute. After the eye of the hurricane passed over, it was all sucked back out into the Gulf leaving ruin. Many tornados hit the area during the storm, tearing out the natural canopy of the trees, leaving them bare. Two trees fell on Sandra’s home. When we arrived on-site, they had been removed and some of the house’s walls had been repaired. We set to work putting a new roof on her home. Also, several rotted floorboards were discovered so, going back to our truck training, we switched to demolition mode, sawing up and ripping out the bad sections and replacing them with fresh new beams and plywood.

During the course of our workday, we also responded in conjunction with West Hancock FD to a motor vehicle accident.

Debris covered the land where our construction site was.

Megan and Matt set up a ladder. D/O Todd moves some building materials. FF Knight works on putting in a wall.

Asst. Chief Bischoff and Tracy doing construction.

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Day 4

Tuesday, March 20. We continued construction on the Sandra’s house, doing more demolition, replacing rotted areas with new wood, and putting tin sheets up on the roof.

We responded to a call for another auto accident but it turned out only to be an overturned tractor trailer. With no injuries, West Hancock’s Chief placed us back in service.

Jim, Megan’s father, replaces the doorway area damaged by the storm.

Asst. Chief Bischoff and Lt. Carlo mark up some wood for cutting.

We had a friendly fan who watched us work.

D/O Makowski, D/O Smith, and Lt. Carlo attach tin to the roof.

Asst. Chief Bischoff, his wife Danielle, and Megan cut wood to be used in various parts of the house’s framework.

The Mississippi heat got to the boys so we had to take a quick break to amputate the sleeves off their shirts.

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Day 5

Wednesday, March 21. Today was a full day for the SVFC crew. Our time was split between 3 project sites, clearing trees at a fellow volunteer fire fighter’s property so that the foundation could be poured, staking out a foundation at another volunteer’s property (Pythagorean theory anyone?), and working on the tin roof and external plywood framing at Sandra’s house. The training we have received as firefighters paid off as we were able to use our laddering skills around the construction areas and had more than our fair share of fun chainsawing down trees! However, we were walking zombies at the completion of the day.

Tree Removal
Look ma no hands!

House Updates

One change to the routine of the past few days was that the crew actually broke for lunch and left the site for a warm meal which was served by a local Baptist church. This southern home cooked meal was much appreciated by the crew!

Lunch!

In addition to these responsibilities, the crew responded to a medical call at the local bar!

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Day 6

Thursday, March 22. The crew headed back for a half day of work to finish our project on Sandra’s house. We installed plywood sheets to various parts of the exterior in order to complete the walls, particularly the attic region. A roof cap was laid to finish off the top and then we wrapped the structure in a moisture-resistant tyvek barrier. After many days spent working, we went back to camp, showered, and headed to New Orleans for an evening out on the town!

Sandra’s House.

“3/22/07 Sandra, Welcome Home. Best of luck! Sterling VFD”

A view from the streets of New Orleans.

Anxiously awaiting our coffee and beignets at Cafe du Monde.

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Day 7

Friday, March 23. We left Pearlington, Mississippi early in the morning and spent all of our time on the road, a straightshot all the way home.

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Day 8

0300, Saturday, March 24. Arrived in Sterling. Mississippi Disaster Relief Convoy complete… for now. We’re looking forward to future trips!

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(Photos provided by D/O Kerri Smith and FF Bryan Knight)

Just after getting back from a run to assist the medic unit, the crew from E11 crawled into bed only to hear the buzzer sound for a townhouse assignment in Ashburn on Goodwood Ter. With E23 being tied up with a medical local, E11 (2nd engine) and T11 (2nd truck) arrived at the same time as E6 and TL6 with fire showing on the front of the townhouse. E11 picked up the water supply and T11 took its assigned 2nd truck position on side C of the structure. T11 checked the exposures, threw ladders to the fire building as well as the two exposure buildings in the rear, and secured utilities. The fire was quickly contained with some minor extension to the floor joists between the 1st and 2nd floors.

On the evening of Saturday February 3rd, units from Station 11 responded to an auto accident in the Park. Truck 611 arrived first on scene to find an SUV which had struck a parked pickup with enough force to drive the vehicle over the curb. Medics and EMTs from Sterling Rescue tended to the driver of the SUV, who was quickly transported due to head injuries. Truck 11 assisted and also secured both vehicles. The scene was turned over to Loudoun County Sheriff’s deputies upon departure.

Photos: FF Bryan Knight