LANCASTER FIRE DEPARTMENT NEWS - 2008

 

 

 

  December 16, 2008

In-District Structure Fire, 393 Aurora Street: Residential Structure Fire

 

 

Partial Audio from December 16 Aurora Street fire, courtesy Erie County Fire Wire (pauses removed)   Click Here

 

 

 

December 4, 2008 (Lancaster Bee)

Natural gas line break leads to warning

By Lisa A. Johnson, Editor

 

The Lancaster Fire Department is reminding residents not to use natural gas pipes as clotheslines after an incident Monday morning in the village.

 

Fire and police personnel were called around 7:15 a.m. to a South Irwinwood Road home after a gas leak was reported.  Second Assistant Chief and department public relations officer Scott M. Kuhlmey said the odor of natural gas was detected a few doors away from the home, and nearby residents were evacuated while the affected home was ventilated.

 

Once inside, Kuhlmey said that firefighters found clothes hanging on a gas line in the basement and that the added weight caused brackets and the line to snap.

 

“That’s the second time we’ve had that happen in the past couple of months,” he said, adding that the last such call was on East Drullard Avenue.

 

Kuhlmey issued a plea to residents not to hang anything on natural gas pipes because of the potential for them to beak, causing a home to fill with natural gas and a risk for an explosion.  The problem could become worse if a pipe breaks while a home is empty, allowing more time for gas to fill the home.

 

“There’s an inherent danger of a line breaking while no one is home,” he said.

 

Gas leaks not only affect the homeowner or renter, but also neighbors and police and fire personnel because the gas is highly volatile.

“It has the potential to become a much larger issue,” Kuhlmey said.  For more information, visit www.lancasterfd.org or call 683-1903.  Anyone who detects the odor of natural gas should call 911.

 

 

November 13, 2008 (Lancaster Bee)

Village of Lancaster fire displaces residents of four apartments

 

A fire that spread through a Lancaster home Nov. 6 and caused $100,000 in damage appears to be electrical in origin.

 

The blaze started around 8:45 a.m. in the ceiling of the lower right apartment at 3439 Walden Ave., near Ellicott Place, in the village, Lancaster Police Capt. Timothy Murphy said.  An electrical problem ignited the fire, which spread to the upstairs front apartment, he added.

 

Personnel from Lancaster, Depew, Bowmansville, Twin District and Millgrove fire departments battled the blaze for 45 minutes to an hour, Murphy said, adding that the residents of the four apartments in the building have been displaced and were aided by the American Red Cross.

 

Damages to the structure and contents were estimated at $100,000.  

 

Firefighters battle a blaze around 8:45 a.m. Nov. 6 at 3439 Walden Ave., near Ellicott Place, in the Village of Lancaster.  Investigators have determined that an electrical problem ignited the fire, which caused $100,000 damage.

 

Photos by David F. Sherman, Bee Group newspapers

 

 

 

November 8, 2008

07:05 AM

 

Passer-by alerts residents
to apartment fire

 

A passer-by who stopped and banged on two second-floor apartment doors has been credited with helping get everyone out safely from a fire that extensively damaged a Walden Avenue apartment house Thursday morning, Lancaster police and fire officials said.

Everyone escaped safely from the four apartments at 3439 Walden Ave., as firefighters responded to an 8:49 a. m. alarm. Officials are investigating a possible electrical cause for the blaze.

 

 

  November 6, 2008

In-District Structure Fire, 3439 Walden Avenue: Apartment Building

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 9, 2008 (Lancaster Bee)

October 12, 2008 (Lancaster Source)

 

READY FOR INSPECTION – The Lancaster Fire Department held its annual ceremonial inspection Sept. 23 at Firemen's Park.  Department members and apparatus were inspected by the Fire Chief's, members of the Village Board, as well as visiting Fire Chief's from Bowmansville and Depew Fire Departments.  Officers from LVAC also attended.  Afterwards, there was a public procession from Firemen's Park to the fire department headquarters on Broadway. 

 

Photo courtesy LFD photographer John A. Robinson Jr.

 

 

 

October 9, 2008 (Lancaster Bee)

October 12, 2008 (Lancaster Source)

Lancaster Fire Department reminds residents about escape plans, safety

 

If a fire broke out in your home, do you know how much time you would have to get out?

 

Unfortunately, no one knows for sure. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), more than one out of every four American households who made an estimate thought they would have at least six minutes before a fire in their home would become life-threatening. The time available is often less, according to Scott M. Kuhlmey, assistant chief of the Lancaster Fire Department. 

 

While most people feel safe in their homes, the reality is that home fires are much more common than people might think. There were nearly 400,000 home fires reported in 2006 in the United States, resulting in more than 2,500 civilian deaths and 12,500 civilian injuries. Home fires caused 80% of civilian deaths and 76% of injuries, Kuhlmey said.

 

In a perfect world, we would be able to prevent all home fires. In reality, we can be vigilant, but there are no guarantees. Any emergency can affect one’s ability to think clearly, but during a fire, smoke and other physical factors can literally inhibit your ability to react. Preparing for the unexpected is difficult. But when it comes to home fires, minutes, even seconds, can mean the difference between life and death. That’s why having well-practiced fire escape plan is vital to your families safety.

 

October 5-11 is Fire Prevention Week. While this year’s theme is “Prevent Home Fires,” we want Lancaster residents to be prepared. Lancaster Fire Department is encouraging local families to make a fire escape plan and practice it. 

 

Fire is unpredictable. But preparation in the form of a well-practiced escape plan – at least twice a year – can help keep you and your family safe, and potentially save lives.

 

The following are additional tips to consider as we observe Fire Prevention Week:

 

Escape Planning

  • Install a smoke alarm on every level of your home and have one inside each bedroom and outside of each sleeping area.  For the best protection, interconnect alarms so that when one sounds, they all sound.
  • Test smoke alarms at least once a month.
  • Develop a fire escape plan that identifies two ways out of each room and a family meeting place outside.
  • Make sure your plan allows for any specific needs in your household.  If everyone knows what to do, everyone can get out quickly.
  • Practice using the plan, at least twice a year.  If everyone knows that everyone else is ready to exit quickly, no one will lose precious time trying to help someone who doesn’t need help.
  • Some children and adults may not awaken to the sound of the smoke alarm.  They may need help to wake up.

 

Cooking with Care

  • Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period time, turn off the stove.
  • Keep anything that can catch fire – potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags – away form your stovetop.
  • Wear short, close fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. Loose clothing can dangle onto stove burners and catch fire.
  • Always keep an oven mitt and lid handy. If a small fire starts in a pan on the stove, put on the oven mitt and smother the flames by carefully sliding the lid over the pan. Turn off the burner. Don’t remove the lid until it is completely cool.

 

Everyday Electrical Safety

  • Keep lamps, light fixtures, and light bulbs away from anything that can burn, such as lamp shades, bedding, curtains, and clothing.
  • Replace cracked and damaged electrical cords.
  • Use extension cords for temporary wiring only. Consider having additional circuits or receptacles added by a qualified electrician.
  • Homes with young children should have tamper-resistant electrical receptacles.
  • Call a qualified electrician or landlord if you have recurring problems with blowing fuses or tripping circuit breakers, discolored or warm wall outlets, flickering lights or a burning or rubbery smell coming from an appliance.

 

Healthy Heating

  • Install and maintain carbon monoxide alarms to avoid risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
  • Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
  • Keep all things that can burn, such as paper, bedding or furniture, at least 3 feet away form heating equipment.
  • Turn portable space heaters off when you go to bed or leave the room.
  • An oven should not be used to heat a home.

 

Strike Out Smoking-materials Fires

  • If you smoke, choose fire-safe cigarettes if they are available in your area.
  • If you smoke, smoke outside.
  • Wherever you smoke, use deep, sturdy ashtrays.
  • Never smoke in a home where oxygen is used.
  • Keep matches and lighters up high in a locked cabinet, out of the reach of children.

 

Candle with Caution

  • Keep candles at least 12 inches form anything that can burn.
  • Use sturdy, safe candleholders.
  • Never leave a burning candle unattended. Blow out candles when you leave a room.
  • Avoid using candles in bedrooms and sleeping areas.
  • Use flashlights for emergency lighting.

 

Fire Safety 101

  • Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. For the best protection, interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home. When one sounds, they all sound.
  • Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button.
  • Replace smoke alarms every 10 years.
  • Make sure everyone can hear the sound of the smoke alarms.
  • Have a home fire escape plan. Know at least two ways out of every room, if possible, and a meeting place outside. Practice your escape plan twice a year.
  • When the smoke alarm sounds, get out and stay out.
  • If you are building or remodeling your home, consider a residential fire sprinkler system.

 

Fire safety checklists, escape planning tools and other fire prevention materials can be found at www.LancasterFD.org.  Groups interested in touring the firehouse can call 683-1903.  Individuals interested in learning more about the Lancaster Fire Department can visit www.LancasterFD.org.

 

 

 

September 25, 2008 (Lancaster Bee)

September 28, 2008 (Lancaster Source)

Fire Department reminds residents about home hazards

 

How many times have you left the house in the morning and wondered, “Did I turn off the stove?” With our busy lives, the safety of our homes and families are sometimes relegated to the back of our minds – an afterthought as we hop in the car to start the day.

 

Lancaster Fire Department wants you to make sure that the stove burner is turned off or the damaged electrical cord you’ve been meaning to fix is your top priority during Fire Prevention Week, October 5-11. The theme of this year’s campaign, “Prevent Home Fires,” focuses on preventing the leading causes of home fires – cooking, heating and electrical equipment, and smoking materials.

According to the latest statistics from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there were an estimated 396,000 reported home structure fires in 2006, resulting in 2,580 civilian deaths, 12,500 civilian injuries and $6.8 billion in direct damage in the United States. Home fires caused 80% of civilian deaths and 76% of injuries.

While the statistics are daunting, most home fires are easily preventable when we narrow our focus and take personal steps to increase our safety, Assistant Fire Chief Scott M. Kuhlmey said. One way to do this is by proactively combing through each room in your home to find signs of danger and fix them. Lancaster Fire Department is encouraging residents and their families to put their safety first by performing a home hazards inspection during Fire Prevention Week. You can pick up a fire inspection checklist at the Village of Lancaster Municipal Building, 5423 Broadway or by visiting www.LancasterFD.org.

 

There are also a number of simple steps that you can put into action to keep your home safe from fire:

  • Cooking: Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period time, turn off the stove.
  • Heating: Keep all things that can burn, such as paper, bedding or furniture, at least 3 feet away form heating equipment.
  • Electrical: Replace cracked and damaged electrical cords; use extension cords from temporary wiring only. Consider having additional circuits or receptacles added by a qualified electrician.
  • Smoking: If you smoke, smoke outside; wherever you smoke, use deep, sturdy ashtrays.

 

 

 

August 14, 2008 (Lancaster Bee)

 

Members of the Lancaster Fire Department march in the Firemen’s Parade on Friday during America’s Fair in Hamburg.  Lancaster took first place for Cadence, Class A.

 

 

 

 

August 14, 2008 (Lancaster Bee)

Lancaster Fire Department outlines several gasoline safety tips

 

Each year gasoline causes several thousand household fires, many of which result in injury and even death. It is helpful to remember gasoline is a volatile liquid that is constantly releasing flammable vapors, which are heavier than air and accumulate at the lowest point in an area. If released inside a building, these vapors sink to floor level and spread out across the room, and if these vapors make contact with an ignition source a flash-fire will likely result.

 

Gasoline Safety Basics

  • Keep gasoline out of children's reach and sight, and never allow children to handle gas
  • Never use gasoline inside the home or as a cleaning agent
  • Never use gasoline to wash mechanical parts
  • Never use gasoline to start a fire in barbecue pits or cooking grills
  • Never use gasoline as a replacement for kerosene or diesel
  • Do not use or store gasoline near potential ignition sources, including gas-fired water heaters that contain a pilot flame
  • Follow all manufacturers’ instructions when using electronics (including all devices with batteries or connections to electrical outlets) near gasoline
  • Clean up spills immediately and discard clean-up materials properly

 

In the Event of Gasoline Fire

  • Leave the area immediately, and call 911
  • Do not attempt to extinguish the fire
  • Do not attempt to stop the flow of gasoline

 

Gasoline Storage

  • Store gasoline outside in a garage or shed
  • Never store gasoline in glass, or in plastic milk jugs and other non-reusable plastic containers
  • Store gasoline in a tightly closed metal or plastic container designed, manufactured, and approved specifically for gasoline storage
  • Store only the amount of gasoline necessary to power equipment and machinery

 

Fueling and Handling Gasoline

  • Do not smoke while handling gasoline
  • Use caution when fueling machinery and automobile equipment
  • Never fuel machinery or equipment indoors, and always let it cool before refueling
  • Place portable gasoline containers on the ground before filling, and only fill them outdoors
  • Never fill portable containers inside a vehicle or in the bed of a pick-up truck, to prevent a static charge from developing
  • Do not get in and out of automobiles while fueling … Although rare, this movement creates an electrical charge on your body that could spark a fire, especially during dry weather conditions

 

Visit www.lancasterfd.org for more fire safety tips and information.

 

 

 

Partial Audio from May 23 Irwinwood Rd fire, courtesy Erie County Fire Wire (pauses removed)   Click Here

 

 

 

 

July 10, 2008 (Lancaster Bee)

Vehicle Fire

Photo by James Lepard

 

Lancaster firefighters respond to a fully involved fire around 7:30 p.m. Friday on West Drullard Avenue in the Village of Lancaster.  The vehicle appeared to be a van or motor home, according to a police report.  A California license plate was found inside, but a check revealed the number was not on file.  The vehicle was towed to the Lancaster Police Department.

 

 

June 22, 2008

Couch fire at the curb

St. John Street

 

 

 

June 5, 2008 (Lancaster Bee)

Fire department fights three blazes in four days

 

 

The Lancaster Fire Department recently had a busy week.

 

On Friday, May 23, a neighbor called 9.1.1. to report possible smoke coming from a vent at 139 Irwinwood in the Village of Lancaster.  The Lancaster Fire Department was alerted and on arrival, Assistant Fire Chief James Schaefer observed heavy smoke coming from the multi-family residence.  As the first arriving trucks approached, fire was visible from the garage and the street quickly became consumed with smoke.

 

Vehicle Fire, 33 Legion Pkwy          Photo Credit: John Robinson Jr.

 

Assistant Chief and Incident Commander Scott M. Kuhlmey

requested mutual aid from Twin District, Bowmansville and Depew Fire Departments.  Initial reports from neighbors indicated possible victims and animals in the residence.  Interior fire crews entered and began a search and also launched an aggressive fire attack.  All occupants were later accounted for and were not home at the time of the fire.  One dog was rescued from the fire and was given oxygen. 

 

The Lancaster Volunteer Ambulance Corps assisted at the scene with medical support.  No injuries were reported.  Damage was estimated at $50,000 to the structure and $20,000 to the contents.  The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

 

On Saturday, May 24, Lancaster firefighters were dispatched to a vehicle fire in the parking lot of the Elk's at 33 Legion Parkway in the Village of Lancaster.  On arrival, firefighters found individuals pushing the minivan away from the building and unsuccessfully trying to douse flames with a fire extinguisher. 

 

The vehicle, well involved in fire, was quickly extinguished by crews of the Lancaster Fire Department. 

 

A cigarette carelessly discarded into a wood box outside of the building ignited the box, building awning, and the minivan.  The building suffered minor fire damage.

 

During the early hours of Monday, May 26, the Lancaster Fire Department was again called out to the report of debris burning in the roadway on Pleasant Avenue in the Village.  As the fire department arrived they observed a large pile of tree branches and debris on fire near Pleasant Avenue and Elm Street.  Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire which appeared to have been deliberately set.

 

According to reports from Lancaster Police Department, three Lancaster High School students admitted to setting the fire after a DVD showing three youths setting a blaze surfaced.

 

 

 

7 News at 11

May 23, 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  May 23, 2008

In-District Structure Fire, 139 Irwinwood: Residential Structure Fire

 

 

 

April 22, 2008

Lancaster Fire Department elects new leaders

 

The Lancaster Fire Department held its annual election of Department Officer’s on Monday, April 21. 

 

Firematic Officers include Fire Chief John Burke, First Assistant Chief James N. Robinson, Second Assistant Chief Scott M. Kuhlmey, and Third Assistant Chief James Schaefer.

 

Administrative Officers include President Jerome Enser, Vice President Tim Schaefer, Secretary Jody Volpe, Treasurer Norman Piotrowski, Sergeant at Arms William Huff, Chaplain Albert Rinow, and Records Officer Carl Adolf.

 

An installation of officer’s ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 28.

 

 

 

Ambulance Accident in Lancaster Sends Six to the Hospital

Updated: March 7, 2008 05:36 PM EST

 

(Lancaster, NY, March 7, 2008) - - The driver of an ambulance is facing charges in an accident in Lancaster. Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg reports the crash sent six people to the hospital.

 

A Rural Metro Ambulance carrying a patient to the Erie County home struck a Chevy van at Walden and Central in the Town of Lancaster.

 

Scott Kuhlmey, Lancaster Asst. Fire Chief, "The occupants of the mini van required extrication. There were three victims in the mini van and there were three victims in the ambulance."

 

All were taken to ECMC. Five of the six, including the patient in the ambulance were later released. Lancaster Police say the ambulance driver, 20 year old Erik Peasland of Buffalo made a statement saying he ran the red light while heading east on Walden Avenue. He is charged with wreckless driving and passing a red light.

 

Lt. Erin Myers, Lancaster Police Dept., "This ambulance was operating in non-emergency mode and transporting a patient to the Erie County Home and Infirmary, and he should have been observing traffic signals just like every other vehicle."

 

The ambulance struck the van carrying three teenagers. It took longer to get the driver out, according to Lancaster Police Lt. Erin Myers.

 

Lt. Erin Myers, Lancaster Police Dept., "All of the passengers were removed easily accept for the driver. Had to remove the roof and part of the door frame to cut him out of the vehicle."

 

18 year old Brian Hinton of Lockport is still hospitalized in fair condition. Police say the Valero Gas Station nearby recorded the accident on surveillance video. There was also a camera mounted on the ambulance dash board.

 

Lt. Erin Myers, Lancaster Police Dept., "I would say it's a good four or five car lengths back that he had before it was red when he entered the intersection."

 

The front passenger in the van had a severe concussion. The back passenger required 14 stitches to the head. Lt. Myers said the injuries were light based on the amount of damage to the van. Rural Metro officials had not comment today on the accident.

 

 

 

Ambulance Involved in Crash in Village of Lancaster

Updated: March 7, 2008 01:31 AM EST

 

(Lancaster, NY, March 6, 2008) - - Several people are recovering from an accident involving an ambulance tonight.

 

The Rural Metro ambulance and a minivan crashed at Walden Avenue and Central in the Village.

 

First responders used the "jaws of life" to free the victims from the minivan.

 

"We had three people inside the minivan and a driver, tech and patient in the ambulance at the time," according to Scott Kuhlmey, Assistant Chief, Lancaster Fire Department.

 

The ambulance was transporting a patient back to the Erie County Home and Infirmary at the time.

 

None of the injuries appears to be life-threatening.

 

An investigation was launched to determine what led to the crash.

 

 

 

February 25, 2008 (Buffalo News)

 

WNY communities are saying goodbye to their fire alarm boxes

As technology advances, municipalities are snuffing out street corner alert system

 

 By Irene Liguori

Updated: 02/25/08 9:27 AM

 

The bright red and white boxes with peaked “roofs” once dotted street corners throughout the area — providing a lifeline at a time when few people had telephones at home to report fires.

 

Today they are a casualty of the 911 emergency system and the ubiquitous cell phone.

 

Sometime in the next 90 days, the Village of Lancaster will likely become one of the last suburban municipalities to bid a fond goodbye to an American icon: the street corner fire alarm box.

 

If so, the Village of Depew will become the sole remaining suburban holdout in Erie County relying on a fully functioning street box alarm system. Depew’s dates to 1894 — the year of the village’s incorporation.

 

“It’s hard to let go, because it’s sort of a tradition — they give you a warm, comfortable feeling,” said Lancaster Mayor William G. Cansdale Jr., who remembers eyeing his street corner fire alarm as a boy and wondering what it would be like to pull that lever inside.

 

Lancaster’s 88 street alarm boxes — most fastened to rough wooden poles encircled with red and white rings — sustained heavy damage in the October 2006 surprise snowstorm. Federal dollars helped repair some, but the Village Board remains torn about spending another $12,000 to fix the rest.

 

“We’re waiting for the Fire Department to tell us what they think is in the best interest of the community,” Cansdale said. “We’re willing to go along with whatever the department wants.”

 

Many local fire departments abandoned their box alarm systems in the 1980s and 1990s. Antique boxes tend to land in their fire museums or on eBay, where on a recent day of Internet haggling, collectors offered between $10 and $249 for these compact monuments to fire-fighting history.

 

Cities like Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have long since dismantled their fire alarm box systems. But the boxes still have staunch defenders in some large cities across the country.

 

New York City still has them, though former Mayor Rudy Giuliani fought hard for three years of his administration to ditch them.

 

A federal judge ruled in 1997 that getting rid of the boxes violated the civil rights of the city’s 65,000 deaf and hearing impaired residents.

 

The Boston Globe ran a lengthy story last month explaining why Beantown’s firefighters flatly refuse to scrap the 1,259 fire box alarms that send hook and ladder companies scurrying to a blaze.

 

“Technology has advanced, but they still have a place,” John P. Henderson, Boston’s Superintendent of Fire Alarms, is quoted as saying in the Jan. 6 story by Globe staffer Emily Sweeney.

 

Boston’s fire box system operates separately from electric and telephone lines and isn’t affected by power outages, downed phone lines, bad cell phone reception or radio interference, Henderson said. If a major disaster knocked out power in Boston for several days and people couldn’t charge cell phones, the boxes constitute a public safety lifeline in a large city.

 

The City of Buffalo still has about 450 working fire alarm boxes left in service. Most of those are “master” boxes located inside of schools, hospitals and nursing homes.

 

A smattering of fire alarm boxes also continue to dot Buffalo street corners, according to the Buffalo Fire Department’s Fire Alarm Office. But most residential box alarms in Buffalo — like the one at Broadway and Pine Street that alerted firefighters to the spectacular 1986 church fire immortalized in Rich Blake’s “The Day Donny Herbert Woke Up” — have long since been dismantled.

 

In many smaller towns, firefighters say, the antique boxes have outlived their usefulness, generating too many false alarms and costing too much to maintain.

 

Still, they are remembered wistfully by fire departments that have scrapped them.

 

Lockport abandoned the box alarms lining its streets and protecting its schools and nursing homes in the early 1990s, according to Capt. Michael Collette.

 

“I can still remember hearing those alarms come in — twice, then three times, then twice for the nursing homes,” Collette said.

 

Inside the boxes, which are wired in a series like some Christmas lights, a notched code wheel turns and transmits a telegraph code whenever a fire box’s lever is pulled. If it’s Box 37, three notches on the wheel are followed by an empty interval and then by seven notches. In days gone by, firefighters who heard those alarms knew just what box triggered it.

 

Nowadays the majority of fire calls come in to municipalities when people dial 911 on their cell phones or land lines. Pagers and sophisticated radio systems are used to alert firefighters.

 

“We prefer that people call in fires on a cell phone anyway,” said Hamburg Police Chief Carmen Kesner, “because they can give us up-to-the-second information about the fire.”

 

In Boston, Mass., a team of 20 firefighters is required to keep 1,700 street alarm boxes in working order. In villages like 11,000-resident Lancaster, devoting manpower to maintain the street boxes and track down spare parts has become too much of a chore and no longer makes financial sense.

 

“We phased out our fire alarm boxes three or four years ago,” said North Tonawanda Fire Capt. William DeMonte. Prior to that, a team of two to three firefighters was required to test and tinker with the fire alarm boxes on a daily basis. “That’s a cost,” he said.

 

In the Village of Lancaster, costs are likewise a concern for 3rd Ward Trustee William C. Schroeder, who once served as fire chief and has tinkered with the village’s box alarm repairs himself over the past 30 years.

 

“We were probably spending $8,000 to $10,000 a year in maintenance on the boxes,” he said, adding that false alarms sounded by the system were numerous.

 

In October 2006, Mother Nature added another unpredictable cost. After the devastating storm, Lancaster’s trustees realized they faced an unavoidable financial showdown with the village’s antique fire alarm system.

 

Today, most of the village’s boxes are bagged in somber black plastic, awaiting their fate.

 

One of the quaintest fire alarms in the center of town, however, remains functional:

 

RAISE COVER PULL LEVER reads the lettering on the iron pedestal-mounted box in front of Lancaster Town Hall. On its side are cautionary words: “A false alarm can cost a human life.”

 

In the end, trustee Schroeder says, the fate of the boxes may come down to a compromise in the Village of Lancaster.

 

Perhaps, he said, alarm boxes will remain only in front of Town Hall and the village’s fire houses. Perhaps an audible siren activated by radio will continue to sound throughout the village whenever there’s a fire call.

 

As Cansdale said, it will be hard to say goodbye.

 

 

  February 11, 2008

In-District Structure Fire, 22 St. John Street: Garage Fire with Extension to Apartment Building

 

 

 

 

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Lancaster Fire Department

P.O. Box 15

Lancaster, New York 14086

 

fire.department@lancastervillage.org

 

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