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Group distributes standardized equipment to Lycoming, Sullivan County fire companies

Unity was the word of the day as The West Branch Firemen's Association distributed standardized rural water supply equipment to all fire departments across Lycoming and Sullivan counties during a recent ceremony at the Mill Street boat ramp in Montoursville.

Each department received three-inch locking Storz adapters and five-inch Jumbo Clappered Siamese appliances with the goal of making the movement of water to fight fires easier in areas lacking fire hydrants.

In total, the association distributed 204 of the Storz adaptors and 24 of the jumbo clappered Siamese appliances.

"The locking Storz adapters create a consistent, secure connection at water fill sites, allowing any apparatus from any participating department to connect the same way at any site in the region. The clappered Siamese appliances allow crews to offload large volumes of water from tankers and engines on the fireground, feeding attack lines and water distribution systems without interrupting the flow," a press release for the event explained.

"About a year ago, we approached The West Branch Firemen's Association, and asked that they create a committee so we could start standardizing operations in Lycoming County," said Tyler Schramm, deputy chief at the Montoursville Volunteer Fire Department and a member of the association.

"Through President Todd Winder and the chiefs over the past year, we had a lot of meetings, we went to training grounds, and started putting effort into how we could unify operations, especially in the rural area," he said.

The existence of two different types of threads to hoses presented a particular challenge when fighting fires in areas without ready access to water.

"When we go to the rural fireground, that can be a disaster trying to get that first tanker filled if the hoses don't match up with the adaptation, so through the process, we unified that with a universal fitting," Schramm explained.

"Everybody's going to be receiving these adapters, so when we go to those fill sites, we can quickly connect to each other's hoses and apparatus to get the tankers filled quicker because as we know in the rural fireground, time matters. If we're wasting time at the fill site, that's going to slow us down in getting water back to the fireground," Schramm explained.

"We want unity in Lycoming and Sullivan counties, and we want to be on the same page when we go to these fires together," he added.

The project would not have been possible without donations from state Rep. Jamie Flick, R-South Williamsport, EQT and Seneca Resources, said Schramm who also gave special thanks to several local officials in attendance, including Lycoming County Commissioners Marc Sortman, Mark Mussina, Scott Metzger and the Director of Public Safety, Forest Rothchild.

"I'm Representative Flick, but today I'm just here as Jamie Flick, just a citizen," Flick said.

"You guys have been a part of my life forever. I can start with Chief Miller and Nippenose Valley, where I grew up, and all the thanks to you for protecting my family, my kids and my father, my 93-year-old dad, and for keeping him from getting in too much trouble as a 93-year-old motorcyclist," he said.

"Then of course, Jersey Shore, where I went to school, and then Eldridge Township, where we had a fundraiser last week," Flick said.

"I just can't thank all the chiefs here enough, and what Tyler said is definitely true. It's about unity today. So most of all, Tyler, I want to thank you for assembling this whole group," he concluded.

Lycoming County Commissioners Chairman Scott Metzger offered his appreciation to those that put their lives on the line for the citizens of the county.

"We know 40 years ago there were 300,000 volunteer firefighters. Today there's 30,000 across the state, and it's a thankless job. Equipment is enormously expensive," he said.

"We know monies are tight, so it can be hard to raise money. You can have so many chicken barbecues and fish fries, but that doesn't bring you the funds you need, so it's a very difficult process. This is a great piece of equipment to make things more efficient across the board," Metzger said.

"We're just really happy to be able to support this great project and continue supporting the firefighters that are working in our operating areas. And we're so thankful for everything that all of you guys do, and are looking forward to continued support," said Daniella Perera, stakeholder relations representative for Seneca Resources Company.

"We're honored to be here and to be able to support what you guys do. We know that efficiency in our business is important, but efficiency for you is a matter of life and death. So it's meaningful to us to be able to support you guys," Local Government & Community Affairs Specialist for EQT Corporation Kelly Coppadge said.

West Branch Firemen's Association President and Clinton Township Volunteer Fire Department chief Todd Winder offered his praise to Schramm.

"Tyler reminds me a lot of myself. 35, 40 years ago, I ate, slept, and drank fire. It was the firehouse. It was my life. It still is. And to be able to put this through, and us to find the funding, and you to come up with where we had so many people down here that said 'this won't work, we should do it this way,' and the minds that were changed because of your leadership with this," he said.

"When we pull this off and we can get the two counties working closer together with every fire department doing the same thing, the next step is just going to be greater and greater and greater," Winder said.

While noting the importance of modern, streamlined equipment, Schramm stressed that it is the men and women behind that equipment that ultimately make the difference.

"We can have the best equipment in the world. We can have the fanciest trucks, but without the people to get on the trucks and respond to the emergencies, we have nothing," he said.

"As somebody who's been involved with it in this county for 24 years, I know the sleepless nights. I know the time away from family, and all of you deserve that round of applause because you guys make it work, and you guys do an incredible service for your communities. And without all of you, it's not possible," Schramm said.

"The trucks will sit, and they won't respond if we don't have the people to put on them," he said.

"Any unification and modernization that we can do for individual departments and between the corresponding departments is obviously great for the community," Mussina told the Sun-Gazette.

"We've had several meetings with Tyler about a variety of things, and he's been a driving force in trying to get all of the the local fire departments to kind of speak the same language and work together in ways that are more efficient for funding and certainly more efficient for the community and the people they serve," he said.

"Today is all about unity and area leadership has done a phenomenal job at bringing the departments together, whether you're from Ralston or Hughesville, and that's exactly what the fire departments need and what our whole area needs," Flick commented to the Sun-Gazette, a sentiment Sortman seconded, calling it "great to see coming together."

"Anything to assist the firefighters and their mission, we're in favor of," Metzger told the Sun-Gazette.

"These guys put their lives on the line every day, and equipment's so expensive, but it's important to its efficient and affordable. And the biggest thing is whether it's affordable, but they do a phenomenal job, and we're excited that this is one of the ways to solve one of their problems," he said.

"And another great thing about this project is it brings everything together and brings unity so everybody's operating the same way because the equipment often gets outdated, and if they can use the same equipment to make it more efficient, it makes things much better for the entire county," Metzger said.