Fire Chief Offers Quarterly Report

Fire calls so far this year are down when compared year-over-year with the same point in 2011, but that's not a surprise, Hellertown Fire Chief Rick Delmore of Dewey Fire Co. No. 1 told borough council Oct. 1.

Delmore said Dewey volunteers had responded to 202 calls as of Sept. 30, whereas last year they'd responded to 275 calls by the end of September.

Sixty of those calls, however, were related to flooding caused by the remnants of .

Earlier this year, Delmore told council that Irene and the October snowstorm that darkened Hellertown for days last year helped to make 2011 'a very unusual year.'

As part of his quarterly report to council, Delmore announced that volunteers recently completed a water rescue class that "hopefully we won't need."

A program to ensure that firefighters receive regular physicals is also now in place, with Assistant Fire Chief Matt Andree overseeing it, he said.

Dewey's new Pierce fire truck is scheduled to be placed on the manufacturing line in Wisconsin Oct. 22, with a six-week build-out timetable anticipated, he added.

As always, Delmore announced that new volunteers are needed.

Dewey drill nights are held at 7pm on Mondays.

As part of its community outreach efforts, Dewey will host its annual Fall Open House on .

The free, family-friendly event will be held at the fire station, 502 Durham St., Hellertown.

It will include fire safety and educational demonstrations, tours of the Saucon Valley Fire Safety House, raffles, food and drinks.