Here are some shots taken over the last 10 years from Kitchener Ontario.
Gary Dinkel
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Kitchener Fire Department
All posts tagged Kitchener Fire Department
July 22 2014, 05:30 Kitchener Ontario firefighters were dispatched for a fire behind 340, and 342 Louisa St. Two pumps, quint aerial, rescue, and PC responded on the first alarm. The fire was visible from HQ 2.5 miles from the scene, prompting the PC to add P1 (75’ quint to the call).
Station two was on scene two minutes later reporting one multi-unit, three-story building under construction fully involved, as well as a second multi-unit building well involved. Large lines were in order. A2 and P3 caught hydrants. P3 pulled a 4” line around the back of the units on Louisa and set up a portable hydrant. A2 set up in front, P1 in rear. A4 and P7 were added to the call, P7 set up in rear and pulled two 2.5” lines and used their monitor.
The fire extended into the occupied units on Louisa St., heavily damaging three units. P1 and P3 firefighters were able to protect the seven units on the E2 side of the fully-involved building which were 75% complete, as well as six units on Louisa St that were finished.
Fourteen units under construction were destroyed as well as the three occupied units. Damage has been pegged at $5,000,000. The Ontario Fire Marshall is working with Kitchener Fire Prevention officers and Regional Police detectives to determine the cause.
Gary Dinkel
Box 690
This photo shot at 05:53. The partially constructed building in foreground only has some framing for first floor still standing. Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
E3 side of fire, P1 has 2.5” line in operation, and are setting up their ladder for tower operations. Note how close buildings are to each other. Gary Dinkel photo
Fire extends into 342 Louisa St, second unit of five in this group of condos. Gary Dinkel photo
P7 arrives on scene and sets up. Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Dumpster caught fire from flying embers. Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
Sign will have to be changed! Gary Dinkel photo
Louisa street. Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
First fire for new P2, Spartan ERV pumper. Gary Dinkel photo
Gary Dinkel photo
P3 set up portable hydrant, ran a monitor and one 2.5” line. Note how close the buildings are!. Gary Dinkel photo
Kitchener Ontario Fire received numerous 911 calls for a house on fire at 243 Clark Ave at 3 pm, June 24, 2014. A standard first-alarm was dispatched; two pumpers, a rescue, an aerial, and platoon chief. This was a hot windy day with a severe thunderstorm watch in effect. P1 arrived on-scene and reported a fully-involved house with extension into the house next door. P1 picked up a hydrant, as did P4 on the way in. P6 was added to the call, they picked up a third hydrant on arrival. Numerous 2.5” and 1.5” lines were pulled from all three pumpers. P3 was dispatched as the fourth pumper for additional manpower. The fire started in a car port and spread up into the house of origin and into the attic next door. Crews knocked down the main body of fire quickly just as a thunderstorm rolled through the area. Two motorcycles and two cars were lost in the fire in addition to both homes sustaining heavy fire damage. Damage was pegged at $300,000. The fire started in the car port, cause under investigation.
All photos
Gary Dinkel
Box 690
Gary Dinkel, Box 690 photo
Gary Dinkel, Box 690 photo
Gary Dinkel, Box 690 photo
Gary Dinkel, Box 690 photo
Gary Dinkel, Box 690 photo
Gary Dinkel, Box 690 photo
May 13 2014, Kitchener P1, P3, R1, Haz Mat 1, A2, and Car 23 were dispatched to 321 Courtland Ave E for an ammonia leak in the office tower. P1 arrived on-scene and reported evacuation of the building and a light odor of ammonia in the air. Command requested police and had P3 block the road at Borden, and A2 blocked the road at Kent.
Command conferred with the plant manager and safety coordinator who reported they had just turned on the office air conditioning system at 11:25 and they smelled ammonia in the office minutes later. The in-house emergency team was paged and two members went to roof in Level 1 Haz Mat suits. They determined the system had a leak at one of the valves and the system needed to be shut down.
P2 was added to the call at this time. Firefighters set up for full haz mat operations and command ordered the manufacturing side of the building evacuated. Five hundred employees were evacuated and staged on Kent Ave. Two firefighters entered the building with two plant personnel (full Level 1 suits) to assess the area and to do a primary search of the office building. Crews confirmed the office was evacuated and there was still a leak in the system.
The system is charged from a central boiler house at the rear of the plant. There is approximately 80,000 lbs of ammonia in the system. After consultation between command and plant staff, crews reentered the building and successfully closed a valve near the AC unit. This was a very warm humid day which necessitated rotating crews. Once the leak was stopped, the next plan was to clean up the ammonia and air out the office. The office tower had 400 ppm of ammonia, and the seventh floor was considerably higher where the unit was located. This scenario played out throughout the afternoon. KFD cleared the scene at 18:00.
As an aside to the call, I work in the office. I evacuated the building as soon as I knew the leak was getting stronger, a few minutes before the building was evacuated at 11:40. I went to the parking lot and turned on my FD radio. The parking lot was down wind of the office and I could still smell ammonia. I left the area and waited to see if the plant needed KFD for assistance. Our emergency team is very well trained in dealing with ammonia leaks. The plant has five floors (over a million square feet) and minor ammonia leaks are fixed quickly in-house without having to call KFD for help. Once KFD was called I headed upwind, back to the plant to drop off a cooler with Gatorade and water that I carry in my van. I then headed to the station to pick up our truck as I knew this was going to be a long afternoon. Six hours on-scene, we served 171 drinks, 20 burgers, 20 wraps, 47 snack items, and lots of freezies.
All photos
Gary Dinkel
Box 690
Gary Dinkel, Box 690 photo
Staging set up in court yard beside main entrance to building. Back up team ready to go in if needed. Gary Dinkel, Box 690 photo
Kitchener firefighters are in the blue suits. Gary Dinkel, Box 690 photo
Gary Dinkel, Box 690 photo
June 17 15:22 Kitchener P1, P7, R1, A2, and Car 23 were dispatched for an alarm ringing and smoke in the building at 50 Charles St S. The building is a block-long, three floor, former cord manufacturing business that has been converted into small business and warehouse space. Firefighters had been to several fires in the building when it was still manufacturing twine and cord.
P1 arrived on-scene with light smoke showing. P3 was added to the call and instructed to pick up a hydrant on the Ottawa St side of the building. A supply line was pulled from P1 to a hydrant at Borden and Charles. A2 was instructed to set up their ladder. P1 entered the building reporting light smoke on the second floor. The crew from P7 was ordered to check the roof and work their way down checking each floor. P1 firefighters searched through the building and found a fire in the ceiling. P2 was added to the call as the fourth pumper at this time. A line was pulled from P1 and crews extinguished the fire quickly. Firefighters reported the fire had burned through the ceiling into the third floor, and that there could be extension to that floor. Crews checked the third floor and reported no extension, but moderate smoke conditions. Cause of the fire appeared to be an electrical short.
I happened to be at our hall when the call came in and responded with the truck once there was confirmation of a fire I served 52 drinks and 12 snacks.
All photos
Gary Dinkel
Box 690
Gary Dinkel, Box 690 photo
Gary Dinkel, Box 690 photo
Gary Dinkel, Box 690 photo
Kitchener (Ontario) dispatch toned out a full response for St Jacobs and Conestogo, and Elmira’s tanker for a possible barn fire at 1045 Benjamin Road June 17 at 18:36. The call was updated minutes later to a confirmed fire with a small explosion. Floradale’s tanker was added to the call at this time.
A St Jacobs captain arrived on scene and reported the large barn was fully-involved. The barn was approximately 120 x 60’ with a 50 x 50’ addition on the E2 – E3 corner of the barn. St Jacobs pumper set up beside the house and pulled three 2.5” lines and two 1.5” lines to protect exposures and attack the fire. Three port-a-tanks were set up beside the pumper.
A small shed 15 feet from the barn on the E1- E4 corner contained three skids with 500 gallon ethanol tanks. The first 2.5” line was pulled to cool the tanks. All firefighting was defensive. Waterloo’s tanker was requested to the call to supplement water. This was the first tanker fire call for the truck which went in service in January. Water was shuttled from a hydrant in Waterloo, approximately 2.5 miles from the scene.
A back hoe was used to pull the barn apart to get to hot spots. The fire was under control at 22:00. Fifty firefighters were on scene battling the fire on this very humid hot night. The Region missed the severe weather that hit Southern Ontario Tuesday, including a tornado which hit Angus. The cause of the $250,000 fire was incorrect mixing of fuels to make bio fuel. He was mixing old vegetable oil with methanol and potassium hydroxide.
Box 690 Canteen was on scene five hours providing rehab. Crews consumed 186 drinks, 285 snacks (including very popular freezies) and 12 XL pizza’s.
Gary Dinkel
Box 690
Gary Dinkel photo, Box 690
Gary Dinkel photo, Box 690
Gary Dinkel photo, Box 690
Ethanol tanks being removed from storage shed. Gary Dinkel photo, Box 690
Floradale’s tanker discharging 2,500 Imperial gallons (3,000 US gallons). Gary Dinkel photo, Box 690
Gary Dinkel photo, Box 690
Waterloo’s Pierce 2,500 Imperial gallon tanker. First tanker call for truck. Gary Dinkel photo, Box 690
Elmira’s 2,000 Imperial gallon tanker. Gary Dinkel photo, Box 690
Gary Dinkel photo, Box 690
February 14, at19:22 Kitchener fire dispatch received a cell phone call reporting a house on fire at the corner of Lorraine and Heritage Dr. Pump 3 arrived on scene and reported the garage was fully involved and likely had extension into the house. Three 1.5” lines were pulled to extinguish the fire. The fire extended into the basement and into the living room above. Twenty fire fighters knocked the fire down in 30 minutes. Damage was pegged at $300,000.
Gary Dinkel, Box 690
Firefighters are advancing first line in front door to check for extension. photo by Gary Dinkel, Box 690
Third line being stretched. photo by Gary Dinkel, Box 690
Interior crews reported holes in floors, third line used from ladder to knock fire down in living room. photo by Gary Dinkel, Box 690
photo by Gary Dinkel, Box 690
photo by Gary Dinkel, Box 690
photo by Gary Dinkel, Box 690