Fort Washington Fire Company Responded to 72 Calls During Hurricane Sandy

On the Sunday afternoon before Hurricane Sandy hit Upper Dublin, 38 Fort Washington Fire Department members reported to both firehouses to officially begin preparations for the storm.

In an e-mail from Eric Clauson, Fire Chief, said, "This included ensuring all trucks and equipment was fueled and in working order, water rescue equipment was ready to be deployed and members were all aware of Standard Operating Guidelines and safety precautions to be followed during the event."

At approximately 2 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 29, the storm began to move into the area and fire personnel began reporting to stations and responding to calls. 

An Emergency Operations Center was also opened at the Township Building around this time on Monday.

The first call of the night came in around 5 p.m. on Monday night and over the next 72 hours, Fort Washington Fire Company responded to calls including building fires, wires down and trees into structures.

During the height of the storm, the fire company had 48 volunteers staffing seven trucks. Overnight, 26 members were unhand and slept at both firehouses.

There were 72 fire calls over the 72 hour period between Monday night and Wednesday night.

"Luckily, we did not experience any flooding during the event, but the strong winds caused wide-spread problems," said Clauson."