Attic fire on NW 34th Blvd is the first for new Lieutenant
Press release from Gainesville Fire Rescue
At approximately 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, crews from Gainesville Fire Rescue Station 5, Station 1, and Station 8 responded to a residential building fire in the 2500 block of NW 34th Blvd. Engine 5 arrived on scene within six minutes of being dispatched and was assigned fire suppression by the Incident Commander, Jeffery Schuhmacher. Chief Schuhmacher told the crews that flames were coming from the roof and that this would be a “working fire.” The designation as a working fire lets crews know they should go to work on their initial assignments based on their order of arrival instead of staging. As GFR’s crews arrived, they began searching the home and locating and extinguishing the fire, which was found to be isolated to the attic.
Although this is a common occurrence for the crews at GFR, this was the first fire for Chris Silcox since his recent promotion to lieutenant of Engine 5. Silcox reported to his new assignment on B-shift and met his crew this morning at 8 a.m. Chief Schuhmacher said he met with Lt. Silcox this morning to give him his expectations for the “big three” calls: EMS calls, extrications, and building fires. Lt. Silcox said that as the Engine Lieutenant, his crew’s job on fires is to “get in the door and extinguish the fire,” and that’s just what they did.
Crews on scene quickly extinguished the fire and covered belongings to minimize damage as truck company crews overhauled the scene, checking for the fire’s extension into small crevasses. Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Hillhouse said the fire is still under investigation, but he noted that the crews did a great job stopping the fire before it had the opportunity to spread further. At the conclusion of the fire, Chief Schuhmacher issued Lt. Silcox his new badge to commemorate his new rank.
Gainesville Fire Rescue would like to remind everyone that home is where most smoking-material fires occur. Smoking materials are the leading cause of fire deaths, and smoking material fires are preventable. If you must smoke, use only fire-safe cigarettes; smoke outside; keep cigarettes, lighters, matches, and other smoking materials out of the reach of children; and do not discard cigarettes in vegetation such as mulch, potted plants, landscaping, peat moss, dried grasses, leaves, or other things that could ignite easily.