Beacon Hose responded to Morning Wood Drive on Friday, June 25, for a structure fire. After the initial dispatch at 8:09 a.m., firefighter Kevin O’Connell, who lives on the same road, reported heavy fire coming from the home.

We activated our daytime mutual-aid fire protocol, which brought incoming apparatus and manpower from the Naugatuck Fire Department, Oxford Center Volunteer Fire Company, Bethany Volunteer Fire Department, Citizens’ Engine Co. No. 2, and Great Hill Hose Co. Beacon Hose’s Truck 6 and Engine 3 were on the assignment.

Firefighter Mark Pinto, who lives across the street from the home, had already prepared the hydrant and immediately hit the hydrant when Beacon Hose’s Truck 6 arrived first on scene. We established an initial line from Truck 6’s water supply to make a defensive attack on the body of the fire, and additional lines (and later the ladder pipe) were established as soon as flow was established from the hydrant. The bulk of the fire was knocked down within about 20 minutes.

Beacon Hose proudly reports its call volume from 2020.

The volume from 2020 included 231 fire calls and a department-record 766 EMS calls for a total of 997 calls. A further breakdown of fire responses:

 79 calls involving EMS (such as motor vehicle accidents)
 30 calls for service
 28 Hazmat-related calls
 24 fire calls
 20 natural disaster-related calls
 17 miscellaneous calls
 33 false alarms 

Beacon Hose responded Monday afternoon to a severe motor vehicle accident as a car careened off the bridge that carries Route 8 North over the Naugatuck River and landed on the railroad tracks near the river.

The initial dispatch came in at 12:57 p.m. for a motor vehicle accident near the intersection of Cold Spring Road and Lopus Road Extension, which is one of the least trafficked areas in Beacon Falls. The accident was first reported by a man who was fishing in the Naugatuck River, and units in response received an update that the vehicle had fallen from Route 8 — a vertical drop of 50-75 feet.

At Beacon Hose’s monthly meeting on March 4, we recognized our crew that made a code save back in September on Morning Wood Drive. We had received the report of an unresponsive male in his 70s, and EMT Kevin O’Connell immediately responded from his nearby home and began CPR. Upon arrival, Beacon Hose units deployed both the AED (which delivered four shocks) and our new LUCAS device (for the first time on a call).

We are happy to report that the patient was released from the hospital in relatively quick fashion and has been doing well since. The patient’s doctor told the family that early, quality CPR gave the patient a chance to survive.

Beacon Hose EMS Director Peter Monti, along with Waterbury Hospital, recognized the crew that responded: from left, Matt DeGeorge, John Lubinski, Sherrie Lubinski, Howie Leeper, and Jeremy Rodorigo. (Kevin O’Connell was unable to attend.)

Once again, a terrific job by our dedicated volunteers in helping to secure a positive outcome!