Bedford's Bravest Battle Bus Blaze

 
By Firefighter/EMT Zachary Grossbaum
May 19, 2011
 

At approximately 15:00 hours the Bedford Fire Department was dispatched to the intersection of Bishop Road and Pine Brook Road for a motor vehicle fire. Upon arrival, Car 2043 updated 60-control to a fully involved school bus fire, requested one tanker from Pound Ridge, and confirmed that all occupants were safely off the bus.

Minutes later E-109 arrived on scene, stretching two 1 3/4" hand lines. The remaining crew members from E-109 stretched a 3" supply line to Pound Ridge's Tanker 3 for a water supply. After flowing both water and foam for several minutes and attacking the bus fire from the front and the back, the fire was knocked down. To assist in the overhaul and breakdown of the operating hand lines, a crew from E-110 arrived on scene. Bedford and Pound Ridge police also assisted in shutting down and redirecting traffic around the scene. The fire was determined to have started in the engine compartment and quickly advanced through the entire bus out the the back door. NYSEG was also on hand to check on the integrity of the power lines above the bus.

The bus is currently being examined and investigated by both the bus company and by New York State DOT officials.

For more photos of the incident, be sure to check out Pound Ridge Firefighter Kevin Schilling's (who provided our "arrival" picture) article at http://poundridgefire.com/apps/public/news/newsView.cfm?News_ID=37

 
Units: Car 2041, Car 2042, Car 2043, Engine 109, Engine 110
 
Mutual Aid: Pound Ridge Tanker 3, WCDES Battalion 16, Bedford PD, Pound Ridge PD, NYSEG