For the period of Friday May 22, 2009 to Thursday May 28, 2009 the Niagara Falls Fire Department responded to 124 calls for assistance.
Friday May 22 – Just as the night shift of firefighters were reporting for duty, calls came streaming into Central Alarm indicating some type of structure fire in the area of 19th and Falls Street. Responding units saw a large volume of smoke in the air even before they arrived on the scene. On arrival units encountered an outside fire which had extended to a nearby garage. Initial fire operations were impacted due to flames impinging on nearby overhead powerlines. Hoselines were deployed from a safe area and the majority of the fire was quickly knocked down. Other firefighters gained access into the garage to determine the extent of fire extension. The exact cause of the fire is still undetermined but it has been determined that it did originate in a nearby sofa. Total damage to the garage and a fence has been estimated at $5,000
Saturday May 23 – The holiday weekend started off with a very busy Saturday for falls firefighters. During the 24 hour period firefighters responded to 28 separate emergency calls. Among the calls were responses at 4:30 AM for a person in the Niagara River in the area of the 6300 block of Buffalo Avenue, a multi patient vehicle accident on the Robert Moses that involved 5 injuries, and a vehicle rollover accident in the 1600 block of Walnut Avenue.
Sunday May 24 – At 2:30 PM fire units from the Ontario Avenue station as well as 10th street were dispatched to a garage fire in the extreme north end of the city. Units arrived in the 1400 block of Lafayette Avenue to find light smoke coming from a wood frame structure. The garage contained a classic automobile and the fire was quickly extinguished before it could cause major damage. Initial estimates of damage are less then $5,000.
Sunday May 24 – The first significant call to the Lower Niagara River Gorge of the season was reported to firefighters just before 6 PM. Initial reports indicated that hikers in the gorge in the area between Whirlpool and Devils Hole could hear someone calling for help. Firefighters and State parks Police located a hiker who had fallen some distance and was suffering from serious injuries. The injuries were so severe that a call was placed to Mercy Flight for an air evacuation to a Trauma Unit. Firefighters “packaged” the patient into a stokes basket and together with Parks Police and Rural Metro were forced to carry the patient up the precarious steps. During the ascent the condition of the patient deteriorated and on reaching the lip of the gorge it was determined that the patient needed to be transported to the closest medical facility.
Sunday May 24 – Two other events required the attention of the remaining available city firefighters while units were still in the gorge. An outside gas leak sent units to the 400 block of 27th Street while over in the 500 block of 23rd street units responded to a porch collapse. The gas leak was relatively minor but did require the assistance of National Fuel. The porch collapse resulted in minor injuries to two occupants of the home. Building and Inspections were called to the scene to evaluate the structure and assist the homeowner. Mutual Aid from Niagara County was called to assist in providing coverage within the city while firefighters were tied up on multiple incidents.
Tuesday May 26 – At 3:15 AM fire units from the 10th street station were alerted to a smoke investigation in the area of Memorial Parkway and Niagara Street. On arrival they were confronted with a late model vehicle fully involved in fire. Hoselines were deployed to control the fire. It was quickly determined that the vehicle was unoccupied and apparently was abandoned. The vehicle was totally consumed by the fire which caused and estimated $16,000 in damage. The fire is considered suspicious and is under investigation.
The Niagara Falls Fire Department extends its congratulations to all of the members of the class of 2009. Tonight is prom night and we ask all of you to make sure that you celebrate in a safe and responsible manner. We have been very fortunate that the city has not suffered any student fatalities due to automobile accidents this school year. Please make sure that we continue that fine trend and commemorate your accomplishments in a manner that is safe, sober, and responsible.
