By Stephen Smoot
Earlier this month, the Franklin Volunteer Fire Department shared that they had scaled back their participation in this year’s Treasure Mountain Festival. They made that decision out of concern that if their volunteers were engaged at festival vendor stands, that not enough would be available for emergency response calls.
That decision was affirmed as sound by events on Saturday.
Approximately at 12:47 p.m. Saturday at 15 North Main Street in Franklin, according to a Facebook statement from the FVFD, a pickup truck’s engine compartment burst into flame. Fortunately, help was close at hand as “Engines 22 and 26 were staged with members doing our bucket shake fund drive and responded immediately, arriving on scene less than three minutes after dispatch.”
Other apparatus on scene included Tanker 25, which was placed back in service. They then cleared the roadway and restored it to working order only hours prior to the Treasure Mountain Festival parade.
As the FVFD statement shared, “this fire occurred in the heart of downtown as large crowds and multiple vendors were present enjoying Treasure Mountain Festival.” In the statement, the FVFD thanked the West Virginia State Police, Pendleton County Sheriff’s Department, and Bowers Garage for their support.
The real “treasure” came in the report that “thankfully there were no injuries and no damage to surrounding structures.”
At 1:15, just as crews completed cleanup on Main Street, another vehicle fire call required response, this time on Mountain Crest Lane.
Engines 22 and 26 responded, joined by Tanker 25, Engine 23, and Brush 28. After extinguishing the blaze, crews used a thermal imager to confirm that it was out.
The release reiterated that the situation that played out on Saturday, with two emergency calls, served as why the FVFD did not set up their vendor stand this year. Their statement on Saturday’s calls explained “These two incidents highlight that ‘what if’ scenario that is always present, but more so during the festival when large crowds are present during the weekend.”
It added that “having our apparatus staffed with personnel already staged throughout the town allowed for an immediate response to both incidents with 15 members staffing the apparatus, quickly mitigating both incidents.”
