Seven Lower Merion volunteer fire companies ran a joint live-fire demonstration for elected officials and invited guests on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at Station 25 in Ardmore.
Crews from all seven township fire stations converged on the Merion Fire Company of Ardmore headquarters at 35 Greenfield Ave. for the evening event, which began at 6 p.m. with an apparatus and equipment showcase. Guests walked among emergency vehicles and spoke directly with firefighters about their capabilities, according to a post on the Merion Fire Company website written by Graham Fuller.
The showcase gave way to two scenario-based demonstrations. In the first, crews showed the tools and techniques used to cut occupants free from a vehicle after a serious crash. In the second, firefighters conducted a live-fire building operation, walking officials through the coordinated tactics required to bring a structure fire under control.
All seven companies participated.
Members of the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners, Narberth Borough Council and school board officials attended.
The companies on hand included Penn Wynne-Overbrook Hills (Station 21), Belmont Hills (Station 22), Bryn Mawr (Station 23) and Gladwyne (Station 24). Narberth (Station 26), Union Fire Association of Lower Merion (Station 28) and host Merion Fire Company of Ardmore (Station 25) rounded out the group. Narberth Ambulance, the Lower Merion Township Fire Marshal's Office and the Lower Merion Police Department also took part.
The Merion Fire Company said the event highlighted how training, communication and teamwork bring equipment and resources together when the community needs them.
The demonstration came weeks after a real-world example of that coordination. On Sept. 11, firefighters from multiple Lower Merion stations quickly extinguished a bedroom fire at a home on Linwood Avenue in Ardmore.
Tom Hayden, chief of the Merion Fire Company of Ardmore, told Patch after the Sept. 11 fire, "The quick response and coordinated work of all companies on scene helped keep the fire contained and prevented a more serious incident."
All seven companies are volunteer organizations serving Lower Merion Township and Narberth Borough under the Lower Merion Fire Department.
Residents looking for another chance to see their local fire company up close can visit the Penn Wynne-Overbrook Hills Fire Company open house on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1440 Manoa Road in Wynnewood, part of Fire Prevention Week.
