south byron

A serious injury accident is reported on Route 237 in Byron at Warboys Road. Byron and South Byron fire departments are called along with Mercy medics. Mercy Flight 5 out of Batavia is called and is to land behind the Byron Fire Hall.

One patient is critically injured, according to a responder on scene, and another requires a basic-life support Mercy response. Traffic is to be shut down near the accident scene.

UPDATE 12:21 a.m.: "Have everybody ready. We're gonna hot load 'em," says an emergency responder. The critically injured person has a serious head injury.

UPDATE 12:29 a.m.: "Wind is negligible on the ground," reports a responder at the scene. Mercy Flight then landed.

UPDATE 12:37 a.m.: Mercy medics are en route with one patient to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.

UPDATE 12:41 a.m.: A responder asks for information about a vehicle on scene, saying "I might have a parent down here." The reply: "Go to our talk-around channel." (Readers FYI: We do not report license plate codes, nor drivers' license codes off the scanner in accident situations.)

UPDATE 12:53 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne and also headed to Strong.

UPDATE 1:01 a.m.: South Byron Fire Department is back in service.

Volunteers from at least four fire companies -- I saw Le Roy, Batavia, Stafford and South Byron while I was there -- were on hand Sunday at The Home Depot to raise a flag in honor of the 9/11 victims and give community members a chance to meet with local volunteers and learn about fire safety. Children could tour the firetrucks and receive hats and coloring books.

A pickup has rolled over and crashed into a tree at 6478 Freeman Road in South Byron. It landed on its roof.

Byron and South Byron fire departments are responding along with Mercy EMS.

Bergen fire's rescue equipment is called to the scene.

The location is between Ivison Road and Route 237.

UPDATE 4:22 p.m.: The availability of Mercy Flight is requested.

UPDATE 4:24 p.m.: A landing zone is set up and Mercy Flight out of Batavia is called to the scene. The driver has been extricated. Bergen is told to stand down.

UPDATE 4:36 p.m.: Mercy Flight landed several minutes ago. National Grid is called because a pole with a transformer was hit during the accident, tilting it at a 45-degree angle.

UPDATE 4:56 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne with the victim and headed to Strong Memorial Hospital. National Grid is expected at the crash site shortly.

Two children are said to have minor injuries following a car-into-pole accident at Route 33 and Warner Road.

Byron and South Byron fire departments and Mercy BLS are responding.

UPDATE 2:49 p.m.: Firefighter on scene says a National Grid pole is busted. A few minutes later, it was determined that the pole was for phone and cable only, not power.

UPDATE 3:45 p.m.: Adults signed waivers for treatment of the children, since their injuries were not serious and transport to a hospital was not needed. All Byron and South Byron units are back in service.

A one-vehicle rollover accident with injuries is reported on Warboys Road. The location is between Route 237 and Merrill Road.

Byron and South Byron fire departments are responding along with Mercy EMS. The victim is out of the vehicle and the car is on its roof.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at Byron Road and Route 262.

Byron and South Byron fire are responding. First responder requests Mercy EMS advanced life-support ambulance to respond.

UPDATE 8:43 p.m. (by Howard): Two sign offs. No ambulance transport. Byron and South Byron back in service.

A grass fire is reported along the south side of the CSX railroad tracks between Dublin and Beaver Meadows roads in Byron.

Byron, South Byron and Bergen fire units are called to the scene. There is a CSX representative at the scene.

UPDATE (12:20 p.m.): Bergen is asked to stand down. It is back in service. Both directions of the railroad line are being shut down while the firefighters are working to extinguish the blaze.

A grass fire, now deemed to be a controlled burn at the end of Coward Road, is reported -- nonemergency response requested from Byron, South Byron and Le Roy fire departments.

The area is south of the railroad tracks, east of the roadway, at 7404 Ivison Road.

The verified controlled burn means all units are back in service, standing down from this initial call.

A fully involved farm tractor fire is reported at 5552 Cochran Cockram Road in Byron. It is in the middle of a field with no structures surrounding it.

Byron and South Byron fire departments are called to respond.

UPDATE (1:28 p.m.): The tractor fire is about a hundred yards from a house. The address is between Transit and Bank Street roads.

UPDATE (1:30 p.m.): The fire is knocked out but the fire units are requested to continue.

UPDATE (1:35 p.m.): A fireman reports that the fire has rekindled itself.

UPDATE (1:51 p.m.): The fire is reported to be completely out and the firefighters are leaving the scene.

An RV fire with heavy smoke is reported in a yard at 6854 Clinton St. Road in the area of Warner Road. It is near a barn and it is unknown if it is occupied. Byron, South Byron, Stafford and Le Roy fire and Mercy EMS is called to respond.

UPDATE (12:55 p.m.): The fire is contained to the RV and is under control.

UPDATE (by Howard): Fire crews cleared the scene at 1:41 p.m.  The possible cause was a fan left on to air out the trailer. The motor may have overheated.

A large tree and wires have fallen into the roadway at 6683 Warboys Road in Byron. Fire units in Byron and South Byron have been notified.

Wires have fallen into the roadway at Transit and Edgerton roads in Byron. Fire departments in Byron and South Byron are responding.

The South Byron Volunteer Fire Department has a new tanker that it hopes to have in service by January.

To meet that deadline, there will be intensive driver and operator training, according to Scott Blossom, who supplied the picture and information.

Tanker 87 was received by the department on Sunday. It was built by Crimson Fire, Inc. in Brandon, South Dakota. It's a 2009 Kenworth T370 Chassis with a five-man commercial cab.

It can pump 1,250 gallons per minute and has a 2,750-gallon water tank with a remote controlled tail pump. It will have 1,000 feet of 4-inch supply hose, one 3/4-inch attack hand line and two 1/2-inch heavy attack lines. 

The truck is capable of being a front-line engine.

It replaces a 1984 Ford tanker with a 500-gallon per-minute pump and 2,000 gallon tank.  That tanker is now up for sale.

UPDATE: I sent a follow up e-mail to Scott and asked about the price of the tanker.  Below is his response, which also clarifies some of the terminology.

Around $265,000

A few boo boos in the posting, I should have been clearer with firefighting terms. It is a tail dump, that is to say where the water dumps out of the truck into a portable tank for engines to suck water out of to fight fires. Used in areas without fire hydrants. The tankers bring water to the scene from ponds, streams, or the nearest hydrant.

The sizes of the attack lines are 1.75 inches and 2.5 inches, as we write them 1 3/4 and 2 1/2.

No biggee, my fault for not being clear.  When your used to talking a certain way, you forget to adjust your terms for those who are not in you line of work.

Volunteer firefighters in Byron and South Byron say they need more money to support their operations.

The Town of Byron board hasn't given either department a budget increase in three years.

Apparently, the two sides have been growing increasingly frustrated with each other.

Attorney Brad Pinsky, from Syracuse, who started representing the departments about a year ago, thinks there may be a way to resolve the disagreement.

Pinsky spoke to the town board at its meeting Wednesday night and walked away with an agreement for the board to appoint two members to study the issue. In addition, the fire departments promised to present a plan and spending priorities so the board better understands how its money is being allocated.

"I promise you, we'll come to you with our needs and not our wants," Pinsky said.

Each department receives about $68,000 annually from the town, yet each year the departments have an excess of $100,000 in operational expenses.

This budget deficit has forced the departments to turn increasingly to their own fundraising, which the firefighters say isn't how they should be spending their time.

"You've got to be concerned if your firefighters are out fundraising and not training and not fighting fires," Pinsky said.

Fundraising should be for extras, for wants, such as items for the fire hall that make it a more inviting place for recruits to hang out, said Chris Hilbert, president of the Byron Fire Department.

"Fundraising shouldn't be needed to put gas in a fire truck," he said.

Dave Garwood, another attorney with the same firm as Pinsky (all the firm does is represent fire departments), said firefighting is an essential local government service, but it's the only one in some communities that is expected to raise its own funds.

"When was the last time you saw a DPW worker on the side of the road with some chicken barbecue so they could afford to put gas in a DPW truck?" Garwood asked.

Town Supervisor Tom Felton said it's important for the board to better understand the needs of the firefighters, but he doesn't see how the town can take on another $60,000 in expenses without raising taxes.

"We share these very same concerns," Felton said, "but there are only 2,400 people in the town."

Funds for the fire departments are raised through a special tax levy and don't come out of the general fund.

One suggestion thrown out by Pinsky was for the town board to create a fire district, which the board can do on its own authority (no referendum vote is required).

The district would be run by a board of elected commissioners and would have the power to increase the fire tax if needed, and it would also oversee the budget for the two fire units (which would be consolidated into a single department, but remain separate fire companies).

Felton likes the idea of the fire district. It would put authority for fire services under the supervision of a commission that would likely understand fire operations.

"We're challenged to understand the needs of the fire department," Fenton said. "None of us are firefighters."

In order for the fire district idea to move forward, the fire departments will need to agree that is the best way to proceed and then present a plan to the town board.

The fire broke out approx 8:30 am this morning after the couple left their home for work.  I spoke with Wendy Frongetta one of the owners of the home at 6323 East Main St. South Byron.  Wendy spoke of the loss of her Dog "Frank" he was the sweetest 7yr. old pit-bull that they loved who did not escape the fire.  Heavy fire damage claimed about 80 percent of the home.  No other injuries were reported and cause is yet to be determined pending investigation.  Many fire crews were on the scene putting out the blaze.