Post by wardengine on Jul 20, 2008 18:21:44 GMT -5
ALTAMONT — The annual fire truck parade held on the first day of the Altamont Fire Company block party will have about 30 special guests from Canada, all of whom are coming to Schuylkill County to say thank you.
The show of gratitude will come from Canadian volunteer firefighter Doug Barnett, his family and friends for the assistance local emergency personnel provided at an April 10 crash on Interstate 81 that claimed the life of his longtime friend, Donn Atchinson, and injured two other friends riding in his minivan.
Two vintage fire trucks from the Kemptville Fire Department — a 1914 International fire truck and a 1941 International “triple combination pumper” — will be in the parade, which will begin at 7 p.m. Friday from the fire company grounds.
Kemptville is located in the Canadian province of Ontario, about a half-hour drive south of Ottawa, the nation’s capital. It has a population of 3,500 and is the seat of the rural municipality of North Grenville, which has 14,000 people.
Altamont Fire Chief Knute Brayford is thrilled to welcome their special guests, who will be arriving today to the Frackville area.
“We do get thank you cards and letters from local people who we assist at fires and accidents, but we’re not contacted by people outside the area when we respond to an accident on the interstate,” said Brayford. “So, at least in 14 years at the Altamont, this will be the first time we are formally thanked not only from out of the area, but also from out of the country.”
Brayford said the show of gratitude is for all fire, police and emergency personnel who assisted at the accident, not just Altamont. It was just a matter of timing for the parade.
“We were first contacted through the fire company Web site by the Kemptville fire chief, Tim Bond.” Brayford explained. “The idea of visiting Frackville came up and he asked me if the borough had a Fourth of July parade. I told him we didn’t, but said our fire company block party and parade would be a few weeks later. Tim thought it would be a great time to come in and thank everyone.”
Shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, April 10, traffic had slowed near the Frackville exit of I-81 in the southbound lanes for an accident involving a coal truck that overturned about a mile away. State police reported that Errol D. Copeland, of Covington, Ga., allegedly failed to slow down or stop when he reached to the traffic tie-up and slammed into the Barnett minivan at high speed, pushing it into the left lane and into the side of a box van. Copeland’s tractor-trailer then struck several other vehicles before the tractor separated from the trailer and came to rest on its side.
Barnett, of Kemptville, along with passengers Atchison, David McFadden and Kurt Poepplau, all of Oxford Mills, were taken to regional hospitals with serious to critical injuries. Atchinson, a 56-year-old St. Lawrence College dean of business and technology, died later at Geisinger Medical Center.
The four men were on their way to Williamsburg, Va., for a golf vacation when the accident happened. Barnett is still recuperating from his injuries, hoping to return to work by November. He was contacted by phone this week and had just completed a physical therapy session.
Barnett remembers little of the accident after being hit, but does recall the local firefighters and EMS personnel preparing him before putting him in the ambulance.
McFadden received very serious injuries and was unconscious for a month and a half. He was not aware of being in a Pennsylvania hospital. His injuries include his liver being split in half by the seat belt and his stomach was perforated. He is still hooked up to a suction machine until the hole in his stomach heals.
Barnett and Poepplau returned to Frackville a few weeks ago for Copeland’s preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Justice Bernadette J. Nahas, who ruled that Copeland will stand trial for causing the death of Atchinson and injuring the other three in the Barnett vehicle. After the hearing, Barnett and Poepplau drove to the Altamont fire station, but unfortunately no one was there. They traveled to the Good Will firehouse, where they met some firefighters.
“One of them said they recognized me from the accident,” said Barnett. “We talked and I learned more about the accident. They filled in a lot of blanks.”
Barnett hopes to meet more of his rescuers when he returns Friday to the Frackville area.
“We’re volunteer firefighters in Kemptville,” said Barnett. “I want to have the opportunity to meet everyone and thank them personally.”
The two Kemptville fire trucks will be shipped by flatbed truck to Frackville by Kriska Transportation. The 352-mile journey will take about six hours.
Brayford said the Kemptville entourage will be greeted publicly before the parade. About 10 people, including Barnett, will ride with their vehicles. After the parade, the Kemptville group will meet with the local emergency personnel in the firehouse.
“We’ve invited everyone involved to be on hand. It was just convenient to do this at our block party, but it’s for everyone who helped at the accident to meet Barnett and others from Kemptville,” Brayford said.
Barnett said his group will stay at the Holiday Inn Express near the Schuylkill Mall overnight, though some may stay an extra day. Brayford hopes to arrange a tour of the Schuylkill Historical Fire Museum in Shenandoah Saturday morning.
The show of gratitude will come from Canadian volunteer firefighter Doug Barnett, his family and friends for the assistance local emergency personnel provided at an April 10 crash on Interstate 81 that claimed the life of his longtime friend, Donn Atchinson, and injured two other friends riding in his minivan.
Two vintage fire trucks from the Kemptville Fire Department — a 1914 International fire truck and a 1941 International “triple combination pumper” — will be in the parade, which will begin at 7 p.m. Friday from the fire company grounds.
Kemptville is located in the Canadian province of Ontario, about a half-hour drive south of Ottawa, the nation’s capital. It has a population of 3,500 and is the seat of the rural municipality of North Grenville, which has 14,000 people.
Altamont Fire Chief Knute Brayford is thrilled to welcome their special guests, who will be arriving today to the Frackville area.
“We do get thank you cards and letters from local people who we assist at fires and accidents, but we’re not contacted by people outside the area when we respond to an accident on the interstate,” said Brayford. “So, at least in 14 years at the Altamont, this will be the first time we are formally thanked not only from out of the area, but also from out of the country.”
Brayford said the show of gratitude is for all fire, police and emergency personnel who assisted at the accident, not just Altamont. It was just a matter of timing for the parade.
“We were first contacted through the fire company Web site by the Kemptville fire chief, Tim Bond.” Brayford explained. “The idea of visiting Frackville came up and he asked me if the borough had a Fourth of July parade. I told him we didn’t, but said our fire company block party and parade would be a few weeks later. Tim thought it would be a great time to come in and thank everyone.”
Shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, April 10, traffic had slowed near the Frackville exit of I-81 in the southbound lanes for an accident involving a coal truck that overturned about a mile away. State police reported that Errol D. Copeland, of Covington, Ga., allegedly failed to slow down or stop when he reached to the traffic tie-up and slammed into the Barnett minivan at high speed, pushing it into the left lane and into the side of a box van. Copeland’s tractor-trailer then struck several other vehicles before the tractor separated from the trailer and came to rest on its side.
Barnett, of Kemptville, along with passengers Atchison, David McFadden and Kurt Poepplau, all of Oxford Mills, were taken to regional hospitals with serious to critical injuries. Atchinson, a 56-year-old St. Lawrence College dean of business and technology, died later at Geisinger Medical Center.
The four men were on their way to Williamsburg, Va., for a golf vacation when the accident happened. Barnett is still recuperating from his injuries, hoping to return to work by November. He was contacted by phone this week and had just completed a physical therapy session.
Barnett remembers little of the accident after being hit, but does recall the local firefighters and EMS personnel preparing him before putting him in the ambulance.
McFadden received very serious injuries and was unconscious for a month and a half. He was not aware of being in a Pennsylvania hospital. His injuries include his liver being split in half by the seat belt and his stomach was perforated. He is still hooked up to a suction machine until the hole in his stomach heals.
Barnett and Poepplau returned to Frackville a few weeks ago for Copeland’s preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Justice Bernadette J. Nahas, who ruled that Copeland will stand trial for causing the death of Atchinson and injuring the other three in the Barnett vehicle. After the hearing, Barnett and Poepplau drove to the Altamont fire station, but unfortunately no one was there. They traveled to the Good Will firehouse, where they met some firefighters.
“One of them said they recognized me from the accident,” said Barnett. “We talked and I learned more about the accident. They filled in a lot of blanks.”
Barnett hopes to meet more of his rescuers when he returns Friday to the Frackville area.
“We’re volunteer firefighters in Kemptville,” said Barnett. “I want to have the opportunity to meet everyone and thank them personally.”
The two Kemptville fire trucks will be shipped by flatbed truck to Frackville by Kriska Transportation. The 352-mile journey will take about six hours.
Brayford said the Kemptville entourage will be greeted publicly before the parade. About 10 people, including Barnett, will ride with their vehicles. After the parade, the Kemptville group will meet with the local emergency personnel in the firehouse.
“We’ve invited everyone involved to be on hand. It was just convenient to do this at our block party, but it’s for everyone who helped at the accident to meet Barnett and others from Kemptville,” Brayford said.
Barnett said his group will stay at the Holiday Inn Express near the Schuylkill Mall overnight, though some may stay an extra day. Brayford hopes to arrange a tour of the Schuylkill Historical Fire Museum in Shenandoah Saturday morning.