COLUMBUS, Ohio — A fire can start in any weather.
When flames broke out on Wednesday morning at a barn in Canal Winchester, the Bloom Township Fire Department rushed to the scene.
With the temperatures in the single digits, Chief Thomas Williams said crews had to take a few extra precautions, like encouraging firefighters to take breaks to warm up.
“One of the things with the cold temperatures is making sure they are getting rest. They use a lot of energy trying to stay warm. A lot of times our guys in the winter, they don’t want to take breaks. They want to stay cool in their gear, they don’t want to get warm and go in the trucks so we keep an eye on everybody,” Chief Williams said.
With more necessary breaks, they need more crews on the scene.
“Whether we are talking really high temps or low temps, we are always adding crews to the scene. We know people will be expending a lot of energy and there is a possibility of injury and we don’t want that to happen, so we are adding two or three more crews because of weather,” Williams said.
The Violet Township Fire Department was one of several departments called in to assist.
“When you hear the weathermen, they are like, 'dress in layers it is cold outside.' Our guys take that to heart, they dress in long johns that kind of stuff, two or three shirts and their turnout gear over that. It keeps them warm and from getting impacted by the cold,” said Chief Mike Little at the Violet Township Fire Department.
They also have to heat the pump in their trucks and keep their water flowing to prevent it from freezing.
“With it being so bitter and minus degrees in wind chill, our pumps can freeze up if we are not running the pumps properly. Our hose lines can freeze up if we are not running water and make sure we are running water at all times so that doesn’t happen,” Little said.
Firefighters also use salt on the roads to keep them from becoming icy during their fire response.
For fires that require longer responses, Chief Little said he can arrange for food and hot drinks to be brought to the scene, or call in Box 15, an organization that provides resources to firefighters in extreme weather and other situations.
Even though they are ready to respond despite the weather conditions, the fire departments shared reminders people can use to minimize the risk of fire including cleaning out chimneys, using space heaters correctly, refraining from using heaters that give off carbon monoxide indoors and checking your HVAC systems.