On a hot, humid Wednesday afternoon, a fire raged on in a Chappaqua home that required the assistance of multiple Westchester County fire departments to bring under control. At 5:18 PM - over an hour after the initial dispatch - the Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department was dispatched for one Engine Company to the staging area as part of a four Engine Strike Team. While a crew was forming with Engine 118 (Chemical Engine), the request was changed for our FASTeam to respond directly to the scene.

Answering this request was Car 2082 (Colombo) and Engine 119 with a full compliment of personnel. Upon the arrival of CFD units, they were directed up to the fire scene - via a long, steep driveway - to act as an additional FASTeam due to both the size of the building and the amount of personnel operating within it. As the team conducted their size-up of the scene, they were informed that the fire was now under control and that they would be released in a short while and could stand by for further orders.

While operating in Chappaqua, the remaining Croton FD companies answered an activated fire alarm at the Metro-North Croton-Harmon Yards at 6:55 PM - once again proving the dedicated capabilities of our department, as well as the need for the apparatus that we operate.

2082 and E119 returned to Croton around 7:15 PM, and provided assistance at the ongoing alarm investigation in which the other four companies were operating.

A total of over two dozen CFD volunteers made themselves available for both the Mutual Aid request and to provide coverage in Croton.

Photos from F. Becerra Jr. (Lohud/Journal News) and J. Ferguson CFD