Centerville still dealing with fire fallout

Spectator, The (Hornell, Wellsville, NY)

Dec. 11--BELMONT -- The Centerville Highway Department has been working out of pickup trucks as it continues to deal with the ramifications of the Nov. 10 fire that claimed its garage and most of its fleet of equipment.

Bonnie VanHousen, of the Allegany County Office of Emergency Services, provided an update to the Public Safety Committee at the December meeting.

As previously reported -- http://www.wellsvilledaily.com/news/20181112/strongcenterville-highway-garage-catches-fire-heavy-equipment-loststrong --

the Centerville Highway Department sustained heavy damage in the Nov. 10 fire.

Centerville Highway Superintendent Kaleb Armison was passing by when he spotted something that didn't look right. Armison stopped to investigate and found a blaze inside the garage.

"Unfortunately there was too much damage before they got there and they lost three of their snowplow trucks, a Gradall, a grader, and a loader that didn't even have a tank of fuel put through it yet," VanHousen said. "We've been in constant contact with them trying to help them in any way we can to get through all of the paperwork processes. It was deemed that it was the wiring in one of the snowplow trucks that caused the fire."

The fire presented an additional challenge as the rest of the month featured one of the heaviest November snowfalls on record. The county has a snowplow truck on loan to Centerville, as do the towns of Rushford and Independence.

The trucks are stored outdoors. The Centerville Highway Department has been working through the insurance process hoping to get a temporary trailer to house operations, but in the meantime VanHousen said crews are working out of their pickup trucks when they're not on the road.

"It's a very slow process so far," she said. "Kaleb has been in contact with them at least twice a week. It's a work in progress."

Fit tests

In other fire news, VanHousen said OES has obtained a fit tester through a grant. The equipment will come in handy with the state's Cancer Bill that mandates insurance coverage for interior firefighters. A fit test is one of the prerequisites for coverage.

"Jeff (Luckey) and I have both been trained on it," VanHousen said. "We will have all six of our deputy coordinators trained on it so we can fit test any fire departments that are lacking in fit testing. Some only do physicals, they don't do fit testing. In order to be covered, they have to be fit tested. We have the equipment and the training now so we can do that for all of our fire departments."

Advisory board

The committee approved appointments to the fire advisory board. They include: Kevin Gagne -- Alfred, Heidi Wilmart -- Birdsall, Judson Stearns Jr -- Alfred Station, John Wilson -- Cuba, Richard Paul Edwards -- Allentown, Gerald Gayford -- Fillmore, Emily Ormsby -- Almond, Carl Green -- Friendship, Rick Abbott -- Angelica Richard Bunk -- New Hudson, James Wooley -- Belfast, Sherman Gage -- Richburg, Brandon LaValley -- Belmont, Dan Metcalf -- Rushford, Terry Richardson -- Bolivar, Tim Voss -- Short Tract, Kym Duthoy -- Canaseraga, David Helmer Sr. -- Wellsville, Randy Whitesell -- Andover, Alan Mills -- Wiscoy-Rossburg, Dennis Graves -- Whitesville.