NANTICOKE, Pa. — Colder weather has meant more calls to the Nanticoke City Fire Department.
"The past couple weeks with the sub-zero freezing temperatures, there has been a noticeable increase in structure fires in the area," said Dane Aukstakalnis, a Nanticoke firefighter.
The department's eleven paid firefighters and numerous volunteers have been busy. Responding to nearly 30 fires across Luzerne County in just the last month and a half, they've been battling the cold as much as the flames.
"In Newport recently, three out of the four hydrants that were hit were frozen," said Firefighter David Wojciechowicz. "So it's always in the back of my mind if we're going to a fire, knowing where the secondary hydrant is."
They're also looking out for their health. Their suits and extra layers only protect firefighters from the cold for a short time.
"You're in a fire, then all of a sudden you come out, and you're wet," Aukstakalnis said. "The coats and everything being wet, they almost freeze instantly, but with the adrenaline going, you don't always realize that it's dropping your body temperature."
Chief Mark Boncal said the cold means more warm-up breaks for his crew and a bigger need for backup.
"You get a guy that's spent after two cylinders, and he comes out, we need to have extra manpower in place to replace him," Boncal said.
But with fewer volunteers in Luzerne County and across the country, crews are finding themselves shorthanded.
"We had the fire down on Church Street, two o'clock in the afternoon. It was myself and the three other duty guys for the first ten minutes trying to suppress this fire and make sure there isn't anybody in there," Boncal recalled.
With more cold to come, Firefighters ask the public to heat their homes safely.
"They're using like kerosene heaters or something," Aukstakalnis said. "They're putting them too close to drapes or other flammable materials, and it's just causing fires for that."
The chief is reminding residents using space heaters to plug them either directly into an outlet or use a high-grade extension cord. He said carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are your "lifeline," no matter the weather.
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