The yard of the James D. Morrissey Materials plant on East Lincoln Highway (Route 213) in Middletown looked like a disaster area last weekend.
A box truck was on top of a car that was pinned by a dump truck against a concrete barrier, a school bus was flipped on its side, and an oil tanker had wrecked. Firefighters from numerous area companies were working to assess the heart-stopping scenes and practice their rescue skills, ones that can save lives.
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The Penndel Fire Company organized the two-day, 20-hour “Big Rig Rescue Class” and invited other fire companies to attend. Rescuers from Bensalem, Bristol Township, Middletown, and Warrington were among the various crews at the event.
David Harris from the Penndel Fire Company said the training was important with Route 1, I-95, I-295, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike all sitting in the area.
In addition to the roughly 30 firefighters, Penndel Towing and Recovery, Scrappy’s Auto, and Rob’s Automotive all sent tow crews with heavy wrecker trucks to show off their skills and to work in concert with firefighters, Harris said.
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Area firefighters last had a similar large-scale training like the one held this past weekend about six years ago.
Harris said planning for the massive training began in February. He thanked the tow companies and James D. Morrissey Materials for allowing them to use the site.
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“God forbid something like this does happen, we’re all going to be ready to come together,” he said.
