Bristol Township Fire Rescue, the municipality’s career daytime firefighters, have expanded the crew’s emergency response capabilities with the acquisition of a $236,000 special operations trailer.
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The new trailer was funded through a Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) grant.
Kevin Dippolito, the fire chief for Bristol Township Fire Rescue and the fire marshal, said the specialized equipment comes at a critical time, as the township faces increasingly severe weather events that can damage buildings and create hazardous conditions.
“The storms that we’re seeing in this area are becoming more violent,” Dippolito said. “Trees are coming down, they’re coming on top of houses, they’re crushing houses. In the last couple of years, we had a roof blown off, doors blown in at a building in Croydon.”
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The trailer contains structural stabilization equipment, trench collapse rescue tools, and specialized sensors that can detect the slightest movement in compromised structures.
All the equipment meets Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Pennsylvania Task Force 1 specifications. It can be used in coordination with the township’s volunteer fire companies.
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“If we do have a major incident in this township and we call for the help of PA Task Force 1, which is stationed primarily in Philadelphia, when they arrive on scene to assist us, it’s going to be the same equipment being used in the same manner that they do it,” Dippolito said.
The department completed final hands-on competency verification for trench rescue operations last month and has used the new equipment at their training facility.
The special operations trailer is now in service and can be used as a regional resource when needed.
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The special operations trailer acquisition represents part of approximately $3.5 million in grants the department has secured since 2005 for fire, rescue, EMS, and emergency management equipment.
In addition, Bristol Township Fire Rescue has increased its water and ice rescue capabilities with additional training and equipment, Dippolito said.
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The department has added a second rescue boat and motor for swift water operations, with a locally-fabricated mounting bracket donated by Rightway Welding in Bristol Township’s Croydon section.
The department is the only swift water certified team in Bucks County.
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Bristol Township Fire Rescue responded to 519 fire rescue and medical runs in 2024, a 21 percent increase from the previous year.
Dippolito reported the department worked 248 days in 2024, operating Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It helps supplement volunteer fire companies.
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Bristol Township Fire Rescue currently has four EMTs and one paramedic on staff.
Staff are trained in rescue task force operations that can enable them to accompany police during active shooter situations, and additional personnel are certified in first aid, CPR, AED, and stop-the-bleed techniques, Dippolito said.
In 2024, the department appointed two captains as recommended by a recent fire and EMS study. Two crew members were also appointed as deputy fire marshals for the township.
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Dippolito said the department has also enhanced its training capabilities with a new confined space training maze built inside a shipping container. The training maze allows for annual recertification training required by NFPA and OSHA regulations.
“We’re going to continue our training and professional development of all disciplines in emergency management,” Dippolito said. “We’re going to maintain that state of readiness so that no matter what happens or when, we will be ready to respond on behalf of the township.”
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Bristol Township Fire Rescue is expected to move into a new station at the former senior center in the coming year.
In addition to Bristol Township Fire Rescue, the township is served by the Croydon, Edgely, Levittown No. 2, Newportville, and Third District fire companies.
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