Seconds Count on the Fireground: Holiday Park Crews Train for Calm, Rapid Pump Response

Plum, PA - Volunteers with the Holiday Park Volunteer Fire Department dedicated their weekly Tuesday drill night to apparatus pump operations, putting new drivers and interior firefighters through an intensive hands-on familiarization course on frontline Engine 236.

On the evening of September 15, 2026, Chief Sims led personnel through a comprehensive inspection and operational walk-around of the apparatus, covering every mechanical system from the top deck and cab controls to the pump panel and lower intake manifolds.

The drill focused on mastering the precise hydraulic skills needed to establish positive water supplies, calculate nozzle pressures, and troubleshoot pump systems under real fireground conditions.

Department leadership stressed that apparatus operators must be equipped to handle unexpected pressure changes, supply interruptions, and emergency water demands with speed and calm composure during working fires.

Ensuring every driver and firefighter knows the mechanics of the rig inside and out eliminates critical delays on the fireground and keeps attack lines reliably charged when lives and property are on the line.