Fireground Hydration and Rehab: Chatham Rescue Squad EMT Commended at Austerlitz Fire

Spencertown, NY - Units from across the Austerlitz Fire District deployed an extensive fleet of apparatus and personnel late Monday afternoon to support suppression efforts and establish critical water supply operations at a working structure fire on Stonewall Road.

At 4:16 p.m. on September 7, Columbia County 911 dispatched the Red Rock Task Force to the reported structural blaze in the Town of Austerlitz. With initial units encountering heavy fire conditions, command immediately requested a Battalion 5 tanker response to construct and maintain an uninterrupted rural water supply circuit.

The Austerlitz Fire District responded with extensive resources drawn from both the Spencertown Fire Company and Austerlitz Fire Company. The deployment featured a multi-front operational lineup, including Spencertown Engine 51-12, Tanker 51-32, Rescue 51-46, and Brush 51-66, alongside Austerlitz Source Pumper 80-13, District Cars 1 and 2, and dedicated Fire Police units to secure local transit corridors and ensure scene perimeter safety. Firefighters integrated into structural attack lines and sustained high-capacity water-shuttle circuits feeding the frontline engines.

Throughout the physically demanding operation, personnel safety and rehabilitation were anchored by Chatham Rescue Squad EMT Laney. Operating continuously in the rehab sector, she conducted routine vital assessments and distributed nearly five cases of water to keep interior attack teams, apparatus operators, and mutual aid responders properly hydrated and protected from heat exhaustion.

Fire district leadership commended both the rapid equipment turnout from member companies and the dedicated medical support that safeguarded firefighters throughout the prolonged incident.