Just before 3:30pm on Wednesday afternoon ETVFD was dispatched to assist on a brush fire along Skyline Drive along with several other agencies. Upon response, it was determined the emergency was actually in Muhlenberg Township on the mountain off of Crystal Rock Rd.

A crew of 5 on the ATV used rakes and a leaf blower to cut a line in the brush. This is a common practice in wildland firefighting to separate the fuel from the fire while working with limited water. Our ATV (pictured) along with Monarch Fire Company's were used to bring water from tankers on Crystal Rock Rd.

The brush unit with a crew of 2 was working in a separate area on the fire scene closer to the top of the mountain. Brush and wildland fires like this one provide unique challenges such as a lack of access and steep terrain. Many fire agencies use 4 wheel drive vehicles or gain access but the units carry limited water and these incidents require intense manual labor cutting and clearing away the materials that could burn.