Feb 2, 2015 6 min read

A simple assignment given to her 6-year-old son in Cub Scouts a few months ago may have helped save Melanie White’s life in a recent fire at their Canton Township home.

But at the same time, a manpower shortage resulted in an extended response time for firefighters, causing her concern in the event of future fires in the neighborhood.

White was taking a nap just after noon Jan. 7 at her home on Rex Road after pulling an all-nighter finishing a proposal for her job.

“The smoke alarm woke me up,” White said.

A few months before the fire, her son, CJ, was given an elective by Steve Wilk, den leader of Cub Scout Troop 1138, to check smoke detectors in the family’s home.

CJ checked one upstairs and another downstairs, finding them in good working order.

“Mom heard the smoke detector and woke up,” said the first-grader at Trinity North Elementary School. “That’s why they were invented.”

White went downstairs and found the basement of their split-level home filled with smoke. The fire, which likely was burning for some time, apparently started near the woodburning stove.

“I couldn’t see anything but a ribbon of flame along the joists.” White said. “I tried calling 911 with the house phone, but the wires had already melted. So, I went outside with my cellphone and called 911. Then, I called my husband.”

It took the Canton Township Volunteer Fire Department more than 15 minutes to respond from its station on Weirich Avenue after receiving the call. Because of a manpower shortage, there is no one available to respond from the department’s second station on Jefferson Avenue at Midlan Drive during daylight hours. That station is just two miles from the Whites’ home.

The amount of time it took for firefighters to respond has both White and her husband, Kenneth, concerned. He is a former member of the fire department.

“We live two miles from the station on Midlan, but it took the fire department 18 minutes to get here,” Melanie White said. “If the fire had been a trailer at the Town and Country trailer park, which is almost across from that fire hall, the trailer would have been a goner and other mobile homes would have been in danger.”

White said she is also concerned for the welfare of the more than 400 students of Trinity North Elementary School, also located on Midlan. She said she and her husband discussed the issue after the fire at their home.

“I don’t know if the answer is a paid firefighter or some incentive to attract more volunteers,” she said. “But it does no good having that station and no one there during the day. Is it worth the risk to come all the way from Weirich to answer calls on this side of the township?”

The manpower shortage, particularly in responding to daylight fires, has been a concern of fire Chief Dave Gump for years. At one point last year, the department had a “help wanted” sign posted outside the station on Weirich.

Gump said the 911 center had to activate pagers of firefighters twice for the fire at the Whites’ home.

“If after four minutes, they don’t get an answer at the station, then they activate it a second time,” Gump said. “There was no one around. It took us eight minutes to get out the door.

“And being toned out twice is happening more and more; not just with us. It is difficult to provide fire protection during the day,” he added.

Gump said the department has had meetings with township officials about adding a paid firefighter to assist with daylight calls.

“But we have been told no,” Gump said.

Firefighters from Washington and Chartiers Township also assisted in fighting the fire at the White home.

Bob Franks, chairman of the township’s board of supervisors, admits that the fire department does have difficulty recruiting. Several months ago, the township put ads in the Observer-Reporter looking for new volunteers.

“But the department is its own entity,” Franks said. “We pay for their insurance and give them a contribution.”

“We checked and if the township hired someone, they would be our employee and we’d have to pay their salary, insurance and pension, and we don’t want to do that,” he added. “The fire department could hire someone and pay their salary out of their funds since they are there own entity.”

White said she has offered to help the fire department with grant applications.

Friends of the White family continue asking what they need to get back on their feet. White said her husband, CJ and his 5-year-old brother, Hunter, had move into a rental home. They are fortunate to have insurance that covers their rent and new furnishings while they wait for repairs to be completed at their home. The fire burned the wall where the woodburner was located. It also put a hole in the floor of the couple’s bedroom, where she had been sleeping.

CJ also checked for smoke detectors in the rental home, but discovered it had none. It does now.

Since they have insurance, the White family wants those who have volunteered to help them to instead help others. The family has worked with Washington Financial Bank to set up two special funds that are accepting donations.

The CJ White for Cub Scout Troop 1138 Fund recognizes her son’s actions and will be used by the troop for educational activities.

The White Family for Canton VFD Fund will be used to expand the fire safety awareness program the department offers at Trinity North by teaching students about testing smoke detectors and giving them packs of 9-volt batteries to replace the ones in their home detectors.

If that goal is met, any additional money can be used by the department to enhance its services, particularly at the station off Jefferson.

Checks can be made out to Melanie White, with the fund it is to be donated to on the check’s memo line. Checks should be sent to the fund’s name c/o Warren Lemley CPA, 790 W. Chestnut St., Washington, Pa. 15301. Contribution receipts will be provided upon request. A list of the names of all donors will be provided to the fund recipients, unless the donor has asked to remain anonymous.