Churchill Fire responded to a fire alarm in Penn Center, Building 100 in Wilkins Township on January 1, 2018 at 16:23.   Crews from Wilkins Township 302, 303, 304, 122 and 194  investigated a smell of smoke in the East stairs and smoke detector activation.    The cause was determined to be a faulty HVAC unit on the roof.

While still on the scene at Building 100, a fire alarm was activated at Penn Center building 200.   Crews quickly investigated and reported smoke on the fire floor.  304 Command upgraded the call to a structure assignment bringing 227 Truck and 137 Rescue for RIT to the scene as additional units.

Crews entered the building on the fire floor and found medium smoke in one office and light smoke in the other offices on the East end of the building, originating from the air ducts.   After extensive investigation, and pulling the drop ceiling in one office reception area, a secondary duct fan/heater unit was isolated as the cause.   A hose line was pulled from Engine 302, and the standpipes were charged by 302 and 194 as a precaution while the investigation was ongoing.

Crews used fans from 227 and 122 to clear smoke from multiple offices on the first floor, before clearing the scene at 19:20.  While picking up, due to the extreme cold  8 degrees F, crews from 194, 302 and 137 had to thaw several frozen hose coupling and a light towers before clearing the scene.

Command:  304 Assistant

Responding Units:  302 Engine, 302 Squad, 304 Engine, 303 Truck, 122 Rescue, 122 Squad, 194 Engine, 227 Truck, 137 Rescue, 504 FM