The afternoon of Aug. 15, Wilkes-Barre Fire Department’s Engine 1 filled up with 24.74 gallons of diesel fuel at the city pumps, a routine repeated 38 more times over the following eight weeks of daily patrols under the ramped-up community fire watches ordered by the mayor.
Engine 1, based at the department’s headquarters at the East Ross Street station, took on 750 gallons total during the watches, almost double the fuel intake for the eight weeks in June and July, according to fuel logs obtained by the Times Leader through a Right-to-Know request.
Fuel for the other three engines, aerial ladder truck and special operations vehicle made for a total of 2,707.59 gallons to meet the daily directives of driving through the neighborhoods around-the-clock. In the eyes of Mayor Tony George, the watches made fire personnel more visible and put them in a better position to respond to fires.