Quick action on the part of staff and Chester Fire Department eliminates major damage
By Jim Beers
CHESTER — A pesky grease fire in the Chester VFW kitchen forced staff to call the Chester Fire Department Friday night.
The call was received by the CFD at 10:15 p.m. to have firefighters respond to 939 State Street. The location was the Chester VFW Post 3553. The issue was a grease fire in the kitchen.
VFW staff acted immediately and fought the fire with a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and controlled the most dangerous potential for the fire to spread to the structure.
The Chester Fire Department was on location within minutes and found that VFW staff had the situation mostly under control.
Fire Chief Marty Bert was out of town at the time and Assistant Chief Jerry Atchison was in control of the call.
Lt. Charlie Bargman said, “The fire was located on the flat top grill in the kitchen. A grease trap on the side of the grill caught fire and created the potentially dangerous situation.”
“VFW staff used their fire extinguisher to control the fire. When we arrived, the fire was primarily out. We used the remainder of their extinguisher to eliminate the remainder of the fire potential.”
According to Bargman, the fire was considered to be rather minor and there was no apparent major damage. Bargman said, “Cleaning up the mess from the fire extinguisher will be the primary concern for the VFW. We assisted with ventilation once it was all over and remained on scene for a while as everyone brought a closure to the excitement.”
Dallas Redeker, a valued volunteer at the VFW, was called for his comment. Redeker frequently cooks in the VFW kitchen and assists with many events hosted by or at the VFW. Redeker said, “I am on vacation at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and haven’t heard of the fire.”
When told of the grease fire, Redeker said, “I bet it was on the flat top grill. We have had difficulty with the grease trap on that grill before. When I use it I often take the knob off of the burner closest to that trap to avoid difficulty!”
Lt. Bargman said, “After they thoroughly clean the area of the kitchen grease fire, they should be back in business at the VFW. VFW staff can be praised for their quick and efficient action by immediately using the fire extinguisher to control and eventually eliminate the potential fire damage.”
Chester Fire Department personnel gather in front of the Chester VFW after responding to a grease fire in the kitchen Fris\day March 21 at 10:15 p.m. Vicky Beers Photo
This is the scene in front of the Chester VFW Friday March 21 when the Chester Fire Depart5mnent was called for a grease fire on the flat top grill in the kitchen When the CFD arrived, VFW staff had already controlled most of the fire potential with a fire extinguisher. No major damage was caused by the grease fire which was contained on the top of the grill. Photo by Vicky Beers