Portland Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1 Station 33

Now that all of our raffle winners have been notified, here are the WINNERS!! from our recent raffle: 1.) Scot W. 2.) Daniel V. 3.) Kyle O. 4.) Lori D.... 5.) Matt D. We did postpone the drawing to September 20, thank you everyone who purchased tickets to support our department. We had intended to live stream the raffle on Facebook live and it just did not work out for us. Congrats to all our winners!!!! See more

Sunday, October 25, 2020 from 9am to 3pm. We will be in our upper lot. Entry is $4, wrist band will allow for show re-entry, parking is FREE. Food will be available for purchase from Rustica Artisan: breakfast and lunch. Food truck will be located outside the show entrance area for anyone to walk up. Come on out and support your local volunteer fire department. ~ Portland Hook & Ladder Co. #1, proudly serving our Community for 125yrs., 1895-2020 Vendor Application: http://www.portlandhookandladder.com//vendor-application-O

Our show is on! Tomorrow Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020 from 9am to 3pm. We will be outside on what is forecast to be a beautiful fall day. We will be in our upper lot. Entry is $4, wrist band will allow for show re-entry, parking is FREE. Food will be available for purchase from Rustica Artisan: breakfast and lunch. Food truck will be located outside the show entrance area for anyone to walk up. Our raffle drawing will be at 2pm. There are some tickets left but going fast, plan to sell the remaining tickets during the show. Come on out and support your local volunteer fire department. ~ Portland Hook & Ladder Co. #1, proudly serving our Community for 125yrs., 1895-2020

We will never forget For most of us, it is hard to believe that 19 years have passed. 19 years of mourning the lost and honoring the brave. We, as firefighters, honor these 343 men, as the epitome of our craft. Making the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. We thank you and we are proud to continue to honor your memory. We will always remember

Due to the weather forecast for this coming Sunday, September 13th and the show being held outdoors, we have decided that it is in the best interest for both our vendors and show attendees to POSTPONE the show until Sunday, September 20, 2020. The show will be the same times, 9am to 3pm. We will also extend the Raffle until the new date as well, same time drawing of 2pm. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AND SHARE OUR POST! THANK YOU EVERYONE and we hope to see you on the new date.

Here's to keeping a tradition going, just going about it another way. Birthday Run in Pen Argyl anyone?? (Wink, wink) It was a beautiful day for a ride. Labor Day 2020

Okay everyone we are giving a shot (no pun intended) at holding our show OUTDOORS.We have also added another date in October. Since bingo remains shut down and no estimated time for which it can resume, we decided to regroup and come up with a new plan for the show. We cannot hold it inside, so why not try outside. What we need for ALL of you to do is share our info. We have advertising starting this week in some local free papers, but there is really nothing like the word of mouth. That is where ALL of you come in. Help support your local volunteer fire department and share our post.

UPDATE: Wednesday 8/12 at 3:40pm All three swim beaches have reopened to swimming. Testing at the beaches indicate that the bacteria levels have decreased to a...n acceptable level. Bacteria levels in the Delaware River are VERY HIGH due to the recent storm. All beaches within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area are closed to swimming. Do not swim in the river at any location within the park and avoid contact with the water when boating or floating. The water is tested regularly at the swim beaches. We will provide an update when the bacteria count returns to an acceptable level. Update #1: There are questions about whether it is safe to swim in other bodies of water in the park. Only the swim beaches in the park are tested regularly, as they are the designated swimming areas. A good rule of thumb is to avoid swimming in any body of water for at least 72 hours after a large storm and 48 hours after a significant rain event, due to the potential for high levels of bacteria and pollutants from runoff. If a storm moves upstream, it can take even longer for bacteria and hazardous debris to clear out of a river, as debris and pollutants will continue to enter the river upstream and travel downstream after the storm has passed through your location. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area manages the 40 mile section of the Delaware River from a little upstream of Milford, PA to a little downstream of the I-80 bridge at the water gap. We do not have specific information about river conditions outside of the park, but they are likely similar. Update #2: There are some questions about whether this has happened in the past. The short answer is yes; usually a couple of times a year. Here's the long answer: During significant rain events, water washes into creeks, rivers, and lakes, bringing with it debris, urban and agricultural runoff, pollutants, heavy metals, and human and animal waste. High bacteria counts may occur in any body of water after a large storm, especially when the weather is warm (bacteria thrive in warm water). Usually the high bacteria conditions coincide with high, swift water that results in warnings about hazardous conditions and high water (Over 8 ft = no swimming and life jackets are mandatory when boating) and makes the river unappealing for swimming and boating for a few days. Because this storm was particularly large and moved upstream, the high bacteria count has lasted longer than the high water warnings (due to upstream runoff still moving through this area). The water quality of the Delaware River has actually improved over the last 50 years due to coordinated efforts by agencies, organizations, and communities within the Delaware River watershed. Which is one of the reasons the Delaware River was named River of the Year by the American Rivers this year: https://www.americanrivers.org//river-of-the-year-for-202/ ^rem

The defining feature of our park is a 40 mile stretch of the Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River, named American Rivers #RiverOfTheYear for 2...020. The river is beautiful and often looks calm, especially on the surface, but looks can be deceiving: the Delaware River can be deadly. Sadly, five people have already drowned in the park since the beginning of summer. There are some simple steps you can take stay safe and not drown: Always wear a life jacket when swimming, floating, fishing, boating or wading on or in the river. The park has NEVER had a drowning in which the victim was wearing a PROPERLY FITTED AND FASTENED life jacket. Children under 12 must ALWAYS wear a life jacket when on board a vesselthis includes inner-tubes. Only swim in designated swim areas: Milford Beach, Smithfield Beach and Turtle Beach. There are no life guards on duty. Pool floaties, noodles and swimmies are prohibited in the swimming areas. These toys are a drowning hazard. Currently, the river is closed to swimming due to high bacteria levels. Check www.nps.gov/dewa or call (570)-426-2452 for alerts about the river. Look after your friends and family. Friends don’t let friends swim drunk. Never swim alone; always stay with your groupthe current is fast and if you are alone you could be swept away without anyone noticing. NEVER let children out of sight or out of reach. Always check river height before you boat or swim. When the river is 8 feet or higher at the Montague gauge, swimming is prohibited and life jackets are mandatory for everyone when boating. All river activity is closed when the river reaches 15 feet or higher. https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php. https://www.americanrivers.org//river-of-the-year-for-202/ ^glf Image Description: A sign with three horizontal stripes in red, yellow, and blue with a drawing of a blue hand emerging from the bottom left corner sits in front of a concrete boat launch and a murky river. The sky is gray and cloudy. The sign reads People drown here! Don’t be next. ¡La gente se ahoga AQUÍ! No seas el siguiente. DEADLY RIVER. Rio mortal.An icon of a life jacket is on the lower left corner of the sign with the words Wear it.

Storm Update: River levels are dropping from yesterday’s 13-foot crest but are expected to remain above or hover near the 8- foot threshold for mandatory life ...jackets throughout the weekend. When the river is at 8 feet or higher at the Montague gauge, life jackets are required to be worn by all boaters/paddlers. To stay safe on or near the river, life jackets should always be worn, regardless of river levels, and especially when swimming in the river. SWIMMING is currently prohibited at park beaches due to hazardous conditions including high bacteria levels. Water tests are being conducted at all 3 beaches and we will notify the public when the swimming restriction has been lifted. Both Bushkill Access and River Road have re-opened. Monitor river levels at: https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php.

We are holding a raffle to raise some money during this time that we find our Bingo shut down. Bingo is our normal weekly fundraising event that supports our volunteer fire department. We currently remain closed due to restrictions in place during COVID-19 for the safety of the general public. As a volunteer fire department we are trying some alternate fundraising opportunities to bring in some much needed funds.

Hello all. We hope you are staying safe and healthy during this difficult time. Due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding COVID-19, at this time and for the fore...seeable future, PH&L has no plans to open and operate our bingo game. Soon, we will be circulating a survey via our Facebook page and Constant Contact to gain feedback from our players as to how we will move forward once we are able to open. Thank you for your continued patience and support. We hope to see you on a Tuesday night soon! See more