City creates special team to patrol Kensington to deal with nuisance fires

With winter approaching and the city suffering from dry conditions caused by an ongoing drought, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker on Wednesday announced the creation of a special team that will patrol Kensington looking for nuisance fires that can turn dangerous.

The Nuisance Fire Task Force, which began operating on Monday out of the police headquarters for the 24th and 25th Districts, includes firefighters, police, sanitation workers, and city-contracted outreach workers. Members of the task force will actively patrol the neighborhood looking for those fires, Adam Geer, Philadelphia’s chief public safety director, said in an interview.

The task force will operate nightly from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. until the end of March.

Geer said the “old practice” of dealing with some of the fires was for police to put them out with extinguishers they carried in their patrol vehicles.

“Obviously, that’s not good enough,” Geer said.

The task force will not be sitting around listening for fire calls that are already getting a response from the Philadelphia Fire Department, he said.

Team members will be “circling in Kensington” on the lookout for fires that might not get a 911 call, he said.

The fires can be of an unknown origin that need to be put out before they become a serious threat to the neighborhood.

Sometimes the fires are started by people on the street who are likely unhoused and may be experiencing addiction and mental health issues, Geer said. Firefighters, with the use of a fire truck brought in specifically for the task force, will put out any flames. Police will help maintain safety at the scene. Sanitation workers with a trash truck will remove any debris. And outreach workers will talk to people about shelter and other available services.

Geer said the task force will not be targeting trash-can fires people use to keep warm unless they are too close to a structure or otherwise pose a danger, Geer said.

In a statement, Parker said: “We haven’t seen substantial rain in over 50 days. That’s why we need additional measures like the Nuisance Fire Task Force to continue to keep residents safe.”

Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson said in a statement: “We have seen an unprecedented number of rubbish and brush fires this year. Lack of rain, dry leaves and branches, and the wind have created the perfect conditions for fires. Even an ember from a cigarette could have devastating consequences.”