Car Into Mead Pond, Driver Unharmed

At 1220 on August 1, 2007, Engine 191 and Ladder 25 were dispatched to a reported car into the water in Mead Pond, off of Mead Pond Road. Upon arrival, units found that the driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, had already been removed to dry land by two contractors who witnessed his car plunge into the murky water. The driver was evaluated by Port Chester/Rye/Rye Brook EMS. Knowing that the driver was safe, Ladder 25 quickly returned to service while Engine 191 and additional volunteer personnel remained on scene to monitor the water around the half-submerged Volvo and ensure that no gasoline, oil or other potentially hazardous fluids were leaking into the pond. Peter Pitocco (Car 2001), Chief of Special Operations of the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services, also responded to the scene along with representatives from the Westchester County Health Department Spill Response Team. While there was no leakage or any other significant ecological damage, this incident proved particularly tricky when it came to physically removing the vehicle from the pond. The car was about 8 feet from the shore and there was a stone wall with a 2-foot drop between the nearest driveway and the backyard area adjacent to the car. Stiloski's Automotive, from Tarrytown, NY, was called to the scene with their 75-ton Heavy Recovery Crane, while a contractor who was already working at the car-owner's home used a skid-steer loader to build a dirt ramp from the driveway area to the base of the stone wall. After several hours, the water-logged station wagon was recovered from the pond, and all units cleared the scene around 1730.