STATter 911

(This entry is updated throughout the day, so please scroll down. Last updated at 3:11 p.m.)

WCBS-TV images of the firefighters in custody

Two FDNY members charged with arson after Manhattan firehouse torched

One of the bay doors at Engine 34 in Hell's Kitchen was set ablaze over the weekend. Two firefighters not assigned to that house have been charged with arson. We have video and plenty of links to the coverage. Just click here.

Fire that killed 7 college students believe to have started on or near deck

We have been following the fire early Sunday morning in Ocean Isle, NC. Investigators believe the fire started on or near a deck on the west side of the house and adjacent to the canal. The cause is believed to be accidental. Click here to read the latest information, see the video shot by a neighbor and for links to news coverage.

FEMA fallout

We showed you the fake FEMA news conference. Now here is the latest from the AP:

The man who staged a fake Federal Emergency Management Agency news conference has lost a chance to be National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell's top public information officer.

John P. "Pat" Philbin, FEMA's external affairs director, who had been scheduled to move into the new job on Monday, will not be getting it after last week's phony news conference. The staged question-and-answer session was harshly criticized by both the White House and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, whose department oversees FEMA.

"We do not normally comment on personnel matters," DNI spokesman Ross Feinstein said Monday. "However, we can confirm that Mr. Philbin is not, nor is he scheduled to be, the director of public affairs for the Office of the Director of National
Intelligence."

MRSA suspected with ranking PGFD official

Sources tell STATter 911 that recruits and staff at the training academy for the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department were briefed on Friday about a possible case of the antibiotic resistant staph infection. The person being treated is a ranking official with the department.

Update: PGFD spokesman Mark Brady told STATter 911 this afternoon that they do have an employee who is being treated for a skin rash. Brady said that those who work in the same office as this individual were provided information on how to deal with infection control. According to Brady, this person does not normally deliver fire and EMS services directly to the public.

Our original story is here.

Putting the cart before the .... oh, never mind

An Illinois firefighter at a union sponsored golf outing had problems driving a golf cart and his own car. The second wreck became a police matter.

Moving fast

We have shown you a couple of funnels formed in the California wildfires. Now, take a look above at how the flames are dancing in this video.

Old video from NJ

Above is a June 12, 1997 fire in Newark.

LAFD training

In the news story above, look inside the training academy at the Los Angeles City Fire Department.

Gratitude

A man who almost lost his home to a fire, fights with the passerby who tried to help him and the firefighters who kept his property from being destroyed. Click here to read the story from Marysville, PA (there is video attached).

Wind whipped barn fire

The wind is blowing a bit, above, as a barn burns. I believe that this is the Union Hill Fire Department near Rochester, NY and the fire was early Sunday morning.

More from the Rochester area

While looking for details on the barn fire, I found the Monroe County Fire Wire site and the video above from February.

And finally, some 911 comic relief

Click the video above to see why it is important for those working the 911 lines to be very precise with their language.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 3:11 PM