STATter 911

Had a few moments to give you links to items on STATter 911 and elsewhere that you might find interesting.

We have an update on Prince George's County Firefighter Tim Omerod's condition at the Burn Unit at the Washington Hospital Center.

Also, the unusual story of a fire chief saying firefighters should have made the rescue of a woman trapped in her burning home. This is our exclusive follow-up to the fatal fire in Lorton last week. You can find the story and time line here, or watch the video here.

IAFF Local 36's response to the Washington Post editorial blasting the union about the Rosenbaum incident. President Dan Dugan fires right back in a letter to the editor. Local 36's attorneys take their appeal to the ombudsman.

If you haven't yet seen the head-first evacuation slide down the ladder in Minneapolis, you can find it here.

One of our loyal readers found this story from WJZ-TV about a possible racial incident at a Baltimore City firehouse.

One we missed from Sunday, but St. Mary's Today didn't, is an arson in Owings, Maryland. One person was rescued by firefighters. Pretty good pictures from Dunkirk VFD.

EMSresponder.com has a Baltimore Sun story on an ambulance simulator being used at Anne Arundel Community College.

FirefightingNews.com spotted two stories I found interesting: A fire investigator in Michigan accused of planting evidence and an EMT from Northern California still working the streets, despite a warning from a prosecutor that the EMT is a "very serious risk" to the community.

Firehouse.com has the story of a problem because firefighters didn't get the boot(s).

Coming up, I hope to have an update on the "Growing Pains in Stafford?" story from two weeks ago. That story has generated more comment from readers than any other blog entry in STATter 911's short lifetime. I know two volunteer firefighters are still on suspension. I am waiting for some responses from officials and then I will post the latest.

I just got off the phone with IAFF Local 1619 President Jim Brinkley who has been at the Washington Hospital Center with Firefighter Tim Ormerod. Brinkley says, barring infection, the outlook is good. Firefighter Ormerod will remain intubated for a while as he recovers from inhalation burns he received at the fire on Donnell Place.

According to Jim Brinkley the doctors say the burns to the trachea appear to be much less than the severe burns Lt. Dino Mahaffey received during a house fire in Glassmanor on February 22, 2004. Dino was in the burn unit for a month, followed by lengthy outpatient treatment and eventually a disability retirement.

Jim says Dino, and Dino's wife Dania, are spending time at the hospital to help Tim Ormerod's family and friends. The Mahaffey's have done the same for others, including Seat Pleasant VFD Captain Joe Johnson. Joe Johnson was burned during a house fire on December 12, 2004.

"We should have found her". Those are the words of Fairfax County Interim Fire and Rescue Chief David Rohr about the death of Debra Chiles.

STATter 911 has learned that the 49 year old Chiles was on the phone with 911 for two minutes after firefighters arrived at her burning Lorton home last Wednesday morning. Chief Rohr said today, "I think we had opportunities to find her".

Chief Rohr confirmed there was no fire on the third floor of the townhouse where Debra Chiles had taken refuge in a bathroom. The fire was confined to the first floor.

Fire officials confirmed today the accuracy of a timeline STATter 911 put together. The timeline comes from sources familiar with the sequence of events, beginning with Debra Chiles first call to 911 just before 1:00 a.m.

Chief Rohr said Debra Chiles was still on the phone with 911 when the first firefighters arrived. The crews from Rescue 419 and Engine 419 arrived right after each other at around 1:07 a.m.
According to Chief Rohr, 911 workers properly relayed that there was a woman trapped in the third floor bathroom. Rohr said crews went immediately to the third floor. Despite the use of thermal imaging cameras, Chief Rohr said the firefighters didn't find the woman during their first search.

A second search began after 1:35 a.m. According to Chief Rohr it was sometime during that second search that the woman's body was found. He said at that point it was too late to attempt to revive Debra Chiles.

At the request of STATter 911, former Alexandria Fire Marshal Michael A. Conner looked at the aftermath of the fire and the floor plan of similar townhomes. Conner, now a senior investigative analyst for Doptis and Buchanan, called this a relatively small fire. Conner said he is puzzled how firefighters, armed with her specific location, in full protective gear, and a thermal imaging camera, would be unable to find Debra Chiles.

Chief Rohr also said he does not know why firefighters could not find the woman in time to save her. Rohr is hoping a "post-incident analysis" of the events will provide some answers.

See our 6:00 p.m. story here.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

Fairfax County Fire officials confirmed for STATter 911 the following timeline of the major events from the fire at 9207 Cardinal Forest Lane. We originally obtained the information from sources familiar with the incident:

12:59:58 HOUSE IS FULL OF SMOKE. 2 PEOPLE ON 3RD FLOOR. 2 PEOPLE ON 2ND FLOOR. ALSO DOGS IN HOUSE. UNABLE TO GET OUT DUE TO SMOKE.

1:00:40 FIRE DEPARTMENT DISPATCHED.

1:02:53 ON CALLBACK CALLER STATES SHE'S IN THE BATHROOM. ATTEMPTING TO BLOCK DOOR WITH TOWELS.

1:03:08 CALLER AT 9205 SAYS THERE IS SOMEONE STILL IN THE HOUSE THAT'S ON FIRE. SHE IS GETTING OUT OF HER HOUSE NOW.

1:06:50 RESCUE 419 IS ON THE SCENE.

1:06:51 VICTIM ON 3RD FLOOR.

1:07:42 CALLER ON 3RD FLOOR OF 9207 CARDINAL FOREST.

1:07:51 ENGINE 419 IS ON THE SCENE. REPORTS 3 STORY TOWNHOUSE. SMOKE SHOWING.

1:08:09 FEMALE CALLER IS TRAPPED.

1:08:45 CALLER IS LAYING (ON) FLOOR.

1:08:58 LOST CONTACT WITH CALLER.

1:09:29 WILL TRY TO CALL BACK.

1:11:04 VOICE MAIL ON CALL BACK. CALLER APPEARED TO BE LOSING CONSCIOUSNESS WHEN CONTACT WAS LOST.

1:12:09 HEAVY SMOKE FROM 2ND FLOOR. FIRE FROM MAIN FLOOR.

1:12:33 BATTALION CHIEF 405 ON THE SCENE.

1:14:30 BATTALION CHIEF 405 REQUESTS 2ND ALARM.

1:35:44 ENGINE 422 REPORTS FIRE KNOCKED DOWN. HAVE NOT LOCATED 3RD VICTIM. STARTING SECONDARY SEARCH.

1:45:37 TOWNHOUSE IN REAR CHECKED. ALL IS FINE. RESIDENTS ACCOUNTED FOR.

1:58:16 COMMAND REQUESTS THE LAB, CRIME SCENE AND HOMICIDE.

The above picture of this morning's fire on Donnell Place was taken by PGFD Battalion Chief William Budd.



According to Brady, Firefighter Ormerod and another firefighter had called in a "mayday" at about the same time command ordered the evacuation of the building to allow an exterior attack. The two were apparently able to get themselves to safety. Brady says it is unclear what happened with the Firefighter Ormerod's facepiece that allowed the respiratory burns to occur. Brady says, despite news reports elsewhere, they have NOT determined that there was a malfunction of his SCBA.

Firefighter Ormerod's fiancee works the fire side of the Prince George's County Public Safety Communications Center. She was working this morning and was aware of the "mayday". According to Brady, when the ID number of the injured firefighter was transmitted, she then realized it was her fiance. Prince George's County police then drove her to WHC.

Now word comes that Prince George's County fire investigators have found a body inside the apartment building on Donnell Place. Reporter Audrey Barnes will have more on 9News Now at noon.

Another deadline has come and gone and Tony Kelleher remains in charge at Kentland VFD. Here is the latest in an email from Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department Chief Spokesman Mark Brady:

Currently, Fire Chief Sedgwick is reviewing proposals presented last Friday by the volunteer leadership of Kentland 33. Based on the collaborative and cooperative efforts demonstrated by the leadership of Kentland - no action is being taken, at this time, to the current operational Volunteer Chief at Kentland Station 33. Fire Chief Sedgwick remains determined to resolve the Ambulance 339 situation in the most cost effective and efficient manner possible. There remains a standing order that the volunteers staff and house a basic life support transport unit at Station 33.

The Kentland Volunteer Fire Department website has some details of Friday's meeting with Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department Chief Lawrence Sedgwick. At the meeting, Kentland officials presented what they are calling a "comprehensive plan" to provide ambulance service in its first due area.

The plan still asks for Prince George's County career personnel to staff the unit. This has been one of the sticking points in getting the issue resolved. The other, of course, is Kentland's insistence that they are unable to house the ambulance inside of Company 33.

The Kentland site had this to say on the reception to the latest plan: "Although a lot of time was spent on the comprehensive plan, County Fire Officials would not commit to anything. Thus making a middle ground hard to reach".

From the plan itself, here is what is written about Chief Sedgwick's insistence that the ambulance be volunteer-staffed:

After much consideration by the B.O.D. and governing body of the Kentland VFD and a comprehensive study done by the leadership it was found that the addition of service to the Kentland VFD membership could prove to be detrimental to the current level of excellent fire and EMS services already provided.

With the fore mentioned issue and not to subtract services from the community, the leadership of the Kentland VFD will respond to the same calls as it always has with suppression apparatus. Even if the BLS transport unit and suppression piece of apparatus is coming from the same area.This will prove to be an asset to the people in need of fire/EMS assistance and guarantees the best possible service.

We were given the impression that we would likely hear Chief Sedgwick's reaction to this meeting. sometime today.

We will keep you informed.

Look below for the story of another all-volunteer fire company struggling with a request to provide ambulance service

Also, Kentland's website is celebrating Kentland VFD's 12th anniversary as an all-volunteer fire company. Prince George's County removed career firefighters from the station on May 26, 1995.

Full disclosure: I own property in BBVFC's (Station 70) first due and have had need to call on the EMS services of Stations 70 and 84. In the most recent case, last summer, we had a relative with a possible heart problem. A two man engine crew from Bethany Beach arrived, followed very shortly by an ambulance from Millville and then Paramedic 105. We were very pleased with the care they provided, as we have been in the past.

Well, that is one way to look at the confirmation of Greg Cade to head the U.S. Fire Administration. He was a volunteer at Company 18 and was well thought of as he rose through the ranks as a career firefighter in Prince George's County. Chief Cade has since run departments in Hampton and Virginia Beach.

Their motto is "Caring for the community - one call at a time". Well, for the second time in a week, police are not happy with exactly how a 911 worker is caring for her community.

Sources tell STATter 911 that a second employee of the Public Safety Communications Center is under arrest on drug charges. Eight days ago, Marsha Denise Sams was picked up at her home in East Riverdale. Sams was one of 3 people arrested at the house on May 17th and charged with possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine.

At the time, officials said there was a second 911 worker in the home. That woman was placed on administrative leave. Yesterday, an arrest warrant was issued for her. Sources tell STATter 911 that she has now been arrested.

911 workers have contacted STATter 911 to point out that random drug testing used to be the policy at the Prince George's County 911 Center. That changed when it became a separate agency and no longer under the Prince George's County Police Department. Officials say there now is an effort to try and bring back drug testing.

UPDATE 2:30 p.m. :

In a press release this afternoon, Prince George's County Public Safety Director Vernon Herron identified Rena Sims as the second Public Safety Communications Center employee arrested. Sims has been on the job less than 2 years and, like Marsha Sams, will remain suspended without pay during the investigation. From the press release:

“Although I am very disturbed about the arrest of two of our dispatchers for narcotics violations, I am confident that these arrests are isolated incidents,” Herron said. “Our call takers and dispatchers perform an admirable job under sometimes stressful situations and it is unfortunate that two of our dispatchers have ended up on the wrong side of the law.”

The ever changing deadline in the Kentland ambulance dispute has changed again. Prince George's County Fire/EMS spokesman Mark Brady confirms that Kentland VFD officials have requested a meeting with Chief Lawrence Sedgwick for Friday. According to Brady, Chief Sedgwick will withhold any actions until he hears what Kentland has to say at that meeting.

Sources tell STATter 911 that Kentland's attorneys want to offer another proposal to Chief Sedgwick.

Despite Prince George's County officials saying they are firm in their position on the Kentland ambulance, Kentland Acting Chief Tony Kelleher has been able to find some wiggle room. While Kentland Chief Mike Mattison was given a hard, fast deadline. Kelleher's deadline has been a moving target.

I didn't get to the meeting last night at Kenmoor Middle School, but the one message that everyone tells me came through loud and clear (and was evident on the tape I saw), is that the citizens and some of their political leaders want an ambulance and want it now.

I am told that there were those at the meeting who found it offensive that the volunteers didn't want to run the ambulance. There were also those who didn't care who was on the unit, just as long as it was in service. Many looked at it as a problem that Chief Sedgwick needs to solve now.

Stay tuned.

Just back from revisiting the scene of yesterday's fire that killed 49 year old Debra Chiles of Lorton. Today, Fairfax County Fire spokesman Dan Schmidt confirms a tip we received. What we have learned is that, in her final moments, Debra Chiles spent "several minutes on the phone" with 911.

Schmidt confirms, information was relayed to arriving firefighters that there was a woman trapped on the third floor.

We also have talked to the two sons of Debra Chiles. We'll have stories on this on 9News Now at 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

As we wait for the latest news out of Kentland today, here are links to some morning fire and EMS reading.

Tarron Lively of the Washington Times on the dropping of the suit by two D.C. firefighters who were disciplined in the Rosenbaum case. The Times reports there is an agreement to "pursue arbitration in the case".

The D.C. Examiner headline on the same story reads: "D.C. to rehire firefighter fired in Roasenbaum case".

The article begins:

The District of Columbia agreed to reinstate the lead firefighter who was dismissed last month over the emergency response to the fatal beating death of David Rosenbaum, a retired New York Times journalist.

(On this subject, I just came from Engine 20 where Fire/EMS Chief Dennis Rubin helped inaugurate the new reading program for children displaced from the Georgetown Library. He said he couldn't comment on these new developments because it involved an active court case. Chief Rubin was also off to a noon EMS Task Force meeting at the Wilson Building.)

Allison Klein, from the Washington Post, on Chief Rubin's report that one-quarter of District of Columbia fire hydrants could need replacing.

(Chief Rubin had plenty to say about this in the press conference this morning at Engine 20. He believes they will be ahead of schedule in their hydrant inspection program. Chief Rubin also vowed to make sure that DC FEMS and WASA stay on top of this, so this situation doesn't happen again.)

A story I have been meaning to alert you to has to do with EMS in Culpeper, Virginia. Through VAFireNews.com, the Star Exponent reports that the Culpeper County Volunteer Rescue Squad, Company 11, is having its funding cut. Here is more:

The state shut down Co. 11 in early January after county medics filed a formal complaint, alleging that the squad’s representatives ignored a call about a child choking.

The company’s license was reinstated in February, pending a hearing, which has not been scheduled. Co. 11 volunteers serve when they can but struggle to recruit new volunteers and say they need to hire paid staff to meet state standards of 24/7 coverage.

In a phone conversation this afternoon, Prince George's County Public Safety Director Vernon Herron told me the issue of an ambulance at the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department is "non-negotiable."

Herron, whose official title is Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Public Safety and Director of Homeland Security, made it clear that Prince George's County Fire/EMS Chief Lawrence Sedgwick will not budge from his position that Ambulance 339 will be put in service by the volunteers.

Herron says the only way that would change, and a career staff provided, is if Kentland VFD did not have the volunteers to staff the unit.

Kentland prides itself on being able to staff multiple fire units. Last night, Kentland responded with 14 volunteers to an apartment fire. According to the Kentland VFD website, Engines 331 and 332, Tower Ladder 33 and Acting Chief 33, were on the call at 6897 West Forest Road. Three rescues were made over ground ladders.

Kentland VFD's position has been that the County should staff the unit. Acting Chief Tony Kelleher is apparently going to be able to make his case during a community meeting going on right now at Kenmoor Middle School.

Vernon Herron says that he expects, if tomorrow's deadline is not met, Chief Sedgwick will take action against Chief Kelleher. Herron points out that Larry Sedgwick is, "the fire chief and is in charge of the station chiefs".

Herron says this is an operational issue and that the Prince George's County Charter gives Sedgwick control over such matters.

Some more details here.

I saw the fire alarm flashing as I looked out the window of our offices at 4100 Wisconsin Avenue. It is not unusual for fire alarms to go off at the office and retail complex across Upton Street, at 4000 Wisconsin.

I heard the firetrucks. Again, not unusual. We are just down the street from Engine 20 and Truck 12. I just went back to trying to write the latest developments in the Kentland saga.

Only when I heard, from across the newsroom, what sounded like a second alarm dispatch on our DC Fire radio, did I really pay attention. It was then I asked our assignment desk if that dispatch was for 4000 Wisconsin Avenue. Of course, the answer was yes. I then took a trip across the street.

It turned out to be an electrical fire in the basement level. It was the second time today smoke from an electrical source spread through that building. The biggest problem is that power is cut for the complex and traffic is really messed up.

This is first time a second alarm has come to me since I was awakened from a nap when my apartment building in Pentagon City caught fire. That was more than 20 years ago.

Her job was to teach sensitivity to employees of D.C. Fire and EMS. Instead, she was the one harassed and retaliated against by some of the people she was supposed to be teaching. That is now the ruling of D.C. Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Alprin.

Examiner.com reports it has been four years since Kenda Kirby accused D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services officials of "belittling her because of her sexual orientation and androgynous appearance". Judge Alprin reversed a D.C. Office of Human Rights decision. From examiner.com:

In a strongly worded ruling, Alprin found probable cause that EMS management also sought to punish Kirby after she complained about harassing comments that were placed into her mailbox.

“The record reflects that this constant stream of hostility manifested itself in a number of ways . . .,” Alprin wrote. “The sum total of this evidence supports findings of a history and culture of homophobia and sexism in the D.C. FEMS.”

You may recall that the diversity training classes Kenda Kirby held came out of the settlement of the case involving the 1995 death of Tyra Hunter. Again, examiner.com:

The District agreed to pay $1.75 million to settle a lawsuit with the family after a jury found that D.C. Fire Department paramedics momentarily halted treatment and ridiculed Hunter after they discovered that Hunter had male genitalia while being tended to after a car crash.

Kentland VFD appears to have mounted an aggressive public relations effort to try and diffuse the ambulance issue.

Besides the electronic sign out front, Kentland is using its website to make some points in this battle. Kentland VFD is trying to let residents know, that while they may not have an ambulance, the service the volunteers are providing saves the taxpayers a lot of money.

The following are Kentland's figures and have not been independently verified. Kentland claims it saves Prince George's County almost $6 million dollars a year. Since the career staff was pulled from the station 12 years ago, Kentland believes the all-volunteer force has saved the County almost $70 million dollars.

One can imagine these statistic might be part of Acting Chief Tony Kelleher's pitch when he meets the public tomorrow night. The community meeting on this issue is at 7:00 p.m. at Kenmoor Middle School.

The meeting could be an uphill battle for Chief Kelleher. One of the organizers of the event, Delegate Joanne Benson (D-District 24), has made it clear she thinks Kentland needs to have an ambulance. Benson also claims the community is up in arms about Kentland VFD's refusal to have volunteers staff Ambulance 339.

From everything Tony Kelleher and Kentland VFD have put out in recent days it appears their argument is not that an ambulance isn't needed in Kentland's first due. That would be kind of hard to say with a straight face in an area with the second highest number of EMS calls in Prince George's County. Rather, Kentland VFD thinks it should be up to the County to staff the unit.

Kentland VFD has pointed out on the website, and many others have brought it up in comments to the blog, that the County once had a fully staffed ambulance in Company 33's area, Rescue 2. That and some other nearby units have been placed out of service over the last decade as resources and priorities have shifted.

Those with Prince George's County who think the volunteers must staff the ambulance, believe that Kentland VFD shouldn't be allowed to play by different rules. They say the failure of Kentland to provide a transport unit is not fair to the citizens and puts an unfair burden on neighboring fire stations and communities.

Clearly, as with most things, there are good arguments on both sides. As an antidote to some of the very heated talk a lot of us have read on this issue, let me leave you with two comments we received. They each cover some of the important points in this dispute.

From Anonymous:

I have been following this story on this blog, The Watch Desk, and in the news and I have had time to think about it for a while.

I have finally came to the understanding of one thing. If I am off base on my understanding, I apologize however this is the way I see it knowing what I know about the situation.

Volunteers organize to form Fire Departments and Rescue Squads all across the States. Some organize one or the other and others organize both.

It was up to the Volunteers to organize and what services they were going to offer.

I am not from around the area in question, however I have never heard of Volunteers being told to offer another service. If a VFD were to offer Ambulance service it was because that was what they wanted to volunteer.

I look around to organizations across the States and see VFD's in Counties who have began offering Paid service to supplement the VFD's and more than likely continue to grow and offer 24 hr. coverage, ambulances etc.

It seems to me that the only option for PG County is to supply paid service in the area in question or look for volunteers who want to start a Volunteer rescue squad in the area.

The tactics of the Chief in question seem to be retaliatory and ill natured. The threat of decreased funding is totally off base.

I hope that the Board of Supervisors (or whoever is in charge in PG County) see through these tactics and find an answer which is beneficial to the area.

Maybe the Chief should ask the Volunteers at the local Soup Kitchen to start a Volunteer Rescue Squad. Doesn't make sense does it.

From Mr. Citizen:

The fire house runs a utility unit (mini pumper) staffed with only 2 personnel on every ambulance call. They could easily place those two individuals on an ambulance and not effect their staffing levels on any other piece of equipment.

I agree. I posted a comment on the earlier story about A339. I am so glad that someone else realizes that Kentland #33 is capable of housing, maintaining and operating an ambulance. If they are truly volunteers, not just fire volunteers, then they would accept the unit without all the drama. Volunteerism is volunteerism no matter where it is; it's goal/purpose is to help the community. I do not live in their area but I am a citizen of Gorgeous Prince George's. I feel their fighting this unit is a slap in the face of all the men, women and children who they claim to want to help, protect and serve in that community. I hope everyone in the Landover area come out and attend the community meeting at Kenmoor. I hope the citizens of that community take a hard look at the Kentland volunteers. Look at the people who sit pretty on Landover road in that firehouse claiming to serve their community. I hope they notice a difference when they walk in. Not the physical difference but their attitudes towards the community. I believe that the volunteers at Kentland #33 would rather see your house burn down so they can say they arrived first. For selfish reason I think they don't want to say they were first arriving in Basic Life Supporting unit to someone who needs emergency medical services. My question is ..Why not? Volunteering your time to help is volunteering your time to help.

STATter 911 has learned that Prince George's County Fire/EMS Chief Lawrence Sedgwick has rejected a plan by the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department to set up a career-staffed EMS station on Kentland's property.

Sources familiar with the dispute tell STATter 911, that Chief Sedgwick informed Kentland Acting Chief Tony Kelleher, that the plan presented on Friday is not acceptable. Specifically, according to the sources, the plan does not meet Chief Sedgwick's requirements that an ambulance be housed inside the current firehouse and operated by volunteers. The sources we are talking with are very familiar with the dispute, but are not authorized to speak for their agencies.

Chief Kelleher contacted STATter 911 tonight, by email, saying he doesn't believe his plan has been rejected. He is concerned we are getting "bogus information". Instead, Kelleher wrote, he has been directed by Chief Sedgwick to come up with, "another plan IN ADDITION TO my existing one".

Chief Kelleher provided us an excerpt from a letter he says Chief Sedgwick sent him on Friday afternoon. The letter confirms what STATter 911 reported earlier today: The new deadline is this Thursday, May 24th.

While Tony Kelleher says he is unable to share the entire letter with us, he says it does not include a threat that he will be suspended.

Last week, Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department spokesman Mark Brady said that if Acting Chief Kelleher did not follow Chief Sedgwick's orders about the ambulance, Kelleher would be removed from the chain of command. Chief Sedgwick took that very action last Monday against Kentland Chief Michael Mattison.

Here is the part of Chief Sedgwick's letter that Chief Kelleher shared with STATter 911:

Essentially your proposed plan requires Prince George's County to rent land from Kentland Volunteer Fire Department for a "temporary style office/living quarters" and storage of a Basic Life Support (BLS) transport unit. Additionally, your proposed plan requires that the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department, "...shall allocate a total of eight career personnel trained to the level of Emergency Medical Technician-B for the placing of a BLS unit in service from the constructed Greater Landover EMS Station." Certainly, implementing the proposed plan places additional financial responsibility on the County. I propose that the most effective and financially prudent manner in which to implement this plan is for you to review and consider your current resources, including but not limited to, utilizing volunteer members to meet staffing needs and storing the BLS unit in the existing facility. I am directing that you provide me with a comprehensive plan which includes the above recommendations no later than May 24th, 2007.

In his email, Chief Kelleher characterized the current situation this way: "I would like to say that I am glad the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department and its command staff is putting forth some cooperative effort".

The only official comment from Prince George's County comes from a spokesman for Chief Sedgwick. According to Major Chauncey Bowers, "Chief Sedgwick continues to work with the leadership of Kentland to reach the goal of providing ambulance service at Station 33".

A community meeting to discuss the Kentland situation is scheduled for Wednesday night, at 7:00 p.m., at Kenmoor Middle School. Chief Kelleher says he plans to attend the meeting.

STATter 911 has learned that Prince George's County Fire/EMS Chief Lawrence Sedgwick has rejected a plan by the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department to set up a career-staffed EMS station on Kentland's property.

Sources familiar with the dispute tell STATter 911, that Chief Sedgwick informed Kentland Acting Chief Tony Kelleher, that the plan presented on Friday is not acceptable. Specifically, according to the sources, the plan does not meet Chief Sedgwick's requirements that an ambulance be housed inside the current firehouse and staffed by volunteers. The sources we are talking to are very familiar with the dispute, but are not authorized to speak for their agencies.

The sources also tell us that Chief Sedgwick has now given Acting Chief Kelleher until this Thursday, May 24th, to come up with a new plan that addresses these issues.

The only official comment comes from a spokesman for Chief Sedgwick. According to Major Chauncey Bowers, "Chief Sedgwick continues to work with the leadership of Kentland to reach the goal of providing ambulance service at Station 33".

Last week, Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department spokesman Mark Brady said that if Acting Chief Kelleher did not follow Chief Sedgwick's order about the ambulance, Kelleher would be removed from the chain of command. Chief Sedgwick took that same action, last Monday, against Kentland Chief Michael Mattison.

We have placed phone calls seeking comment about the latest developments to Chief Kelleher, Kentland's President Sheila Mann, and the law firm representing Kentland VFD. So far, we have received no response.

Kentland officials and their lawyers have said they will sue Prince George's County over Chief Sedgwick's actions. County officials claim that, so far, they have not seen evidence of a court case.

A community meeting to discuss the Kentland situation is scheduled for Wednesday night, at 7:00 p.m., at Kenmoor Middle School.

Some events in the Kentland VFD-Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department dispute to watch for this week.

First, of course, is today's deadline.

While there is still no official word from Prince George's County Fire/EMS Chief Lawrence Sedgwick, sources tell us all signs indicate Chief Sedgwick is not wavering from his order that Kentland's volunteers are to staff a County-owned ambulance.

Unless there is some major breakthrough that brings the sides closer together, I am told that, later today, we should expect a repeat of last Monday. That's when Kentland VFD Chief Mike Mattison was removed from his command for Kentland's refusal to accept Ambulance 339. Unless the order is followed, Tony Kelleher was told he would face the same fate as Mattison.

If this problem is not resolved very soon, County sources tells us to watch for the money that Prince George's County provides Kentland VFD to become an issue.

Also, Wednesday evening, there is a 7:00 p.m. community meeting about the Kentland situation. While we have heard from some political leaders, including Delegate Joanne Benson, it is going to be interesting to see how this issue has resonated with the people who live near Company 33.

Kentland VFD is fighting back. It is making sure its message gets out. There have been a number of updates on the issue on the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department website. Kentland says, through the help of local businesses, they have been able to set up an electronic sign in front of the firehouse. According to the website, the sign reads, "KENTLAND VFD STATION 33 IS 100% VOLUNTEER STAFFED ALL OF THE TIME. WE PROVIDE FIRE AND MEDICAL SERVICES WITHOUT COMPENSATION."

The website has a picture of the sign and another picture showing Acting Chief Tony Kelleher as he dropped off his new "implementation plan" at Chief Sedgwick's office on Basil Court.

So far, according to our sources, Chief Kelleher's plan to provide ambulance service in the Kentland area is not being received well in Largo or Upper Marlboro. As we first reported on Friday, the initial assessment labels that plan a "priority 4".

Acting Chief Kelleher made his plan public early Friday morning, calling for a career-staffed "Greater Landover EMS Station", on what is currently Kentland VFD property. That plan was also sent by email to more than a dozen political leaders, including President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Maryland Governor O'Malley.

VAFireNews.com has a couple of pictures (like the one above) from last week's fire on Highland Street in Fairfax County (West Falls Church area).

Since starting this blog, I have been spending a lot more time looking at fire and EMS web sites. VAFireNews.com always seems to have interesting content.

Two Prince George's County firefighters and three from Baltimore say they have suffered permanent hearing loss due to badly designed sirens. They filed suit on May 15th against Federal Signal Corportation, Laake Enterprises, Inc., F.L. Anderson Company, W.L. Ridenour Holdings, Inc. and Maryland Fire Equipment Corporation.

The Prince George's County firefighters are Kevin Andrecs and Joseph Gallagher.

The firefighters from Baltimore are Daniel Leitner, Howard Palardy, III and Dennis Greenwell.

More in FireFightingNews.com.

A Washington Post editorial, titled "The Firefighters' Dodge", says that while IAFF Local 36 might have a good legal case, it isn't buying the union's argument that the two firefighters found guilty by a trial board provided proper care to David Rosenbaum. Here is an excerpt:

Local 36 of the International Association of Fire Fighters might well be right that its collective bargaining agreement with the city precludes Mr. Rubin from stiffening the punishment. But it's one thing to say that process has been violated, and another to say -- as the union did -- that those caring for Mr. Rosenbaum "discharged their duties properly." No matter that the trial board found otherwise, or that, as an inspector general's report makes clear, once rescue workers attributed Mr. Rosenbaum's condition (wrongly) to alcohol, they considered no other possibilities.

Local 36 has gone to court to stop DC Fire and EMS Chief Dennis Rubin from increasing the trial board's penalties. The union gave its view in a May 2nd press release titled, "Scapegoating the Firefighters Won't Improve Emergency Medical Services". Here is an excerpt:

It is not surprising that the Chief and the Mayor have chosen to use this action as an occasion for media grandstanding, because the action is based on politics, not facts. The Chief and the Mayor are sacrificing two firefighters’ careers in the hope of satisfying calls from the public and the media that are based on misinformation about these tragic events that was contained in a report by the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) that triggered the charges against these firefighters.

There are two pictures near the top of the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department website. One is of an electronic sign in front of Company 33 that, according to the website, reads, "KENTLAND VFD STATION 33 IS 100% VOLUNTEER STAFFED ALL OF THE TIME. WE PROVIDE FIRE AND MEDICAL SERVICES WITHOUT COMPENSATION."

The website describes the other picture as showing Acting Chief Tony Kelleher, just after noon today, as he dropped off his new "implementation plan" at Prince George's County Fire/EMS Chief Lawrence Sedgwick's office in Largo.

Word from sources in Prince George's County is that Chief Kelleher's plan to provide ambulance service in the Kentland area is not being received well in Largo or Upper Marlboro. Their initial assessment is that the plan is a "priority 4".

There is no official word from Prince George's County Fire/EMS Chief Lawrence Sedgwick, but our sources say, all signs indicate Sedgwick is not wavering from his order that Kentland's volunteers will staff a County-owned ambulance.

Unless there is some major breakthrough over the weekend that brings the sides closer together, I am told that this coming Monday will be a repeat of last Monday. That is when Kentland VFD Chief Mike Mattison was removed from his command by Sedgwick for Kentland's refusal to accept Ambulance 339. Monday is the deadline that Sedgwick has given Tony Kelleher to follow the same order or suffer a similar fate.

Acting Chief Kelleher sent out his plan early this morning, calling for a career-staffed "Greater Landover EMS Station", on what is currently Kentland VFD property. That plan was also sent by email to more than a dozen political leaders, including President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Maryland Governor O'Malley.

The sources tell me, that with Kentland VFD still refusing a volunteer-run ambulance, the issue of Prince George's County funding for Kentland could soon be part of this dispute.

We will keep you informed.

Just thought I'd make it easier to find a few things that are new from overnight and yesterday. For details on most of these, just scroll below on the blog. We are also getting more comments, especially on the Stafford story. Check them out.

1. Kentland VFD's proposal to solve the ambulance issue.

2. 911 calls and emergency radio traffic from Bay Bridge crash.

3. Allison Klein's article in the Washington Post about more dead hydrants in DC.

4. The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star's story on the problems on the fireground in Stafford County on Tuesday.

5. Congressional Fire Services Institute campaign on the issues with the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefit Act. I will have more on this soon.

6. The U.S. Fire Administration's press release on residential fire sprinklers.

7. Firehouse.com's Susan Nicol Kyle on the fire-safe cigarette law signed by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley.

With a new deadline approaching, the acting chief of the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department offered his own plan to provide ambulance service for the Landover area.

Tony Kelleher has written Prince George's County Fire/EMS Chief Lawrence Sedgwick suggesting that Kentland will provide the land for a "Greater Landover EMS Station". Acting Chief Kelleher wants the County to provide the staffing.

Chief Sedgwick removed Chief Michael Mattison on Monday after the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department refused to accept a County ambulance and staff it with Kentland volunteers. Deputy Chief Tony Kelleher then took over as acting chief. He was given until next Monday to provide ambulance service or suffer the same fate.

There is no word on Chief Sedgwick's reaction to this plan. Chief Sedgwick's previous orders have made it clear that he wants the ambulance to be staffed by Kentland's members.

Acting Chief Kelleher has emailed his plan, along with details of the dispute with Prince George's County , to more than a dozen political leaders, including President George Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley.

The entire plan can be seen through the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department's website. Here is a portion of what Kentland wrote about the plan and the issue:

This plan is being submitted in hopes that the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department and its leaders will fully cooperate with the Kentland VFD’s effort to provide service to the community.

Most of our readers are most likely unaware that over the past 10 years a total of 11 PGFD, County staffed ambulances have been placed out of service for various unknown reasons by the PGFD. All were career staffed at one point. Three of them have been in and around the Landover, MD area (Company 33’s first due). Most likely these closures resulted from poor personnel and money management. This implementation plan shall serve to assist with regaining at least one back into the Landover community again.

The 9News Now assignment desk tells me DC Police have planned a 3:00 p.m. press conference to announce details of an arrest in the Michael Holmone murder case. Cindy Pena will have details on 9News Now @ 5:00 p.m.

Just a day after a new, 24/7, career-staffed engine company was placed in service in Stafford County, there is tension.

Officials confirm, that following Tuesday's house fire on Rosedale Lane, an investigation or review is underway into operations on the fireground.

While Stafford officials won't confirm this part, our sources say the riding privileges of 2 volunteers at Stafford Company 2 have been temporarily suspended.

We are told this temporary suspension for one of the firefighters is over the use of a saw. Somehow that saw came in contact with, and put a hole in, the protective gear of a career firefighter. The other issue, according to the sources, is a dispute over whether a volunteer company should have supplied water to Engine 9, the new career company.

Concerns have also been raised about command on the fireground.

Stafford Volunteer Fire Department Chief John McDonald says, "There is an investigation into a possible incident at a structure fire."

Chief McDonald says, "It is not unusual to look at these issues and critique fireground operations". McDonald referred us to the Stafford County Public Information Manager for other comments.

I was also told by Lt. Kimberly Harper, who is the spokesperson for the Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department and Chief Robert Brown, that all information about this incident would come from County spokesperson Cathy Riddle.

Cathy Riddle confirmed by email that, "There were allegations of inappropriate behavior at the scene. I do not know who (career or volunteer) displayed this behavior."

Riddle writes that there is no investigation underway, but rather a review. "To ensure that review is as objective as possible", it will be handled by someone outside the Stafford Fire and Rescue system.

When asked about the temporary suspensions of riding privileges for the two volunteers , Cathy Riddle wrote, "Stafford County's policy is not to release information on any personnel matters".

Sources say that there is no indication that career personnel have been suspended while the review is ongoing.

I am heading to Prince George's County Fire/EMS Station 31. This is the last scheduled shift for Firefighter Aaron Herschman. He is off to his second tour of duty in Iraq and his fellow firefighters have a luncheon planned. More later.