STATter 911

Click the images above to learn more about the partnership between STATter 911 and Firehouse.com providing live coverage on the web of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Memorial Weekend, October 6 and 7.

Photo by Dave Statter

Sunday Evening Update: After more than 7 months of negotiations and confrontations, a basic life support ambulance began running this morning out of Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department Station 33, the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department. The unit has already run its first call. Ambulance 339 (soon to be Ambulance 833) is staffed by two, PGFD career firefighter/EMTs (none of them related to Chief 33) and is scheduled to operate from 0700 to 2300 daily.

According to Kentland officials, A339 ran its first call at 0733 to nearby Dodge Park Road. As of 1900 hours they had run approximately 6 calls. Half of those calls were in Kentland's first-due response area. While A339 was on calls, Mini-pumper 33 ran 6 calls in Kentland's first-due.

"Just when I thought that I was out they pull me back in"

You may think that's Michael Corleone talking. Actually its Dave Statter assessing the Kentland VFD/PGFD situation. With the Ambulance 339 apparently settled for now, maybe I was naive to think things would calm down a bit in Prince George's County.

Obviously they didn't. This time the controversy puts D.C. Fire & EMS in the middle of the battle. Details on the mutual aid controversy and and many comments are here.

Update on teen burned in Riverdale firehouse

Riverdale VFD Chief Vince Harrison writes in to our comment section about the teen who was set on fire inside his firehouse. Chief Harrison says he will be at a Riverdale Park (that is what they call the town these days?) town meeting Monday evening to answer questions about this incident.

Arrangements for Firefighter Michael Reagan

The Sharon Hill, PA Fire Company has announced funeral arrangements. Click here for details. You can read more about 19-year-old Michael Reagan, here.

Video of the day

Click above to see raw video of a commercial building fire in Miami. No date on the fire, but good close up video, including of a crew clearly ready for rehab.

Not one, but two vehicles on fire on the highway

The fuel fed fire only grows larger as crews work on the flames coming from a tow truck and a van on Philadelphia's Platt Bridge on Friday morning.

$1.4 million dollars doesn't make one firefighter happy

The recent settlement of the Los Angeles Fire Department dog food case hasn't settled things in Tennie Pierce's mind. He told a local radio station, "Justice wasn't done for a black fireman or a minority fireman." More here.

All hazards fire department down under ... and we mean down under

Thanks to Sam Statter for looking over my shoulder and catching the above video. My son wondered what this one was all about. As usual, firefighters to the rescue when people don't use their heads (or almost lose them).


Woman critical after cigarette sparks fire

Click the image above to see video of a fire Thursday in Palisades Park, NJ. Details here.

Judge okays beards in D.C.

Another long running story is the battle over facial hair in the District of Columbia. The AP reports that Friday, "A federal judge on Friday struck down a requirement that firefighters in the District of Columbia be clean-shaven".

Reaction from D.C. Fire & EMS:

Alan Etter, a spokesman for D.C. Fire and EMS, said he was not aware of the ruling but said the department would comply. However, he criticized the idea that a bearded firefighter would be safe. He said some of the plaintiffs had already left the department and those who had not were in non-firefighting roles.

"This fire department will never endanger the lives of firefighters, and this is essentially what this is doing," he said.

Update on the ordeal of burned Missouri firefighter Cindy Shuenke

That's a St. Louis Post-Dispatch graphic of the house where Cindy Shuenke almost died in March, 2006. In fact, some firefighters thought she was dead, trapped inside the home where the mother of another firefighter lived. The paper, and its website STLtoday.com, have a very detailed look at the battle Firefighter-Paramedic Shuenke, of the Community Fire District, has been through.

FireGeezer on top of breaking news

Working on the details for Emmitsburg next weekend has taken so much time that I have been sticking to my first due a bit (self imposed restriction, not punishment) and haven't linked as much to some of the other wonderful sites. FireGeezer has been first arriving on a lot of breaking news including the gas explosion at a Chicago apartment, limited access to a fire in Toronto and a Fort Wayne hazmat. Bill does such a good job I never mind picking up the plug for him (how corny).

I also missed plugging Jim Featherstone's look at modern pumpers.

Also, I am holding my own after the Geeze picked up my challenge for a 50s TV trivia quiz. But it's early and he's older.

WithTheCommand.com

A lot of stories on WithTheCommand.com: firefighters in Canada forced to saw off a man's arm; fire at a university; 8 firefighters injured in Worcester, MA during a rescue attempt. Ron is always helping spread the word when we have exclusive stories on STATter 911.

Firefighter Nation

While there is so much to look on Firefighter Nation, I like the reaction of the Houston fire captain to the snake in the grass. Lots of videos.

DCFD.com

John Mullen, newly appointed honorary Local 36 member, has Elliot Goodman's pictures from D.C.'s 4-alarm fire.

DCFD.com also has an update on our friend Steve Reid who had to go back into the hospital.

VAFireNews.com

Rhett Fleitz, the wearer of many hats, somehow keeps on top of the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. VAFireNews.com has stories on the tactical communications grant announced by Governor Kaine, a fatal Richmond fire and much more.

Firefighter Close Call and The Secret List

The man who sleeps less than I do is Chief Billy Goldfeder. As usual, he has updates on firefighter fatalities and injuries along with good lesson for everyone.

From the South

Jay has probably written more words on the Charleston tragedy. Now he speaks them with his Internet radio program.

SConFire.com helped inspire VAFireNews.com and others. If it has SC attached to it, Grant is usually on it.

FireNews.net has details of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum visit to Raleigh and much more.

Maryland Fire News

Spencer has Newburg VFD's pictures of a van overturned and on fire.

Tin Helmet.com

Charles Bailey's tinhelmet.com has a new article today by Bill Carey called "What Am I Getting Into?"

And finally, from Seattle

This was Saturday's Red Bull Soap Box Race.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 8:30 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Here is what is known about arrangements for Firefighter Michael Reagan of the Sharon Hill Fire Company who died Saturday after being injured in the collapse of a garage wall on Wednesday.

Visitation hours will be 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Thursday October 4, 2007 at the Aldan Union Church located at 7 Providence Road, Aldan PA 19018. Funeral services will be held on Friday October 5, 2007. Please contact Sharon Hill Fire Company at 610-583-7302 to receive staging information for the funeral.

The Sharon Hill Fire Company also has the information on its website.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 3:55 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

News media in Philadelphia and the various fire websites like this one reported yesterday afternoon that Sharon Hill firefighter Michael Reagan had passed away. This was based on information provided by the hospital. Technically, it was not correct. But that really doesn't change the sad outcome of this story. Chief Billy Goldfeder of firefighterclosecalls.com explains with this update:

The 19-year-old Sharon Hill Firefighter who was very critically injured in the line of duty was actually put on life support yesterday late afternoon. The hospital had incorrectly reported yesterday that FF Michael Reagan had actually died. A hospital spokesperson apologized for the erroneous report, blaming it on an internal miscommunication. Please continue reading.

We have been advised by local Fire personnel that it is the intent to harvest his organs so that others may benefit. As you know Firefighter Reagan of Ridley Township was rushed to the hospital for burns and very serious trauma Wednesday evening after a wall of a garage on fire collapsed on him. Firefighters had to extricate FF Reagan and 2 other Firefighters from the burning collapse.

FF Reagan's LODD was initially and well intentionally advised from the hospital, but a heroic decision by his family to harvest his organs will allow this tragic situation to benefit others..in FF Reagan's honor.

The fire began around 2300 hours on Wednesday as a civilian was working on his motorcycle....the gas line broke when he removed the tank, spraying fuel on bug-repellent candles he had lit. He tried to fight the fire with a garden hose before calling the Fire Department.

The other two Firefighters who were injured are Joe Tesauro and Chris Miller. FF Tesauro, 23, suffered leg and back burns and FF Miller, 21, had non-life-threatening injuries to his shoulder and buttock.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 11:04 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

From Kentland33.com

Thursday night's 4-alarm fire in the District of Columbia had fire equipment from Maryland and Virginia covering city firehouses. Montgomery County, Arlington County and the City of Alexandria each sent units into the Nation's Capital. Prince George's County had two of its ladder companies operating on the fireground.

But when the D.C. Fire Operations Center specifically requested Rescue Engine 33, from PGFD's Kentland station, to fill in at a downtown firehouse, that request was denied. D.C. Fire & EMS spokesman, Battalion Chief Kenneth Crosswhite, tells STATter 911, "We'd like to know more about why this happened".

The Kentland Volunteer Fire Department website, Kentland33.com, goes much further, saying about this incident: "This denial of service is believed to be nothing more then a personal attack on Acting Fire Chief Edwin Lehan and in blatant disregard for the wishes and safety of the Nation's Capital and its citizens".

Ed Lehan is also a sergeant with D.C. Fire & EMS. Lehan had just been involved in the final stages of months of negotiations with PGFD to have an an ambulance operating out of the Kentland firehouse. After two volunteer chiefs were suspended, and Kentland was put on a month long dispatch restriction, keeping the fire company mostly in its first-due response area, an ambulance is finally scheduled to go in service this Sunday.

Prince George's County Fire/EMS Chief Spokesman Mark Brady acknowledges the request from D.C. was denied. Brady tells STATter 911 there were PGFD engines and rescue squads closer to where D.C. wanted the unit. Brady tells STATter 911 that we have to balance mutual aid requests with the resources available in the county. According to Brady, "Our priority is the safety and well being of the citizens and residents of Prince George's County".

D.C. Battalion Chief Crosswhite says that they wanted the specialized unit at the quarters of Engine Company 2 in the center of the city. Because of the resources committed to the Northeast warehouse fire, Crosswhite says the plan was to use Rescue Engine 33 as an engine company. There was only one rescue squad available in D.C. at the time and Crosswhite says if that squad became tied up on a call, Rescue Engine 33 could have then doubled as a squad.

Chief Crosswhite also pointed out that Rescue Engine 33 was staffed by three, off-duty, D.C. firefighters. Crosswhite thought having a crew familiar with the city and the operations of its fire department would have been beneficial.

Besides wanting to know more about why the request was denied, Crosswhite says, if the situation is reversed, "We are not going to question what you ask for". According to Crosswhite, "We will do our best to send the equipment and talk about any issues after the emergency is over".

At Kentland, Ambulance 339, staffed by paid, career firefighter/EMTs, is scheduled to begin running calls at 0700 this Sunday. Until proper sleeping quarters can be found for the PGFD crews, the basic-life-support unit will not run between 2300 and 0700. On its website, Kentland has pictures and information showing how volunteers are preparing for the career ambulance crew members.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 4:39 PM 41 Comments Links to this post

Sad news just in from Chief Billy Goldfeder of firefighterclosecalls.com:

It is with deep regret that we advise you that Firefighter Mike Reagan, 19, of Ridley, and a member of the Sharon Hill Fire Company has died in the Line of Duty.

As you recall, while operating at a detached garage fire earlier this week, Firefighters were trapped following the collapse of that garage. Other Firefighters who were injured suffered non-life threatening injures.

More details will follow. Our deepest thoughts and prayers go out to all effected, especially the members of Sharon Hill...and Firefighter Reagan's parents, family and friends.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 3:32 PM 2 Comments Links to this post

Click on the above image from Vito Maggiolo, D.C. Fire & EMS Department photographer, for raw video and complete coverage of Thursday night's 4-alarm warehouse fire in D.C.

It's a project I have been working on with Chris Hebert at Firehouse.com, the web and technical people at wusa9.com and 9News Now and the folks at the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Our goal is to make the important events in Emmitsburg, MD available to as wide an audience as possible. More details can be found here.

Logo for STATter 911.

This is only a test.

Video here from the test of the Last Chance Air Filter in Connecticut. You can learn more here.

Update on PA firefighters.

Here's the latest on the firefighters from Sharon Hill hurt in the wall collapse. Chief Billy Goldfeder at firefighterclosecalls.com says one firefighter remains in very critical condition but others have improved.

Pictures from the garage fire can be found here from Brian Feeney at Feeney fire films.

Radio dead spots in SC.

The radios aren't working in a number of locations in this county.

Sometimes the audio is better than the video.

Not much information as to where and when this fire took place, but take a listen to the interaction with a citizen on the one above and trying to get water, below.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 7:01 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

For the first time in the 26-year history of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, the events from Emmitsburg, Maryland will be streamed live on the web. This is being made possible by a partnership between STATter 911 and Firehouse.com (with a lot of help from the technical and web people at wusa9.com).

In 1996, Hal Bruno asked me to be a substitute host of the satellite telecast from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Memorial Service. Our mutual friend Rich Adams, who usually handled that job, was ill. Rich died later that October and I have had the honor of trying to fill Rich's shoes ever since.

In recent years, my wife, Hillary Howard, a veteran radio and TV journalist, who is now with WTOP Radio, has joined me in Emmitsburg for these moving tributes to our fallen firefighters.

Until now, for most of us, the only way you could see the ceremonies live, was to be there, or be lucky enough to subscribe to a cable company that carried the event. This year will be different.

Chris Hebert of Firehouse.com quickly agreed to join me in getting things ready to allow the Candlelight Service and Memorial Service to be streamed. This will happen on Saturday and Sunday, October 6 and 7.

You will have the choice of seeing the events either through STATter911.com or Firehouse.com/memorial2007. If you run a website we encourage you to use these links to access the live coverage. Our goal is to do everything we can, to give as many people possible, the opportunity to see these important events.

Below, is a press release being sent out this morning to announce this new service.

Also, you may have noticed STATter 911 now has a logo. You will start seeing more of it.

For Immediate Release: Sept 28, 2007 Contact: Steve Houk (202) 895-5970

STATter 911 TO STREAM LIVE COVERAGE OF
FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS MEMORIAL SERVICE
AND CANDLELIGHT VIGIL

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sept 28th, 2007 – STATter 911, a web blog on wusa9.com created by W*USA 9 NEWS NOW reporter Dave Statter, will provide the first-ever, live streaming web coverage of the annual Candlelight Service and Memorial Service held at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland, it was announced today.

This is the first time in the event’s twenty-six year history that it will be streamed live on the web. The streaming, which can be seen on STATter911.com and Firehouse.com/memorial2007, will begin with the candlelight service at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton on Saturday evening October 6th from 6pm to 9pm. It will be hosted by Dave Statter, who oversees the STATter 911 blog on wusa9.com, which can also be accessed at STATter911.com. Statter is a reporter for W*USA-TV’s 9 News Now news team, and a former volunteer firefighter and EMT.

The web streaming continues on Sunday October 7th from 10am to 1:30pm at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service, held at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, the official national monument to all fallen firefighters. This coverage will also be hosted by Statter, along with Hillary Howard of WTOP Radio.

This year’s events will honor eighty-seven firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2006, and four who died in previous years. Details on the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the memorial weekend in Emmitsburg can be found at: http://firehero.org/index.aspx?lobid=924.

STATter 911 has garnered much recent acclaim around the USA and in Canada because of it’s dedication to coverage of firefighting and EMS. STATter 911 is providing the live web coverage in partnership with firehouse.com, the leading Web site for the national fire service community. Firehouse.com, along with Firehouse Magazine, is part of the public safety group of Cygnus Business Media.

Gannett TV stations are: W*USA, Washington, DC; WXIA, Atlanta; WTSP, Tampa-St. Petersburg; KARE, Minneapolis; WKYC, Cleveland, KPNX, Phoenix; KNAZ Flagstaff and KMOH, Kingman; K*USA, Denver; KXTV, Sacramento; KSDK, St. Louis; WZZM, Grand Rapids, MI; WGRZ, Buffalo, NY; WFMY, Greensboro, NC; WTLV, Jacksonville, FL; KTHV, Little Rock; WBIR, Knoxville, TN; WCSH, Portland, ME; WLTX, Columbia, SC; WMAZ, Macon, GA; and WLBZ, Bangor, ME.

Gannett Co., Inc. is a leading international news and information company that publishes 90 daily newspapers in the USA, including USA TODAY, the nation's largest-selling daily newspaper. The company also owns nearly 1,000 non-daily publications in the USA and USA WEEKEND, a weekly newspaper magazine. Gannett subsidiary Newsquest is the United Kingdom’s second largest regional newspaper company. Newsquest publishes nearly 300 titles, including 18 daily newspapers, and a network of prize-winning Web sites. Gannett also operates 23 television stations in the United States which cover 18.05 percent of the USA and have a market reach of 20.1 million households and is an Internet leader with sites sponsored by its TV stations and newspapers including USATODAY.com, one of the most popular news sites on the Web.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 6:09 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Image above and below from Vito Maggiolo, D.C. Fire & EMS.

Raw video of fire's early stages from D.C. Fire & EMS official photographer Vito Maggiolo.

9News Now 11:00 p.m. report from the scene.

The fire broke out at Coosemans DC in Northeast Washington just before 7:30 Thursday evening. About 60 workers were inside the produce warehouse at 2144 Queens Chapel Road when the fire started. Some of the workers claim they first saw flames near the roof and tried unsuccessfully to put the fire out with an extinguisher.

The initial fire crews began an attack inside the building, described by Battalion Chief Kenneth Crosswhite as being 200 feet by 200 feet. The second-alarm was sounded and crews were quickly backed out after a crew on the roof became concerned about the structural integrity of the building. Spokesman Alan Etter said, "Our roof team could actually see part of the roof bowing in, so that's when you got to get everybody out."

Coosemans' workers said there were 8 diesel trucks inside the complex as well as hundreds of boxes containing highly flammable materials. However, firefighters were able to contain the fire so it did not reach those boxes.

A third and fourth alarms were called bringing more than 160 firefighters to the scene.

Coosemans DC is part of Coosemans Worldwide. The company provides specialty and exotic produce. They have operated in Washington for more than 20 years.

Firefighters expected to be on the scene through the overnight hours and into the afternoon. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries during the fire.

Approximate timeline of the fire:

1917 Box alarm

1924 2nd alarm

1949 Special call 3 trucks, 1 engine

1955 3rd alarm

2020 By this time it was equivalent to a 4th alarm assignment

Firefighters and equipment from Arlington County, Alexandria City and Montgomery County filled D.C. fire stations. Two ladders from Prince George's County were sent to the fireground.

Off-duty D.C. firefighters were called in to staff reserve equipment.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:24 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

Update 9:36 p.m.: The above images are from video shot by D.C. Fire & EMS photographer Vito Maggiolo. You can see his raw video here.

At this hour D.C. Fire & EMS units are on the scene of a warehouse fire at 2144 Queens Chapel Road, Northeast. The location is off of Bladensburg Road near New York Avenue (around the corner from IAFF Local 36's office).

Command ordered an exterior attack shortly after calling the second-alarm.

At 7:50 p.m., Battalion Chief Kenneth Crosswhite, on the scene, tells STATter 911 this is a 200 by 200 foot warehouse housing the DC operation of Coosemans Worldwide produce. Chief Crosswhite says the crews were pulled because of the bowing of the exposed bar joist roof structure. He says there is fire throughout the building.

The building has a second floor over part of the warehouse. Chief Crosswhite says there are exposures, but that they appear to be protected by the master streams and large handlines in place.

Here's how Coosemans DC describes itself on its website:

For over 20 years, Coosemans DC has been providing some of the best specialty and exotic produce in the Washington/Baltimore area. First as Rock Garden and then joining forces with Coosemans, we have steadily grown to become a major importer, re-packer and distributor of over 400 specialty items.

Check in with wusa9.com and STATter 911 later this evening for pictures and video.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 8:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Four down in wall collapse at PA garage fire.

Chief Billy Goldfeder at firefighterclosecalls.com has a morning update on the fire in Sharon Hill, PA late Wednesday night:

A 19 year old Sharon Hill Firefighter remains in very critical condition with burns and related traumatic injuries after being struck and trapped by the exterior collapse of a garage at a fire call last night. Initially the cops arrived confirming a working fire in a detached 3 car garage. Companies arrived and went with an exterior attack using 1-3/4" hand lines. While they were operating, there was a outward collapse of a wall. The Chief estimated that they were about 8 feet outside of the building when the front of the structure collapsed.

1 FF (who was hit by a steel crossbeam when the structure collapsed) was transported in cardiac arrest (he is the one who is critical at this time) and another Firefighter was transported with a serious leg injury. A total of 4 Firefighters and 2 Police Officers were injured either from the collapse or the effort to rescue the Firefighters who were trapped. The cops were transported for burns to the hands from their helping with the Firefighter rescue effort. All trapped and injured members were removed within 6 minutes. The fire began in the garage at the 900 block of Coates Street, where a man had lit a candle while working on a motorcycle.

More details to follow. Please keep the kid, his family and the members of Sharon Hill Fire Company in your thoughts and prayers.

Additionally, here is a link worthy of review by all of us:
vincentdunn.com/dunn/newsletters/Front_wall_collapse.pdf

KYW-TV has the story.

LODDs in Ireland.

The two firefighters who died during a collapse at a vacant building fire, are apparently the first line of duty deaths in the Irish Republic in more than 70 years. Check our FireGeezer's coverage.

Two volunteers suspended after teen is set on fire inside firehouse.

Investigators are trying to determine is this was hazing or horseplay after an alcohol-based foam disinfectant was sprayed on a teens body and ignited. The teenager was hoping to be a live-in member with the Riverdale VFD in Prince George's County, MD. Our STATter 911 exclusive here.

In a somewhat related article, read how a boy in Ontario was burned. Not involving firefighters, but a bit similar. Videos of people (young and old) doing this are all over the Internet.

Our long national nightmare is over.

I have been writing about this issue since shortly after STATter 911 began in May. Now, if all goes well Kentland's Ambulance 339 begins running Sunday morning. But it won't run overnight. We have the details here. I think I have written more words about this one issue than anything in my life.

Transformer explodes.

Above, a high school in California shut down after a transformer explodes. Details here.

Power line smaller than a pencil in LODD.

FirefightingNews.com found this article in Wichita Eagle describing the electrocution of Firefighter Byron Johnson. The funeral is Friday.

Arson in MD.

The Frederick News-Post has details of a fire in a home under construction Tuesday night.

TV memories are now just that.

A barn burns in New York. It belonged to a former network lighting director who had memorabilia in the barn from television shows dating back to the 50s. FireGeezer found video from the Journal News here. I am prepared to challenge the Geezer on 50s TV trivia (even though I was alive for only half that decade).

Sounds sadly familiar.

Fireworks set off inside a night club. Some die, some maimed. This time it is in China.

Missing money.

$58,000 from a fire department in NC. Investigators want to know more, but the chief says it has already been repaid by the person who took it.

Roaring garage fire.

No date on this fire from Ponca City, OK.

Around the web.

WithTheCommand.com has a Long Island block party apparently crashed by firefighters.

SConFire.com has links to this video, pictures and much more from the 3-alarm fire in Myrtle Beach.

And finally: I saved this picture for last so as not to blind you before you had a chance to read STATter 911.

A very interesting assortment of characters at the previously mentioned Local 36 dinner. Luckily these guys (with the exception of the man on the left) weren't outside together. That much reflection could hinder aircraft navigation. More pictures can be found on DCFD.com.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:43 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Watch story on the investigation from 9News Now at 6:00 p.m.

STATter 911 has learned investigations are underway into how a teenager was burned inside a Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department station.

According to numerous sources, an alcohol-based foam, normally used as a disinfectant, was sprayed on the teenager and then ignited. He suffered a small burn to his back after his clothing caught fire. The sources are all familiar with the investigations, but are not authorized to speak publicly about the incident.

The teenager is believed to be a 17-year-old from Pennsylvania and, according to the sources, had hoped to become a volunteer with the Riverdale Volunteer Fire Department (PGFD Station 7). He was being allowed to ride-along in anticipation of the membership. The incident occurred inside the firehouse on Queensbury Road two weekends ago.

Sources at Riverdale describe the incident as rough-housing between the teen and two Riverdale volunteers. Other sources say it is also being investigated as a possible hazing incident. Two volunteer firefighters have been suspended.

Riverdale's Volunteer Chief Vince Harrison told STATter 911, "We are conducting a thorough investigation and we consider any allegations like this very serious."

Chief Harrison said he could not make further comment on the advice of Riverdale's attorney.

Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department spokesman Mark Brady confirmed both internal and criminal investigations are underway, but also could not comment further.

Prince George's County Public Safety Director Vernon Herron said it is still unclear what was behind the incident.

Herron said, "Hazing is not a part of our membership procedure or training." Herron said if it turns out this was a hazing incident it will be "dealt with severely".

According to sources, county officials became aware of the incident when the teenager visited another fire station.

Sources at Riverdale say volunteers there befriended the teenager after he arrived with little clothing and money.

The sources say the teenager's grandmother had given permission for him to join the Riverdale Department. The boy claims to have been a volunteer in Pennsylvania. He has now returned to Pennsylvania.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 6:09 PM 18 Comments Links to this post

STATter 911 has confirmed with Kentland Volunteer Fire Department and Prince George's County officials that ambulance service will begin at 7:00 a.m., this Sunday, at the firehouse on Landover Road. Prince George's County Public Safety Director Vernon Herron says Ambulance 339 initially will not operate between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. because of the current lack of space to provide a sleeping facility for the ambulance crew.

Acting Kentland Chief Ed Lehan says he is continuing to work with county officials to secure an area at the firehouse for a bunk room to house those assigned to the ambulance.

For more than 12 years Kentland has been an all-volunteer department. The basic-life-support ambulance going in-service on Sunday will be staffed by paid, career firefighter/EMTs from the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department. Public Safety Director Herron says he will continue to work with Kentland's leadership to find volunteers to assist in staffing the unit.

This appears to be the end of a more than 7-month-long battle between Kentland and the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department. The dispute resulted in the suspension of two of Kentland's chiefs and a month long dispatch restriction that kept Kentland's fire trucks confined to its first due response area.

The deadlock was ended last week when Kentland officials met with Herron and Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson. That meeting did not include PGFD Chief Lawrence Sedgwick or any of his staff.

Chief Sedgwick had long insisted that Kentland had enough volunteers to fully staff the ambulance. The suspensions and restrictions were ordered by Sedgwick after Kentland VFD failed to meet deadlines for providing the service. A spokesperson for Sedgwick referred all calls on the matter to Vernon Herron.

Former Kentland Acting Chief Tony Kelleher was reinstated to deputy chief after last week's meeting. Kelleher was suspended on August 20th, the day the dispatch restrictions were put in place. Former Kentland Chief Michael Mattison, who was suspended in May, has not been reinstated.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:50 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

Picture & video of the day: School gym burns and collapses in UK.

Pretty spectacular fire on Tuesday at the Sidney Stringer School in Coventry. Below is video as part of the roof came in.

And below, two videos of the fire's earlier stages from a student's perspective. A warning, the school boy language is every bit as salty as some firefighters.

Also in England, security cameras catch an SUV being set on fire. Believed to be a hate crime.

About 60 miles from the school fire, in Milton Keynes, a $90,000 range rover is torched by someone on a bicycle riding up to a gay club in mid-morning.

Providence fire chief has leukemia.

Chief George Farrell, a third-generation Providence firefighter, says it was found during the department's mandatory physical exams. More from the Providence Journal.

Fallout from Frederick lawsuits.

We had told you about the 9 lawsuits by career firefighters in Frederick County, MD. Now there is a proposal to try and get rid of collective bargaining. More from the Frederick News-Post.

Fire department to close.

A department in New York is hanging up its boots over a training dispute.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 8:30 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

A Wichita Eagle photo of the scene where a Sedgwick County firefighter died yesterday. Details on the electrocution after a truck snapped a power line and started a grass fire from kansas.com.

New video of the day: House fire this morning in TN.

Firefighters from Sharon, with mutual aid from Martin and Dresden battle a house fire this morning.

Video of the day: Fire in Luzerne County, PA.

Investigators say a dryer started this fire Sunday night at the Heather Highlands Trailer Park.

Will it be Ambulance 339 for one day only?

STATter 911 keeps hearing the date of September 30th for the ambulance to go in service at Kentland. With PGFD's new numbering system to be implemented the very next day, does that mean it will be Ambulance 339 for one day only before it becomes Ambulance 833?

Charleston firefighter speaks out and wants Chief Thomas gone.

With his identity hidden a City of Charleston firefighter has his say about the state of things three months after 9 of his fellow firefighters died. See the stories here and here.

Firefighter Hourly reacts to the developments. And don't forget, SConFire.com also keeps on top of SC news.

Home builders and chief clash over sprinkler law.

In Johnston, Iowa the Home Builders Association of Greater Des Moines is arguing the sprinkler law is too stringent. The big issue is townhomes. Excerpts from the DesMoinesRegister.com:

"In a townhome, you're not only relying on your own actions but the actions of your neighbors as well," (Chief Jim) Krohse said. "In Johnston in recent years, there have been two townhome fires and one of those unfortunately involved a fatality. I feel that in my job, I'm obligated to do as much as I can to prevent that from happening."

Creighton Cox, director of government affairs for the group (Home Builders Association of Greater Des Moines), explained that because townhouse units are built with 2-hour firewalls between them, they should be regarded as safe as single-family units with regard to fire-code requirements.

"The idea behind those walls is that fire won't burn through them for two hours," Cox said. "In the event of a townhome fire, you'd be looking at a far greater chance of water damage from sprinklers than at damage from a fire".


Separation between church and VFD.

That's the controversy in New Jersey after a statue of the Virgin Mary got a ride on a fire truck. An Asbury Park Press photo above and the story here.

Drilling in a big way.

The Phoenix Fire Department is calling it the world's biggest fire drill. Details here.


Never mind.

The Washington Times is reporting that D.C.'s City Council is doing a 180 on the sale of Engine 1's quarters (seen in the Washington Times picture above)and a library to a developer. More, here.

Must reads: Common sense dispatching and the rookie fire captain on FireGeezer.

That seems to be FireGeezer's theme this morning after he read this article and heard the 911 recordings of an Oregon crash that severed a woman's hand. Well worth your time.

While you are at FireGeezer, check out FossilMedic's look at the portability problems with credentials in some professions near and dear to your heart. The title alone is enough to get your interest: "Nursing Is A Profession, Firefighting Is A Hobby and Paramedics Are Caught In The Middle".

Firefighting around the world.

No date on this fire in Manila, but it has a bit of an up close and personal view of the operation

Around the web.

WithTheCommand has a New Hampshire horse barn fire and much more.

Firefighter Spot has an update on a triple fatal fire in Brooklyn and the FDNY Emerald Society's role for the 2008 St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Fairfax County's 5th Battalion Training is looking at extrication.

Washington-Metro Area Fire & Injury Prevention website is on top of a lot of safety issues.

Firefighter Nation continues to grow and gets a lot of interesting videos, including this one.

And finally, this PGFD video has not been removed.

Since the videos from Station 42 suddenly vanished, we thought we would share a different view from Prince George's County. This one from Station 28 (West Lanham Hills VFD) was posted or re-posted on YouTube early this morning.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:55 PM 2 Comments Links to this post

From DCFD.com, a picture of Saturday evening's fatal fire at 2700 Texas Avenue, SE. I just left a press conference where Fire Marshal Gary Palmer reported the elderly woman died after falling asleep with a lit cigarette.

Chief Dennis Rubin is calling for legislation to require the use of fire safe cigarettes in the District of Columbia. This is at least the third significant blaze this year in D.C. blamed on careless use of cigarettes.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:28 PM 4 Comments Links to this post

Video of the day.

Irvington, NJ second alarm at 4:00 Sunday morning. One firefighter hurt his back at the fire in a mixed residential and commercial property.

Do not click the video above!

It's dead and so is another one featuring PGFD's Station 42. And so is the account of the person who put them on YouTube. It happened Sunday within hours of the videos appearing on STATter 911. Same thing happened after we found the Charleston fire campaign video of Mayor Joe Riley. I am starting to get a complex.

The video below is still up and running. That's good, because it will give you a chuckle and some insight into what D.C. Fire & EMS Chief Dennis Rubin means when he talks about an "all hazards" department.

House explosion.

A couple inside this Langley Park, MD house when it blew up Saturday night walked out without a scratch.

Underfunded volunteers.

A political leader is sounding the alarm in Labrador and Newfoundland.

Fatal fire in Utah.

Firefighters say they twice tried to save the man who owns this home. The details of the rescue attempts in Orem on Sunday are here. The video above is from a young neighbor quite excited by the fire activity. It gets a little more serious in this short clip, when the body of her neighbor is brought out. Notice the police officer saying, "Ma'am I am not going to let you videotape it".

Chase, house set on fire, and many other charges.

In Canada a police chase and a domestic squabble are among many other issues related to a house fire. Notice it was a TV crew that found the ditched car. Also note how police treat a TV crew.

Father and son issues.

Florida chief is the subject of an ethics complaint, apparently over his son's employment.

Around the Web.

WithTheCommand.com has the story of the MD volunteer suspected in a library fire.

FireGeezer has a fatal PA ambulance crash and a Houston hazmat. He is also very proud of his "Wooly Bully" video.

Firefighter Spot has the story about the fire truck taken on a joy ride by two NC teens and his always interesting vintage FDNY photos.

Firefighter Hourly has his own view on the mixing of politics and firefighting.

SConFire.com has news from all over SC.

VAFireNews.com is doing the same for VA, plus he has the news on Stafford's new division chief that I failed to mention.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 9:36 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of fire. The thrill of victory. The agony of defeat.

Video of the day.

UPDATE: As of 2100 hours the videos above and below have been pulled off of YouTube by the user and the account of "xMightyMidgetx" has been closed. Sorry, STATter 911 seems to be the video killer. This also happened last week shortly after we publicized the campaign videos of Charleston's Mayor Joe Riley.

I am not sure what to make of this video posted to YouTube Sunday morning. It features Station 42 in Oxon Hill, MD. It is called "Glassmanor Madness " and is posted by "xMightyMidgetx". There is language and there are images that some people may find offensive.

It features video shot around Glassmanor and inside Station 21. It ends with some children standing in front of the volunteer recruitment sign at 42 saying in unison, "stop ticking". We do know from sources within PGFD that there has been some tension between volunteer and career crews at Station 42.

Below is another video about Station 42 apparently posted by the same person 5 months ago.

All hazards department.

That's the term Chief Dennis Rubin talked about last week when describing the revamping of D.C. Fire & EMS. This is how the Dutch Fire Brigade portrays a similar concept.

Tasmanian red devil.

A video compilation of the fire that destroyed a landmark building in Hobart, Australia. FireGeezer has details and a photo gallery to look at.

Former church burns.

From the UK, a former church burned Saturday. This is video as fire breaks through the roof. More details here. For earlier video that shows some of the firefighting operations, click here.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 11:23 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

Jim Bowie photo from South Carolina State Firefighters' Association website.

SConFire.com reports the man who helped lead the memorial service for the 9 firefighters killed in Charleston on June 18th has resigned his job as executive director of the South Carolina State Firefighters' Association. No word on why Jim Bowie will leave the post on Wednesday.

Here is what the AP is reporting:

In the statement released by the association, its executive committee credited Bowie with being "instrumental in many positive and progressive developments for the benefit of everyone in South Carolina."

The association provides financial benefits and training for its 16,000 members.

Bowie in August was named a member of the national leadership team for First Responders for Rudy, a campaign group working for Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.

You may recall that STATter 911 first told you the news that Bowie was the focus of a pointed message from IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger in the days prior to the memorial service. In his message to IAFF members, Schaitberger claimed that the IAFF was cut out of the planning process and that presidential politics had been made a part of event. In a conversation with STATter 911, Jim Bowie denied those charges.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 3:57 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

Video of the day: 4th alarm at 128th Street in College Point, Queens on Thursday night.

Picture of the day - painting by the numbers: The Leesburg VFC website reports this is not the color they expected on their new engines. Seems someone was just one digit off with the paint number. Or so they wanted people to believe. A little fun to tease people that slime lime was back. There is now a video up of the real red and black fire engine.

County Fire Chief Bypassed in Kentland Negotiations.

Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson met directly with the leadership of the Kentland VFD to break the months-long impasse over ambulance service out of Station 33. The result: Station 33 allowed to again roam the county; Kelleher back in; Lehan says career staffed ambulance will be running out of Station 33 very soon. More details here.

Charleston Fined by State. Mayor Fights Back. Campaign videos pulled.

South Carolina's OSHA slapped the City of Charleston with a $9325 fine. Mayor Riley says it isn't fair. You can see Riley's response to the OSHA violations, here.

Chief Billy Goldfeder analyzes the OSHA violations on The Secret List.

SConFire.com has all the links.

Firefighter Hourly has more links and reaction.

The Riley campaign videos STATter 911 found on YouTube were pulled less than 24 hours after they were posted. All of them have now been re-posted with the exception of the one where Mayor Riley talks about the June 18th fire.

Task force says keep D.C. Fire & EMS together. Raw video of briefing.

You can see video of portions of the briefing on the task force study of EMS in D.C.

Mayor Fenty's remarks.

Chief Rubin's remarks.

Toby Halliday's remarks (David Rosenbaum's son-in-law).

Toby Halliday mentions Boston EMS Chief Richard Serino's reservations about the recommendations. Here is the power point, Chief Serino used in his presentation to the task force.

The Washington Post story on task force.

The Washington Times article on task force.

Not Granada, just Asbury Park.

Sorry for the obscure culture reference above (Cole Porter's "At Long Last Love"), but thanks to Grant Mishoe at SConFire.com for the Bruce Roland picture of Thursday's fire at a senior citizen's high rise in Asbury Park, NJ. FireGeezer seemed to be the first arriving blogger on this one and has links, including video of the fire being knocked.

Geezer also has details of an EMS related job opportunity with the federal government. At least Bill is giving you news you can use, a lot more helpful than me quoting 70-year-old songs.


Them's the brakes.

As many suspected the Ocala fire engine didn't decide to take a dip by itself. Human error resulting in $60,000 damage and 2 firefighters disciplined. More here.

Senator wants pass-fail on PASS.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) would like the federal government to test PASS devices before they go on the market. WithTheCommand.com has that and a lot of other stories.

View Larger Map

Multi-fatality fires.

Division Chief Mike Love from Montgomery County, MD has a FireChief.com blog on what we can learn from these deadly fires. Chief Love points us to the map above maintained by Ed Comeau.

Mercury exposure for firefighters.

A domestic disturbance and a trash can fire lead to decon for firefighters in Fort Worth.

New stations for Bowie.

An article on gazette.net on plans for fire stations in the Bowie area.

Structure fire in Utica, NY on Wednesday.

Camera shy.

Some worries in California over some suspicious photo taking outside fire stations.

Arlington, VA in running for EMS memorial.

Susan Nicol Kyle on EMSresponder.com has the three finalists for hosting a national EMS memorial.

Grass fire leads to grass.

In Utah $1.6 million dollars of pot found thanks to a grass fire.

Above is a 6-month-old video from Detroit. Three arsons back to back in vacant homes. Some of the better helmet cam video around. More good Detroit helmet-cam video, below, from an undated vacant home with fire out of every window and door.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:19 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

STATter 911 has learned that the month-long dispatch restrictions on the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department have been lifted by Prince George's County. It happened Wednesday at 1800 hours. At 1900 hours, Rescue Engine 33 was transferred to Station 26 (District Heights).

Since August 20th, Kentland had been mostly restricted to its first-due response area. That order came from Prince George's County Fire/EMS Chief Lawrence Sedgwick. Sedgwick took the action and also removed Kentland's acting chief, Tony Kelleher, after unsuccessful efforts to have Station 33 accept an ambulance.

The current Chief 33, Ed Lehan, tells STATter 911 that the restrictions were lifted following a meeting Wednesday between Kentland's leadership and Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson. Lehan says Johnson was joined in the meeting by Public Safety Director Vernon Herron. In recent weeks Herron has been leading efforts to resolve the 8-month-long effort to place Ambulance 339 in service. Lehan says Chief Sedgwick and his staff were not at the meeting.

PGFD Chief Lawrence Sedgwick with Kentland volunteers earlier this week during the annual Prince George's County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association Convention. Picture from Kentland33.com.

Chief Lehan said of Johnson and Herron, "We are really pleased with their efforts and initiative".

At the meeting, Tony Kelleher was reinstated as Kentland's deputy chief. For now, Ed Lehan is expected to remain as Chief 33.

Lehan told STATter 911 that there will be a career-staffed, basic-life-support unit operating out of Station 33 in the very near future. According to Lehan all sides are still working out the final arrangements on quarters for the crew.

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