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(Updated at 2:03 AM, Sunday)

Old video of the day: Here is the description on this one - "Silent newsreel showing a couple of ships on fire, the Pennsylvania Pier fire, Jersey City March 3rd 1927, a Chicago grain elevator on fire, an oil refinery fire, and also an incident in San Francisco in 1943."

3 children dead in Baltimore house fire

WJZ-TV's helicopter captured firefighters rushing from a home in Northwest Baltimore in an effort to save a child during a fire Friday afternoon. It happened in the 3500 block of Springdale Avenue about three blocks from Liberty Heights Avenue and Garrison Boulevard. They were unable to save that child or two others. Investigators say there no adults home at the time of the fire. Watch the story. Read the story.

"Make the volunteers only a social organization"

That's the suggestion of a career firefighter making a presentation before the Canandaigua, NY City Council. The career side says there are only a very small number of volunteers who are certified for interior firefighting. The council is being urged by some on the career side to take money from the volunteers and hire firefighters. Read about the issue.

No one said it had to be pretty

The Brownsburg, Indiana Fire Territory tells the local paper that the stripes on the back of the fire truck aren't there to make it look good (some would say that is an understatement). Of course, the chevrons are for safety and after two wrecks in recent years on I-74 will soon be on all Brownsburg fire trucks. Here is the article explaining the new look to the citizens.

Proposal on beach ambulance service

With the clock ticking, the Bethany Beach VFC in Delaware is making plans to provide ambulance service. Here are details from delmarvanow.com:

The Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company is scheduled to make a presentation regarding ambulance service to the Fenwick Island Town Council today.

Officials from Fenwick Island, South Bethany, Bethany Beach and Sea Colony are currently served by the Millville Volunteer Fire Company's Emergency Medical Services units. Millville fire officials informed state officials and the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company in April 2007 they would be terminating ambulance service to the Bethany Beach fire district effective Jan. 1, 2009.

"We are interested in providing a quality ambulance service to all of our citizens currently served. However, this is becoming increasingly more difficult due to increased demands for service," Douglas Scott, chief for the company, said in a previous interview.

Bethany Beach fire officials placed the initial cost for two new moderate-duty ambulances at $150,000 each. Start-up costs are estimated at $395,000.

Fenwick Island Town Manager Anthony Carson said while the council will listen to the presentation from Bethany Beach fire officials, no action will be taken regarding the issue.

"They're going to let the council know what they're proposing," he said. "It wouldn't be a time for the council to make a decision. We want the whole council to be aware of the proposal."

Firehouse roulette

FireGeezer Bill Schumm looks at Detroit's version of a practice that kept popping up in DC in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

Lightweight reporting continued

Thanks to Firehouse.com, FireGeezer and others, we have been getting quite a bit of play on a lightweight construction compilation. In case you are looking for the coverage, click here to see it. We hope to have more next week from the National Association of Homebuilders.

On a related matter the New Jersey Apartment Association explains its opposition to requiring the retrofitting of high-rise residential buildings in the Garden State. Read the op-ed piece from NJ.com.

Chief shot in bank robbery

In case you missed Wednesday's story about a bank robbery in Waterbury, CT where a Battalion Chief Felix Sambuco intervened, here it is. Read more on the story.

Chief Sambuco is profiled in a follow-up story and interview as a risk taker.

Ohio fire

A fire Wednesday in downtown Fostoria, Ohio took out several businesses. Read more and see more pictures and video.

Controlled burn

Something they have a lot of on the Eastern Shore and in Southern Delaware are chicken houses. There are now two fewer chicken houses in Laurel, DE. Wayne Barrall of Fire in the Hole Photography was there to capture Station 81's controlled burn Wednesday.

Getting hosed

Some seem to be enjoying this scene.

More bored firefighters

I guess this doesn't need any explanation.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:03 AM