STATter 911

(Updated at 12:45 PM, Sunday)

Video of the day: A terrorist attack. For the first time video has been released of the July 7th bombers deeds in London. The security camera clips were used at the trial of the men accused in the attacks. Read more.

Civilian dead, 3 FFs hurt in 3rd-alarm with mayday in Montgomery County, MD

Click the image above to see aftermath video from the fire

Listen to fireground audio from this fire

Just before 1:00 AM, firefighters went on the scene with heavy fire conditions on the second and third floors, along with people trapped in a garden apartment in the 12,800 block of Twinbrook Parkway. Here is what Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer wrote in a press release Saturday morning:

Within the first 5-10 minutes of arriving, and during firefighting and initial rescue operations, it is believed that a catastrophic floor collapse occurred sending two of three firefighting crew members from the third level into the seat of the fire on the second floor (the area of origin). A ’Mayday’ distress (firefighter down) signal was immediately activated while the two firefighters immediately sought refuge by jumping through a second floor window, landing on the ground below. In doing so they sustained serious injuries. The third firefighter was able to self-rescue through the interior to the outside.

At about the same time rescues were being made by other crews who located a victim in a second floor apartment, near the front door. He was removed, but succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene. He is being identified as Timothy Moran, age 50. Mr. Moran was the single occupant of the second floor apartment. Fire and Explosive Investigators believe this is where the fire originated. One other resident was rescued and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. A total of four residents were rescued by firefighters.

Fire Captain/Paramedic R. Dwayne Dutrow, age 38, a 17 year veteran, was flown to the MedStar Burn Unit at Washington Hospital Center. His injuries are serious, but not life threatening. Firefighter James Heikka, age 31, an 8 year veteran was also flown to the MedStar Burn Unit. His injuries are serious, but not life threatening. Both are being admitted. Firefighters Mark Mechlin, is in his 20’s and has been with the MCFRS for about one year. He was transported by a medic unit to the MedStar Burn Unit. His injuries were less serious and he is expected to be treated and released.

Piringer reports that it wasn't just a small hole that burned through the floor, dropping the two firefighters from the third to the second level. He says it was a large section of the bedroom and possibly living room. A lot of indication the fire had been burning for some time. According to Piringer the crew from Engine 723 and the other first arriving units were heavily engaged in life-safety issues when the floor collapsed.

Piringer says the two firefighters were forced to bail out of the second level on Side C which was a longer drop than Side A (two stories in the front and three in the rear).

Piringer tells STATter 911 the firefighters do not have respiratory burns.

Mayor delays Charleston report. Sources tell STATter 911 that lawyers advice rules the day. IAFF local and national blast Riley's decision.

Read Sunday statement from IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger

Statement from IAFF Local 61 on delay

Governments and other PR-wise entities often release bad news, or news that may not be well received, late on Fridays. Late Friday is when Mayor Joseph Riley announced the delay in the release of the report into the Sofa Super Store. Riley told the Post and Courier the timing was a coincidence:

The city sent out a press release announcing the decision at 6:48 p.m. Friday. Riley said city officials spoke with family members of the fallen earlier Friday and they signed off on the decision. He said the wishes of the families, though reinforcing, would not have made a difference in the city's decision to delay the report. He said the news wasn't released to the public earlier because he "had a busy day."

Mayor Riley says he ordered the delay because he wants to coordinate the Routley panel report with federal reports on the tragedy. As STATter 911 first reported late Friday night, according to sources, Mayor Riley is reacting to advice from an attorney handling this matter for the city who is concerned about the details of the report. We are told the attorney is worried the facts and the findings of the report could, from the city's standpoint, adversely impact liability issues.

While reports like these are thought of as necessary by fire service leaders in an effort to learn from mistakes and prevent future tragedies, the report's contents can make lawyer's nervous.

We have contacted a city spokesperson for comment.

More excerpts:

Last week, Riley issued a memo to City Council explaining that the report would be delivered within the first two weeks of May. But he said Friday that a new photo from the fire recently surfaced, causing city officials to question whether more time was needed to make sure there was "no stone unturned" in the probe.

The city reviewed its contracts with the panel, which stated that the group's investigation should "take into account" information from federal probes into the June 18 blaze. The city decided to wait until at least two of the probes are finished, Riley said. One of those investigations could take more than two months to complete.

He said the city was concerned about the possibility that the panel's report would be seen as incomplete if subsequent federal reports showed different findings. "We have a responsibility to make sure it's as accurate and comprehensive as possible."

Riley said the panel's report could be released over the summer, but he refused to commit to a definite timetable.

Former Louisiana Fire Chief Gordon Routley, leader of the city-appointed panel of experts, said he saw no reason for delaying the report's release, but the decision is out of his hands. Routley said the panel has met regularly with the other agencies investigating the fire and that its report is informed by the work and findings of those agencies. He said he did not have any concerns that the panel's report could be contradicted or at odds with reports from those other agencies.

"We were prepared to come out with a comprehensive report," he said. "But the city is the client. They are paying the bill."

DC house fire

Picture above and description below of a Saturday evening house fire from DC Fire & EMS Department PIO Alan Etter:

Just after 7:00 PM, units responded for the 4100 block of Fessenden Street in Tenleytown for the report of a house on fire. First arriving firefighters found heavy fire showing from the rear of the two-story wood frame home. The back porch was completely engolfed, and it was evident that fire had extended to the interior of the building on both the first and second floors. An aggressive interior attack extinguished the fire on the inside of the house, while firefighters working on the exterior also brought that portion of the fire under control quickly. Witnesses reported hearing explosions, which may have been propane tanks on a grill venting. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Geezer has the word

And the word is "preferred". Find out how its omission messed up the application process for a fire department's top job. Click here. For the rest of what FireGeezer has, click here.

Underground fires in MA

From Harvard Square in Cambridge this morning.

Ambulance cameras catch tornado

This is from Suffolk, Virginia at the start of the week.

Firefighters told to put a sock in it, or else

You may recall the ongoing saga of the fire department in Oak Grove, MN that we ran on Wednesday. Questions about tactics at a recent fatal fire have made the news along with other department issues. Apparently someone doesn't like that. It has now been made clear that kind of behavior will no longer be tolerated. The behavior I am talking about is the talking about the problems. Excerpts from the Star-Tribune:

The order, which was read to firefighters Wednesday at a scheduled drill, was confirmed Thursday by Chantell Knauss, the city administrator who wrote the one-page memo. Not all of the firefighters agreed to sign the memo, as was requested.

Referring directly to the March 5 fire and criticism of the department discussed at City Council meetings Monday and April 14, the memo states:

"All Employees, including Paid on-call Fire Department personnel, City Council members and City staff need to immediately stop talking about or commenting, publicly or privately, on tactical responses, opinions about employment matters or observations about the same."

The memo further states that a pending investigation "will severely be compromised by continued comment and attempts to influence others with public comment." It says employees who fail to follow the directive not to talk "shall be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.''

Knauss recommended at Monday's meeting that the city hire an investigator independent of the department. She suggested a recently retired fire chief from the south metro area who plans to charge $100 per hour for an estimated 30 hours work.

5 months for setting firehouse on fire

A former FDNY member who set a firehouse door on fire is going to jail. Here's the story from New York 1:

Richard Capece, 31, was sentenced to five months in jail for setting fire to a door at the Engine-34 firehouse in Hell's Kitchen back in October.

Capece and co-defendant Michael Izzo claimed it was just a prank.

Both firefighters pleaded guilty to reduced charges of reckless endangerment. The judge also ordered Capece to complete 100 hours of community service.

Izzo will be sentenced on June 19th.

VA firefighter returns after collapse

You may recall the story of Scott Hetherington from Roanoke, VA. He is the firefighter who collapsed inside a burning home last December. He was in cardiac arrest and revived by his fellow firefighters. Hetherington has now returned to the job. Click here for the story.

Moving fast

Here is the description with this video: Just north of Tatum, NM about 10 miles..Fast moving prairie/grass fire moved alongby high winds from the SW. Do not get downwind from one of these.

Check out FireGeezer's coverage of New Mexico wildfires.

Flying bumper breaks firefighter's leg

Watch story on exploding bumper

Salinas Rural Fire District report on 2005 incident involving exploding bumper

Another case of a bumper on a burning car becoming a projectile. This one was in Oakland, CA Thursday evening. Excerpts from KTVU-TV:

The firefighter crew had responded to a home on Halliday Avenue about 11:30 Wednesday night. The firefighters successfully protected the home from the flames, but while the car was burning, the front bumper blew off and struck the female fighter in her left leg.

KTVU News found at least three instances around the nation where similar incidents have happened. Sol Sulaiman of Oakland's Broadway Smog and Tune-Up Center explains, "The front bumper attached to two shocks that are filled with gas, under pressure with metal housing. When it gets heated up, it could blow up." Sulaiman says the design protects drivers in an accident.

Lieutenant David Brue with the Oakland fire department says firefighters have had discussions with vehicle manufacturers about changing the bumpers. The fire department does train its firefighters to beware of the potential for parts from burning vehicles to become dangerous airborne projecticles.

Montgomery County 3rd alarm

I'm a day late on this one. Even though I was only 4 miles away, listening to the scanner, I was stuck at a live shot for another story and couldn't break away. Click the image above for the raw chopper video of the 3-alarm fire on Wednesday at 324 E. Diamond Avenue in Gaithersburg.

These apartments were vacant. It was strictly a defensive operation. Investigators have determined the fire was intentionally set.

There are still pictures on thewatchdesk.com

Audio from the fireground can be found here

New Brunswick, NJ fire

This is reported to be from Monday on Livingston Ave. around 10:15 PM.

Apartment fire in Ontario

This is a fire Wednesday evening on McDonnel Street in Peterborough, Ontario. Read more.

Bladensburg video

Bladensburg VFD in Prince George's County, MD recently had two firefighters honored by Firehouse for a 2007 rescue (Click here for William Carey's article). Here is a video posted on YouTube of some images in and around Station 809's first due.

South Farmingdale fire

A house fire from April 27, two of multiple parts. Click here for the rest.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:45 PM