STATter 911

Scrap rubber reduction plant burns

This is from last night in Brimfield, Ohio. A fire at Puritan systems, a scrap rubber reduction plant. According to recordpub.com, "No injuries were reported, but residents from nearby homes were evacuated and relocated to Brimfield Elementary School on S.R. 43 because of the threat of the fire spreading and the presence of caustic nitrogen tanks near the flames".

Underground blast

No date on this explosion from Russia that briefly traps a bystander and takes out car windows.

House fire in MA

No date on this fire in Maynard, MA. Part 2.

Home response in Belgium

These are the volunteers of Ville d'Andenne in Belgium. A helmet-cam is running as the volunteers arrive at the firehouse and respond to a report of a house fire. Looks very similar to what you might see here, but there are some clear differences.

Admittedly knowing next to nothing about firefighting in Europe, I do notice the chief's car completely blocks the front entrance and the first group of firefighters enters the building all but empty handed, but with SCBA.

GA apartment fire

From Augusta on Thursday night. Read more about the fire at the Merrick Place apartments.

PA apartment fire

This is from August 3 in Reading, PA. A historic mansion turned into apartments. Four firefighters were hurt in the three-alarm fire. Watch raw video from the fire.

Train wreck

Not new, but a very vivid look as a locomotive leading a coal train crashed into the rear of a cut of stationary cars after a switch was mistakenly left open. The coal train was reported to be traveling at 36 mph. Two locomotives and 26 cars derailed. Both crew members survived, but had to retire. Click here to see a picture of the locomotive after the crash.

For some reason this one doesn't seem to want to play all the time, so click here is it isn't working.

Tractor pull fire

From Franklin, KY a rush to pull Monica Shaw to safety after her tractor suddenly catches fire.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:05 PM 3 Comments Links to this post

From HeraldDispatch.com

Security cameras caught the explosion Thursday night in Institute, West Virginia that killed one worker and critically burned a second person. The Kanawha County Commission and members of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board have scheduled a press conference at 3 p.m. today to discuss the blast and fire at the Bayer CropScience plant.

From the Charleston Gazette:

Bayer officials said the explosion appears to have occurred in a chemical tank that was added during a recent routine maintenance shutdown of a pesticide unit.

The 4,000-gallon cylindrical tank was used to clean up wastes created during the production of the pesticide Larvin, said Bayer site manager Nick Crosby.

"It appears to have occurred right at the back end of the process where we treat process residues," Crosby said. "[But] I can't tell you today what caused the incident. We don't know yet."

WCHS-TV has video from a security camera that caught the initial blast. Also, watch coverage from WCHS-TV.

Click here for a long list of video links of this incident from WSAZ-TV. The top link has security camera video of the flash from the blast and the sound of the explosion. Just below it is raw video of the fire. Further down is video from the explosion and fire in the 1990s.

The plant has a long history of safety violations and a previous deadly fire and explosion. Read more from SundayGazetteMail.com.

The paper also reports that the possibility of a chemical disaster of major proportions has long worried residents in the Kanawha Valley. Click here.

Institute made news in 1985 and again in 1990 after a series of leaks at its Union Carbide plant. At least one of those leaks involved the chemical that killed 3500 people near a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India in 1984. Read details.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 6:34 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Fairfax County, Virginia's Urban Search and Rescue Team (Virginia Task Force 1) is mobilizing from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy. They're expected to head out first to Atlanta. The team consists of 80 members.

Also, a medical 'strike team' left Baltimore on Saturday to help Gulf Coast states deal with hurricane Gustav. The 26 paramedics are trained in advanced life-saving skills. They're expected to be gone for seven to fourteen days.

Montgomery County (MD) is prepared to send a emergency workers to help with rescue efforts should the need arise.

The team of up to 70 firefighters is gearing up to make the trip. Earlier in the week a small number of firefighters headed south to make preparations and set up the incident management system in anticipation of the deployments.

From Florida, BradentonHerald.com has this:

A Miami-Dade Fire Rescue urban disaster team headed to Georgia on Saturday to help wherever Hurricane Gustav strikes.

The Rescue Urban Search and Rescue Team will wait there to see where Gustav does the most damage and then travel to help rescue efforts and treat victims.

The 34 firefighters are bringing four search dogs, medical supplies, digging equipment and pole-mounted cameras.

They're trained to help set up command and control stations as well as provide technical assistance and structural assessment and stabilization. They also can help provide medical care, hazardous materials mitigation, tactical communications and logistics support.

The trip is funded by the federal government and could last two weeks or more, depending on the severity of the storm's impact.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 5:52 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

We have been hearing from Richmond, VA firefighters who recently received an order barring any on-duty solicitation for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. On Friday, STATter 911 contacted City of Richmond Department of Fire & Emergency Services Chief Robert Creecy and Lt. Mike Oprandy the department's PIO about the situation. Here is the response received today from Lt. Oprandy:

The Fire Chief was notified by the City Attorney's Office of a media inquiry in reference to the MDA "fill the boot" fund drive. In response to this inquiry, personnel rules and regulations and city ordinances were reviewed.

As a result of this research, it became evident that the Fire Department was in violation of Administrative Regulation 1.2, which prohibits on duty city employee's from soliciting donations. On-duty MDA activities were immediately suspended.

This action only affects the participation of firefighters while they are on duty. Richmond's Bravest continue to demonstrate their personal leadership and commitment to make this year's “Fill the Boot” drive a success by volunteering to collect donations while off duty.

In the immediate Washington area the view on MDA solicitation is a little different. Read about the efforts underway this weekend.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:50 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Image from KOVR-TV. Click here for fire video.

Watch story from KXTV-TV

(Click here for more fire & EMS news from STATter 911, and here for an update on this story)

A roof collapse injured one firefighter. Three others were hurt in the the 3-alarm fire on a 100-degree day in the Del Paso Heights neighborhood of Sacramento. The blaze spread from one home to a second.

Rotating fire company closures left the closest fire station without an engine company and it took seven-minutes for the first pumper to arrive on the scene. The City of Sacramento Fire Department's official press release about the fire includes information about the closed company. The department also lists its "brown-out" calender of closed companies on its website.

From KXTV-TV:

Fire response possibly slowed by a browned-out Sacramento fire station may have played a role in a three-alarm blaze that destroyed two homes in a Del Paso Heights neighborhood Friday afternoon.

Capt. Jim Doucette with the Sacramento Fire Department said the fire started on the 100 block of Redondo Avenue around 5 p.m. Friday.

Crews were able to get the fire under control, but not before two homes were burned to the ground.

Doucette said Sacramento Fire's Rescue 20, a truck without water-pumping and hose capabilities, was the first unit on scene, but it wasn't until Engine 17 arrived at 5:19 p.m. that efforts to battle the fire could get underway.

The engine at Fire Station 20, located on Rio Linda Boulevard, was out of service under the city's new brownout policy.

Due to budget cuts, the city began rotating fire company closures throughout Sacramento last month, shutting down a single company for 48 hours at a time.

"It did throw us a little behind," Doucette said. "Whenever that happens, the rescue company has to go into a completely separate mode."

Doucette said Engine 17 arrived seven minutes after the initial fire call, just over the department's preferred five-minute response time to emergency calls.

As for whether an on-duty Engine 20 would have made a difference or been able to save any portion of the burned homes, Doucette said simply, "I have no idea."

Wendy Ayala lost everything but a dresser in the fire and said she didn't know her neighborhood fire station was closed Friday.

"It's too bad. If they could have gotten here sooner, maybe it could have been saved," Ayala said. "It's sad for everybody."

The cause of the blaze was under investigation. Doucette said a partial roof collapse injured one firefighter and three others were transported to area hospitals for what appeared to be heat exhaustion. All the injuries were described as minor, Doucette said.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 6:05 AM 16 Comments Links to this post

There have been so many cases in recent weeks of firefighters accused of starting fires that I've lost track. The most recent appears to be a 19-year-old volunteer in Aiken County, SC. Brandon Smith, who was also an Aiken Department of Public Safety cadet, is charged with three house fires and a woods fire. A sheriff''s office spokesman says, "These fires were set, in part, out of boredom" and that Smith would head home after setting the blazes to gear up and respond on the calls. There is concern that someone tipped Smith that his arrest was coming. Click here for the story.

But it is the outcome of an older case that caught my attention.

In that one a volunteer firefighter from Peoria, IL area kept his hands clean by not setting the fires himself. Instead, former Limestone Township firefighter Donald Magner hired two friends to do the dirty work so Magner could put out the fires.

Magner was sentenced on Friday. Here are excerpts from an article on pjstar.com:

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:44 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Listen to first 911 call

Listen to second 911 call

See earlier coverage

Firefighters at Montgomery County, Maryland's 911 center took two calls about the pre-dawn fire on Friday that killed one woman and left her adult son critically injured.

The first call was at 5:41 AM from a tenant who had a room in the basement of 11311 Gainsborough Road. He woke up to smell smoke and called 911 as he exited the house. The man calmly explained there were two people still trapped inside. The call-taker remained on the line until the first emergency personnel, police officers, arrived on the scene.

Also at 5:41 AM a neighbor called to report the house next door was on fire. This woman was quite excited and upset by the situation. The call-taker worked to calm her down and tried to elicit important information and provide instructions.

Arriving firefighter found Marilyn Ehrlich unresponsive in a second floor hallway. Attempts to revive her were unsuccessful. Moments later, her son was discovered near the kitchen on the first floor. They were able to revive him and at last word he was in critical, but stable condition.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 11:35 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Click here to watch the story

From WXIA-TV:

Firefighter Matt Mosley is leaving the Atlanta Fire Department to become a firefighter in north suburban Johns Creek.

Mosley became famous over nine years ago when he rescued stranded crane operator Iver Sims from the middle of the Cotton Mill inferno. Mosley's daring, dangling rescue was national news and made him into an overnight sensation.

In the years since, he has continued to work as an Atlanta firefighter, being shifted because his old squad was decommissioned in the recent cuts by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.

Mosley says he heard about the new fire department coming on line in Johns Creek in north Fulton County this fall and he pursued the opportunity. He has been offered a position as a lieutenant within the department. Mosley says he's excited to be in a leadership position and that he looks forward to being able to share his knowledge with his fellow firefighters.

Mosley cites the recent cutbacks and the closure of historic Fire Station 7 as part of his reason to leave Atlanta. He said working for the city was a rollercoaster. "I'm getting older and roller coasters make me nauseous. I want to get off and be in a place that's more like a carousel for a while."

Mosley is married with two young daughters.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 10:39 PM 3 Comments Links to this post

Watch 9NEWS NOW report

Firefighters in Montgomery County, MD found two lifeless bodies in a burning home in the 11,300 block of Gainsborough Rd. The house is across the street from Churchill High School, in a neighborhood off of Tuckerman Lane between Rockville and Potomac. The first 911 call came at 5:45 this morning from a tenant living in the basement. That man reported smoke in the house with two others still trapped inside.

According to spokesman Pete Piringer, the first arriving firefighters reported fire showing as they approached the scene. The bulk of the fire was in a one-story section that appears to have been a carport converted into a recreation room. Firefighters soon found an unresponsive woman in her 70s in a second floor hallway. Another crew then found the woman's son, who appeared to be in his 40s, on the first floor, by the kitchen.

Medics worked both victims. The woman, Marilyn Ehrlich, was pronounced dead at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. Her son, Ethan Ehrlich, is in critical but stable condition. He was originally taken to MedStar and has since been transferred to George Washington University Medical Center.

Three firefighters were hurt. One with an injured knee, another with a small burn to the hand and the third with smoke inhalation. All are expected to be treated and released.

Piringer reports there is no indication, so far, of smoke alarms in the home. The tenant was awakened by the smoke and not a detector.

It has been a busy morning for firefighters in Montgomery County. There was another house fire around 8:00 AM about ten-miles away in the 16,400 block of Riffle Ford Road, west of Gaithersburg.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 8:47 AM 4 Comments Links to this post

Pittsburgh's first female deputy chief is demoted: Fire Chief Darryl Jones told Colleen Walz he was making the move because of a court order. Chief Walz will retain the salary of a deputy chief, but her duties will be that of a battalion chief. This comes out of a 2006 lawsuit by Battalion Chief Michael Mullen who claimed he was unfairly passed over for the deputy slot. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "On Monday, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Timothy P. O'Reilly ordered the city to install Mullen as deputy chief immediately". Read more.

Fire commission rejects settlement in jumper case: Lawyers for the City of San Francisco reached a settlement with the family of a man who fell to his death after a failed rescue attempt by a fire lieutenant in 2006. But the city's Fire Commission has unanimously rejected the settlement. Lt. Victor Wyrsch and Chief Joanne Hayes-White were sued after Wyrsch tried to grab Nick Torrico while Torrico was perched on the ledge of a four-story Nob Hill apartment building. Read the latest in the case. Read details from KGO-TV's investigation into the incident.

Boise wildfire helmet-cam video: Boise Captain Tom Moor has his helmet-cam running when a wildfire fire broke out Monday that destroyed ten homes and damaged nine others. The fire killed a Boise State University professor. Short version of video. Full 34-minute raw video.

According to KTVB-TV, "Boise Fire investigators said Thursday that an electrical connection on a powerpole, called a hot tap stirrup, arched causing molten metal to fall to the dry grass below" igniting the fire. Read more.

Video roundup: Click here to see 6 new videos.

Austin close call videos: Click here and you will see a group of videos from the Austin Fire Department. The four videos titled Lessons Learned are interviews with firefighters about two close call incidents in Austin.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:39 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

House fire in Texas with a little surprise for one FF

From Paris, Texas around 11:00 Monday night. Look at 1:12 into the video when a firefighter operating alone on Side C is startled by a pop and a shower of sparks.

RI house fire

A 3-alarm house fire in Woonsocket on Thursday afternoon.

Oil rig fire

An oil rig burned in Rulison, CO Wednesday. Click here for the details.

House fire in Baton Rouge

No date on this fire on Cadillac St. with Engine 14. More helmet-cam videos from Engine 14.

Arsenal fire

An ammunition depot fire broke out Wednesday in eastern Ukraine. Read details.

Man sets car on fire. Is that all that burns?

The video shows it was shot early last Sunday morning, but doesn't say where. If the man who set this car on fire escaped unscathed, he is very lucky.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 8:58 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Last part of series looking at young firefighter's death: In Part 5 the editorial board of The Oregonian is asking for the U.S. Justice Department to look at the death five-years-ago of Shannon Halvorson. Read the latest installment. See the previous parts.

Apparently no one can fill naked assistant chief's boots: Johnson City, NY lost its chief to a bit of a scandal last June and the assistant chief last November after he turned the firehouse into Camp Sunshine. Now there is a move to save money by not filling the AC slot. Read more.

Where they are filling the boots: Click here for a run down of efforts by IAFF locals in three DC jurisdictions to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Blast video: CSB's latest video looking at the November 22, 2006 explosion that rocked Danvers, MA. Click here.

Oil rig fire: A look at Wednesday's oil rig fire that killed one in Oklahoma. Read the story.

Number of woman making claims against Boston deputy chief doubles: Peter Pearson's problems are multiplying quickly. Read the latest.

When good news and no flames are the lead story: A sprinkler system save in Springfield, MO was the top news of the day on KOLR-TV on Wednesday. Watch the story.

Dollar beer: FireGeezer gives us a nice chuckle with his illustration for the story about Dollar General adding beer to the inventory. Look at it here.

Not sure I understand what's going on here, but it does look interesting: A lcoal paper has the blow-by-blow account of some serious personnel problems at Montana's Frenchtown Rural Fire District. The Clark Fork Chronicle reports that Chief Scott Waldron may be on his way out. But not before a very public battle with one employee. That former worker tells the paper, "Life after Waldron is a lot less stressful". Read it for yourself.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:15 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Before we got earned reputation as Springer 911 with the video of the fireworks shot off the moon, we had already dipped our little toe in tabloid waters with the picture above. That's Kenneth Roe, the now retired assistant chief of the Johnson City (NY) Fire Department. It shows how he celebrated his 20th and last anniversary with the department in November, 2007.

Apparently Chief Roe has some big shoes to fill (but I am guessing not in this picture). The Village of Johnson City is likely to keep the assistant fire chief's position vacant. At least that's the sense of the Village board at a meeting Wednesday night.

Currently the chief's position is also vacant with the fire marshal acting as chief. Former Chief Henry Michalovic was forced to leave in June after a dispute over holiday pay resulted in Mihalovic having to pay back $12,000 on the way out the door. Reading excerpts from the article below off the WBNG-TV website, it isn't just the assistant chief's job, it appears everyone may not be so sure a fire chief is needed:

Trustee Dennis Hannon says under the new contract, the assistant fire chief makes close to 90 thousand dollars plus benefits.

The village would save over 100 thousand dollars by leaving the position unfilled.

"The assistant chief's position is just an unnecessary layer of upper management. And if we do follow through with the promotions that will also deplete a firefighter from the street, from the rank and file, as everyone moves up and that's not a good thing either." said Hannon.

No decision was made Wednesday night.

The village attorney also found the village is not legally required to have a fire chief, although trustees don't expect to even consider getting rid of that position.

The current list of chief officers according to the Johnson City Fire Department website

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:13 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

While it shows mostly aftermath and some spot fires, KOTV-TV seems to have the best video, so far, of this morning's oil rig explosion in Creek County, OK. One man jumped to his death when workers, trying to cap a well, were suddenly facing a wall of flames as the oil ignited.

From KOTV-TV's website (links to videos are on this page):

Investigators believe a truck back-fired and ignited the oil, causing an explosion and fire with flames that shot 60-feet into the air.

News On 6 was told that one person who jumped from the derrick died. Another person was taken by medical helicopter to a Tulsa hospital with burns. A third person was taken by ambulance to a Tulsa hospital, also with burns. A fourth person was treated at the scene for minor burns.

Matt Skinner with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission says his agency has an office in Bristow and was the first agency on the scene with investigative authority.

Skinner says the Corporation Commission investigation found no lasting environmental problems and that no issues with equipment were discovered.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 3:36 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

In 2007 the Fairfax County Professional Fire Fighters & Paramedics - IAFF Local 2068 took top honors in the nation raising $536,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Of course, they are at it again starting tomorrow. Click here and scroll down to read details from Joel Kobersteen, the 2008 Fill the Boot Coordinator.

The video above, about the efforts in Fairfax County, was produced last year by Captain Paul Beardmore.

Montgomery County IAFF Local 1664 has a similar large effort. Click here to read details, including locations where the public can contribute. More from coordinator Donnie Simmons at IAFF Local 1664's website.

Of course in Prince George's County, IAFF Local 1619 has its 35th Annual International MDA Softball Tournament at Watkins Regional Park beginning on September 4. Click here to read the press release and click here to read the rich history of this event. (I contend the event peaked the year I got in the dunk tank with Chief Jim Estepp.)

We urge you support all of these efforts.

More pictures at IAFF Local 1619's website

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:41 PM 7 Comments Links to this post

Burned FF tries to get her job back: Cindy Schuenke made an emotional appeal last night to the people who fire her at the Community Fire Protection District in Overland, MO. Critically burned in a fire in 2006, Schuenke believes she will eventually be able to go back to full duty. Click here for a very compelling story.

Firefighter impersonator?: Starting to hear word of a late night visitor to a Fairfax County firehouse who was found wearing and carrying around property belonging to local firefighters. Police are on the case and are looking for others who may have had contact with this man who failed to become a firefighter when he applied. More as we get it.

Part 4 of Oregon series: Today's installment from The Oregonian's editorial board look at the death five-years-ago of Firefighter Shannon Halvorson. Click here for Part 4. Click here for the previous parts. Chief Billy Goldfeder talks about the series on FirefighterCloseCalls.com.

Video roundup: Riding along with an assistant chief in Kentucky. Watching a hotel burn in Quebec. Listening in as a citizen armed with a camera interviews the fire chief of Fresno. An old fire from Shreveport and some history from Fresno and Madison. Plus a floor buffer rodeo. Click here to watch are latest group of videos.

Three with faces for radio: We told you last month about the Internet radio show we did with FireGeezer Bill Schumm and Billy Goldfeder. Now you can hear it for yourself. Click here.

A really cheap trick by Statter: My headline reads "Two new Kentland videos posted on the Internet". Accurate, but highly misleading. Learn more by clicking here.

Marijuana mystery solved: Police say it was the Newton, MA fire chief's grandson who left the pot in the police car last week. Click here for the update.

Chief's job reopens two weeks after it was filled: They are once again looking for a chief in East Hartford, CT after the acting chief turns down the job because he can't afford the pay cut. Read the story.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:05 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Image above is from KTVI-TV. Click here to watch the story about Cindy Schuenke.

"You guys all had your arms around me in the hospital saying you'd take care of her". That's what Cindy Schuenke told the board of directors of the Community Fire Protection District in Overland, MO last night. It is the same group that fired the burned firefighter on July 2. No word on whether her appeal will change any minds.

If you are unaware of Cindy Schuenke's ordeal, click here to see the story Elizabeth Holland did for the St. Louis Dispatch last September. It talks about the battle back from burns that almost killed the firefighter. During the effort to save the mother of another firefighter trapped in a burning house, Schuenke fell through the floor with a basement fire burning below her. Fellow firefighters thought Schuenke was dead.

Here are excerpts from the St. Louis Dispatch report on Cindy Schuenke's appeal to get her job back:

The board members — Leo Morrow, Dan Doerr and Fran Costello — and board attorney Neil Bruntrager told reporters they could not comment on Schuenke's status after the meeting with Schuenke and her attorney, Michael Schaller.

Schaller, meanwhile, expressed outrage over the meeting and the reason for it: the board's decision in July to terminate Schuenke. That decision, Schaller said, was "far too premature." He said the directors didn't let him know Tuesday whether Schuenke's job status would change.

Community's board met with Schuenke and Schaller due to a grievance against the board alleging that the directors had failed to give Schuenke a hearing, as district policy requires, before terminating her in July.

Schuenke learned she'd been fired in a letter from fire district Chief Fred Cain. "Given the nature and extent of your injuries, it is clear that you are unable to perform the duties required in that position," the letter said.

Schuenke was fired despite a June 11 letter from her surgeon, Dr. Michael Smock, in which he wrote that Schuenke hadn't reached a plateau in her recovery and that he believed it would take another year or more for her to reach a point of "maximum medical improvement."

"I cannot rule out the possibility of Ms. Schuenke returning to work as a firefighter/paramedic," Smock wrote.

Schaller said that while worker's comp will continue to cover medical costs for injuries Schuenke suffered in the fire, the termination leaves her without coverage for other medical issues. It also strips her of $50,000 in annual salary and pension and other benefits, he said.

"Here's somebody who risked her life to try to save the mother of a fire captain in this district and now, two years later, when all the smoke and dust has cleared, they're going to cut her loose and make her live off Social Security disability, and that's just not fair," Schaller said.

In tears after the meeting, Schuenke said her career wasn't over. "This is what I've always wanted to do with my life," she said. "I'm not done yet."

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:05 AM 3 Comments Links to this post

Command vehicle ride along in KY

Assistant Chief Jason Long of the Milton Fire & Rescue has been running a camera in his command car, 8502, a Crown Victoria. Long, who also serves as the department's public affairs officer, began posting the results on YouTube yesterday. It includes radio traffic, mixed in with a little country music playing very softly in the background. Above is Part 1 of a fire from earlier this month. Here's how it is described on the department's website:

ON 08-16-2008 AT 09:09a.m., MILTON FIRE & RESCUE WAS DISPATCHED TO 18 MILES RD FOR THE REPORT OF A FULLY ENGULFED TRAILER FIRE. FIRE UNITS ARRIVED ON SCENE AND FOUND THE TRAILER ON FIRE AND PROCEEDED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. FIRE UNITS ON SCENE CONTAINED THE FIRE TO THE FRONT HALF OF THE MOBILE HOME. TWO YOUNG GIRLS RECEIVED INJURIES FROM SMOKE INHALATION AND ONE ALSO HAD A MINOR CUT. PATIENTS WERE TREATED ON SCENE AND RELEASED BACK TO THE MOTHER. THE HOME WAS OWNED BY MARK MULLINS AND WAS BEING RENTED TO CHRISTY TRIGG BOTH FROM BEDFORD KENTUCKY. FIRE WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE STARTED IN A FAULTY WINDOW A/C UNIT. BEDFORD FIRE & RESCUE AND TRIMBLE COUNTY EMS WERE ALSO ASSISTING ON SCENE.

Click here to watch Parts 2, 3 and 4, along with other videos posted by Chief Long.

Century old hotel burns

From Chapeau, Quebec, a fire that started at 3:00 AM on Tuesday at Fred's hotel and restaurant. It was known for the largest T-bone steaks on Allumette Island. Click here to read more and see a picture from earlier in the fire.

Fire chiefs beware: Citizens armed with cameras

When you are the fire chief of a large department it isn't just the Dave Statter's of the world you have to look out for who may be running your way with a camera. Now it can be just about anyone. Fresno Chief Randy Bruegman found that out yesterday when he was confronted by a man who called himself the "Old Geezer" (not to be confused with FireGeezer). While the narration was interesting, the questioning was pretty benign. Something about it reminded me of the Ali G Show.

Speaking of Fresno

Attached to the video with Chief Bruegman as a related video was this interesting find. It is described as an 8-minute trailer for a documentary to be released in 2010 about the 130-year history of the Fresno Fire Department. It has some wonderful archival film mixed in. It is worth watching and listening to for the account of the rookie whose bed kept being thrown down the pole hole.

Another old one from Shreveport

On Tuesday evening, Norm "Doc" Zaffater of signal51group.com posted this 3-alarm school fire from July 15, 1987. Here is what he wrote about the blaze:

This video is of a elementary school which was almost finished with an extensive restoration that was set on fire by an arsonist. It occurred over 20 years ago, but is worth a look back at the firefighting operations that were used back then. Many of the firefighters that fought it went to school there and expressed how difficult it was to see it go up in smoke.

Firefighter Spot has also discovered this wonderful resource for old film and and old and new video. Jason recently posted a 1995 flashover video from Shreveport.

Since we are on the old stuff

This is a compilation of pictures from the 125-year history of the Madison, WI Fire Department.

Fireman funnies

A little floor buffer rodeo action from somewhere.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:33 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

Got your attention, didn't I? What, do you think there is only one Kentland? How about Kentland, Indiana? Why should the boys on Landover Road get all the attention?

These are two videos posted Monday from the Kentland (IN) Fire Department. Click on each image to watch the video.

Okay, I admit ahead of time the headline was really a cheap thing to do. Just remember, you looked.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 4:04 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

The nice pictures on this page that make us all look better than we have a right to look are by our friend Mike Legeros (www.legeros.com).

In a lame attempt to justify STATter 911's existence on the Internet, I participated in Chief Billy Goldfeder's Through the Smoke from Radio @ Firehouse.com last month during Firehouse Expo. Joining me is FireGeezer Bill Schumm (the guy in the middle, who may be older, but has the good sense, unlike the other two, to know when to push himself away from the dinner table).

It was actually a lot of fun. My wife, a radio professional, thought that Billy is really good at this stuff (she didn't say that about me).

Now, for those who weren't in the audience at the Baltimore Convention Center, here's your first chance to hear for yourself what makes Bill and Dave tick.

Click here for Through the Smoke: Firefighters and Hot Blogs from Firehouse Expo

# posted by Dave Statter @ 3:15 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Watch what happens at :59 into the video. Here is the caption posted with the video on LiveLeak yesterday about a July 25 fire in Istanbul:

A group of firemen escaped a huge and unexpected blast while they were struggling with the blazes in a fire at a factory in Turkey's largest city. Two firefighters escaped the explosion with slight burns on their hands and a worker was also slightly injured.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 7:22 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

And now there are three: A third woman has come forward saying Boston Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Peter Pearson posed as a state trooper and raped her. The victims have been described as prostitutes and vulnerable people. Click here for the latest.

Part 3 of Oregon editorial on FF death: Today's installment of The Oregonian newspaper's five-part look by its editorial board into the death of Shannon Halvorson is called Cleaning up the mess. Click here to read the paper's view that firefighters tried to clean up evidence of drinking at a party involving those underage and also used a press release in an attempt to sanitize what happened to the 20-year-old woman.

The paper has also added a video. It includes an interview with Halvorson's father. Dick Zimmerlee is also responding directly to some of the comments posted with the stories. Click here and here.

To read all parts of the series reviewing the five-year-old case, click here.

Response times questioned in PA: Bloggers making note that the Silver Spring Community Fire Company was having an all-day chicken bar-b-q at the time of a fatal fire has a Harrisburg TV station asking questions about response times. It took 11-minutes for the first engine to respond to the fire that called a 24-year-old man with cerebral palsy. The fire chief says the event had no impact on the fire. Read the story.

Still sparring over the Loudoun response times: The comments keep coming in over the delay in getting help to a man in cardiac arrest. Click here to read the latest.

Mayor backs chief over pot discovery: In a press conference Monday, Newton, MA Mayor David Cohen said he is standing behind his fire chief. Late last week marijuana was found in Chief Joseph LaCroix's car and an investigation is trying to determine where the pot came from. Read the article. Watch raw video of mayor's press conference.

Three alarms in VA: Monday afternoon a fire on floor 23 of an apartment building on South George Mason Drive in Bailey's Crossroads had Fairfax County sounding three alarms. About 200 people were forced out of the high-rise as firefighters went to work. Greg Guise shot a little video after the fire was knocked down. Click here.

Just a little bit of interesting, but useless historical information. The "Bailey" in Bailey's Crossroads came from the Bailey family that lived there beginning in 1837. The family ran traveling circuses. The Bailey's eventually merged with the circus run by Phineas T. Barnum and later the Ringling Brothers.

Juniors make the news: A look at how junior members are trained at the Millville VFC in Sussex County, DE. Read the story.

A former junior FF making the news in not such a positive manner ... a reminder to change the locks: A month ago FireGeezer had the story of a stolen fire truck in Connecticut. Now some more details about the former cadet accused in the theft and joy ride. Matthew Stevens had been removed from the A.A. Young Jr. Hose & Ladder Co. No. 1 three months before the incident, but he remembered the combination to get into the building. He had apparently been breaking into the building regularly before deciding to go for the ride. Read the details.

Hell hath no fury: Not sure what the man did or is accused of doing to deserve it, but Ocean City, MD fire marshals and police know what the man's wife did. Barbara Waskey is accused of setting fire to her husband's Harley Davidson motorcycle. Police arrived first Saturday evening to see Joseph Waskey using a garden hose on the bike. Police brought out fire extinguishers to finish the job. Click here for more details.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 5:30 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Photo from Broward County Sheriff's Office

It was like déjà vu all over again for me when I saw the article today about firefighters rescuing a kitten from the wall of a Lauderdale Lakes, Florida home. It turned out I wasn't having bad flashbacks. In fact, since April, Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue has handled two such incidents at homes about 10-blocks apart.

The most recent was Friday and involved an international rescue team. Broward County was joined by visiting firefighters from the Ecuadorian city of Cuenca as they dealt with the meowing coming from the wall of a home at 4431 NW 36th Street. Using a TIC and a stethoscope, firefighters made sure they knew the exact location of the kitten before the wall was cut open (otherwise it could have been very messy and PETA would have been very unhappy). An approximately three-week-old kitten was rescued (see picture above).

You can read more about this rescue, here.

Just one mile away on the next street to the north, 37th Street, firefighters had a similar call in April. In that case a kitten had been in the wall of a home for about three days. They used an open can of tuna to lure the feline to safety. (My father would tell you to use a can of peas. It's an old joke that if you don't know or can't figure out, is probably not worth repeating.)

Picture below is from the Broward Sheriff's Office of the April incident. Read the press release.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:22 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

Looked like a good turnout and nice weather for Saturday's ride to honor Rich Findley and raise money for his family. Click here to watch the story.

Delayed response story has people talking: And what they are talking about are career/volunteer issues in Loudoun County, VA. The rate the responses are coming in since last Thursday's story has it on pace to be our most commented story since the blog began. Click here to see for yourself.

Ambulance billing dispute still a hot topic: While the pace has slowed, we are still getting comments on the story from August 14 about ambulance billing in Prince George's County, MD. With just short of 100 comments it is has received more comments than any other story we have run (but Loudoun is closing in). The more recent comments seem to be among just a few people as they look at what an all career PGFD might cost. Click here to see how the numbers add up.

Firefighter Nation has its own conversation going: Dave Iannone posted a YouTube video I think we ran earlier this year of a district chief running interference for a responding fire truck. It has created a bit of a discussion on Firefighter Nation. Click here.

Death of a firefighter - a five-part editorial: An Oregon newspaper's editorial board believes justice wasn't served after a young volunteer firefighter died following a party at a training conference. Details and links to parts 1 and 2.

Video roundup: Dave goes off the deep end about the caption to a truck fire video from CA. Also a West Virginia tavern fire, house fires in Oregon and Pennsylvania, a garage fire in NY and lots more. Click here.

Preferential hiring to end in Indianapolis: Under an agreement with the federal government, the Indianapolis Fire Department will no longer allow preferences for blacks and women in hiring and promotions. Read the story.

Can-do attitude: The New York Times takes another look at the Deutsche Bank report and the good and the bad things that can come from aggressive firefighting. Click here for the story.

Four from MA ... no, make that five: On Saturday we posted four stories from Massachusetts that occurred at the end of last week. One involved a firefighter's home burning and three involved illegal drugs. Now another drug story. A Newton firefighter was arrested Thursday on heroin charges. This occurred a day before marijuana was found in the Newton chief's car. Still nothing definitive on how the pot got there. Click here for the latest story.

Mutual funding: A dispute over mutual aide between two New Jersey townships has brought a request for money. Read more.

Elsewhere in NJ, a dissolved FD's pumper is up for auction: It has been more than a year since the Delmont Fire Company went out of business. Its eight-year-old pumper has been hanging around and now it may be legally disposed of. Read the story.

After 26 years in charge, ambulance director is shown the door: Brian Binns has been a part of White Lake (MI) Ambulance Authority for 38 years and has run the place since 1982. Binns and others are not trying to figure out why the agency's only director was suspended on August 12 and fired this past Friday. Click here for the story.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:17 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Shannon Halvorson was a 20-year-old volunteer with Crook County Fire & Rescue in Prineville, Oregon. She died while attending a conference of the Oregon Volunteer Firefighters Association in June of 2003. What happened that night and how her death was investigated is the subject of a five-part series by the editorial board of the The Oregonian newspaper.

Here is the beginning of Part 1:

Shannon Halvorson's fellow volunteer firefighters killed her.

They didn't mean to, but they killed her just the same. During a night of rowdy partying at an Albany motel five years ago, they got the underage woman so dangerously intoxicated she should have been hospitalized.

Instead, two inebriated male colleagues removed her from the party, according to police reports. She died as a result, and her grieving father has been fighting ever since for some measure of justice for the young son she left behind.

It's a disturbing story that says much about the exalted status of firefighters and a community's eagerness to close ranks around them. In America, firefighters are heroes, and deservedly so, but police reports and other public records indicate there were no heroes in the chaotic final hours of Shannon Halvorson's life.

Click here to read the rest of Part 1: Absence of heroes in room 209

Part 2: Calamity in the parking lot

Part 3: Cleaning up the mess

Part 4

Part 5

Watch video about the series

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:08 AM 5 Comments Links to this post

Our Massachusetts bureau has come up with four articles worth reading:

Boston Deputy Chief Peter Pearson was rearrested after being let out on bond on charges that he raped a woman while posing as a state trooper. The second arrest is because another woman has come forward with similar claims. Click here for the story. Read more details about the original case.

In Newton firefighters found a small bag of pot when cleaning out the chief's car. Chief Joseph LaCroix says he is shocked and investigations are underway into how the marijuana made its way to the car. Click here.

Another story article also involves illegal drugs. The Boston FD has fired Anthony Gaston after a much publicized arrest of the firefighter in March. Gaston was in uniform when marijuana, Percocet and a large amount of cash were found in his car. Click here.

A Malden firefighter's home is one of three that burned during three suspicious fires Friday morning. Read the story. Watch the story.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 11:27 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

The townships of East Windsor and Robbinsville are in New Jersey, east of Trenton, between exits 7A and 8 of the New Jersey Turnpike. They are only seven-miles apart. At the moment they might as well be in different states the way their political and public safety leaders are talking.

The issue is mutual aid. Here are excerpts from an article by Carmen Cusido of The Trenton Times via NJ.com:

Robbinsville officials have announced that if an agreement is not reached by January, the township will charge East Windsor $150 for the first hour and $125 for every additional hour they respond to fire calls in that township. The money goes toward fuel and personnel costs, township officials say.

Township Administrator Mary Caffrey and Chuck Petty, the deputy chief of the Robbinsville Division of Fire, said $150 is the cost of sending one fire captain and two firefighters to East Windsor.

"We certainly don't want it to come to that. Our attempts to be conciliatory weren't getting anywhere," Caffrey said, adding that she'd like officials from the two townships to meet before January.

Meanwhile, East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov said the township does not intend to pay bills from Robbinsville.

She also said it bothers her that Robbinsville officials discussed the matter with the media rather than reaching out to her directly. Mironov said that Robbinsville Mayor David Fried "never made any serious effort to reach out.... He's never telephoned me, never seriously tried to communicate with me."

She said Fried approached her last November outside a reception room at a New Jersey State League of Municipalities convention. Mironov said she had told Fried the topic "was too involved and complex....that was not the time and place to discuss this."

But Fried said he tried to talk to Mironov "on a number of occasions," and tried to reach Deputy Mayor Perry Shapiro, who he said never got back to him.

John Newbon, operations supervisor at the Mercer County Central Communications Center, said no arrangement exists in the county where one fire district charges another for aid. "This is the first I heard of it," he said.

But Fried said requesting money for aid is becoming necessary.

In a letter sent to Mironov dated July 23, Fried wrote, "on more than one occasion, the paid crew from Robbinsville was the difference between a fire incident being resolved quickly and your residents or workers being in harm's way." Fried also wrote that in 2007, his township's fire crew responded to East Windsor 38 times.

East Windsor Police Chief William Spain, who serves as East Windsor EMS coordinator, said the number is incorrect; he said Robbinsville responded 27 times for fire service and that East Windsor, Hightstown and West Windsor typically respond to mutual aid calls. East Windsor responded three times to calls in Robbinsville in 2007, Spain said.

Chief Jim McCann of East Windsor Fire Company No. 1 could not be reached for comment, and Chief Barry Rashkin of East Windsor Fire Company No. 2 said he would not comment.

Asked if East Windsor would communicate with Robbinsville to resolve the matter, Mironov said sending two inflammatory letters with misstatements and misrepresentations speaks for itself.

Last month an overtime dispute between Robbinsville officials and the fire department led to what union officials characterized as a potentially dangerous manpower shortage, but Caffrey called it an end to wasteful spending.

Normally a minimum of three paid firefighters are on the engine and two are on the ambulance.

The Times reported last month two paid firefighters were manning the engine and two staffed the ambulance.

In February, Fried and Hightstown Mayor Bob Patten wrote to Mironov, expressing concerns over "the high number of EMS calls in East Windsor that are being handled by the Robbinsville-Hightstown crews."

# posted by Dave Statter @ 9:33 PM 2 Comments Links to this post

Getting your priorities straight. Dave feels like screaming.

This video of an August 15 truck fire in the San Jose, CA area. Now, I try not to be judgmental. I really do. I just throw it out there and let you decide how you feel. But please read the account the citizen/photographer posted on YouTube with his video. Remember these are his words and not mine:

My wife & I were enroute to an event in San Jose when we happened upon this truck fire on Hwy 152-- when I stopped, the fire had just started, and the driver was still in the cab. I grabbed my camera and headed towards him, but when I turned it on, the "Tape Not Inserted" flashed, so I had to run back to my car, find my backpack, and insert a tape-- took maybe 45 seconds-- by which time the cab was really starting to burn... The driver got out OK, and the firefighters got it under control shortly after this video ended (due to YouTube's time limits)...

Good to know in case that driver needed help you were going back to get the tape first. No sense in trying to help him if you can't catch it on video. I mean what would be the point if you are unable to post it on YouTube?

I feel better now. Thanks.

OK derailment and fire coverage (just OK)

From CNN Headline News, a man who wears many hats (thank goodness ... it keeps the glare down), talks about Friday's BNSF mishap near Oklahoma City. Former Northern Virginia volunteer firefighter, Mike Brooks, in between solving crimes directly from the set of Nancy Grace's show, tells us what he remembers about being a fireman. He's worse than that Statter guy. Click here for more details from FireGeezer.

Raw video from fiery NV plane crash

This is from Friday's crash of a small plane into a North Las Vegas home killing the pilot and two people in the house. FireGeezer has more on this, including additional video.

WV tavern fire

I believe this is the second of two arsons at the same building in Keyser, WV that we mentioned earlier in the week.

House fire in OR

Middle of the day fire in Eugene. No date.

House fire in PA

No date with this fire on W. Green Street in W. Hazelton, PA.

Garage fire in Rochester, NY

Guy Zampatori video from Penhurst street on Friday.

NIST video

This is the video from the NIST report on WTC Building 7 collapse.

Rapel-cam in GA

Griffin Fire Rescue takes the camera for the ride down from the TL.

Interesting technique to handle attempted suicide

No details with this one.

Old video of the day

Here is the description with this video:

The 1994 Carolina Freight Fire in Middlesex Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. The blaze took 24 hours, three quarters of Cumberland County fire personnel, and 750,000 gallons of water to extinguish.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:26 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

I talked late this afternoon to the president of Lovettsville Volunteer Fire & Rescue, Bill Mungovan. He says the company is looking into the cardiac arrest call last Saturday where there was an almost 13-minute delay before an engine crew left the firehouse. An ambulance responded on the same call driver-only.

Mungovan tells STATter 911 Lovettsville has requested the dispatch audio to determine if there is any discrepancy between the transmissions and the CAD notes. Lovettsville has also asked for a peer review.

President Mungovan says he also wants to talk to the crews involved and pointed out it would be premature to make further comments until all of these steps have been completed.

There is a bit of a debate going on in our comments section of the original story, posted yesterday. Click here to read the story and what people are saying about it.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 6:37 PM 26 Comments Links to this post

Click here to see video of the collapse

The Centennial Firehouse in Peekskill New York had been vacant for more than 20 years. The 1890 structure, until today, sat under a metal bridge (the firehouse roof was altered in 1932 when the original bridge was built). The building needed to go so Route 9 could be widened.

The plan was to move the building a block away to an old train station where Abraham Lincoln spoke in 1861. The firehouse was to be turned into a museum. This morning those plans literally fell apart.

Peekskill's Mayor Mary Foster was told issues with a hydraulic jack caused the firehouse to collapse into a pile of rubble.

From MidHudsonNews.com:

A before shot of the Peekskill firehouse by Alan Zale for The New York Times

On August 9, The New York Times did a lovely story about the history of the building and the plans for its future. Here are some excerpts:

The firehouse’s history is still fresh to some of the firefighters who worked there. Deputy Chief John Esposito not only remembers off the top of his head the day the firehouse closed — Oct. 19, 1980. He also knows by heart the names of the two members of the company who died in the line of duty on Aug. 1, 1918, while battling a fierce fire at the Fleischmann plant.

“They were John Torpy and Walter Cole,” Mr. Esposito said. “Walter Cole was 18. He had just been elected to the company in July. That was his first major fire, and unfortunately his last.”

He wasn’t certain of Mr. Torpy’s age but speculated he was about 21, because he had just gotten out of the Army. (Five members from the Cortlandt Hook and Ladder Company were also killed in the Fleischmann fire.) The men died when a brick wall collapsed on them.

Mr. Esposito, a 44-year veteran of the Peekskill Fire Department, can tell you about the company’s first fire apparatus — it was called a jumper, and the water was hand-pumped. The firemen responded to fires by pulling the wagons themselves, sometimes running up the steep hills surrounding the station.

Mr. Esposito even knows the names of the two horses — Homer and John — that pulled the company’s first horse-drawn wagon, purchased in 1908. The horses were kept in a stall on the side of the firehouse.

Fond as he is of the firehouse’s history, Mr. Esposito was delighted when the company moved to its current quarters on Washington Street.

“We were ecstatic,” he said. “When you got torrential rains, the old firehouse would get flooded out. We’d have three feet of water in the building. And it happened all the time.”

# posted by Dave Statter @ 11:07 AM 2 Comments Links to this post

An important reminder. Tomorrow is the motorcycle ride/fundraiser in memory of Rich Findley, the Prince George's County police corporal and former volunteer firefighter at Beltsville VFD who was murdered. Click here for the details.

Radio calls from Deutsche Bank: "Mayday" radio transmissions from last year's fire that killed two from FDNY. Click here to listen. More radio audio on this page from Newsday. The New York Times discusses the audio.

Delayed response in Loudoun County, VA: Is almost 13-minutes too long for a volunteer fire company to get a crew to respond to a cardiac arrest call? That's what's being debated in the comments section after our story yesterday about a call over the weekend in Lovettsville. Click here.

More of that old video from Long Island: I showed my son that clip from 1970s Nassau County that I ran yesterday. I wanted him to see what it was like when I was a volunteer (in Maryland). To hear the house siren, see the firefighters answering up from home, and running to jump on the back step brought a flood of memories. Bill Goldfeder found the clip. My friend Kevin Stewart pointed out it is part of a movie made in the late 1970s.

I have loaded all five parts of this interesting film. Click here to watch it.

New site for old pictures: As you have seen lately, we have been running some pictures shot by the late Wes Gerald in an effort to identify some fires and people. It is all part of an effort by Ricky Riley to honor his friend with a website showing off the work of Wes Gerald. That site, http://www.wesphoto10.com/, is now up and FireGeezer takes a look.

Leaking tanker: In Enid, OK, a tanker truck carrying 8600 gallons of gasoline overturned and began leaking on Thursday. About 2000 gallons ended up in the street. Read more. Watch the video.

Video of Detroit's overturned rescue squad: You may have seen the pictures yesterday of the wreck involving Rescue Squad 5. One firefighter had a broken arm, another needed stitches in his head and two more had other minor injuries. Click here for the raw video from the scene. Click here to read more.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:29 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

The old video we showed you yesterday from Nassau County on Long Island, was sent to us by Chief Billy Goldfeder. It seems Billy was a part-time dispatcher at the Jericho FD back in the day.

The clip was from a film called Unique Breed by Larry Herskowitz.

Lt. Kevin Stuart, DC Fire & EMS Department, also has roots on Long Island. Kevin says the film was made a few months after the Brothers 3 Pool Supply store in Bethpage fire that killed Captain Joseph Dunn & Firefighter Robert Hassett. Kevin tried to remind of the 30th anniversary of this fire three-months ago on May 25. You will see reference to this tragedy toward the end of the film.

Below are all five parts of Unique Breed, in order, top to bottom.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:46 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Update: Read response from Lovettsville Volunteer Fire & Rescue

Watch 6:00 PM story from 9NEWS NOW

Read CAD information and notes from call to 39196 Rodeffer Road

The first call to Loudoun County's 911 center just before 9:00 Saturday morning indicated the 47-year-old man was in cardiac arrest. CPR had been started at the assisted living facility know as The Lovettsville Home.

According to dispatch records provided through a freedom of information request to Loudoun County, a facility employee called again 10-minutes later asking "Where are the responders?".

A little more than a mile away is Lovettsville Volunteer Fire & Rescue. Fire engines and an ambulance were at the ready inside the station, but a crew wasn't available. It took more than 12-minutes for the engine from Lovettsville to respond to the call. A minute later the ambulance responded with only a driver.

Loudoun County had sent other units to the emergency from elsewhere in the county. The fire engine from Lovettsville and a paramedic arrived on the scene at about the same time, 14-minutes after the first call to 911.

The 47-year-old man was taken by paramedics to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Loudoun County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management Department Chief Joseph Pozzo tells STATter 911 he has been briefed on the incident and is in touch with Lovettsville's volunteer leadership.

Chief Michael Deli of Lovettsville Fire & Rescue has not returned calls.

Loudoun County supplies career firefighters to the Lovettsville station from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM on weekdays. The rest of the time the fire engines and ambulances are staffed by volunteers. There are similar arrangements at other volunteer stations in Loudoun County. Some companies have career firefighters around the clock.

Neighbors, supportive of the volunteers, believe it is harder to get people to commit time to the fire department. They point out Loudoun County has changed with its rapid development of the last 20-years. Privately, many in fire and EMS in the county agree with that assessment.

This is an issue not just being felt in Loudoun County. Volunteer recruitment is a problem for fire companies all over the United States and in other countries.

No one from The Lovettsville Home would comment for this story.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 7:05 PM 107 Comments Links to this post

Deutsche Bank report leaked: Late Wednesday reporters began filing stories with information that had been leaked from the FDNY report into the fire a year ago that killed two firefighters at the Deutsche Bank building. Click here for the details.

DC Fire & EMS confirms STATter 911 report of medical director's resignation: The press release issued just before 10:00 PM indicates Dr. Michael Williams resigned "to pursue new career opportunities". It does mention the struggles the doctor has had with other city leaders over the direction of EMS. Learn more.

PGFD and the IAFF two-hatter resolutions: FossilMedic Mike Ward goes bravely where Statter refused to go and then Dave makes fun of him. Read more.

Speaking of PGFD: We posted our story on the EMS billing battle in Prince George's County, MD a week ago, but the discussion continues. Still getting a lot of new comments on this issue. Click here to join in.

Also, thanks to a link from Firefighter Close Call's Chief Billy Goldfeder, we are still getting a fair amount of discussion on our story from the other day of the 911 worker in Georgia with a rather thick personnel file. See for yourself.

Clarification on rekindle: We contacted our man in Mineral County, WV about the earlier report in the Cumberland Times-News that a rekindle destroyed a business after an intitial small fire. Homeland Security Director Marc Bashoor writes:

The first fire Monday morning was determined to be arson by Keyser VFD, Keyser PD, & WV State FM. That fire, set in between 2 buildings, was successfully extinguished. The 2nd fire Monday night/Tuesday morning was determined to be arson, set at the rear of the building - which led to the building becoming unstable and needing to be knocked down into a pile very early Tuesday morning. The resulting 30' high pile of debris continued to smolder, resulting in a 911 call at 11:23 Tuesday morning for a "rekindle". The Keyser VFD, using their ladder truck, successfully extinguished the pile.

My old friend Jeff Alderton at the Cumberland Times-News has the updated story on the arrest of a 52-year-old man.

I guess I have just become a sentimental sap: Other than my wife, so far I apparently am the only one touched by the story of the Oklahoma City mother who gave up job so her son could be a firefighter. In case you missed it, click here.

Three in a row and I need your help: Many of you probably saw the story Firehouse.com ran of firefighters in the Rochester, NY area who delivered three babies in separate vehicles Monday. Web producer Emily Cyr, who watches out for STATter 911, gave me the video version of the story yesterday and I failed to act. I need to keep Emily from giving the stuff she finds to FireGeezer (which she has done before). So, please click here and watch the thing.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 9:18 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Dr. Michael Williams, in the white shirt, from a May, 2008 Washington Post photo by Sarah L. Voisin.

The DC Fire & EMS Department officially confirmed late Wednesday evening a STATter 911 report from earlier in the day that Dr. Michael Williams, the department's medical director, has resigned. As expected, Dr. James Augustine, the current deputy medical director, will take over as acting director.

According to a press release issued by the department, Dr. Williams "submitted his resignation effective August 29 in order to pursue new career opportunities". Sources within the DC government indicate there had been increasing tension between Dr. Williams, the department's leadership and Mayor Adrian Fenty's staff over the direction of EMS in the District of Columbia.

Dr. Williams could not be reached for comment, but he told Elissa Silverman of The Washington Post, "I think it was thought best that I resign".

Aides to Chief Dennis Rubin indicate Rubin did not ask Williams to resign. Sources familiar with the situation tell STATter 911, the arrival of Dr. Augustine earlier this month, along with a struggle over maintaining a leadership role in the department in an effort to implement his vision for EMS in the city, helped make it clear to Dr. Williams that it was time to move on.

A department spokesman supplied this statement from Chief Dennis Rubin about the changes:

“While I am sorry to see him leave, I am confident that this department will continue to build on his legacy of passionate commitment to the improvement of emergency medical services. Dr. Augustine is a nationally recognized leader in the field of emergency medicine and I am excited about the leadership and knowledge he brings to the department.”

Kenneth Lyons, a paramedic who is the president of the union representing the department's civilian EMS force, said Wednesday evening, "Six medical director's in seven years says a lot about the city's commitment to EMS".

Lyons has long battled with city officials over the direction and leadership of EMS. Lyons had secured a campaign promise from Mayor Adrian Fenty to separate EMS from the fire department. Mayor Fenty instead followed the recommendation of a task force led by Chief Rubin to keep EMS within the department.

In April, Mayor Fenty and Chief Rubin announced a plan to make the civilian force uniformed members of the department. That would mean one rank structure and disciplinary process to cover both fire and EMS. The plan provides for improved retirement benefits. It would also likely mean the EMS workers would then become members of IAFF Local 36 and leave AFGE Local 3721 lead by Lyons.

When the plan to unify the department was announced, Chief Rubin had hoped to have it in place within two weeks. The plan has run into delays, including the need for council legislation scheduled for September.

Dr. Williams was hired in the wake of a report outlining serious problems in the delivery of emergency care after the January, 2006 death of former New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum.

Rosenbaum's son-in-law, Toby Halliday, who served on the EMS task force, told The Washington Post, "Dr. Williams is responsible for some of the most important improvements in the EMS program and we're sorry to see him leave."

Dr. Augustine was previously medical director for the Atlanta Fire Department. Chief Rubin had been chief in Atlanta prior to coming to Washington in April, 2007.

The department's press release indicates a national search will be conducted for a new medical director.

Below is Dr. Augustine's resume provided by the DC Fire & EMS Department:

James Augustine, MD

Interim Medical Director, Fire and Emergency Medical Services

Dr. Augustine’s service in the emergency system spans 27 years. He is a board-certified emergency physician who has experience as a firefighter, EMT and medical director in Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia. He recently joined DC Fire and EMS after performing as Medical Director for Atlanta Fire Rescue Department and Airport Division of Atlanta Fire at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Having a strong commitment to emergency services and preparedness, Dr. Augustine has been a long-term participant in EMS leadership and disaster preparedness activities. He served as first chair of the Ohio EMS Board and as president of the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He chaired ASTM Task Group E54.02.01, which developed Standards for Hospital Preparedness. He was chair of the Health Care Section of the Atlanta Metropolitan Medical Response System.

Augustine is executive editor of the journal ED Management, a senior reviewer for Annals of Emergency Medicine, and on the editorial boards for the journals EMS and JEMS. He has published numerous articles on emergency services and participated in national and state leadership activities on emergency systems.

Augustine graduated from the Ohio State University, then attended medical school at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He received his emergency medicine training through Wright State School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine. After completing a fellowship in Emergency Department Administration, he participated as a faculty member at Wright State University and Emory School of Medicine. Augustine just moved into Washington, DC with his wife Linda, and has three children – Jill, Josh, and Jenna.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:08 AM 6 Comments Links to this post

Daily News photo by Cairo

Information from the FDNY report into the deaths of two firefighters at the Deutsche Bank building was leaked to reporters Wednesday prior to the report's official release.

Here are excerpts from The New York Times report:

When a fire broke out last Aug. 18 at the tower, it took roughly 80 minutes to get water on the flames, in part because workers there waited some 13 minutes to call 911 and then gave firefighters inaccurate information about whether emergency equipment at the site was working.

And communication lapses further disrupted the firefighting response. Walkie-talkies failed, and critical calls for help went unheard. Men were lost in the confusion. One firefighter’s radio problems forced him to crawl to the building’s edge to report that two imperiled colleagues — Robert Beddia, 53, and Joseph Graffagnino, 33 — were trapped by stairwells that had been sealed off. Both men were killed.

The report, presented on Wednesday to fire union officials in a tightly controlled meeting at Fort Totten in Queens, will be turned over to the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau.

After the death of a firefighter, the Fire Department always empanels a team to study any problems that might have contributed to the death.

This team found the Deutsche Bank fire to have been an operational nightmare, according to those who have seen or heard its findings. The building, originally 41 stories but torn down to its 26th floor when the fire took hold, was wrapped in heavy mesh to trap construction debris. Thick plastic drapes were hung from the walls to contain asbestos and other contaminants. Stairwells were sealed with plywood and plastic. The fire burned those materials, spewing impenetrable black smoke that choked the teams of firefighters as they twisted through a maze of narrow construction barricades.

Firefighter Beddia was overcome by smoke. After his colleagues pulled him from a spot near Stairway B on the 14th floor, his air pack was found to still hold 800 pounds per square inch of compressed air — or about five to eight minutes’ worth of air, considering that a full tank has 4,500 pounds per square inch.

Investigators have surmised that Firefighter Beddia must have removed his face piece and pushed the manual shut-off switch of his air pack before he became unconscious.

Investigators could not say why Firefighter Beddia removed his face piece.

Stephen J. Cassidy, the president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, a union that represents roughly 8,900 rank-and-file firefighters, read the department’s report at Fort Totten and criticized many parts of it, saying it largely spared senior department officials. He said the report failed to investigate why senior officials had not developed a plan for fighting a fire at such a complicated demolition site.

“This report is filled with contradictions and omissions of management’s failures,” Mr. Cassidy said. “For instance, the findings say firefighters failed to don their face pieces upon entering the building, as is required in a contaminated building. But the contradiction is they never reference the fact that the incident commander, nor any other chief involved, notified them that they were operating in a contaminated building or required them to do so.”

Others who have read the report, however, said investigators concluded that firefighters had been informed that they should wear their face masks because asbestos abatement was in progress.

The Fire Department investigators also expressed concern about the fact that several of the fire commanders at the Deutsche Bank blaze were operating in new jobs, acting temporarily in higher ranks. The first commander that day was a battalion chief acting as a deputy chief, for example, and a captain acted as a battalion chief. Those kinds of temporary assignments can be troublesome when they force commanders into roles to which they are unaccustomed or for which they are not fully trained, the investigators said.

“Several safety reports in the past have all stressed this — the elimination of acting out of title — for safety reasons, because you are taking, even an experienced fire officer, and putting him in a new job,” said Deputy Chief Richard J. Alles, an official of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, representing 2,450 officers, who has not seen the report. “He has to think differently. It is a lot to ask somebody to be able to do that at the spur of the moment.”

Excerpts from Daily News report:

The report - which will be released today - blames the FDNY for not conducting mandatory inspections; the Buildings Department for not issuing a formal permit for demolition and the building's contractor for shoddy work that turned the condemned skyscraper into a death trap, sources who reviewed the report told the Daily News.

"These guys' fate was sealed as soon as they got in that fire," said a source who was briefed on the 176-page document.

"And when they called for help, they couldn't even get through right away," the source said.

Tragically, when firefighters Joseph Graffagnino - who would have turned 35 years old Wednesday - and Robert Beddia began to scream "Mayday!" their cries could not be immediately acted upon, according to the report.

Though FDNY protocol is for radio communication to cease when a "Mayday" is issued, continued radio chatter made it difficult for the officers on the ground to hear where the panicked firefighters were trapped, the report says.

Among the key findings, the sources said, were:

- 14 "Maydays" and 19 "Urgents" - a distress call considered slightly less grave than a "Mayday" - were issued at the blaze. It was unclear how much time elapsed before officers were able to make out where the firefighters were located. Some walkie-talkies failed, forcing one firefighter to crawl to the building's edge to call for help. He survived.

- Beddia's air tank had about five minutes of oxygen remaining when he was located on the building's 14th floor. Graffagnino's was empty.

- The fire raged for more than an hour before firefighters were able to get water on the blaze; construction workers waited nearly 13 minutes before reporting the fire - believed to have been started by a discarded cigarette. It took FDNY units 67 minutes to get access to water because of a severed standpipe in the basement.

- The FDNY's failure to do inspections every 15 days meant firefighters were unaware of the broken standpipe and other safety hazards like sealed stairwells and busted sprinklers.

Three fire officers whose commands were responsible for the inspections were reassigned in the wake of the fire.

"It is stunning and disgusting," said Linda Graffagnino. "There are so many people responsible who need to stand up and say they made mistakes."

# posted by Dave Statter @ 11:41 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Whenever I start seeing "whereas" written a bunch of times, my eyes start to droop and I am out like a rock. I admit it is one of my weaknesses as a reporter. I looked at the latest document on two-hatters that came out of the IAFF convention, but I apparently don't have the mental capacity to follow the resolutions that come from parliamentary procedure. At least that's my excuse for avoiding writing about this controversial issue. Maybe I am just gutless.

Not so, my friend Mike Ward. Mike has a reputation for writing about hot topics and asking questions others are too timid to ask. That was an assessment this evening from an admirer of Mike's who had taken one of his classes a number of years ago. Of course, when you take on these issues, not everyone has as charitable a view of you.

On Firegeezer today, the FossilMedic provided his analysis of the topic of IAFF members who are also volunteers. He looks at the initial resolution's beginnings in Prince George's County, MD and how it has evolved. Mike has kept a close eye on PGFD through the years, including writing a paper on the battle over ambulance service at Kentland.

Whether you agree with Mike Ward's views or not, I have found he always makes you think. Just remember, they are his views and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of the owners and management of STATter 911.

Let me mention two parts of the column that caught my eye. First of all, I loved his opening line:

Prince George’s County, Maryland, fire/rescue employees and volunteers respond to about 330 incidents every day. Despite impressions left by thewatchdesk and dozens of websites, almost every incident is handled without requiring a police report, firefighter hospitalization or federal inquiry.

I probably should take that as a personal jab of my PGFD coverage, but I won't. To me, it is what comes next that will likely send some of his critics through the roof:

PG volunteers who worked at DCFD rose to volunteer chief rank at many of the 38 independent PG fire companies. Most were in their 20s and early 30s. A FEW of these two-hatters acted like tin-horn tyrants, using their volunteer authority to jerk around PG career firefighters. These tyrants made administrative, response and operational rules that were demeaning to career staff and affecting the quality of service.

The man who called Kentland the Lindsey Lohan of the fire service, now calls some two-hatter chiefs tin-horn tyrants. Ouch!

The next time I see Mike, I believe I will avoid shaking his hand for fear that at any moment the other hand will be reaching for that third rail.

Click here to read Mike Ward's entire column at FireGeezer

# posted by Dave Statter @ 6:20 PM 12 Comments Links to this post

STATter 911 has learned Dr. Michael Williams, the medical director for the DC Fire & EMS Department, submitted his resignation this afternoon. Officially the parting has been called amicable. Unofficially, city sources report there has been some tension of late leading to William's leaving. An official statement is expected later.

Recently, Dr. James Augustine was hired as deputy medical director. Dr. Augustine was the medical director for the Atlanta Fire Department where DC Fire & EMS Chief Dennis Rubin had been chief before taking the job in Washington. It is expected that Dr. Augustine will be acting director and a top candidate for the job.

More information as we get it.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 5:46 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

This is the nicest story I have seen in a while. Oklahoma City Councilwoman Ann Simank resigned her post after 13-years on the job. The announcement, in the middle of her term, is not because of any scandal. It is a mother doing what she thinks is best for her son.

After a number of attempts, Simank's son Dow has been accepted as an Oklahoma City firefighter and will enter the academy on Friday. That apparently couldn't happen if his mom stayed on the job. According to NewsOK.com, "To prevent conflicts of interest, the city charter prohibits council members from having relatives who are city employees".

Ann Simank took office just eight days before the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. She was the city's longest-sitting council member and has served under three mayors.

Read the story

Another version

# posted by Dave Statter @ 9:42 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Chief David Hoback from RoanokeVa.gov

David:

The City of Roanoke routinely evaluates internet usage on all city computers and has the ability to restrict assess to websites it deems inappropriate, distraction to the work force or impacts work time productively. Currently there are thousands of websites restricted for various reason. The restriction of Roanokefirefighters.blogspot.com is consistent with past practice.

Thanks

David Hoback,Chief
CFOD, EFO
Roanoke Fire-EMS Department

# posted by Dave Statter @ 8:07 AM 8 Comments Links to this post

3 FFs killed in Seoul nightclub: A roof collapse during a predawn nightclub blaze has killed three firefighters in South Korea. Details here.

"His last 20 years of service have been a complete sham": That's the quote from the firefighters' union president in Oak Lawn, IL on the announcement the department's chief is retiring. Nothing nice was said on either said as Chief Edward Folliard makes his exit. Read the story.

Website gets the boot: According to Lt. Rhett Fleitz, Roanoke's fire chief says no to Fleitz's RoanokeFire.com. The site is now taboo in Roanoke's fire stations. Something tells me the ban will have the opposite effect and end up bringing more readers to the site. Read more.

Two from Boston and a letter: A deputy chief is accused of posing as a state trooper and charged with rape and the bodybuilder is given 48 hours. Also, a Boston Herald columnist has an open letter to firefighters' union president Ed Kelly.

Recruit draws attention: It isn't the norm that a recruit, just a day on the job, makes the news. That's the situation Fairfax County faces this week after a woman who had previously made the news as a journalist held captive in Iraq starts her training. Click here for more.

Fire commander to be sentenced today: The man in charge of the Thirtymile Fire that left four Washington firefighters dead in 2001 is scheduled to be in court again today. Ellreese Daniels faces a maximum of six months in prison after he reached a deal that dropped manslaughter charges to two counts of making false statements to investigators. Read more.

FF's survivors sue alarm company: You may recall one of the findings in the report released last month looking at the deaths of two Contra Costa, CA firefighters was that an alarm company provided poor and delayed information. Now the wife and son of one of the firefighters have filed suit.

Rekindle in WV: From the Cumberland Times-News- "An apparent rekindle of a fire late Monday at the Railsyde Tavern and apartment building burned the two-story building to the ground, according to the Mineral County Office of Emergency Services and Homeland Security". Click here for more details and pictures.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 7:13 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

Albert Arroyo, on the left, with his attorney. From The Boston Globe's Jim Davis.

The latest in the saga of bodybuilder/disabled firefighter Albert Arroyo. Excerpts from an article by The Boston Globe's John C. Drake. Click here to read the rest and see the video:

Boston firefighter Albert Arroyo was given 48 hours this afternoon to produce new evidence to corroborate what he has claimed was a career-ending back injury after he met with top department officials for an hour behind closed doors.

Arroyo pleaded his case for his disability pension before a three-member panel that included Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser, who has accused him of shopping for a doctor who would sign off on the injury. Arroyo competed in a bodybuilding contest six weeks after he reported suffering a fall in a fire station that he said prevented him from working as an inspector.

Attorney Neil Osborne vigorously defended Arroyo after the hearing, telling reporters that his client never lied about his injury. Arroyo's bodybuilding routine was part of a rehabilitation program the lawyer said was recommended by a personal trainer to mend his ailing back.

"Mr. Arroyo has done absolutely nothing wrong," Osborne said. "There has been a swirl of information … based on being seen in a bodybuilding video that he has somehow committed fraud. Nothing could be further from the truth.

"All that Mr. Arroyo did was try to get better," Osborne said.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 5:58 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

One of my great joys and, at the same time, great disappointments, was a brief bit of video taken by photographer Keith Williams at a Fairfax County fire station in February when two firefighters were missing in New Hampshire. It showed a firefighter reading STATter 911. A great joy because I was very pleased that firefighters were turning to us for important information. A great disappointment because apparently STATter 911 was so bland those in charge saw no need to ban us from the fire stations.

Not the case for the website RoanokeFire.Com. Lt. Rhett Fleitz is reporting, his boss, Roanoke's fire chief, has banned the site.

Rhett Fleitz is also the secretary/treasurer of IAFF Local 1132 and has VAFireNews.com. Back in April, Fleitz was in the news speaking out against department budget cuts.

We have emailed Chief David Hoback in an effort to learn more about the ban. We will keep you informed.

Here is part of Rhett's message posted today on the site. Click here for the rest.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Roanoke Fire Blog Banned By Chief

I guess the most interesting thing about this blog being banned by the Chief is that it is being banned right now. I have covered very interesting topics in the past that have not had the same effect. Do not misunderstand me, a ban was not my intent.

I still maintain that this blog is positive and shows the unadulterated opinion of the Firefighters of the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department. An attempt to cover up this shows that certain people have blinders on.

Not every Firefighter embraces this blog or the thoughts on the site. However, those are the ones who read it the most to see what is said next.

If you remember back to the beginning of the blog, I brought news, fires, and history to the forefront. It was only when I finally realized that I could do more with the blog that I decided to add commentary and opinion. Unfortunately, some people did not like this.

I still contend that this department needs significant change. Blocking this blog from City Computers isn't going to change anything. Similarly, nothing is going to change in the department until certain people are realize it.

One ironic twist is that the person who banned this blog is also the person so many Firefighters saw as a catalyst for change. No dice. When the sword changed hands, even he continued to slash at the morale and backbone of this department.

One thing is for sure, either I work in a make believe department or he does. The stories, comments, thoughts, and ideas I hear from our Firefighters cannot be the same that he hears.

Chief David Hoback from RoanokeVa.gov

Lt. Rhett Fleitz from VaFireNews.com

FireGeezer is already providing his perspective on the blog ban. I am guessing Bill is just trying to get his site banned in Roanoke.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 4:39 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

You may remember Jill Carroll, the Christian Science Monitor reporter held hostage in Iraq in 2006 for more than two months. Now meet Jill Carroll Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department recruit. The 30-year-old Carroll joined 40 other recruits yesterday for her first day on the job. She is a member of Class #126. The starting salary is $47,472.

As The Boston Globe first reported, Carroll has declined to do interviews about her career change. Department spokesman Dan Schmidt tells STATter 911 he is authorized by Carroll to say, "Jill Carroll is happy and excited about her new challenge".

According to the Globe, in late 2006, Carroll was named a fellow at Harvard's Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy and the returned to the Monitor covering war and veterans issues.

Read more about Carroll's 82 days in captivity.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:13 PM 7 Comments Links to this post

Picture from thebostonchannel.com:

Story below is from BostonHerald.com:

The Boston Fire Department has confirmed that a deputy chief has been arrested on charges he impersonated a state trooper and then raped a woman at gunpoint at a Brockton park in June.

“I can confirm he is a deputy chief of the fire department,” said department spokesman Steve MacDonald of Division 2 Deputy Chief Peter Pearson, 51, of East Bridgewater.

Pearson, of 142 Village Rd., is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow on charges of aggravated rape, assault with a dangerous weapon, impersonating a police officer and kidnapping, The Enterprise of Brockton reported this morning.

A woman told police in July that a man picked her up the previous month, took her to a field and forced her to “perform a sex act,” the paper reported today. The man was allegedly armed and claimed to be a state trooper.

“We only became aware of this a half-hour ago,” MacDonald said, adding that the department learned of the incident initially through the media.

Pearson earned $158,900 last year as deputy chief, according to Boston payroll records obtained by the Herald.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:05 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Apparently they were taking more than coal to Newcastle: Our picture of the day is causing a bit of a problem for some UK firefighters.Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service confirmed it is one of its appliances that an angry cabbie took pictures of in Newcastle city center. The photo shows women emerging from the rig. An investigation is underway after allegations that the crew was shouting and leering at girls while cruising the streets. Read more in The Daily Mail, which printed the picture.

Traumatizing the elderly: From the Baltimore Sun:

Patients older than 65 are much less likely to be taken to a Maryland trauma center than younger patients with the same medical emergencies, according to a new report by Johns Hopkins researchers. And unconscious age bias could be a factor in the disparity, the researchers said.

Read more.

Checking resumes: That's what a Philly TV station has done with a FEMA official who has ties to Washington. Read the details.

Video roundup: Some rather ones worth seeing from New York and CT. Also have fires from Baltimore County, MD, RI, CA and PA. Click here.

Georgia still on my mind: Listen for yourself to the woman who couldn't get fired, despite 57 disciplinary actions in five years, as she works Fulton County's 911 center.

Man claims he was beaten by FDNY: A security guard at a Bronx hospital says he was beaten by an EMS crew. Read the details.

Don't forget Saturday's ride for Rich: Another reminder about the fundraiser to help fallen police officer and firefighter Rich Findley's family. Click here.

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

Old video of the day ... a must see.

From New York, some major fires from the mid-1950s through the early 1960s. I believe it is narrated by one of my favorite newsmen of all time, the late Bill Ryan. Even if I am wrong (and I am sure Vito will tell me), I always look for an opportunity to tell anyone interested in the news business, if you want to learn how to handle a breaking story, watch the videos of Bill Ryan anchoring the initial reports of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy for NBC News. Some of them are on YouTube. Bill Ryan's daughter Kate, a news veteran herself, is a friend. But I only discovered they were related many years after I had formed an opinion about her dad.

Scrapyard fire

From Johnston, Rhode Island on Sunday a fire at a metal recycling plant. More video. Read details.

Firehouse talk

From Stamford, CT, a look back.

Baltimore County fire

Another one from Woodlawn, MD. This one at 5304 Pembroke Avenue which runs off Kelox Road where there was a house fire a month ago. Once again, a Michael Schwartzberg production. Click here to see Michael's pictures and read his account.

PA fire from early this year

Someone recently posted this 4-alarm fire from Pottstown that occurred on January 26. Read more.

Bronco fire

No date on this Ford Bronco fire in Sacramento.

Hanging around

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:27 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

On Friday we told you about Gina Conteh, the 911 worker in Fulton County, GA who is accused of mishandling a call where a woman died. Despite a 2100 page personnel file with a laundry list of complaints by supervisors and co-workers, Gina Conteh has somehow been able to hold onto her job.

Now you can hear for yourself some of the previous calls where Ms. Conteh's performance was noted. The report above focuses on that she may have been asleep at the switch a few times.

News reports indicate there were 57 disciplinary actions in Gina Conteh's file in just five years.

Click here for another TV report on how Ms. Conteh handled the job.

Click here to listen to the August 2 call Darlene Dukes made to Ms. Conteh. According to news reports, Dukes died of a blood clot in her lung after Conteh first sent help to southwest Atlanta, rather than the calls correct location in north Fulton. Twenty-five minutes elapsed before someone else at the 911 center figured out the mistake.

The controversy surrounding Ms. Conteh has even prompted ABC News to look at the case with an article titled Bad Calls: How Do Error-Prone 911 Operators Keep Their Jobs?.

Click here for more fire and EMS news from STATter 911

# posted by Dave Statter @ 11:05 PM 17 Comments Links to this post

Click above to watch the August 12 report on WTXF-TV

Michael L. Smith retired as a deputy chief after 28-years with the DC Fire & EMS Department. He's written a book on building construction, has lectured extensively and has written for various fire service publications and websites. Chief Smith's current job is as disaster operations director for FEMA Division III, which covers DC, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Somehow Mike Smith's job and resume caught the attention of the Fox owned station in Philadelphia, WTXF-TV. The station questioned two college degrees Michael Smith cites on his official resume received through a FOIA request. One is a 1986 Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Americus University in Washington, DC. The second is a Master of Public Administration in 2003 from Madison University in Jackson, MS.

FOX 29 reports both schools are not accredited, either in the local jurisdiction, or by the federal government. They talked to people in the education field who indicated the schools were diploma mills. The station found an old website for Americus University where it offered degrees in 20 days "based on what you already know".

When FOX 29 first contacted Smith in April he said he "earned his Americus degree by attending classes in Washington, DC" and the Madison degree was "earned online by doing work and writing papers". Smith said he believed the schools were accredited.

The station reports Mike Smith called them on July 24 to say he was going to resign his FEMA post because he did not want to expose FEMA to any negative publicity. FEMA now says that Mike Smith does not plan to resign.

Following an investigation last year of FDNY members and diploma mills, FireGeezer.com's Mike Ward wrote about the issue in a column titled Making College Count. There was a followup on FireGeezer called College Degrees: Fakes, Maybes and Full Credit.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 8:33 PM 6 Comments Links to this post

Ambulance billing, the discussion continues: Still getting a lot of comments about the story from last Thursday over the PGFD billing battle. Click here to join in.

On a related note, The Washington Post profiles one of the people in the center of this dispute, Prince George's County's public safety director. It is one of many things Vernon Herron is juggling right now. My dealings with Vernon Herron go back to 1979 when he was with Maryland State Police as a trooper out of the Forestville Barracks. I was working for Metro Traffic Control and we shared quite a few moments and a few flares on or near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

"F" troop: An update on the Texas FM turned hall monitor. It turns out he is accused of doing the same thing he claims a woman in Wal-Mart did. It is also something little Davey Statter got in trouble for. Click here for the latest.

What does it take to get fired?: That was the topic of a recent story I did about DC. But it looks like Fulton County, GA may be able to top all of this with a story from its 911 center. Read the story.

Speaking of GA, Atlanta's mayor won't reopen firehouse despite a council vote scheduled for today: The latest on Station 7.

Another siren complaint: The house siren for the Northumberland Hook and Ladder Company in PA isn't a hit with one of its neighbors. Read the details.

Sign up for the Rich Findley motorcycle ride: Click here for details on next Saturday's fundraiser.

Were budget cuts a factor in Friday's fatal fire?: The union president in Vallejo, CA thinks so. Read more.

NC fire at vacant textile plant with a history: Click here for video from Sunday's fire in Moore County, NC. FireNews.net has other links. The Robbins mill is where John Edwards announced his run for The White House in 2003. Both Edwards and his father had worked at the plant.

Charges possible against NY in Deutsche Bank fire: FireGeezer has paid close attention to the investigations going on following the deaths of two firefighters last summer. Click here for the latest turn of events.

Grass fire takes out 270 vacant homes: Yesterday the number was around 80 homes. Here is the latest from California's Travis AFB.

Lightning Protection Institute is shocked by fire captain's remarks: The Lightning Protection Institute says it's obvious a Southborough, MA captain is uneducated when it comes to lightning. Read the letter to the editor. Read the original article.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:40 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

It may be my favorite story of the month. Last week we told you about Captain Alfred Decker, the assistant fire marshal of La Marque, Texas, who put new meaning into the "F" in FM. With Tropical Storm Edouard closing in on the Gulf Coast, Captain Decker confronted a young woman in the aisle of a local Wal-Mart.

Before it was over the flex-cuffs were on 28-year-old Kristi Fridge and she was given a ticket. No, it wasn't because this woman with a cool name had an open flame in the aisle of a big box store. It was the searing language Ms. Fridge used complaining about the lack of batteries. (Which reminds of one of my favorite original puns I used when buying batteries for a flashlight from a woman at an Outer Banks convenience store while getting ready to cover a hurricane. I turned to photographer Greg Guise and said, "She sells C cells by the seashore". Sorry, for the digression, but you know what they say, if they outlaw puns, only outlaws would have puns. Now back to our story, already in progress.)

The use of the "F" word prompted Captain Decker to admonish Kristi Fridge, who was shopping with her mom and her own 2-year-old daughter. The captain then ordered Ms. Fridge to his car so he could write a ticket. Things apparently went a bit downhill from there.

There has been a lot of reaction to Captain Decker's actions. The Houston Chronicle has received more than 700 comments and one of its columnists wrote about the confrontation.

The Daily News of Galveston County, where the story originated, has more than 100 comments attached to its first article about Decker. The Daily News today has a a compilation of letters to the editor about the case and its own editorial. The editorial takes a swipe at comments by Decker's boss:

It’s also unclear whether Fridge’s real offense was against the public or Decker.

La Marque Fire Chief Todd Zacherl caused that confusion with this statement: “If she would have said, ‘yes sir,’ there would have been no problem and she would have been able to walk off.”

If an important law was needing enforcement, it was needing enforcement whether Fridge was being deferential or not.

One of the great things about being an American is that we don’t have to say “yes sir” every time a government employee speaks to us; we can talk back to authority.

Which leads to the real problem —­ the whole thing was un-American.

Also today, reporter Chris Paschenko has two new articles. One is about the issue of civil rights and the other about Captain Decker's past.

The second article cites previous complaints about Captain Decker. One is from the ex-husband of a woman the captain was dating. He filed charges over claims that Decker himself used foul language, including the "F" word, in front of the man's 9-year-old daughter.

So, it is all getting very interesting in La Marque, where Chief Zacherl points out Decker has a thankless job of enforcing city code violations that are not always fire related.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, you need to hear why Dave is probably fascinated by the story and also learn about my ugly past.

When I was about half Ms. Fridge's age I was attending Sudbrook Junior High School. The year was 1969. As soon as I got onto the bus for the ride home one winter afternoon, I stuck my head out the bus window to yell at David Davis, one of my friends. What I yelled apparently included the "F" word. I didn't particularly recall that I used that word, but one person did.

As I got off the bus a while later in front of my house on Forest Garden Avenue I saw what looked like a police car behind the bus. The man in the car motioned me to join him. As I got in he informed me about my language and also explained he was the head of transportation for Baltimore County schools. He just happened to be at Sudbrook because of complaints about children using bad language. How lucky for me. He followed the bus through each of its stops just waiting for me to get off.

I was suspended from the bus for a month. I had to walk the mile-and-a-half to and from Sudbrook each cold day carrying my heavy tenor saxophone. I can assure you my parents didn't offer me a ride on any of those days.

It taught me valuable lessons. I have never used the "F" word since .... in front of the head of transportation for Baltimore County Schools. And I now play alto sax. It's much lighter.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 6:05 AM 4 Comments Links to this post

Click here for video of fire

# posted by Dave Statter @ 6:01 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Some of you may recall the coverage both FireGeezer and STATter 911 had earlier this year of the severe financial problems in Vallejo, CA. FireGeezer also covered Friday's fatal four-alarm fire at a Vallejo retirement home. Now today, it isn't a surprise that those two stories have intersected.

The San Francisco Chronicle talks to a union official claiming budget cuts impacted the handling of the fire. Here are excerpts:

At least one fire official said the North Bay city's dire financial status - which led to the shuttering of two fire stations and has contributed to a big drop in the firefighting staff - may have prompted a slower response than usual.

And it likely contributed to the police officers having to pitch in without the proper equipment, said Capt. Jon Riley, vice president of the local firefighters' union.

The upper stories of the seven-story Casa de Vallejo at 1825 Sonoma Blvd. erupted in flames at 3:42 a.m. Friday. One of the two shuttered fire stations - Station 2 at 700 Fifth Street, a mile-and-a-half away - would have been part of the first response team, Riley said.

"It's difficult to speculate on what coulda, woulda, shoulda happened, but obviously having two fire stations closed definitely has an impact on our ability to respond to incidents," Riley said, noting he didn't know what the response time was.

The department formerly had 116 firefighters, but is now down to 77, he added. He said they're always equipped with breathing apparatus and fire resistant suits, which the police officers who entered the building didn't have.

"The cops were very heroic going in without that safety equipment - they were very instrumental in helping to get quite a few people out," he said.

Vallejo police Lt. Mat Mustard, vice president of the police union, said the outcome with a fully staffed fire department would have been "anyone's guess."

"We as cops don't expect firemen to run into bank robberies, and firemen don't expect police officers to run into burning buildings, but when the public's life is in danger, public safety people step forward," Mustard said.

A total of 59 firefighters were at the scene with 13 engines, five ladder trucks and nine ambulances, Tweedy said. The estimated property loss is in the millions, he said.

Vallejo filed for bankruptcy in May to cope with a $16 million deficit, a sinking housing market and public employee costs that are rising dramatically. By the end of this month, a U.S. bankruptcy judge in Sacramento is expected to decide whether the city meets Chapter 9 bankruptcy criteria and can begin renegotiating its debts.

In the meantime, the city has slashed funding for public works, libraries, senior centers, museums - and shut two fire stations indefinitely. City officials have been in a war of words with the public employee unions.

Mayor Osby Davis didn't return a call for comment on whether the closures may have impacted the fire response. City Councilwoman Joanne Schivley said any speculation on that question was "sensationalism" and refused further comment.

City Councilman Hermie Sunga said he didn't think there was any impact.

"I don't think so - they responded pretty quickly," he said. "The performance of our fire department and police was great, the response time was great and they saved a lot of people."

# posted by Dave Statter @ 8:58 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Watch story about Monday's scheduled vote

From WXIA-TV:

Just days before a crucial vote on whether or not to reopen Fire Station 7, Mayor Shirley Franklin told the council that if they vote to reopen the station, she will veto the measure.

On Friday afternoon, community activists and local politicians held a rally at the closed fire station.

While the city council has the votes necessary to pass a measure to reopen Fire Station 7, Mayor Franklin released a letter vowing to veto any measure to reopen the station. Neither side is giving up ina fight that is growing dirtier by the day.

The real issue is the tug of war between the mayor and the council that continues to drag on. City councilman Caesar Mitchell says he has not talked to Franklin, but he said he's talked to her staff.

"In those conversations, we really haven't gotten anywhere but I'll say this -- the fire chief himself has told us if he had his druthers, Fire Station 7 would be reopened, that all I need to hear," Mitchell said.

Out of the city's 32 fire stations, Station 7 was the sixth busiest in the city. It's closing ceremony was marred by an emotional outburst between the frustrated mayor and angry citizens.

On Monday, the Atlanta City Council will vote on whether or not to reopen the station. Council members said they have found the needed $1.1 million in the budget to make it happen. But it is not that easy.

"The council can pass unanimously, we can override the veto unanimously, however the mayor, as the chief executive officer (of the city), is the one who has to say reopen this station," said Mitchell.

The council will vote on Monday at their regular 1 p.m. meeting whether or not to open the station. It is expected to pass easily. The measure will then go to Franklin's office, where she says, according to the letter released by her office Friday, she will veto it.

The council can override her veto, but council members say the mayor will still have the final word on whether or not the station will open because as chief executive officer she must order the reopening of the station. Some council members say residents should take legal action against the mayor and are urging them to raise money for the fight.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:41 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Dwayne Jones through WMC-TV. Click here for WMC-TV's coverage

From the Associated Press:

The Memphis Fire Department says five children, a teenager and an adult have been killed in a house fire.

Lt. Keith Staples says firefighters don't yet know the exact ages or genders of the victims. Also, two teens and an 11-year-old boy were sent to hospitals with burns. Staples says firefighters aren't sure how the three were able to escape the house.

He says the cause of the fire isn't yet known. It broke out about 5:30 a.m. Saturday.

Fire officials told The Commercial Appeal newspaper that search crews discovered the bodies after extinguishing the flames.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:59 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Recently we did a story for TV on the difficulty DC Fire & EMS has had through the years in making some promised firings stick. It appears though that this case from Fulton County, GA, outside of Atlanta, could possibly trump anything we reported from DC.

911 worker Gina Conteh made the news when she handled the August 2 call for help by Darlene Dukes. According to news reports, Dukes died of a blood clot in her lung after Conteh first sent help to southwest Atlanta, rather than the calls correct location in north Fulton. Twenty-five minutes elapsed before someone else at the 911 center figured out the mistake.

Right now Gina Conteh is appealing her firing. She has experience in this area. At least twice before bosses moved to fire Conteh. Conteh has had at seven suspensions and a personnel file that is 2100 pages long. Here are excerpts from AJC.com. It is worth reading the whole article where you will also learn that its website's claim the 911 center is accredited may not be the case.:

Gina Conteh survived nearly 12 years handling emergency calls despite a personnel record that includes fights with co-workers, chronic tardiness, insubordination, repeated sleeping on the job and numerous mistakes routing emergency calls.

Dukes underscores a frequent criticism for a county often called inept, inefficient and filled with sloppy employees who don't care and can't be fired no matter what their transgressions.

Rob Simms, the chief of staff to former Commission Chairman Mike Kenn, said poor employees routinely got in the way of doing business and getting rid of them was "impossible."

He pointed to Sheriff Myron Freeman's inability to fire several deputies who were cited for errors that allowed a prisoner on trial to escape, bludgeon a deputy and then kill a judge, a court reporter, a deputy and a federal agent. Brian Nichols will go to trial for murder on Sept. 22

Six were later reinstated.

"Essentially you can't be fired," said Simms. "There's no accountability. How do you manage or supervise in an environment where there's no accountability?"

Records show Conteh began a rollercoaster ride in 1996 when she began her work in Fulton.

Her file includes several evaluations that applaud her knowledge of the system, her attitude toward co-workers and ability to properly handle calls. In 1998, her supervisor wrote, "Gina works well with her fellow employees... Gina is a very good employee." In 2005, she was commended twice for perfect attendance.

At the same time, her record shows at least seven suspensions for everything from fighting with co-workers to sleeping on the job to failing to follow procedures. She routinely complained supervisors are picking on her.

In April 2003, Conteh was suspended for falling asleep at her desk so deeply that she tumbled from behind her console and scraped her left ear as she fell. Conteh explained she was leaning over to pick up paper when she fell, according to the file.

She filed a worker's compensation report on her injury. Her superiors did not buy her story.

She also had several screaming matches with co-workers and had to be sent to anger management classes as recently as last year.

She had numerous incidents of mishandling calls, beginning with a string of six errors from December 2006 to January 2008 that resulted in a three-day suspension.

And Conteh was twice spared from being fired. The firt time was in April 2004, when she again fell asleep at her desk.

After an appeal, she kept her job, but was moved from a morning shift to an afternoon shift, records show. Another attempt to fire her a year later fizzled.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:09 PM 4 Comments Links to this post

Ambulance billing dispute: Volunteer corporations thought they were close to a deal that would allow a percentage of the revenue from Prince George's County, MD's new BLS billing program to go to those companies already in the billing business. STATter 911 has learned that deal fell apart and County Executive Jack Johnson ordered the 11 companies to stop billing immediately. Read the details.

Ride for Rich Findley: August 23 is the date for the motorcycle ride/fundraiser to honor Rich Findley, the Prince George's County Police Department corporal and Beltsville volunteer who was murdered. Click here for the info. There is also a picture, sent by Chief Al Schwartz, of Rich astride what I will assume is not a Prince George's County Police Department issued bike.

Videos: Our latest video roundup has more from Conshohocken, some interesting car fire training, two from the UK, a chief who gets pranked while on his honeymoon, a MD trash truck fire and my favorite, a 1993 fire from Chicago. Click here.

Geezer on arson patrol: Check out FireGeezer and a look at arson in Utica. Also, LightRock is flying high with a helicopter primer.

Third fire in four months: Another fire at an abandoned GM parts plant in Dayton, Ohio. Click here for the video.

My old Kentucky FD: Firehouse.com has found one of the more interesting articles of the day. The issue of sovereign immunity is being portrayed as having a vital impact on whether volunteer fire companies will be able to continue to operate in Kentucky. Sovereign immunity limits the ability to sue a fire company. It is now being tested in a lawsuit by a man and woman who believe the local VFC failed to properly handle the fire at their motorcycle business. Click here for the story.

Another copper thief story: This one is accused of starting a fire aftar damaging a gas line while stealing copper. The story from Canton, Ohio.

Bra thief now held as fire setter: I didn't write that headline. It came from Cincinnati.com, a sister publication. It is about a man who served 25-days and was ordered to perform community service for stealing women's underwear. I don't think the community service the judge had in mind was trying to set the courthouse on fire, twice. Click here, if I haven't told you enough. This should cement my reputation as Springer 911. I figured I had to beat FireGeezer to this one.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 11:22 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

For more information go to www.beltsvillevfd.com

# posted by Dave Statter @ 11:01 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Read executive order

STATter 911 has learned talks between Prince George's County, Maryland and volunteer fire companies over ambulance billing have fallen apart. The companies have been ordered by County Executive Jack Johnson to immediately cease billing for emergency transportation provided by basic life support (BLS) units owned and operated by the volunteer corporations. The order was hand delivered to the corporations earlier this week.

The county entered the BLS ambulance billing business on July 1, more than a decade after the first volunteer company began issuing bills to patients and their insurance companies. Before July 1 Prince George's County only billed on advanced life support (ALS) calls.

An executive order was issued Tuesday by County Executive Jack Johnson affirming the county's position that the Prince George's County Code gives it "the exclusive authority to bill and collect for Emergency Transportation Fees and related services".

The order goes on to say there is a need to prevent the practice of simultaneous billing by the volunteer corporations. The order makes clear "that Prince George's County, Maryland is the only entity authorized to bill and collect for emergency transportation and related services". Revenue from the billing is to be used for "operating and capital expenses".

Public Safety Director Vernon Herron tells STATter 911 the executive order is very clear.

So far STATter 911 has been unable to reach attorney Timothy Maloney who has been representing the volunteer corporations.

STATter 911 has contacted sources within the volunteer ranks familiar with the negotiations, but not authorized to talk publicly about the situation. The sources tell us the volunteers were willing to go along with the county taking over billing as long as there was a mechanism to make sure funds would come back to the companies providing the service. According to the sources, a memorandum of understanding had been worked out with the county that would lead to providing these companies with a percentage of the money collected.

As for the county having sole authority to bill for emergency transportation, the sources point out that private ambulance companies regularly bill for that service.

Vernon Herron says the volunteer companies can make requests from Prince George's County Fire/EMS Chief Lawrence Sedgwick for approval to use funds to purchase apparatus and other equipment.

The companies that had been billing are West Lanham Hills, College Park, Glenn Dale, Berwyn Heights, Branchville, Bladensburg, Hyattsville, Greenbelt and Riverdale. Both the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department and the Laurel Volunteer Rescue Squad had more recently begun the practice.

Sources on both sides of the dispute indicate the matter is likely heading for the court system.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 5:36 PM 114 Comments Links to this post

For train and fire buffs

A SEPTA train passes the fire in Conshohocken, PA.

Car fire training

An interesting video that claims it is training by Mt. Penn and Lower Alsace companies near Reading, PA.

Trash truck fire

On Tuckerman Lane in Montgomery County, MD. Something goes bang at the end of the video.

Old video of the day

From Chicago, a 2-11 on January 9, 1993. Norm "Doc" Zaffater posting a video by William Hammell.

Another view of UK fire

This is from the fire at Golf Links Estates in London that we had earlier in the week.

Another UK fire

This one is in Birkenhead. A second waterfront hotel has burned in the last two months. Read more.

History lesson

Some students put together a video history of the Union Fire Company in Carlisle, PA.

The chief's wedding present

From Vernon Township, NJ.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:50 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Conflagration in PA: Lots of video and links to the massive 8-alarm fire in Conshohocken. Click here.

A new meaning for the "F" in FM: In La Marque, TX there is a story that is quite unique. Capt. Alfred Decker, the La Marque assistant fire marshal, brought out his ticket book at a local Wal-Mart. He wasn't writing fire code violations. Capt. Decker cited a woman and put her in handcuffs for dropping "F bombs" in the store and then becoming disorderly. This one is a must read.

The 8th America's 9/11 Ride is on it way: Click here for details.

Texas house fire: Some pictures sent our way from just outside Houston. Click here for details.

911 center says goodbye to two accused of false alarms: An update on the firefighters accused of pulling alarms boxes in Erie County, PA. Read the story.

Fireman blames in turnpike mess: That's the headline from the Charleston Daily Mail in Charleston, WV. A very public argument between a state official and a local fire chief. Here is an excerpt:

Chuck Runyon, a top state transportation official, says an East Bank volunteer firefighter in charge of the scene of a fatal wreck on the West Virginia Turnpike last week used bad judgment and exacerbated an already lengthy traffic gridlock.

But the firefighter, Assistant Chief James Stamper, said Runyon was pressuring him to open northbound lanes hours before hazardous materials experts had finished their job.

Baked Apple: In Santa Clara County, CA Tuesday night there was a three-alarm fire at Apple's Cupertino Campus. Click here for video. Click here to read the story.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:04 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

It looks like we’ll have about 600+ motorcycles, as well as several fire and EMS units in the procession that will travel to all three 9/11 sites.

We will come through Leesburg at approximately 1:45 PM on Friday afternoon. The Leesburg Fire Department sends an engine with us for the entire ride. In addition, they meet us when we come into town and have ladder arches set up for the riders to pass under. They also put their antique fire engine in front of the procession as we pass through town.

We will be arriving in Crystal City around 2:45 PM on Friday afternoon. The procession will come through downtown Leesburg to the Dulles Greenway, to I-66, to Rte 110. We will exit Rte 110 onto Army Navy Drive, then turn and pass in front of 400 Army Navy Drive, then turn left on 11th St. S. and into the DoubleTree Hotel (300 Army Navy Drive). Arlington County Fire Department units will be staged at 400 Army Navy Drive to welcome the procession into Crystal City.

On Saturday, riders will start staging at the Pentagon North Parking lot (same lot that is used for Rolling Thunder) at 6:00 AM. The ride will depart from the Pentagon at 7:30 AM. There should be Arlington County Fire Department units staged on Boundary Channel Drive to see us off.

We will travel east on Boundary Channel Drive, then up the ramp onto 395 north and into the District of Columbia. The Virginia State Police will be completely blocking north bound 395 until the entire procession is up on the highway. We will then travel up 395 to Pennsylvania Avenue westbound, then turn left to continue north on 295 to the Baltimore Washington Parkway on our way north. DC Fire & EMS is supposed to have units staged at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and 295 as the procession passes (first bike probably arriving at approximately 7:45 AM).

Click here to learn more about the ride.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:52 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Top picture from Sharon Gekoski-Kimmel/Inquirer. Bottom image is from the Inquirer and is off the FaceBook page of Justin Sloan.

An 8-alarm fire started in a building under construction at the Riverwalk at Millenium apartments along the Schuylkill River near Fayette Street in Conshohocken, PA. It was the fifth building to be constructed in the complex. The blaze spread to two of the already occupied large apartment buildings leaving about 200 people homeless. The fire started around 4:30 PM on Wednesday and burned well into the night.

A firefighter and a resident suffered minor injuries.

From WCAU-TV

FireGeezer has been on top of the fire since shortly after it began

WPVI-TV looks at how quickly the fire spread

WCAU-TV raw helicopter video

KYW-TV raw helicopter video

Excerpts from Philadelphia Inquirer:

The fire broke out at 4:30 p.m. at the RiverWalk at Millennium complex on the Schuykill. The high-end development, a catalyst in the revival of the once-blighted Conshohocken riverfront, was built by developer Brian O'Neill.

O'Neill was on the scene of the fire, handing out bottles of water to firefighters.

Firefighters called the emergency an "unusually large fire," and one of the largest seen in the county in recent years.

The original fire spread to another apartment building with "many, many senior citizens," said Tom Sullivan, the public safety director for Montgomery County. He said everyone had been evacuated.

Because the buildings border the river and railroad track, "access is challenged," Sullivan said. "They're working through it, and have been cutting down fencing."

He said the first building to go up in flames did not have completed fire protection.

Sullivan said the borough has a limited water supply, which it is trying to overcome with supplies from other water companies and lots of hose. "They're making very good progress," he said.

He noted that the fire broke out in what used to be an industrial area with limited firefighting infrastructure.

Ten fire companies from as far away as North Penn and Flourtown responded to the call

Firefighters were able to confine the fire in the second apartment building to the upper floors and fought to keep water on an office building on the other side of the destroyed property.

Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers, who could see the smoke from the fire from his home in Roxborough, said this type of riverfront fire was particularly difficult to tackle.

The Philadelphia Fire Department was not called to the scene.

Ayers said that in Philadelphia, water mains deadend at the river and fire hydrants at waterfront locations tend to have lower water pressure. "It's a very challenging firefighting moment," Ayers said. "They're up against the size of the fire...and getting water resources together to get in front of the fire."

This one appears to be fairly early on in the fire

At :27 there is a collapse of one of the buildings

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:30 AM 6 Comments Links to this post

From the Houston area, FF Will Wyatt of the Village Fire Department, a STATter 911 reader, sends along these pictures of a house fire on Tuesday. The photos were taken by Captain Robert Guillemette.

Here's Will's account:

On August 12th the Village Fire Dept. (Houston, Texas area) responded to a reported house fire on Tarrington Court in Hunter's Creek Village. Upon arrival Village fire units found a 3900 square foot house in various stages of remodeling with a heavy fire condition in the attic. An interior attack was attempted but for safety concerns the operation was switched to a defensive mode. The Houston Fire Dept. provided assistance with a full box alarm assignment plus a cascade truck and rehab truck. 1 fire fighter was injured and transported to a local hospital where was treated and released. The fire which is suspicious in nature is under investigation.

Watch raw video of fire from KHOU-TV

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:52 AM 5 Comments Links to this post

In Conshohocken, PA firefighters have a mess on their hands. A fire in multiple buildings burning out of control since 5:00 PM. I am out, but FireGeezer has been all over this from the start. I guess I will do some mopping up with the leftovers later. In the meantime go to www.firegeezer.com and tell them Dave sent you.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 10:15 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Not a surprise considering their boss gave a strong hint shortly after they were suspended, but the two 911 center workers in Erie County, PA, accused with five others of pulling false alarms have been shown the door. The pair are also the two top officers of the Lake Shore Fire Department. Excerpts from goerie.com:

Brian R. Salvatore and Robert Burt had been placed on paid administrative leave after police filed charges against them and five other volunteer firefighters on July 31. Police accused the seven of pulling the alarms at the West Ridge, West Lake and Lake Shore fire departments on July 27. The early-morning alarms were supposed to be pranks, according to Millcreek Township police.

Salvatore and Burt worked full time as call takers for Erie County 911. They were fired Monday, said Alyson M. Amendola, a spokeswoman for County Executive Mark DiVecchio's office. After issuing a brief statement on the firings, she said county officials would not comment further because the issue was a personnel matter.

Salvatore, 24, is the chief of the Lake Shore Fire Department. Burt, 33, is the assistant chief.

They and the two other Lake Shore firefighters charged -- Capt. Jason Winston, 23, and Lt. Sara O'Brien, 22 -- have been on a leave of absence from the department since the charges were filed.

Also accused are Fairview Volunteer Fire Department lieutenants Richard Hartline, 28, and Phillip Jackson, 21. Fairview Fire Chief Randy Fedei said both are on a leave of absence from the department until the case is resolved.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 7:15 PM 2 Comments Links to this post

Springer 911: That's the name someone in the comments section gave this blog after our latest story about Jerry Engle. Once the mayor of Kentland, Jerry has become a bit of a mayor-at-large. The author of Probie Days was ordered to vacate the Bladensburg VFD during his own probationary period and has left a forwarding address of 6101 Roanoke Avenue. Maybe 13 will be his lucky number. To read why Jerry parted ways with Bladensburg, click here. Is PT 809 the name of the new drink of some Prince George's County FFs? One side says absolutely not.

Arson spree arrest: In Frederick County, MD an arrest has been made in some recent arsons. We have added pictures to our earlier story. The suspect had a very, very brief connection to a local firehouse. Click here.

How did I miss that?: STATter 911 reader Steve Marshall in PA noticed something I didn't really figure out from the bus versus ambulance video in Portugal that we ran yesterday. I was too busy focusing on the people on the sidewalk in the middle of the screen who see the bus coming toward them and scurry fast. Steve had his eyes on the guy in the blue shirt at the bottom of the screen. Watch him closely. It appears he was dumped out of the ambulance. Very lucky the bus didn't then run over him. Click here. It is the second video on the page.

More from Wes: We have more fire photos from the late Wes Gerald that need identification. Click here to help us out.

Help from the top on volunteer's red light ticket: An interesting story of a push to change some policy after a firefighter responding to a truck fire was pulled over while in his work vehicle. Read the story.

Shib's law: In Illinois a new law was signed by the governor that gives firefighters the authority to close down lanes of traffic if no law enforcement is present. It also increases reckless homicide penalties when emergency personnel are the victims. The law is named for FF James "Shib" Miller killed last summer when struck by a bus on I-57. Read more.

Riled in New Hampshire: In Newington, NH some people think the local FD is to blame for a house burning down on July 16. They had hoped to find some answers to their complaints at a Board of Fire Engineers meeting scheduled for Tuesday night. The people complaining are even more upset and suspicious because that meeting was canceled. The reason given is that someone stole the posting about the meeting, which might put in question the legality of the gathering. Read more here.

Few words: Neither the fire chief of Demopolis, AL, Ron Few, or the police chief are willing to talk about the arrest of a firefighter on DUI and gun charges. Click here for the story.

Help wanted: Another look at the volunteer shortage. This time from Corpus Christi, TX. Read the story.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:07 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Wes 44

Our panel of experts did a pretty good job with the first round of Wes Gerald pictures we ran. Here is round number 2.

The object is to identify these fires. Looking for dates and any details of the fires. If you have information please add it to our comments section or email me at dstatter@wusa9.com. Please use the photo number below each picture so we know which photo you are talking about.

This time we have one from Arlington and three from DC. I imagine the Arlington one should be easy.

Ricky Riley is trying to organize the photo files of his late friend Wes Gerald. ANy information will help.

Wes 34

Wes 38

Wes 42

# posted by Dave Statter @ 10:10 PM 7 Comments Links to this post

Volunteer firefighter Travis Olver fought his traffic ticket and lost. He is out $70 after being pulled over on the way to a truck fire in April. Olver was accused of going through a red light in his work vehicle. The judge reduced the original $220 fine.

Olver has since been interviewed by CBC's radio show As It Happens and his plight caught the attention of some bigwigs in the Saskatchewan government. Here are excerpts from cbcnews.ca:

After hearing that a volunteer firefighter was ticketed on his way to an emergency call, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said he wants to find a way to help volunteers get to emergencies quicker.

Wall made the comment Tuesday after CBC News reported that a volunteer firefighter in Estevan was fined for going through a red light while on his way to a fire call.

Under provincial law, volunteer firefighters must obey all traffic laws when driving their personal vehicles.

The premier said he was surprised by the outcome of Olver's case.

"Can we not have a common-sense solution to this so that we have an encouragement to people to be volunteer firefighters?" Wall told reporters. "I think the answer's yes."

"I think we'll have a plan here to fix this very soon," he said.

One option is to copy Manitoba and Ontario, where firefighters can use emergency flashing lights in their personal vehicles, he said.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 5:22 PM 5 Comments Links to this post

July 14 image of Jerry Engle. In late July Engle cut the mohawk and removed all visible piercings.

Last Saturday was Jerry Engle's last day as a probationary member of Bladensburg VFD (Station 809) in Prince George's County, MD. Bladensburg Chief Matt Fowler tells STATter 911, "It came to the point he was causing more problems in the organization and we had enough of it". According to Fowler, "It wasn't worth it anymore".

Engle had been at Bladensburg for about three months. Prior to that he had a short stint as a volunteer at Riverdale VFD (Station 807). Engle is best known for his many years at Kentland VFD (Station 833). He wrote a book on his experiences titled Probie Days.

Engle made the news recently as part of the videos showing fireworks being used and the hazing of a new member at Kentland. In the video Engle's backside became a launching pad for a bottle rocket.

Jerry Engle's departure from Bladensburg is not without controversy. Engle contacted STATter 911 today saying that he was told to leave after he confronted a member he accused of urinating on food and drinks belonging to Engle and others. Chief Fowler denies that such an incident occurred.

Currently Engle is riding with Riverdale Heights VFD (Station 813).

Previous coverage of FF Engle and Kentland:

Interview about Kentland videos

Kentland chief suspended

FF Engle to the rescue

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:52 PM 16 Comments Links to this post

July 26 fire at H.C. Summers feed store. From Frederick County Sheriff's Office.

9NEWS NOW photographer Kurt Brooks, recuperating at his Frederick County, MD home from a busted leg, first warned me last week that there was likely an arsonist working the Jefferson section of the county. Today the Frederick County Sheriff's Office is holding a press conference to announce an arrest.

There have been three fires since July 26 and a 1997 fire. The man arrested, according to sheriff's deputies, was a juvenile when a fire occurred at his own home in 1997. Now an adult, he is accused of setting fires in a barn, a home and the H.C. Summers feed store. The last fire caused $725,000 damage.

More later.

4:00 PM update:

The man arrested is 28-year-old Wayne Duncan. We are told by Cpl. Jennfier Bailey, PIO for the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, that Wayne Duncan had been a member of Brunswick VFC in 1996. Her information is that Duncan did not respond on calls as a firefighter. Brunswick Chief Roy Lipscomb tells STATter 911 that Duncan filled out his application in 1996 and was accepted as a member. According to Chief Lipscomb, Duncan never showed up again at the firehouse and was dropped from the rolls the next year.

Here is the press release from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office:

On 08/11/2008 at approximately 5:25PM, Cpl. Jason West of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office arrested Wayne E. Duncan, age 28 of Jefferson, Maryland. Duncan was charged with two counts first-degree arson, second-degree arson, attempted first-degree arson, first-degree burglary, second-degree burglary, malicious burning, and four counts reckless endangerment. The charges stem from an intense criminal investigation into four suspicious fires that occurred in southern Frederick County between 09/03/1997 and 08/05/2008. Information regarding the fires is listed below:

§ September 3, 1997 at approximately 6:00PM
· Residential single family dwelling located in 600 block of North Maple Ave in Brunswick
· Home unoccupied
· Damage estimated at $6000
§ July 26, 2008 at approximately 1:30AM
· H C Summers Inc. 3900 block of Jefferson Pike
· Business unoccupied
· Structure and vehicle damages estimated at $750,000
§ August 1, 2008 at approximately 12:41AM
· Barn located in 3900 block of Jefferson Pike
· Barn unoccupied
· Damage estimated at $100
· Fire extinguished by a passerby
§ August 5, 2008 at approximately 1:20AM
· Residential single family dwelling located in the 4000 block of Jefferson Pike
· Home occupied by four family members and two dogs
§ Victims / Male age 33, male 58, female age 12, female age 30
§ All victims transported to Frederick Memorial Hospital for treatment of injuries
§ One dog died as a result of smoke inhalation
· Damage estimated at $275,000

As a part of the criminal investigation, Sheriff’s Office investigators canvassed the Jefferson area for leads. After approximately 40 interviews, Duncan was identified as a suspect. He was arrested at his residence and transported to the Frederick County Adult Detention Center for processing.

The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office has been working with the State and County Fire Marshals Offices, which identified the cause and origin of the fires. The investigation is continuing. Any media interested in obtaining photographs from the arson scenes should contact Cpl. Jennifer Bailey.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 11:35 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Large fire in London

I believe this is a fire Monday night at the Golf Links Estates in London. Click here to see more videos. Read details.

Bus versus ambulance

Train versus truck

No details as a trucker takes his rig around the crossing arms at the railroad track.

Firehouse funnies

From Hamilton Township, NJ a series of videos highlighting firehouse pranks and tricks. A second video features a little cardiac workout after someone comes out of the closet as members return from a call. A third video shows their skills at moving water. While the volume of water is small, the speed is impressive. Not quite the launching platform shown on a previous well publicized firehouse video, but it will do.

As with all the YouTube and LiveLeak videos, if you are offended by language you are likely to hear inside a firehouse, you might not want to watch (or you can just turn the sound down).

I'd walk a mile for a doctor

This bit of advertising history really has nothing to do with fire and EMS, except doctors touting cigarettes would be like a fire investigator doing a testimonial for an arsonist.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 9:03 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

So far, Dave has wildly misjudged this one: While we have an interesting dialogue going on about the video from the deaths of two firefighters in Hong Kong, it is nothing like I expected. As the great champion of the free press it turns out I am the one mostly concerned about the pictures of the dead firefighters. The writers to STATter 911 have generally been making the point the media sanitizes things too much. Life isn't Disneyland is a common theme. I still contend if these were local firefighters and my station ran similar video, firefighters would be outraged. Join the discussion.

LODDs 2007: Click here to read USFA's report on firefighter fatalities in 2007.

We have a theme going: Yesterday FireGeezer had the story of the marriage of a couple in Fredericksburg, VA at the same time their home was burning down. It happened on what was supposed to be their lucky day, 08-08-08. 08-09-08 wasn't any better for newlyweds. Vito Maggiolo has the pictures and the story on DCFD.com of a 2-alarm fire at a DC hotel in the middle of a wedding. Great shot of a cake rescue. Click here and scroll down.

Warehouse fire: This one is from Friday in Clearwater, FL. Aerosonic Corporation makes flight instruments for aircraft. A 40,000 square foot warehouse that had chemicals and other material burned. Investigators have had to wait to enter the building as testing is conducted to see what kind of chemicals burned. Read the story. Watch raw video.

Possible cyanide death turns into hazmat incident: Floors of a Denver hotel remain sealed after a man was found dead from cyanide poisoning. Click here for more.

Lawyer uses fire hazard plea in effort to get client a computer: In Australia an attorney turned fire marshal declaring his clients prison cell a fire hazard. She cites large bundles of court documents given to the accused murderer. The answer, according to the lawyer, is to put everything on disc and give the man a computer. Click here.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 7:17 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2007

From the USFA press office:

The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has released today its report Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2007. The report continues a series of annual studies by the USFA of on-duty firefighter fatalities in the United States. The USFA is the single public agency source of information for all on-duty firefighter fatalities in the United States each year.

"One of the greatest challenges we face as a fire service is to stop the needless deaths of firefighters while in service to their communities," United States Fire Administrator Greg Cade said. "Every day and across this nation, firefighters are responding to emergencies that threaten the lives of their residents. These same threats also threaten the lives of firefighters. Unfortunately, we all lost far too many firefighters in 2007."

During calendar year 2007, there were 118 firefighters who lost their lives while on duty across the United States.

The unique and specific objective of Firefighter Fatalities in the United States is to identify all on-duty firefighter fatalities that occurred in the United States and its protectorates, and to present in summary narrative form the circumstances surrounding each occurrence. In addition to the 2007 overall findings, this study includes information on the hazards to firefighters presented by the lack of seatbelt use. In 2007, 27 firefighter fatalities resulted from vehicle-related incidents. In 19 of the 27 incidents where seatbelt status was known, 11 firefighters were confirmed as not wearing seatbelts at the time of the event.

An overview of the 118 firefighters that died while on duty in 2007:

68 volunteer firefighters and 50 career firefighters died while on duty.

There were 7 firefighter fatality incidents where 2 or more firefighters were killed, claiming a total of 21 firefighters' lives.

11 firefighters were killed during activities involving brush, grass, or wildland firefighting, the lowest in over a decade.

Activities related to emergency incidents resulted in the deaths of 76 firefighters.
38 firefighters died while engaging in activities at the scene of a fire.

26 firefighters died while responding to or returning from emergency incidents.

11 firefighters died while they were engaged in training activities.

15 firefighters died after the conclusion of their on-duty activity.

Heart attacks were the most frequent cause of death for 2007, with 52 firefighter deaths.

For the past 22 years, the USFA has tracked all firefighter fatalities and conducted the necessary analysis for the benefit of the fire service. Through the collection of information on the causes of firefighter deaths, the USFA is able to focus on specific problems and direct future efforts towards finding solutions to reduce the number of firefighter fatalities in the future. This information is also used by many organizations to measure the effectiveness of their current efforts directed toward firefighter health and safety.

The National Fallen Firefighter Foundation maintains the list of firefighters who die in the line-of-duty and are honored during the annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend held each October in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 6:02 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

There is a video from TV coverage in Hong Kong that I imagine would likely make many of our readers irate. It is not something that we would run at the TV station I work for or on our web site. In fact, unless there were some very unusual circumstances, I doubt that few local stations in the US would run it.

I bring it up because it involves an interesting discussion that we have had before about camera access and freedom of the press. Rather than embed the video, I will provide a link for those who are interested in seeing it.

Before you decide whether you want to take a look, let me describe it. It is coverage of the high rise fire that killed four people, including two firefighters Sunday morning (Click here for FireGeezer's coverage of the blaze).

On the video, besides seeing firefighters using various aerial devices to make numerous rescues, you see EMS doing CPR on the firefighters. Not from a distance, but up close and very personal. In fact, you will see a large group of photographers who are standing over a dead firefighter, running alongside the stretcher as he is raced toward an ambulance. Another shot has a photographer looking straight down on a dead firefighter on the ground with CPR being performed. It appears to be taken from some raised area like a low balcony or the roof of a live truck.

As many of you know, I don't believe in censorship. If its in a public place, where the public is allowed to see it, you should be allowed to take pictures. I have to say though, that I have never seen anything quite like what is on this video.

I can imagine the photographers I know shooting the scene from a respectful distance. If it moves, we generally shoot it and then figure it all out later. As for airing it, it would be extremely unlikely, whether it is a firefighter or civilian.

When I first started in TV we would show CPR being performed, particularly if the person survived. The standards are such today, that you rarely see that video. There are times we show fire and EMS people obviously doing CPR, but in a way that you can't see the patient (kind of like the shot in the Hong Kong video where there are so many photographers around the stretcher you can't see the victim).

An interesting side note to all of this. We are coming up on the 20th anniversary of a fire in DC at 409 Missouri Avenue, NW. We have great video of firefighters saving three children and an adult, all in cardiac or respiratory arrest. All four were revived. One child later died. I am trying to work up a story looking back at that fire. Because of the standards that have changed, I am not sure what my bosses are going to allow me to show of the dramatic video from 1988.

Back to Hong Kong. I still think you really can't censor this. It goes against what our country is about to let the government decide what is proper for the public to see. There are also aren't any laws that will necessarily legislate good taste and sense.

I do think you can find legal ways to keep photographers from standing over top rescuers doing CPR as if they were angling for a shot of Britney Spears. If I saw any of my colleagues doing that, I imagine I would be pretty outraged.

Now, with all of the warning and the caveats, if you are really interested in seeing this video, here is the link. Please don't shoot the messenger, just let me know what you think in the comments section below.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 7:40 AM 11 Comments Links to this post

Videos from propane facility fire where Toronto district chief collapsed: We have a number of videos taken by neighbors from Sundays fires and explosions in Toronto. District Chief Bob Leek died at this blaze. Click here.

Wes Gerald photos: We have posted photos shot by the late Wes Gerald of some fires in DC. We are looking for information about the fires. Vito Maggiolo has provided some details:

The top one is a third alarm on H Street NE. That is the TV store. I need to research exact address and date. The bottom one is Modells Sporting Goods store at the corner of 10th & E Sts. NW. It was exposure D to a well involved vacant commercial building in the 1000 Block of E St. NW. Fire was a third alarm equivalent. Need to research the date.

Report on the deaths of two FFs: Click here to read the report into the deaths of two Noonday, TX firefighters. They died at a house fire a year ago.

Maine FF talks about hoax bomb found in his car: A member of the South Berwick FD talks about the fake pipe bomb left in his glove box. Patrick Gorman, son of the chief, found the device when he was getting out of the car at a bank. Gorman has no idea why he was targeted. Click here.

Less money means fewer calls. It's an idea that is spreading: That's the answer to budget cuts in Springfield, MO. The FD is reducing the number of EMS responses by shortening the list of calls requiring a response by a fire truck. Read the story.

A similar plan in suburban Louisville, KY. According to the Courier-Journal, "Nine of Jefferson County's 18 suburban fire districts have stopped responding to all but the most critical medical emergencies, citing rising fuel costs and limited resources". The idea is not without some criticism. Click here for a detailed look.

Voters say no. FD says yes: On Long Island the Setauket Fire District is planning to go ahead with one of two new buildings that already had been rejected in a bond vote by residents. The idea now is to raise taxes for the fire district which has some people upset. Read the story. Read the editorial in Newsday. Department website.

Take-home car cut back at the top: In Brookline, NH they have been discussing the idea of getting rid of take-home cars for the police chief, fire chief and the ambulance director. The Nashua Telegraph doesn't see much benefit in this money saver.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 6:38 AM 2 Comments Links to this post

Toronto Fire Services District Chief Bob Leek collapsed and died at Sunday's massive fire at a propane facility. Click here for the department's press release about Chief Leek's death.

Click to watch a report about Chief Leek.

Read more about the fire and watch a report.

Look at dispatch information from Toronto Fire Services CAD.

Below are a series of videos taken by residents who live near the fire.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:17 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Watch raw helicopter video from WJZ-TV

If you are reading this from the Maryland and Delaware resorts and are planning to head home anytime soon, or if you are on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay and heading east, it is time to seriously consider heading to Elkton, Maryland (people only used to do that when they wanted to get married quickly). The long way around is probably better than sitting through about 10-miles of extremely slow traffic on either side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge complex (as of 1:30 pm).

The eastbound span remains closed and is using one lane of the westbound span. Not a pattern you like to see on a Sunday when people are returning from a beach weekend.

I left Delaware this morning before it got real bad. I encountered only three or so miles of slow traffic westbound as I came off the Kent Narrows Bridge. At 11:15 AM it still took me 45 minutes to navigate around the north side of Route 50 over to Route 8, back onto Route 50 and across the bridge. Even at that hour the side roads were starting to jam. It is much, much worse now.

The detour off Route 50 took me by the massive Kent Island VFC building that opened earlier this year. Here is what Kent Island's website wrote about the wreck this morning:

Units from Station 1, Station 2, Anne Arundel Stations 19 and 23 were dispatched for a 2 vehicle MVC on the Eastbound span of the Bay Bridge involving a tractor-trailer that was now in the water. Two patients from a passenger vehicle on the bridge were extricated by and medevaced by Troopers 6 and 2 to Shock Trauma, one pt was Category A/Priority1 and the other was Category C/Priority 2. The driver of the truck was located by divers from Anne Arundel County Fire Department and was transported to shore by Fire Boat 1 as Priority 4. DES and MDE hazmat units responded to the scene to evaluate the fuel leak from the truck. The scene was under control at 0554 and all Queen Anne units cleared by 0804. Check back later for photos.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:29 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Photo from Bullard FD. Caption with photo in report:
This photo at 02:23 shows thick, black smoke exiting the front door under pressure. Williams and Cheek have been in for 11 minutes.

Read entire report

Click here for more fire & EMS news from STATter 911

It has been a year since the deaths of Captain Kevin Williams and FF Austin Cheek of the Noonday VFD in Texas. A report into the August 3, 2007 deaths at an overnight house fire has been completed by the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office. Click above to read the entire report. Below are nine findings listed in the report:

A stationary command post was not set up and the Incident Commander remained mobile throughout the incident.

Although a RIC was established during operations, the RIC was not dedicated for immediate deployment.

The Incident Commander did not ensure that a personnel accountability system was immediately utilized.

Initial crews failed to perform a 360-degree scene size-up and did not secure the utilities before operations began.

Perimeter designations were inconsistent between responding departments.

Ventilation operations were not closely coordinated with interior fire attack placing the crew between the fire and the point of ventilation.

The Incident Commander failed to establish good communications with interior crews and did not take immediate actions when his request for updates went unanswered.

As fire conditions progressed changes were not made to the fireground operations.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 7:21 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

It has been a while since we have run photos from Wesley Gerald. Wes, who worked for many years in Fairfax County's 911 center, died last November.

His friend Ricky Riley is helping sort through a great deal of photos shot by Wes in an effort to put them on a new website. Below are five photos taken in the District of Columbia. If you can identify people, places, dates of other information, please contact me through our comments section below, or write me at dstatter@wusa9.om.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:09 AM 2 Comments Links to this post

Just tying up some loose ends with new information and links on stories we have brought you recently.

Medics treating FF Jared Pearish. From southbendfire.org where you will find more info on the fire.

Back home again: On Chief Billy Goldfeder's FirefighterCloseCalls.com he has pictures of the helmet FF Jared Pearish was wearing yesterday when a grocery store wall came down around him (click here to see our links and video). South Bend, IN Chief Howard Buchanon believes the helmet was likely the difference between life and death and allowed FF Pearish to return home again.

There is also an update on the cuts Chief Buchanon says the department will have to face due to budget issues. The union thinks there are other things that should go before people. Click here.

All fall down 2: In a little foreshadowing of the days events, about the same time the world was coming in on FF Pearish, we had just posted an older video where some firefighters were having a similar experience. A fire official in Toronto was kind enough to write and confirm our guess that the video was taken in Cleveland. Still don't know the date.

Power to the people: You may recall the video we ran on August 1 of power lines and transformers burning and arcing and surging through homes. We knew it was old, but didn't know how old or a lot of details. Our readers quickly responded including the department that was first due at the blaze. Both Deputy Chief Bill Snyder and PIO Rich Gardiner of the Bel Air VFC in Harford County, MD contacted us about the 1988 fire. The video is often used for training. Here is what Rich Gardiner wrote:

During the summer of 1988 there was a most unusual fire call. The original alert was "Transformer explosion with CPR Assist." The place: Moores Mill Road near Broadway. The first unit to arrive on the scene found, to their relief, that, miraculously, the man in the bucket of the utility truck had escaped injury. A transformer was lighting up the area every few minutes and its fire would run up and down the wires on Moores Mill Road.

Very shortly afterward, transformers all over the nearby developments were burning. The officer in charge called for additional alarms and units from all over the county responded. Fireman left work to help with the serious situation, and the EMS people were busy helping neighbors with the "welders eyes" they had received from watching the bright electrical arcs on the power lines. One house caught fire and many homes had such strong surges of current that their appliances were ruined. Luckily, no one was seriously injured. The entire day was spent preventing disastrous situations.

Rich also invited us to visit BAVFC.org, the company's website. Quite a lot of information about the department on the site. Very interesting is the "Officer Biographies" link. It provides resumes for each of the company's line officers. Nice feature.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 11:18 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Watch video

WSBT-TV camera began rolling just after a wall collapse as firefighters were working the exterior of a grocery store fire in South Bend, IN. Fire Chief Howard Buchanan said the firefighters were taken to Memorial Hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.

Read the story.

WSBT-TV also has video of an early morning fire in Mishawaka, IN at restaurant complex. It takes a while to get to the video, but they were rolling when most of the roof came in. Click here to watch that story.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:22 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Philly's Snorkel 28: Click here if you haven't yet seen the picture of Snorkel 28 and the story of some very lucky people.

Public forum for fire chief candidates: Interesting way to pick a fire chief in St. Joseph, MO. The five candidates not only met with city officials, they took questions from the public. Click here for the story.

PA FFs finds hot spot for cops: A TIC belonging to the Erie FD helped capture a shooting suspect. Read the details and watch the story.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:14 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Apparently no one was hurt when Philadelphia's Snorkel 28 came in contact with power lines Tuesday night. The best information we can find is the rig was being used for National Night Out activities.

There is a discussion of the incident on PhillyFireNews.com.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:35 AM 1 Comments Links to this post

The latest on chopper crash that killed nine at CA wildfire: Click here for the most recent article from The Sacramento Bee on Tuesday's deadly crash. You will find our coverage from yesterday, including links to various reports, here.

Fines over deaths of 2 FFs in Salisbury, NC: The North Carolina Department of Labor issued $6,563 in fines for five violations in connection with the Salisbury Millwork fire on March 7. Both the City of Salisbury and the Locke Township FDs received citations.

Letter to Salisbury

Salisbury citations

Locke Township citations

WSOC-TV report

Response from Salisbury chief and city manager

From IndependentTribune.com:

In its investigation report, inspectors found Salisbury’s first responders to the Martin Luther King Boulevard building did not adequately monitor the fire’s progression by posting crews outside to notify firefighters of any changes in its behavior.

Also, inspectors said Salisbury fire officials did not keep visual or radio contact with all of their firefighters who were inside the burning building. Safety inspectors found that on more than one occasion firefighters entered and exited the burning structure without radio or visual monitoring from the command post. One of those instances involved a firefighter who left the building to notify command his unit’s radios had quit transmitting.

Our latest video roundup: Small in number this time, but each worth watching. It includes: one old, one new blaze from Shreveport, LA; a response video from MD; and an all day fire in Manila. Click here.

(UPDATE: Sorry, I killed another video. It's been a while since I have done that. The response video from Montgomery E705 to a wires down call has been pulled from YouTube. Wonder if some of the comments have anything to do with it.)

The conversation continues about the haunted house fire: While there does not appear to be a response forthcoming from PGFD to questions posed by STATter 911 about the Six Flags America fire, plenty of other people are commenting. Some even signed their names. Read the comments.

South Bend FFs on the chopping block: The latest department to propose cutting firefighters is in South Bend, Indiana. As many as 53 firefighters could lose their jobs in some big time belt tightening. A fire station may also go and the city is talking about charging for EMS and more. Read. Watch.

Don't let the door hit you in the ... : That has basically been the message from the Wilmington, NC FD to firefighters who resign. There has been an unwritten rule that even those who leave in good standing can't come back. That policy may soon change with the new chief coming on board. In the meantime one former firefighter is waiting. Read the story.

The party circuit: A look at how PA firehouses are having some wild parties. Actually that's an exaggeration by a shameless reporter. But there are parties. And they do involve those who are underage. There you go again. You can't trust those so-called journalists. Just read the story yourself. That's it ... they report, you decide. Click here.

A chicken in every pot. A paramedic on every call: That's what some of the political leaders in Alliance, Ohio seem to be promising. Read about their EMS - Fire debate.

Promised sprinkler system doesn't appear and the council is mad: In College Park, MD the town fathers and mothers are not happy with the owner of the Santa Fe Cafe. Five-years-ago the owner agreed to install a sprinkler system by March, 2006. Mark Srour apparently didn't help his case by not showing up for the latest hearing. The Diamondback has the story.

FireGeezer can't get enough booze: Let me rephrase that. I should have said our friend the Geezer can't get enough stories about booze. There were two of them back-t0-back just yesterday. One was about a beer bath (not sure how he got one picture past his department of standards and practices, AKA the censors, AKA Mrs. FireGeezer) and the other, about a customer who is paying the price for a bartender's dragon breath. As for the Geezer himself, he never drinks and blogs for fear of getting charged with BUI.

Statter blew it, again: The other day I was chatting with DC Mayor Adrian Fenty about the fate of four firefighters accused of avoiding calls while assigned to ambulances. The mayor had recently been in a bike wreck that left him quite bruised and battered. At the end of our exchange, I asked Mayor Fenty, with a smile in my voice (my usual charming self), if he called 911 for his accident? His reply was, "No, but they would have been there fast".

Feeling somewhat sorry for the guy, I left it at that. But David Nakamura, one of the stars of the Washington Post's Metro section, is clearly not the sympathetic hack I am (or is it just pathetic?). He discovered 911 was actually called for the mayor's mishap. You can read his article here.

(Update: For the record, sources tell us Engine 1 and Ambulance 9 were sent on the call to help Mayor Fenty. It appears the call came in from DC police. Not sure if it was from the mayor's security detail. Call received at 1:23. Dispatched at 1:24 as a 29b. No on the scene time. Engine 1 is back in quarters at 1:35. No mention of the mayor in the notes.)

# posted by Dave Statter @ 10:46 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Links for coverage-

KXTV-TV

KCRA-TV

KOVR-TV

FireGeezer

Firefighter Nation

Excerpts from the The Sacramento Bee at 6:59 PM EDT:

From the AP at 5:19 PM EDT:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Nine people are missing and feared dead in the crash of a helicopter that was carrying firefighters over a Northern California forest, officials said Wednesday.

The helicopter was carrying 11 firefighters and two crew members when it went down Tuesday night in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Four people were taken to hospitals with severe burns, including two in critical condition, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The Sikorsky S-61 chopper was destroyed by fire after crashing "under unknown circumstances" in a remote mountain location, said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. FAA and NTSB investigators were headed to the scene, about 215 miles northwest of Sacramento.

The nine were presumably killed in the fire that destroyed the helicopter, Gregor said.

Two of the injured were flown in critical condition to the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, Forest Service spokesman Mike Odle said Wednesday. The other two were taken to Mercy Medical Center in Redding in serious condition, he said.

The firefighters had been working at the northern end of a fire burning on more than 27 square miles in the national forest, part of a larger complex of blazes that is mostly contained.

The helicopter was owned and operated by Carson Helicopters Inc., whose firefighting operations are based in Grants Pass, Ore. All 12 of the company's helicopters are being used for firefighting in Oregon and California, said Bob Madden, Carson's director of corporate affairs.

The helicopter's two co-pilots were Carson employees, Madden said; one was hospitalized and the other was among the missing.

Before Tuesday's crash, three firefighters had been killed while on duty in California this year, including one firefighter also assigned to battle the Shasta-Trinity blazes who was killed last month by a falling tree.

On July 2, a volunteer firefighter in Mendocino County died of a heart attack on the fire line. Another firefighter was killed July 26 in when he was burned while scouting a fire.

From the AP at 3:53PM EDT:

JUNCTION CITY, Calif. (AP) -- The Federal Aviation Administration says nine people are missing and feared dead in the crash of a helicopter carrying firefighters in Northern California.

FAA spokesman Ian Gregor says the helicopter was carrying 11 firefighters and two crew members when it went down Tuesday night. Four people have been taken to a hospital with severe burns. Two are in critical condition.

Gregor says the Sikorsky S-61 chopper was destroyed by fire after crashing in a remote mountain location in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 4:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

One blazing home in Shreveport on one blazing day

Norm "Doc" Zaffater is still at it with this video of a roaring house fire on Monday in Shreveport, LA. Zaffater reports the outside temperature was 106 degrees. Read more about the fire.

Old video of the day

Since we are in the neighborhood, here is another one from "Doc" Zaffater. A three-alarm fire in Shreveport on February 23, 1991 in a row of vacant buildings.

Response video

Ride along with Montgomery County, MD's Engine 705 on a wires down call.

(Update: It has been a while, but it seems STATter 911 has killed another video. Wonder if it was pulled because of the comments below?)

Fire in Manila burns for almost a day

Four firefighters were injured in this motel fire in downtown Manila. It spread to a number of adjacent businesses and burned for 22 hours. Read more here and here. More video here, here and here.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 1:35 PM 6 Comments Links to this post

The times they are a changing: When listening to DC Fire Feeds version of the fire at Six Flags America I forgot those recordings edit out dead air. This means the times I gave are not accurate. It actually was a few minutes further into the fire that each of the transmissions I quoted occurred. The story is essentially the same, but I have changed the times for accuracy. Click here to see the story and the discussion that goes with it.

Also, there is no response, so far, from Prince Georges County Fire/EMS Department.

Mulch ado about something: I hadn't checked in on thehousewatch.com in a few days, but FireGeezer made note of the latest entry in the always thought-provoking blog. It is called "Free Mulch". Yes, it is about a mulch giveaway at the firehouse, but it is also about so much more. Make sure you read it.

Child porn on firehouse computer leads to arrest: The 2nd assistant chief of the Odessa VFC in Delaware has been charged with 20 felony counts of using a computer to unlawfully depict a child engaging in a prohibited sexual act. Click here for the story.

Morphine replaced with saline on medic unit: The unit is at Brevard County, Florida's Station 60. Investigators says there are as many as 16 people who would have had custody of the drugs before the theft of morphine was discovered last month. Click here for the latest on the probe.

UK trial for fatal fire truck wreck: A fire truck going through a red light is part of what's behind the trial of the driver of that rig accused in the death of a motorist. Read the details.

Texting helps save plane crash survivor: Details of how the lone survivor of a plane crash that killed five others communicated with rescuers using his cell phone. Read the story.

Looked like one of those rescue scenes from Emergency!: The driver of the SUV crashed through a fence and rode the vehicle more than 200 feet into a quarry. Good rescue video and interviews with the rescuers from Whitemarsh Township, PA. Click here.

Who needs thermal imaging? Just bring this 12-year-old girl along: No one believed Chloe Sorrell at first. Her cousin thought it was just some fantasy drama the girl had cooked up. But what was cooking was the inside of the wall around an electrical outlet. Read the story from Windsor, Ontario.

Train delays firefighters responding to burning home: From Durant, OK three to four minutes were added to the response time to a house fire because of a passing train. Watch the story.

Who you gonna call?: In Milford, CT a heron caught on a kite string in mid-air needed a rescue assignment from the fire department to get free. Click here for the story.

Punishment comes four years after the allegations are made: A drama has been playing out since 2004 in Secaucus, NJ. The latest chapter ended with the forced resignation of three volunteer firefighters. It involves a gay couple that once lived next to the fire station, a more than $4 million judgment against the city and the city's insurer. Read the latest article. Read a previous article. Read the mayor's letter to the editor about the issue.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 7:31 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Watch the video of the evacuation from KNBC-TV

The pilot of an American Airlines 757 apparently takes fire safety seriously. Over the Pacific, heading to Honolulu, with 188 passengers and six crew members on-board there was a report of an odor of smoke in the cabin. Making an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport almost an hour later, he stopped the plane and met the fire trucks in the middle of one of the busiest runways in the country.

Unsure of what was causing the odor, the order came to evacuate the plane immediately. On live television, viewers watched as emergency slides were immediately deployed and the passengers quickly left the plane.

Firefighters ran up to help out at the bottom of the chutes. Among their first efforts was to move passengers away from the jet and slow everyone down after watching someone go head first onto the runway. You can see that at on the KNBC-TV coverage when the timer shows about 1:04 left in the clip.

LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey says six passengers were treated for bumps, bruises and other minor injuries received during the evacuation.

Firefighters with thermal imaging cameras could not find the source of the odor.

The emergency ruined a publicity event involving some of those same firefighters. Fire trucks were supposed to spray streams of water to welcome Airbus 380 -- the world's largest jetliner -- flown by Emirates Airlines.

The emergency delayed the Emirates flight for about 45 minutes and the ceremony was scrapped.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 3:23 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Haunting issues: Everyone went home and the fire went out at the haunted house on the grounds of Six Flags America in Largo, MD last Thursday. But a listen to the audio indicates there was confusion, up to 20 minutes into the fire, over whether the blaze was to be fought from the inside or the outside. Click here to learn more.

Fired doesn't always mean you have to say goodbye: A look at how previous efforts to fire some DC firefighters have failed. Among those is a firefighter who is currently one of four threatened with termination because of accusations they avoided taking ambulance calls. Click here to read the story and click here to watch it.

Video roundup: Nine new videos I think you will find interesting. Click here.

Former chief charged with theft of boat "he won": According to the AP, Randy Smalley was removed as chief of the Washington Township FD in Fayette County, PA in 2004 after the department went broke. Now Smalley is charged with buying a boat using department money and selling it to a boat dealer, claiming he had won the vessel in a raffle. Read the story.

Looks like they will have to find another place to try the arsonist: If you set fire to the courthouse do you forfeit your right to a trial and go directly to jail without passing go and collecting your $200? FireGeezer has been on top of yesterday's arson that destroyed the historic Lancaster County, SC courthouse. It was built in 1828. Click here.

Does a bear ... ? Yes, and so does a firefighter: First heard about this one from Billy Goldfeder's The Secret List. In Yellowstone National Park on Sunday, a grizzly attempting to flee a wildfire tried to occupy the same space as a firefighter. The bear apparently was doing its imitation of the scene from Seinfeld where George knocks over all the children at a party to flee a fire. The crews carry pepper spray for just this type of event, but Firefighter Tony Allabastro didn't have time to reach for it. He has some scratches and a hell of a story to tell. Read more.

Bodybuilder still a no-show in Boston: Boston Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser gave Albert Arroyo until Monday to return to work or be fired. Arroyo is now officially fired. Read the latest.

Also, the head of Boston's Retirement Board is stepping down amid all of the controversy. Click here.

Fire burns in former home of fire chief: In New Hanover County, NC the now vacant home of the chief of the Wrightsboro VFD burned. Read more.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 9:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Plane crash into home

This is a TV report from Monday morning's deadly plane crash in Gearhart, Oregon:

A small plane crashed into a seaside house in heavy fog early Monday, killing two people aboard and two children in the vacation home it struck, authorities said.

A third child was unaccounted for after the crash, which apparently occurred soon after the plane took off from nearby Seaside in northwest Oregon.

Deadly house fire in CO

Early neighbor video of a house fire in Littleton, CO early Sunday morning that killed three people. Read more.

Reading the smoke in Spokane

This is from the three-alarm fire on July 24 that started in the basement of a photography business. One firefighter ended up with a collapsed lung after falling through the floor. Firefighter Spot has more coverage of this fire and additional video.

Exposure problem in CA

News reports indicate this started out as a fire in one single-family home and spread to exposure B. Read more and see additional video from the fire last Wednesday in Pacifica.

LAFD in action

Here's the description with this video: Get up close and personal with a working structure fire in this behind-the-scenes footage of the LAFD in action. This is raw footage that will be used in the upcoming Documentary Film, "Smoke Eaters."

Click here for a trailer for the film.

New York townhouse fire

From Brighton, NY on Monday.

FL house fire

Miami-Dade firefighters with video and stills on a Liberty City fire last Monday.

Venting in Reno

No date on this fire from Reno, Nevada

And finally ... the thrill of victory

This is from Memphis, MI where Richmond Lenox EMS won the waterball contest for the eighth year in a row.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 10:55 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Photo by Mark E. Brady, Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department

Audio from Six Flags America fire from DC Fire Feeds

Note: The times in this story were updated on 8-5-08 to account for the time compression used on the recorded audio from DC Fire Feeds

When I wrote the original story on the fire at Six Flags America last Thursday I was trying to be cute with my headline, Haunted house a little scarier than imagined.

The headline on this story is not so much to be cute, but to bring attention to some issues that happened on the fireground at the amusement park. As pointed out by some of our readers, the initial 25 minutes of operations presented problems that, on the surface, had a very serious potential impact on firefighter safety.

We say on the surface, because much of this is based on radio transmissions and only limited information from those on the fireground. Over the weekend, and again today, we contacted the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department with a series of questions about this fire. We will pass on the department's remarks, when the information is available.

One thing, though, is very clear from the audio. At about 25 minutes into the operation there were crews operating inside the structure when command reported about three minutes earlier that this had been an exterior operation from the start.

From the audio we have heard, the only clear announcement this was supposed to be an exterior operation came approximately 22-minutes from the time of dispatch. It was at that point a dispatcher at Communications, overhearing the IC's conversation with the Side C Command that there was had been a partial collapse, had the following conversation with the IC, Deputy Chief 802, Lt. Col. Tyrone Wells :

Communications: Communications to Command, are you going exterior only? Do you need an announcement?

Command: That is correct; it’s been exterior from the beginning.

Communications: Very well, stand by. All units 13,710 Central Avenue at Six Flags, exterior operations only ...

That last message was preceded by a single beep tone from the dispatcher's console.

Things became a bit more urgent at around 25-minutes into the operation, with this series of transmissions:

Chief 808: Chief 808 to Command, priority.

Communications: Communications to Command, Chief 808 is calling you priority.

Command: 808 go.

Chief 808: Evacuate the building, still have crews operating inside the structure. Evacuate the building, need all apparatus drivers to sound their airhorns, everyone out.

Command: Command to Communications.

Communications: All units operating 13,710 Central Avenue, at Six Flags, evacuate the building. All units 13,710 Central Avenue, evacuate the building.

The last transmission was preceded by the dispatcher activating the evacuation tone at his console.

We have learned that the department has had a critique of this incident. We also know from sources that Command had issues with some companies not carrying out assignments.

We will pass along more information as it comes in. In the meantime Bill Carey's FIRE(FIGHTER) BEHAVIOR blog has much more on the radio transmissions in an entry titled Implied Communication.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 8:18 PM 29 Comments Links to this post

Audio of the day: This is the brief audio clip of Loudoun County, Virginia's Lt. John Earley as he arrived in quarters aboard Tower 6 Friday night (see below).

Lt. John Earley home: In case you didn't check in over the weekend, you many have missed that Loudoun County, Virginia's John Earley came back to the county in style Friday night after almost 10 weeks at the burn unit. Read the story.

FF/diver dies during effort to find boater: In Tiverton, RI Sunday evening a firefighter for the Tiverton Fire Department went into cardiac arrest and died while part of a dive team searching for a boater. Click here for the details.

Return from antique fire truck muster ends in tragedy: An aerial ladder into power lines killed the owner of an antique fire truck and a state trooper Sunday. It happened as the truck's owner was trying to change two flat tires at the border with Canada. FireGeezer is on top of this one.

DC takes steps towards firing four FFs: If you missed the news from late Friday, DC Fire & EMS Chief Dennis Rubin is moving to fire four firefighters found by an internal investigation to have avoided being dispatched on emergency ambulance calls. Click here for the story and a bit of a discussion in our comments section.

VA house fire video: Click here for video of a house fire Saturday evening in Fairfax County. It was at 5901 Columbia Pike in Bailey's Crossroads. Werner R. Ennesser (W. R. E. Productions) took the video.

The man Johnny Carson called NBC's "crack meteorologist" knows his stuff about fire: Dr. Frank Field helped inspire a series of TV reports I did in the mid to late 1990s about fire safety. In fact we ripped off the title of our series from Dr. Field's book Get Out Alive. By the time my reports aired, Field had been there and done that.

Now things have come full circle and Frank Field is referencing a little bit of my work in a quest commentary in the August issue of Firehouse. Click here to read more about it.

Video of the day is a new view of an old fire: At least the angle is new to us. Scroll down or click here for the fire from San Diego.

Ladder trucks and rescue squad can now be staffed with two: That's the decision in Huntington, West Virginia after a judge's ruling will force the city to pay more for retirees medical benefits. Engine company's will continue to operate with three, but OT can't be used to fill in to go above two for the trucks and squad. Here's the story.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 8:57 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

One of the real thrills of doing STATter 911 was an email I received about five-months ago. It came from Dr. Frank Field.

For those of you who may be too young to know the name, let me give you a very brief history of a very long and wonderful career (for much more on Frank Field, click here).

I first knew of Frank Field when I was kid and he was a regular guest on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Frank Field had been doing the weather and reporting on science news on WNBC-TV in New York since the 1950s. He later moved to WCBS-TV in the 1980s.

It was at WCBS-TV that Dr. Field included fire safety education as part of his reporting. Now retired, Frank Field still is passionate about the topic. We have had a regular dialogue about related issues and efforts to get a children's fire safety video he produced, called Fire Is, in front of a wider audience.

The reason I bring this up is because of the latest issue of Firehouse. In it you will see an article written by Dr. Field titled Let's Teach Our Communities The Truth About Fire.

The guest commentary opens with a look at our coverage of the March 12 fire on Mt. Pleasant Street, NW in the District of Columbia. Specifically it talks about the 911 call we obtained where there was precious little information relayed to a woman trapped on the fourth floor of the burning building. The article uses that as an example of how so many people, know so little about what to do in the event of fire.

It is just that reason that Frank Field, his son Storm, and daughter Allison, who are also veteran broadcasters, put together Fire Is. It is an effort to change the way we teach children about fire so they don't grow up not knowing how to react when faced with a situation like the Mt. Pleasant Street blaze.

I hope to have more on Fire Is at a later date. In the meantime, make sure check out the article in the August issue of Firehouse.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:38 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

From Leesburg VFC's website

After almost 10 weeks in the hospital Lt. John Earley is now home. Loudoun County (VA) Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management Deputy Chief Randall Shank confirmed Lt. Earley was released Friday evening from the MedStar Burn Unit of the Washington Hospital Center.

The vehicle carrying Lt. Earley was met at the toll plaza on the Dulles Greenway by a contingent of fire equipment from Loudoun County. According to IAFF Local 3756 President Matthew Murphy, Earley climbed into the front seat of Tower 6 for the ride back to the Ashburn Volunteer Fire Company. It was the rig Lt. Earley had been assigned to the day was hurt.

According to firefighters involved with the event, when Lt. Earley announced on the radio that Tower 6 was in quarters, the dispatcher responded, "Welcome home, Lt. John Earley."

Lt. Earley was the most seriously injured of six fire and rescue personnel during a house fire May 25. Earley was critically burned when, along with three other firefighters, he was forced to make a quick exit from the second floor due to a rapidly advancing fire.

Firefighters from the Leesburg VFC, where John Earley has been a long time member, also greeted Earley. Chief Ian Buchanan tells STATter 911 there "is still a long road ahead" for Lt. Earley, but described his return home as a big step.

Both Leesburg VFC and Local 3756 continue to be involved in fundraising efforts on behalf of John Earley and his family.

Leesburg VFC

Ashburn VFC

IAFF Local 3756

This is the brief audio clip of Loudoun County, Virginia's Lt. John Earley as he arrived in quarters aboard Tower 6 Friday night.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 6:28 PM 2 Comments Links to this post

Picture of the day: Ouch. This fire engine was on the way back to Nevada after just being refurbished in Modesto, CA. The engine belongs to the Nevada Consolidated Fire District. Five people were hurt, including the driver of the engine, but there were no life-threatening injuries. Here's how recordnet.com, which had the picture above, describes the wreck in Ripon, CA: A witness told investigators the car, traveling east on Louise Avenue, stopped at a stop sign at the intersection with South Jack Tone Road, then pulled forward into the path of the engine. Investigators said the fire engine was headed north on South Jack Tone Road and turned on its side after trying to avoid the car. A witness said the back wheels of the engine clipped the car. Read the entire story.

DC works to fire 4 FFS: The investigations have been completed and "termination trial boards" are the next step for two ambulance crews accused of avoiding emergency calls. Click here for the latest.

Also, FireGeezer Bill Schumm is pretty fired up over this one. Check out his Morning Lineup here.

6-alarms in Brooklyn leaves 23 FFs hurt: An apartment fire Friday night left the firefighters injured. Click here.

Chief and assistant accused of false alarms are also dispatchers: Erie County 911 has suspended two of its employees and hints at more action after they were accused with five others of pulling alarm boxes in front of three fire stations. All seven are volunteers. Click here for our coverage and here for the latest article on GoErie.com.

Fireworks and it isn't even the 4th of July: Our video of the day turns out to be an old one from Bel Air, MD. It has been used by many for training. Click here to see it.

MD county cuts take-home cars: The fire department in Howard County, MD is among agencies having to cut back in the number of take-home cars it allows. Read the story.

A disaster drill for Jimi Hendrix fans, but no guitars will be harmed: Big doings in Baltimore today. From the Baltimore Sun - The emergency exercise, called Operation Purple Haze, begins at 7 a.m. today and is scheduled to conclude at 3 p.m.It is sponsored by the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, the Baltimore Fire Department and the Ravens and is designed as a mock disaster at Camden Yards or the football stadium. Sterling Clifford, a city police and mayoral spokesman, said people in the area will notice many fire engines and police cars, though he said loud sirens would be kept to a minimum. "There will be at least one simulated explosion," Clifford said.

And they spelled his name right: Billy Goldfeder on The Secret List uncovered an article we missed from mid-July that profiles our friend Ron Siarnicki. It's kind of a local boy makes good article on the executive director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Click here to read it.

After 44 years of faithful service it's off to eBay: That appears to be the fate of Oneida, New York's Engine 3. It was bought in 1964 to replace a pumper that was hit by a train the year before, killing two firefighters. It ran on just about every fire until earlier this year. Read the story.

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

WNBC-TV image of 6-alarm fire

WCBS-TV report

WNYW-TV report 1

WNYW-TV report 2

WABC-TV coverage

Story below from WCBS-TV:

The six-alarm fire that lit up Brooklyn on Friday night took hours to put out. In the end it destroyed the top floor of the six-story building and put several firefighters in the hospital.

In all, 23 firefighters were injured fighting the blaze, but all of the injuries were considered minor.

Chopper 2 HD was over the scene just after 6 p.m. as smoke billowed out the occupied residential structure in the Flatbush section of the borough.

"I'm looking up like this. I'm shocked, I'm stunned," one resident said.

The fire up above burned for some time before residents of the residential building knew anything was wrong. It ripped through five apartments on the top floor and threatened to take the entire roof as firefighters got to work.

"In the early moments we were trying to contain the fire to one side of the building and what they saw from the helicopters was firefighters up on the roof cutting holes to relieve the smoke," FDNY Assistant Chief Joseph Pfeifer said.

That worked, as did the evacuation of all 84 units in a thickening smoke.

"Yeah, it's very deep black on the B side," evacuee Victor Boakye said.

As the sun went down you got a feel for the size of the response on Lincoln Road. At least 250 firefighters were called in to fight the six-alarm blaze.

Many of the residents just sat on the curb in the summer heat, unsure what to do next. A few succumbed to uncertain despair.

"It's really hard to just lose everything that you had," Audrey Sinclair said.

A shelter was set up at a nearby school. Community leaders want to keep the displaced close.

"Once they evaluated the premises and deemed it safe to go back we can move them back and forth pretty safely," community organizer Richard Green said.

There's no telling how long that will be, although the good news outweighed the bad in Brooklyn on Friday night.

"At least we're all alive and I don't think anyone got hurt," Sinclair said.

Fire officials said two civilians were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 2:11 AM 2 Comments Links to this post

DC Fire & EMS officials say they have completed investigations into the actions of two ambulance crews and concluded they engaged "in evasive behavior to avoid being dispatched on calls".

A statement released late Friday indicates the department is moving to fire the four firefighters involved and "have submitted their cases to termination trial boards".

Spokesman Alan Etter tells STATter 911, "Chief Rubin desires to move swiftly and deal very seriously with the actions that have been found to have occurred".

As STATter 911 previously reported, a crew from Ambulance 10 spent more than seven-hours on July 11 in Upper Northwest Washington, far away from its quarters in Northeast at one of the busiest fire stations in the country. The ambulance was eventually discovered by another EMS crew parked in the Palisades neighborhood along MacArthur Boulevard.

The ambulance was in-service, but because of its location, the dispatch computer did not put the unit on any of the emergency calls it would normally be assigned if they had been back at the firehouse. The call volume in Upper Northwest is generally lower than many other parts of the city.

On July 24, Ambulance 33 was also discovered in Upper Northwest, having been out-of-service for two-hours and forty-minutes, unavailable for runs. According to sources familiar with the investigation, the crew had last reported to dispatchers they were returning a paramedic to Engine 27 in Northeast. Ambulance 33 works out of a firehouse in Southeast, about 10 miles from where the crew was discovered.

The department was able to track the travels of both ambulance crews through the automatic vehicle locators on all fire and EMS response vehicles in the department's fleet. That information also shows up on computer screens in front of dispatchers at the DC Office of Unified Communications (OUC), the city's 911 center. Through a spokesperson, OUC Director Janice Quintana has refused to answer questions as to why it took so many hours before the dispatchers realized the ambulances were not where they were supposed to be.

All four firefighters remain on administrative leave with pay.

In the statement Chief Rubin said, "There is no room in this department for such behavior".

In an unrelated case previously reported by STATter 911, the department indicates it has been unable to substantiate claims the crew from a medic unit took pictures of a patient with the woman's camera phone.

In the Friday statement the department says, "Repeated attempts to meet with the family and the alleged victim and obtain the evidence have been unsuccessful". The EMS call was on June 8 on Ontario Road, NW.

The department calls that aspect of the investigation inconclusive. But one of the paramedics remains in no-patient-contact status. The statement says, "a review of this case has revealed deficiencies in treatment that warrant corrective action".

Sources tell STATter 911 officials believe the medic should have called for police assistance in dealing with this patient.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 6:04 PM 26 Comments Links to this post

Guess where the volunteer chief and assistant chief of Pennsylvania's Lake Shore Fire Department worked? The two men, who along with seven other volunteers are accused pulling fire alarms boxes at three fire stations, including their own, are employed by Erie County 911.

Actually you might want to check back soon about the job status of the two men and whether that "are" needs to be changed to "were". Both have been suspended, but according to GoErie.com their boss says their status might change once he speaks to his boss, the county executive. Sounds like a hint to me.

YourErie.com has the following from a statement issued by the Lake Shore Fire Department indicating the crew will also be getting a rest from firefighting:

All officers involved in the unfortunate incident last weekend...submitted requests for voluntary leaves of absence until legal proceedings are resolved...The Lake Shore Fire Dept. does not believe that it is appropriate to comment upon the events of this past weekend while legal proceedings are pending.

Here are excerpts from the GoErie.com article:

# posted by Dave Statter @ 4:55 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

As many as 25 employees of the Howard County Fire Department of Fire and Rescue are expected to lose their take-home cars by September. Countywide the parking of 119 take-home cars is expected to save $700,000. It is a cost cutting move that is likely being considered by many governments and businesses concerned about rising fuel costs and lower revenue.

If I am reading the list below correctly, only two police department vehicles are being cut. The article does say the police department plans to stop issuing cars for some out-of-county personnel on on-call assignments and to put restrictions on vehicles used by supervisors.

Here is what the Examiner is reporting:

Many of the 119 employees set to lose their Howard County-issued vehicles are emergency and pubic safety responders, but department leaders said they’ll strive to continue meeting all resident needs.

“It’s an unfortunate situation but also understandable why they’re being taken away,” said Jim Irvin, director of the Department of Public Works, whose 44 employees expected to lose the vehicles by September are generally those who need to respond to situations and emergencies after-hours less than three times a week.

“It’s certainly disappointing ... but we have to be prudent in what we’re doing,” said Howard Fire Chief Joe Herr.

County Executive Ken Ulman said his decision this week to reduce the number of take-home vehicles from 207 to 88 was not easy and was prompted by making the operation of government more efficient.

“We had some tough conversations with department heads who were defending their employees, but I tried to approach it from both a management and taxpayer basis,” he said, referring to the anticipated savings of about $700,000.

A big part of these discussions was with leaders of the police, fire and public works departments, as well as the sheriff’s office, which are the major emergency and public safety responders in the county.

In the police department, two civilian employees, including spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn who drove 9,404 miles in 2007, also are expected to lose their county-issued cars.

The police department Wednesday announced plans to:

» Discontinue issuing take-home cars for some out-of-county personnel on on-call assignments

» Place restrictions on vehicles used by supervisors.

During the next two weeks, county department heads can appeal to Chief Administrative Officer Lonnie Robbins who will determine any oversights in the decision.

“We’re not going to reduce our service to the public,” said Robbins.

“That’s why we’re having this appeals process to ensure we’re being fair and equitable. We’ll be open to anything they have to say.”

NEED A LIFT?

Employees at these departments and offices in Howard will lose their take-home, county-issued vehicles by September:

Public Works: 44
Sheriff’s Office: 29
Fire and Rescue Services: 25
Recreation and Parks: 12
Administrative supervisors: 3
Technology and Communication Services: 3
Corrections, Planning and Zoning and Public Works: 3 deputy directors
Police Department: 2 civilians
Source: Howard County Office of Public Information

jkowalkowski@baltimoreexaminer.com

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:19 PM 2 Comments Links to this post

Chief and top officers busted for false alarms: From Erie County, PA comes the unusual tale of a chief, an assistant chief, a captain and a lieutenant from the same VFD, all accused of pulling alarm boxes in front of three fire stations, including their own. Police say they were joined by three other volunteers. Read more about this mess.

Apartment fire near campus: From Spartanburg, SC, a fire overnight near USC Upstate destroyed an apartment building. Watch the story.

The answer from Arkansas: One of our readers, clearly smarter than the man writing these words, contacted the person who took the video of the burned out and still burning Western Sizzlin'. The video showed no evidence of a fire engine near the structure. Here is the answer from our comments section.

Dave, It must be a rekindle from a fire the previous night. I emailed the guy who posted it on YouTube (stuknbama). He said:

Re: Western Sizzlin Fire I made that video Monday July 28 on my way back to Memphis from Little Rock, AR. I saw the fire burning on my way to take my wife to the airport and stopped at that exit on the return to see what was burning. I was amazed to find NOBODY there. As I was pulling away a fire truck was pulling in, no lights or anything, not seeming to be in a hurry. It looked as if they had already contained the fire and had come back to put the smoldering parts out. I didn't stick around to see since I had been up since 3AM and was ready to get back home.

Apology for 58 minute delay: The North Wales Fire Service is sorry because it couldn't find a burning home in a rural area. A deputy chief said, “Our past record for attending incidents is normally exemplary – on average in North Wales it takes us just over nine minutes to attend a dwelling fire". Read the article.

Where confusion and panic reign: That's the conclusion of a study in Australia looking at how many motorists react to sirens and cause rear-end collisions. Read more. Also, here's the press release from the insurance company that collected the data.

Council committee wants Atlanta fire station open: The latest in the ongoing battle over Station 7. Click here.

Seeing green: That's what a man in Louisville, KY was able to do whenever he wanted. He was caught by a fire department safety officer with an electronic device to change the traffic signals. Click here for the story.

Update - haunted house worth $2 million: Also the cause of the blaze at Six Flags America in Largo, MD is reported to be electrical.

Imagine the jokes in the firehouse over this one: The last time we reported on the rescue of a non-human by firefighters in the UK, they were catching grief by a watchdog group for wasting resources to save a pigeon. Now we have the story of firefighters rescuing a sheep from the roof of a home. Click here.

Up close and personal with Chief Billy G: Maybe up too close and a little more than some of was want to see or hear. Chief Goldfeder says his The Secret List mailing talking about his colonoscopy already has generated a lot of response. Click here for more.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 7:20 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

Pipeline fire

From Western Australia, pretty spectacular raw video of a natural gas pipeline fire in June at Apache Corporations Vanarus Island facility.

Squeeze play

In Moscow an extrication of two men trapped in a vehicle that was wedged between two trucks.

Fire in Louisiana

Helmet-cam action in North Baton Rouge

Year-old Cleveland fire

From April, 2007, a fire in two businesses on Cleveland's West Side. Read more.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:58 AM 0 Comments Links to this post