Drawing the line on mutual aid.

The pros and cons of automatic mutual aid and a look at the two places in the Baltimore-Washington region that don’t believe it is good policy.

Firegeezer is a true believer.

Having seen Northern Virginia’s automatic mutual aid program from its earliest days, you can count Bill Schumm on the pro side of the issue. Firegeezer also has Mike Ward’s (AKA FossilMedic) latest column. The topic: Firehouse Magazine’s run survey.

DCFD&EMS ED PAs.

Just shorthand for a new position in D.C. Fire & EMS. Chief Dennis Rubin and Assistant Chief Michael Williams (AKA Dr. Williams, the medical director) says they will soon hire 6 physician assistants for city emergency departments. Details here.

The dangers of being an off-duty D.C. firefighter.

It has happened for the third time in as many months. A D.C. firefighter was grazed by a bullet this morning, while off-duty.

Don’t read STATter 911.

That’s the word some people want to pass along after I published a brief interview with Charleston Assistant Chief Larry Garvin. Well, STATter 911 helps them spread the word. What can I say? I am just a sucker for the first amendment.

On the free speech front, the fight goes on in Huntsville, Alabama over action taken against a union official’s writings about his chief.

And back in Charleston, Jay Lowry looks at truss failure on Firefighter Hourly.

Have you driven an ambulance lately?

The story that I thought might be a bit controversial, wasn’t at all. It is my analysis of the City of Detroit fingering Ford for its EMS woes.

Grim Anniversary.

Rhett Fleitz at VAFireNews.com found this article on the recent 60th anniversary of an explosion that killed 10 people in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Do you think they needed the map book to find this one?

WithTheCommand.com found this article from Nevada about an arson at a hot property.

For the third time in as many months, an off-duty D.C. firefighter has been shot in the city. Police and fire officials report today’s incident occurred during a car-jacking. The firefighter has already been released from the hospital.

The shooting happened around 3:00 a.m. in the 2300 block of G Street, Northeast. We are told the firefighter suffered a graze wound to the chest. His car was later recovered in another Northeast neighborhood.

It was last Wednesday at 2:00 p.m., at 8th and S Streets, Northwest, that another D.C. firefighter received a graze wound to the head. According to WTOP Radio the firefighter had been approached by two teenagers when one of them pulled out a gun and fired.

The outcome was very different back on May 11th when Firefighter Michael Holmone of Engine 19 was shot. Holmone died after being hit in the chest while off-duty in his old neighborhood on Jay Street, Northeast.

The triple-fatal fire in Baltimore a few weekends back prompted an anonymous email to STATter 911, reminding us of a very interesting point about the two biggest cities in our region, Baltimore and Washington. All around each city, the general rule is that no matter where the emergency, the closest first responders are sent. It’s as if the jurisdictional borders don’t exist.

But in Baltimore and D.C., when you dial 911 for fire or EMS, you generally get only each city’s closest firetrucks or ambulances. It doesn’t matter if one of the counties has a fully staffed engine or medic a mile or two closer to the emergency. As a rule, help is only asked for when there is a multiple-alarm fire, multiple incidents or few city ambulances available.

Here is the email I received:

Dave,

You obviously follow both the positive and controversial issues surrounding the DC/Baltimore metro area departments. I read your brief mention of the triple fatal fire on N. Forest Park Ave near your old stomping grounds. As I’m sure you know, Baltimore City and Baltimore County almost never use mutual/automatic aid. After reading several news sites and watching all of the Baltimore news coverage, this issue was never once mentioned. Baltimore City Company 40 (Squad 40, Truck 12) on Liberty Heights was first due to this incident, three miles from the fire. Now, 1903 N Forest Park is about 500 ft from the city/county line. Baltimore County Company 13 (Engine and Truck 13) at Woodlawn Drive & Johnnycake Rd sits 2 miles from the incident, and Baltimore County Company 33 (Engine 331) at Winsdor Mill Rd and Woodlawn Drive sits about 1.5 miles from the incident. While half of a typical first alarm was in sitting in quarters over a mile closer than the first due city units, neither company was even alerted during the course of the 2-alarm fire.

Now who even knows if the extra few minutes gained by alerting the closer companies would have saved the three lives in this situation. All I know is that if I was trapped in a fire, I wouldn’t care what the lettering on the gear or the trucks spelled out, as long as they could get me out first. This is just the most recent of countless incidents on either side of the city/county line where help was needed and ignored. These two departments should get with the times and provide the best possible service to the communities we protect, regardless of who pulls up first. Hopefully you have some time to look into this.

I grew up off of Liberty Road, just a few blocks from the city line, in Woodlawn VFD’s first due. I know the geography and the fire stations well. When I was 6-years-old, my next door neighbor’s garage caught fire. The image is still in my mind of a Woodlawn volunteer, in bare feet, jumping off the back-step of the red fire engine and pulling a line.

I also remember the white fire engines from Baltimore City coming down some of the Baltimore County streets around my neighborhood to access city property. But I don’t recall seeing them at the same fires.

When I moved to Oxon Hill in 1974 and became a volunteer, it was a similar story. There many times we were dispatched to fires on Southern Avenue only to be turned around because it was on the even side of the street. The same happened to DCFD when the fire was on the odd side. It was at about that same time I heard of a different concept across the Potomac River.

Clearly, Northern Virginia was a leader in automatic mutual aid for our region. What you might call fire departments without borders, began right after I joined Oxon Hill. Now it has spread far from NoVA, but it still isn’t embraced by Baltimore City and Washington, D.C.

There has been no response, so far, to requests from PIOs for both city departments to give us the philosophy behind this policy. But, IAFF Local 36 president Dan Dugan was kind enough to give us his views on the subject:

My understanding is that the surrounding jurisdictions are unable to guarantee staffing levels and that is why they aren’t invited in automatically. As you well know we use a very aggressive attack here and we hold our companies to a high standard.

Without the proper manpower you certainly can’t expect the same from others.

For example; most of Montgomery County’s Ladder Trucks run on three and we run on five, no matter how well trained or proficient those three members are, there is no way they are going to be able to perform as well as a five man crew.

Some interesting recent mutual aid stories. On May 10th of this year both D.C. and Prince George’s County sent box alarms for a fire in the 3900 Block of Southern Avenue. The fire turned out to be on the odd side of Southern Avenue (Prince George’s County). Still, firefighters from both sides of the street fought this blaze.

The firefighter who sent the anonymous email tells a similar story in Baltimore. But he claims when it turned out the fire was on the Baltimore City side, the Baltimore County units were placed in service. According to the email, a second-alarm was needed and it was made up of units only from Baltimore City.

The issue of sending the closest fire company has also become a factor in the recent deaths of two California firefighters and two others at a house fire. Under the headline “Were the deaths in a San Pablo house fire preventable?”, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the closest fire engine to the scene was dispatched and then canceled. This is the second fatal fire where a mutual aid problem has cropped up between the Contra Costa County Fire Distict and the Richmond Fire Department.

So, give us your view. Is the firefighter who wrote the email on target that automatic mutual aid should be the rule for the cities? Or, is this a bad idea? Let us know what you think.

STATter 911 has learned details of a new plan that is expected to make more ambulances available in the District of Columbia. D.C. Fire and EMS is getting ready to hire 6 physician assistants who will, during peak hours, work out of the busiest emergency departments in the city.

D.C. Fire & EMS Chief Dennis Rubin says the goal is to reduce the drop-time for city ambulances and paramedic units. Statistics for the last 6 months show that crews are spending an average of more than 40 minutes before emergency departments take over patient care and the unit is ready for the next run. Often the delay can be hours and officials cite one case where the wait was 7-hours long.

Dr. Michael Williams, D.C. Fire & EMS medical director, says a physician assistant assigned to the emergency department, could treat as many as 4 patients at a time. The plan calls for the physician assistant, wearing a D.C. Fire & EMS uniform, to take charge of the patient from the medics and EMTs until the emergency department staff is able to accept the patient. Williams, who also has the rank of assistant chief, believes the drop-time average could be brought down to around 25 minutes.

Dr. Williams came up with the plan while working with then Interim Chief Brian Lee. Chief Rubin says he now has approval to move forward and to soon begin hiring for an October 1st start-up date. Rubin says some hospitals are already on-board and he is hoping to eventually have the 5 busiest hospitals in D.C. participate in the program.

Chief Rubin says the next step in revamping EMS is to cut down on what he calls “the misuse of the system”. Rubin believes a physician assistant could be part of a medical clinic set-up at a firehouse. A fire station in Southeast Washington has already been identified for a pilot program.

Chief Rubin is also talking about the idea of providing taxi vouchers to those who aren’t ill enough to need transportation by an ambulance crew.

A decision that hasn’t been made is whether EMS will remain in Chief Rubin’s department. Rubin is chairing a task force to look at, among other things, the idea that EMS should be an agency separate from the fire department. The task force was formed by Mayor Adrian Fenty as part of reform efforts following the death of former New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum.

You can see our 9News Now 7:00 p.m. story from Monday, here.

Chief Rubin gave a detailed interview discussing these plans for EMS and other aspects of his department to Billy Goldfeder on firehouse.com’s internet radio show Through the Smoke.

For those who don’t look at our comments sections, you sometimes miss part of the story. Lately there have been firefighters who are quite upset that STATter 911 would run the comments of Charleston Assistant Chief Larry Garvin. Garvin was the incident commander at the Sofa Super Store.

With emotions raw, I fully expect that some people aren’t going to like that Chief Garvin was allowed his say. From my standpoint, with the gag order on, getting the view, right or wrong, of some of the participants, adds to the public knowledge of this tragic event.

I don’t expect everyone to agree with my reasoning. Among those who strongly disagrees with me is Jerry. Below I have reprinted what he wrote today and my responses:

My brothers, who didn’t get to mingle with you in Baltimore and impress you with tales, are simply here working to help people. You received information from people opposed to change. Despite you being a reporter as a onetime fireman I thought you’d avoid giving Garvin a frontpage twice. I’m sure you have firefighters who read your blog but from a proud firefighter born and raised in McLean, Virginia and for my dad, a member of the DCFD, I’ll never visit again. My dad and I talk nightly about this. You have no idea and you put garvin up front like he’s a hero. We in Charleston know different.

Part 2 from Jerry:

Having grown up in McLean and having two family members on DCFD, I’m shocked that you are potraying Garvin like a sad figure. I’m on the Charleston Fire Department and to see him paraded by you is an affront to my nine brothers who dies. You can play the reporter thing but you also say you are an ex firefighter. Well, see how many brothers talk to you in a week.

Dave’s reponse:

Hi Jerry,

Dave Statter

Part 2 from Dave:

Also Jerry, let me direct you to my analysis of the Charleston situation as we knew it 10 days after the deaths at the Sofa Super Store.

Statter

Do you remember the Franconia Volunteer Fire Department donating its 1988 E-One pumper to the Aviation Volunteer Department in the Bronx? It was one of many donations made in an effort to put Aviation back on its feet after losing apparatus at the World Trade Center.

Ever wonder what Aviation VFD did with all of those donations. Well, it’s funny you should ask. Well, maybe not so funny. The New York Daily News is asking a lot of questions about the donations of equipment and money to Aviation VFD. The answers are getting quite interesting.

Here is the article.

Here are some links to give you more background on these donations:

WiththeCommand.com helped solicit donations for Aviation VFD.

Some details on Franconia’s donation from the minutes of a Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting.

The role of Aviation VFD and the donation from Franconia are discussed in the Tri-Data report, “The Role of the Volunteer Fire Service in the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks.”

Aviation VFD website.

The best I can tell from various news reports, is that Detroit EMS is supposed to have 24 ambulances on the street. In recent weeks there have been times they could only run as few as 15.

Everyone claims the problem isn’t staffing. Instead it is a maintenance issue. More than one-third of the ambulances can’t get out the door because as many as 30 broken units are parked on a lot in need of repair.

These details came to light following the death, last Tuesday, of Reginald Harris. No City of Detroit EMS unit was available to try and save Harris when his wife called 911.

After days of bad press over this incident, Detroit officials now have a better idea about who should take or share the blame for this failure. The answer: Ford.

Because nine of the sidelined ambulances are 2006 model Fords with “major engine problems”, a city spokesman says there could be systemic problems with the vehicles. Ford and city officials intend to meet about this.

I don’t know the answer to the following question, because the Detroit Fire Department, and its EMS Division, are a little off my beat here in Washington. But if I was a reporter on this story, I would have to ask the following questions:

Is it at all possible that the “systemic problem” is only at Ford?

How come a man had to die before someone realized that 9 of the 30 broken ambulances are the same model Ford, all with similar problems?

How come, only now, there will be a meeting with Ford?

To be fair, the answers could be that they identified this problem a while back and Detroit officials have been unable to get Ford to meet with them. But, so far, news reports, including this one from Friday, give no indication of that being the case.

For the record, according to Google Maps, it is just 10.8 miles from 250 W. Larned Street, Detroit Fire Department Headquarters, to 1 American Road, the Ford Motor Company’s HQ in Dearborn. I am not sure where the EMS Division or the shop are housed, but I am betting the mileage is similar.

According to its website, Ford’s Customer Relationship Center for the entire United States is in Dearborn and they are open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Doing a little more web research, I found this 2003 press release from Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s office. It announces a comprehensive reorganization of Detroit EMS. At the very top of the list of key components is this line: “Under the new plan, 25 medic units – the maximum number available – will be ready 24 hours a day”.

You have to give it to The Post and Courier. How often do you see the mainstream press do detailed stories on ICS, booster lines, PPE, ISO, sprinkler systems and firefighting tactics?

Whether you like what they have reported or not, it is an impressive body of work. Ron Menchaca, Glenn Smith, and the others who have worked on these reports, have delved into some touchy, but important subjects that fire departments all over have dealt with at one time or another. I hope they will turn this into a book.

The latest installment is about thermal imaging cameras and why they apparently weren’t used at the Sofa Super Store fire. You can read it here.

Jay Lowry at Firefighter Hourly dissects the article here.

A battle over a New Jersey house siren has brought a lawsuit, police, security cameras, and a volunteer firefighter posing for one of those cameras. The pose was caught on tape and now shown on TV. Take a look.

There is a lot of chatter on thewatchdesk.com about one of the more recent editions of Through the Smoke, Chief Billy Goldfeder’s internet radio show on firehouse.com. The guest is D.C. Fire & EMS Chief Dennis Rubin.

While I have listened to only part of it (it is 1 hour 9 minutes long … as if either one of them is shy about talking into a microphone), Chief Rubin talks with Goldfeder about a variety of issues facing D.C. Fire & EMS. Topics include the future of EMS, additional rescue squads, customer service, the reputation of D.C. Fire & EMS as an aggressive firefighting force and, of course, shorts.

Listen to it here.

UPDATE: I have now listened to the whole thing and am reassessing. Maybe Chief Billy & Chief Dennis are better than Opie & Anthony.

My favorite part was the discussion about the problem with DOJ’s PSOB program. It is not often that you get to hear a big city fire chief refer to an anonymous government bureaucrat as “some jerk” or “some pinhead”. Chief Dennis Rubin looking at the PSOB battle Atlanta has fought on behalf of a fallen firefighter and the one he might face here with the death of Firefighter/Technician James McRae III.

Now if I could just get him to talk like that for TV and I could lead the newscast every night.

As I wrote in my entry below about my visit to Firehouse Expo, the word is that there seems to be some optimism from those fighting the PSOB battle about finally getting some movement on the issue. We will keep an eye on it.

This is the problem when the reporter becomes the photographer. Reflection and all, this is Montgomery County, Maryland’s newest pumper on the floor of the Baltimore Convention Center. The first of 37 that will be phased in over the coming years. It has some unique visibility markings (learn more here) and is CAF capable.

Which reminds me of my dinner conversation from Thursday night with retired Montgomery County Battalion Chief Brian Geraci. Geraci along with Lt. Wayne Shaw, also retired, and ATF’s Greg Hine, studied the effect of Compressed Air Foam Systems on fire investigations. Their results can be found on firehouse.com.

That’s Mike Dubron and Pete Trapani with the Firefighter Cancer Support Network. It might not have been the most popular booth at Firehouse Expo, but from talking to them for a while, it sounds like it could be one of the most helpful for firefighters facing cancer. Their web site is http://www.firefightercancersupport.org/.

Speaking of people who are there in times of trouble. Old friends Hal Bruno and Cathy Hedrick with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation along with Cynthia Leighton of Motorola. Does the fire service have a better friend than Hal?

Hal continues to push hard on the problems with the Department of Justice’s Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program. Brief discussions with Hal, CFSI’s Bill Webb and Sean Carroll, along with IAFC’s Lucian Deaton, indicate there may finally be some positive movement. D.C. Fire & EMS will likely be dealing with this very issue in the recent death of Firefighter/Technician James McRae III.

And finally, the rock star that he is, Dr. Harry Carter doing a book signing. His latest book is Leadership: A View from the Trenches.

Photo Courtesy: La Voz-The Arizona Republic, AJ Alexander

Some of the video may be hard to watch or listen to, but here are links to Friday’s mid-air collision of two news choppers during a police chase in Phoenix. All four people in the helicopter were killed. There were no injuries reported on the ground.

This link has coverage from multiple helicopters, including one of the choppers that crashed.

Here is the Arizona Republic’s coverage of the crash through AZCentral.com.

Click on picture for more AZCentral.com images from Friday’s crash in Phoenix.

STATter 911 has learned that Kentland VFD’s Nick Martin has again been terminated by the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department. Recently a judge ordered Martin reinstated after determining that Martin didn’t get “due process” during his first termination. That disciplinary action followed a videotaped scuffle at a February, 2006 house fire in Landover Hills.

(More background and a link to the video can be found here)

Lt. Martin was recently allowed to begin running calls until a disciplinary hearing could be held and the results given to Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Chief Lawrence Sedgwick. Sources familiar with the hearing, but not in a position to speak officially for their organizations, tell STATter 911 that Martin plead guilty at the hearing and asked for forgiveness. Despite that, according to the sources, Chief Sedgwick’s position remained the same and Martin was terminated.

STATter 911 has contacted the leadership at Kentland VFD, but has not received a response. On its website Kentland33.com, it was acknowledged on July 18, 2007 that Lt. Martin had returned and responded to a fire in Bladensburg.

This morning we received this email from Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Chief Spokesperson Mark Brady:

Dave: After checking with the Fire/EMS Department Office of Law the following statement was provided -

Mark E. Brady
Chief Spokesperson

I spent yesterday afternoon at Firehouse Expo in Baltimore. Got to see a lot of old friends and meet some new ones. I won’t name names, because it might be hazardous to their careers or reputations to be associated with me. The exceptions are LightRock and FossilMedic. I figure they have so many self-inflicted wounds through the years, being seen with me couldn’t do any more damage.

I was allowed to sneak into a wonderful dinner of fire service veterans. The stories I heard, could provide enough material for STATter 911 for the next 5 years. Unfortunately it was all off-the-record.

For the details of the official happenings at Firehouse Expo, go to firehouse.com. I am heading back today, to see what we can scare up that I am able to print.

In the meantime, a few headlines:

Reaction to Kentland Plan.

PGFD responds to my questions about the Kentland EMS division. Or do they? FireGeezer thinks he is announcing a tennis match as he gives us his view of this ongoing issue.

(Also, if you scroll down on his page you will see that FireGeezer is showing his age, waxing poetic about Julie London. She was also one of my favorite singers and I loved her husband’s tunes, like Route 66 and Girl Talk, but Geez we have to work on connecting with a younger audience. At least that’s the bosses in my industry have been preaching for years.)

Apparently there are a lot of phones in Frederick, MD.

If you have a phone. You have a lawyer. Employees have filed 8 lawsuits against the Frederick County, Maryland Division of Fire & Rescue. Here is an editorial on the subject from The Frederick News-Post.

Flashover

That’s Jay Lowry’s topic on Firefighter Hourly today.

Shirt tale continues.

Fire chief does damage control, but disciplinary action stands.

Now Dave, that was a harsh way to put it. But that is the basic response to the question I asked about how long Chief Lawrence Sedgwick is giving Kentland VFD to implement Acting Chief Tony Kelleher’s plan for an EMS division.

Actually the words from Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Spokesperson Mark Brady are much nicer than that, but say the same thing: “The amount of time required to complete this task is a part of these discussions and, at this time, will not be discussed publicly”.

This is a change in course for Chief Lawrence Sedgwick, compared to when this controversy became public on May 13th. Then, Chief Sedgwick very publicly had given Tony Kelleher a week to implement a plan to begin running Ambulance 339. One week became two and then the deadlines began to be less clear.

What is clear from the email from Mark Brady is that there is a dialogue between PGFD and Kentland VFD.

Here is the entire email from Mark Brady. Brady is back today from weeks of recovery from surgery following an on-the-job injury. Welcome back Mark.

Thank you for your continued interest in the Prince George’s County Fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Department, one of the largest and busiest combination fire/EMS services in the country. The Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department fully supports the recruitment and retention efforts of our volunteer organizations. County-wide recruitment and retention of volunteer members has become necessary to attract qualified participants to train and participate in fire/EMS activities. The EMS recruitment efforts initiated by the volunteer leadership at Kentland is certainly commendable. Currently, productive discussions continue between Kentland volunteer leadership and Fire Chief Sedgwick in regards to placing a basic life support transport unit into service at Kentland Station 33 staffed by volunteer members. The amount of time required to complete this task is a part of these discussions and, at this time, will not be discussed publicly.

Mark E. Brady
Chief Spokesperson

Incoming! Click the picture above to see the raw version of WFAA-TV’s best ground video of the Dallas fire and explosions. Must see TV. If you ever need evidence to justify why you are shutting down that interstate highway, here it it. More below.

Recruitment underway for Kentland’s EMS division.

You read it first here last week and now Kentland Acting Chief Tony Kelleher confirms a national recruitment drive is underway for those who want to be part of a separate EMS division at the all-volunteer company.

PPE, or lack of it, makes the headlines in Charleston today.

It is not news to any of us familiar with modern fire service practices who saw some of the first pictures from the Charleston tragedy, that there were likely to be issues over how some firefighters were dressed. Now, The Post and Courier’s Ron Menchaca and Glenn Smith do their usual excellent job of explaining this concern to the public. Along the way they quote Jay Lowry, who runs firefighterhourly.com.

Panel probes Charleston fire, but guess who is leading it?

According to The Post and Courier the answer to that question is Mayor Joe Riley, Fire Chief Rusty Thomas and Police Chief Greg Mullen.

Mutual Aid is the topic again, after a second deadly fire.

Following the weekend deaths of two Contra Costa County, California firefighters, The San Francisco Chronicle reports it appears the closest fire engines weren’t sent. This is at least the second fatal fire where this issue has come up between the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and the Richmond Fire Department.

As I told you a few days ago, I am working on a blog entry about automatic mutual aid in the Washington and Baltimore region. This issue was brought to my attention by a firefighter’s concerns over a recent fatal fire. I am putting the finishing touches on the story and should have it to you soon.

Dallas fire and explosions, the day after.

Dallas Morning News has detailed coverage of Wednesday’s fire in an industrial/medical gas complex near two interstate highways. If you haven’t seen the video, you will want to. Here is our description as we watched it live, along with links to the Dallas TV stations.

Centreville, VA homeowner now charged with a felony.

Mike Baglini, who had all of those explosive devices at his home when it caught fire two Sundays ago, has now been officially charged with a felony. Fairfax Fire Marshals say Baglini was making large pyrotechnic devices like those used in public fireworks displays. More later.

A little of something for everyone on firegeezer.com.

Bill Schumm has more on some recent EMS labor disputes where the “s” word has been mentioned. He also looks at the success of a fire patrol and a lot of other things, including Jim Featherstone claiming to be younger than FossilMedic and Firegeezer, yet still waxing nostalgic for “Emergency!”. Like we believe it was just his father who had a thing for Dixie.

Code red or the Canadian version of status board bingo.

Remember, not all that long ago, when every weekday afternoon around 2:00 or 3:00, you heard D.C. Fire & EMS dispatchers transmitting medical locals with the phrase, “No EMS units available”? EMSresponder.com has this story from Hamilton and the city’s frequent code reds, indicating that no ambulances are available.

Vehicle fire videos.

We started this with things blowing up. We end today’s digest with things blowing up. Rhett Fleitz at VAFireNews.com has some recent vehicle fire videos that have people jumping. But luckily, there were no injuries. Rhett thinks they are good reminders for firefighters.

Truck fire in Myrtle Beach.

Car fire in Tysons Corner.

Don’t mean to turn this into the old SCTV Celebrity Blow-up (“He blowed up real good”). Just one of those days.

One week ago, STATter 911 reported that the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department is planning to start a separate ambulance service. Now, Acting Kentland Chief Tony Kelleher confirms he is ready to begin recruiting members.

As you may recall, we first told you on May 13th, that the all-volunteer fire department has been in a dispute with Prince George’s County Fire/Rescue Chief Lawrence Sedgwick. Chief Sedgwick removed Kentland Chief Mike Mattison after the volunteers voted not to begin running County supplied Ambulance 339. Since then, Acting Chief Kelleher has been in negotiations with Prince George’s County officials over how this ambulance service will be provided.

In an email to STATter 911 on Wednesday, Chief Kelleher officially announced the planned new ambulance service. Kelleher writes: “We are starting a nationwide recruitment initiative to attract interest in becoming an EMS only Division, volunteer member of the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department.”

Chief Sedgwick has long contended that Kentland currently has enough qualified volunteer members to provide ambulance service immediately. Kentland VFD and Prince George’s County are still arguing in court over the removal of Kentland’s Mike Mattison.

STATter 911 has been in contact with Major Chauncey Bowers, a spokesman for Chief Sedgwick, trying to determine if Sedgwick will wait until Kentland can find the staffing for this separate EMS division or will take further action before then. We have not received a response.

In May, through a spokesman, Chief Sedgwick said he would not wait long for Kentland to start providing ambulance service. Chief Sedgwick also said two other volunteer companies, Ritchie (37) and West Lanham Hills (28), will also soon be required to provided ambulance service.

Kentland VFD has long responded on EMS calls with its mini-pumper and other suppression units.

Mike Ward, an assistant professor at George Washington University’s EMS Management undergraduate degree program, and a fire and EMS veteran, has written a detailed history of this dispute and of EMS in Prince George’s County. It is called “The Battle over Kentland Ambulance 339: I did not join the VFD to ride an ambulance!” and can be found here.

Below is the recruitment notice sent to us by Chief Kelleher and also posted on Kentland’s website, Kentland33.com:

Wednesday, July 25, 2007 – Beginning today the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department, Incorporated will begin a nationwide recruitment initiative for the purpose of compiling an interest file for a separate EMS Only Division membership. This survey will be used to establish a database for interested individuals in the EMS only field. An interest form has been developed and is included within this article. All interested individuals are asked to please complete the attached form and to send it (completed) to Acting Fire Chief Tony Kelleher via e-mail. Once the form is received you will be contacted for verification. If developed this membership could include classifications such as “Active”, “Live-In” and “Associate”. Each of these are briefly explained in the interest form. This study will allow the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department to utilize information for management abilities. All inquires will be considered regardless of you current City, County or State of residence and current membership(s) with other fire departments (companies). This membership of EMS providing individuals would fall separate from the already established Company “33-Fire” membership, but would still fall under the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department. CLICK ON THIS ARTICLE’S TITLE TO LOCATE AND COMPLETE THE FORM.

Send your completed interest form to: tkelleher@kentland33.com
Place the title “EMS MEMBERSHIP” within the e-mail subject area.

Dallas Morning News Photo. Click photo for paper’s coverage of the fire.

The Spokesman-Review has a series of photos from Monday’s fuel depot fire in Spokane. Click on the picture to see more. Video links are below.

Edmonton fire

Caught in the act. Actual proof that Florida fire department was shirt-changed by captain who left $23 t-shirt at site where 9 firefighters died. Apparently no spontaneous gesture of goodwill goes unpunished.

Shirt happens. Latest on shirt heard round the world.

Charleston paper has an update on Florida fire captain who left department-issued t-shirt at Charleston fire scene and then had to ask for it back. Pasco County now suddenly seems to realize maybe this was an infraction that should have been overlooked. But not before newspaper columnist tells them that clearly they need that shirt more than we do.

Fawning over Station 12.

They are getting a reputation at Fairfax County Station 12 for some 4 legged rescues.

If you have a fire, you have a lawyer.

Firegeezer looks at the aftermath of the South Tahoe fire. Also in wildland firefighting news, the latest critical report about tactics comes from an incident where New Zealand firefighters were burned fighting a fire in Australia.

Baltimore City 3-alarm church fire.

Links to coverage of Tuesday’s church fire.

Laurel 3-alarm apartment fire.

Don’t forget we have the raw video of Sunday’s apartment fire in Laurel, MD.

I’ve got $2 down on the fire department.

The Ocean Pines, MD bureau (AKA Bob Gilbert) tells us about a Tuesday evening fire near the Ocean Downs racetrack. More from delmarvanow.com.

Firefighter says seat belt was hazardous to his health.

Billy Goldfeder found this story about a lawsuit in Beaumont, Texas. Chief Billy provides his response through some videos you can access from The Secret List.

No EMS strike in Canada.

Public emergency declared. Binding arbitration next.

Surprise, Surprise!

The surprise at the Surprise Fire Department is who made captain in the latest round of promotions. A first for this Arizona department.

Expo(sing) STATter 911.

Heading to Baltimore Thursday and Friday. Hope to see some of you at Firehouse Expo.

Been a little tied up today, so I am more than a little late in providing links to this morning’s church fire in Baltimore.

First of all, The Baltimore Sun has a wonderful series of photos here.

Here is the story from The Sun with the quote from a witness who saw someone fleeing the building with a smoldering charcoal grill.

Here is WJZ-TV’s early video of the fire.

Here is WJZ-TV’s slide show of images from the three-alarm fire.

Photo Courtesy of Kimberley Sisco

The firefighters at Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department Station 12 are starting to get a reputation as deer rescuers.

On Monday, Kimberley Sisco, a volunteer with the Wildlife Rescue League, stopped by the Great Falls, Virginia firehouse looking for help in setting a fawn’s badly broken leg.

The crew from Shift A didn’t hesitate. They got on the fire engine and drove to Sisco’s nearby home to lend a hand. Sisco, a licensed, apprentice wildlife rehabilitator, wasn’t a stranger to the firefighters. Station 12 had called Sisco about 6 weeks earlier to care for another fawn that the firefighters found during a training session on the Potomac River. That deer had fallen off a cliff.

The most recent injured fawn had come to Kimberley Sisco from a Clifton, Virginia, family. They spotted the fawn in their back yard. Sisco believes the deer’s leg had been mangled in a fence.

While the deer has an appointment for surgery at the Life Center of Leesburg for Thursday, Sisco believed, if the open fracture in the leg wasn’t set properly, the fawn would lose its leg and its life.

Unable to find any veterinarians willing or able to reduce the fracture, Sisco turned to the firefighters. On the fire engine was Firefighter/EMT Kim Larson. Larson is a former animal control officer and had been trained in wildlife rehabilitation.

Larson, along with Captain Sammy Grey, Master Technician/Paramedic Carl Saulberg and Firefighter Miguel Obleas, helped put the bone back in place. They then wrapped and splinted the leg.

Kimberley Sisco says the crew treated the animal as if it was one of the two legged patients they normally deal with.

Here is what Ms. Sisco wrote to STATter 911 about the crew at Station 12:

Once here, they treated the fawn with a compassion, a courtesy, a professionalism and the confidence that one could only pray for in our greatest time of need. For either oneself or a loved one. They defined both heroism and set a new standard for community service.

Please extend my respect, my gratitude, and my heartfelt thanks – not just for the time and care they took with a hurt and helpless fawn, but for the peaceful night’s sleep I had knowing that is is those men and women that stay awake in the night to keep us safe.

You can watch our interview with Kimberley Sisco here.

EMS 401A, Captain Ry Kendrick, was involved with the previous fawn rescue by Station 12. He gives us this account:

This fawn fell from a cliff on the Virginia side of the river, just
above Difficult Run. People on the Maryland side witnessed the fall and saw the young deer struggling in the water unable to get out due to the steep rocks. As luck would have it, the crew from Great Falls Fire Station 12 were returning from a day of training in their boats, and the crowd got their attention and pointed out the fawn.

Boat 12 was able to get close enough for Captain Dave Conrad and Technician Gery Morrison to pull the animal from the water right before he went under. After providing first aid and warmth the crew took the deer to the Rangers and contacted a Wildlife Rehabilitator who later picked up the fawn and is caring for it until it is old enough to be released.

Captain Kendrick provided these pictures of the rescue of the fawn on the Potomac River:

Raw video of Laurel 3-alarm fire.

Freelance videographer Tom Yeatman got to the scene on Bowie Road before water started flowing on side C. Watch the first ten minutes of Tom’s tape.

Out West: California helicopter crash kills one. Washington State close call with another chopper caught on tape.

The hazards of wildland firefighting. The pilot is dead in a crash Monday in California. In Washington State last week, firefighters on the ground are lucky to walk away from a close encounter with another chopper.

Giving the shirt off your back is apparently not a good idea.

This story is a few days old, but in case you missed it, you will want to read how one firefighter is in trouble for his tribute to the Charleston firefighters. Firehouse.com found this story of how a department can be technically correct in applying the rules, but look so bad in the process.

And they were wondering why the sudden run on XXXL vests.

Jay Lowry of Firefighter Hourly alerts us to news that a dozen Phoenix firefighters are connected to a DEA steroid investigation.

FossilMedic and Firegeezer — More than just two old guys from Fairfax.

Mike Ward has the first of what Bill Schumm says will be regular Tuesday columns on firegeezer.com. Well worth reading.

Newspaper slams inaction on building codes after $25 million Edmonton fire.

Read an editorial in support of Edmonton Fire Chief Randy Wolsey’s efforts to address vinyl siding and other issues.

Update on fatal EMS crash in Ohio.

The Toledo Blade has a more detailed look at Friday’s wreck where 3 EMTs and 2 civilians were killed.

Protocols are not sitting well with fire chiefs.

EMSresponder.com has this article from Michigan on some budget and staffing problems as licensed first responders are required under new medical protocols.

Fill in your own joke, because if I did, I would probably start getting a lot of traffic tickets.

This was posted 10 days ago on ebaumsworld.com, but I hadn’t seen this dramatic “rescue” video until someone linked to it on thewatchdesk.com.

Hot day at the beach.

250 beach goers in Italy find themselves surrounded by fire. Boats are being used to evacuate the area.

And finally: Hearing the siren’s call —- music to her ears.

A renowned cellist is leaving the New York Philharmonic to live out her life’s dream. No strings attached, just some IV tubing.

Click on picture to see the first ten minutes of Tom Yeatman’s video of the Bowie Road fire in Laurel.

Washington area freelance videographer Tom Yeatman heard the call go out on his scanner at 1:52 on Sunday morning. Yeatman was on Route 50 near the Beltway in Prince George’s County. He was already moving toward Laurel when he heard the first units go on the scene with smoke showing at 14803 Bowie Road.

According to Prince George’s County Fire/Rescue spokesman Major Chauncey Bowers, firefighters were alerted to the blaze when neighbors ran to Station 49 just down the street from the apartment complex. At the same time others called 911.

The fire was about 12 miles away for Tom Yeatman. He figures it took him at least 12 minutes to get to the scene. Yeatman immediately went to the rear of the burning 3-story garden-style apartment building. His first shot shows neighbors grabbing a limp fire hose and moving toward the flames. Firefighters who had just placed a ground ladder up to a balcony, spotted the men with the hose and had them move back to safety.

Moments later, some of the same people went into a terrace level apartment, apparently in an effort to save belongings. They did this despite the fire raging directly above them. Firefighters again ordered them out and away from the burning building.

Yeatman’s video shows fire on the second and third levels, and burning through the roof of the center building of three attached apartment buildings.

At 11 minutes into Yeatman’s video, and at least 2o minutes after the first firefighters arrived, fire crews discovered people still sleeping in ground floor units at 14801 Bowie Road (Side D exposure). They were quickly led to safety. Major Bowers says because the building has fewer than 11 units, it is not required to have a manual fire alarm system.

The incident commander requested second and third-alarm assignments to help bring the fire under control. During the operation 1 firefighter received a minor laceration and a resident was treated on the scene for a minor injury.

Damage is estimated at $500,000. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Tom Yeatman’s raw video.
Dave Statter’s 6:00 p.m. report from Monday.

Beltsville Volunteer Fire Department Photo