Delay in calling help for missing chopper: As we first reported yesterday there was at least a 43 minute gap between the time Trooper 2 disappeared Saturday night and the notification of fire and EMS crews in Prince George’s County, MD. We also have a timeline of the rescue operation, raw video of the crash site and funeral information for Trooper Lippy. Click here.

Also, the Examiner has a report about a whistle blower who had warned of problems with the management of the Maryland State Police aviation program and a previous accident with the chopper that crashed late Saturday night. Click here.

Carr review: Links to most of the coverage on the appointment of Tom Carr as chief of the Charleston Fire Department. Plus our own views. Click here.

Early video shows quick knock down: A man with a camera happened to be in the right place to catch the arrival of FDNY on an apartment fire in Hell’s Kitchen. Click here.

Air bag: With the sad news we have been reporting this week and the gloomy economy, FireGeezer found a way to get a chuckle out of me. The air bag is not a reference to my friend Bill, but the unusual inflation during a car crash in England that Bill discovered. You have to wonder what sites he searches to find this stuff. Click here.

Watch Monday 5:00 PM story

Watch raw video from crash site

Statement from pilot Stephen Bunker’s family

Funeral information for Trooper Lippy and trust fund information

STATter 911 has learned there was an apparent delay in notifying rescuers the Maryland State Police helicopter that crashed late Saturday night had disappeared from radar at Andrews Air Force Base.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed on Monday the time of the crash was 11:58 PM. That is also the time an air traffic controller at Andrews lost communications with the chopper.

Dispatch times and sources familiar with the response indicate that fire and EMS dispatchers with the Prince George’s County 911 center were not alerted to the possibility of a downed helicopter until 12:41 AM, 43 minutes after the crash occurred.

The helicopter was not found until shortly after 2:00 AM in Walker Mill Regional Park near District Heights. A patient on the medical flight, eighteen-year-old Jordan Wells was found alive in the wreckage by a police officer. She remains hospitalized. Four others were killed in the crash, including the flight crew, an EMS worker and another patient.

Rescuers were guided to the location by information received through Verizon about the possible location of a cell phone belonging to a member of the helicopter crew.

STATter 911 has contacted Maryland State Police about the length of time it took to get word to fire crews about the missing helicopter. Spokesman Greg Shipley says he is looking into the matter.

The Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department has referred questions to NTSB. NTSB has not commented on the delay.

According to dispatching records, Ambulances 827 (Morningside) and 823 (Forestville) were first sent to the Andrews Air Force Base hanger of Trooper 2 at 11:52 PM. They were to wait for the helicopter’s arrival and complete the transport of two patients to the trauma center at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly. The crew from Trooper 2 made the request after determining the visibility and ceiling had worsened considerably since leaving Andrews at 11:10 PM for the mission to Waldorf, MD.

The NTSB reports pilot Stephen Bunker had coordinated an instrument approach for runway 19-R and made contact with the tower at Andrews at 11:55 PM. Thirty seconds after being cleared to land, the pilot told the controller he had lost the glide slope. The glide slope is the part of the instrument landing system that guides the aircraft’s altitude for a safe approach. After the controller confirmed everything appeared to be okay with the equipment on the airport’s end, Bunker requested the tower guide him in verbally. Before that could happen, the chopper dropped from the radar. The time was 11:58 PM and the NTSB says the controller tried unsuccessfully to make radio contact with Trooper 2.

STATter 911 has been made aware of the timeline for the search as entered by fire and EMS dispatchers at the Prince George’s County Public Safety Communications Center (PSCC). Below are a list of some of the significant events as emergency crews in Prince George’s County and other jurisdictions searched for the missing chopper. This is only a partial timeline that does not include every unit dispatched and location checked. It also does not include actions by police officers. STATter 911 has been told there were police officers searching prior to notification of the fire department.

12:03 AM: By this time both Ambulances 827 and 823 had reported they were at Andrews.

12:12 AM: Ambulances 827 and 823 were waiting at the hanger.

12:41 AM: Dispatchers entered the first of a series of messages into the computer system indicating that Trooper 2 was missing. The information about the disappearance of the chopper came from the Maryland State Police Barracks in Forestville. The barracks reported Andrews Air Force Base approximated Trooper 2’s last contact at two miles from the base, coming from the north. It also mentioned the area of Westphalia Road off of Route 4.

12:48 AM: PSCC indicated they were working with SYSCOM and Andrews Air Force Base in an effort to find the helicopter. SYSCOM is the state communications facility that coordinates medical helicopter transports.

12:54 AM: Battalion Chief 803 was sent to the Forestville Barracks to coordinate the search. At the same time GPS coordinates that had been provided to PSCC indicated a location in Calvert County, MD. Calvert’s 911 center was contacted.

12:54 AM: Chief 837A (Ritchie) reported in, having checked locations around Fed Ex Field in Landover. This happened four minutes before a specific request from the Forestville Barracks that all parking lots around the stadium be checked as a possible place where the chopper pilot might have attempted an emergency landing.

1:09 AM: Battalion Chief 803 and EMS 814 reported arriving at the Forestville barracks.

1:18 AM: A representative from Verizon advised that a “ping” of a cell phone belonging to one of the helicopter crew members had the signal coming from the tower at 9100 East Hampton Drive. That area was given to Engine 837 to check.

1:26 AM: It was reported sheriff’s deputies in Charles and Calvert Counties were searching their jurisdictions for the missing helicopter.

1:40 AM: Further information from Verizon indicated the signal was coming into the west side of the East Hampton Drive tower with the possibility the phone was located within a 3 to 5 mile radius.

1:43 AM: Brush 843 (Bowie) was checking Watkins Park.

1:50 AM: Battalion Chief 801 set up a command post at a fast food restaurant within the area that was being checked around the East Hampton Drive tower.

2:01 AM: Fire and EMS crews were told that a police officer smelled jet fuel in the area of Ritchie Road and Walker Mill Road.

2:04 AM: The helicopter was located in Walker Mill Regional Park.

2:09 AM: It was determined there was only one survivor.

Photo by Brad Nettles in today’s Post & Courier

If you were paying very close attention to your computer just before 11:00 yesterday morning, hanging onto every word from STATter 911 that was gliding across your screen, you likely noticed how I absolutely destroyed the competition. How I obliterated the rest of the those so-called journalists that make up the web-based fire service press. What I am talking about is that STATter 911 was first to report that Tom Carr is the new chief in Charleston (at least I think we were, and that’s good enough for me). And your life is better because we did it a whole four-minutes before Mayor Joseph Riley’s announcement. Wow Dave, just how do you do it!

And we followed that up with some great insight and analysis into this selection, along with coverage of the announcement in Charleston. Well, um, not exactly.

Actually, we dropped the story to move on to our TV assignment for the day. So here are some links to coverage of Charleston’s new chief from some fine people who know how to do more than headline news.

Charleston Post & Courier article by Ron Menchaca & David Slade

FireRescue1.com’s interview with Chief Carr

Harry Carter’s column on Firehouse.com

Bill Goldfeder’s thoughts on The Secret List

Brad Franko’s blog

Marika Kelderman’s coverage on WCSC-TV

Sarah DeMarco’s coverage on WCIV-TV

Brendan Clark’s coverage on WCBD-TV

SConFire.com

Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service press release

Now, for a few thoughts from Dave.

First of all, if you have never heard it from me before, here is my general theory on fire chiefs: They are never as good as their PIOs would have you believe or as bad as some of the stuff written about them on thewatchdesk.com or in the comments section of STATter 911.

It is often a thankless job. Fire chiefs are up there walking the tight rope without a net as they try to balance what they know is right with the political reality of the moment. Sometimes they just can’t help pissing off the troops with the deck of cards they are dealt. A lot of fire chiefs across the country are facing that right now as budgets are slashed.

I have known Tom Carr since he was a lieutenant running the department’s Collapse Rescue Team. From a reporter’s perspective I have found him to be very accessible, whether the news was good or it was bad. Reporters like that.

Chief Carr is probably at the very bottom of my list of fire chiefs in one area that often seems to be a prerequisite for the job: Ego. I have never had the impression, in all my dealings with Tom Carr, that the job was all about him. Just the opposite.

Any grumblings about Carr that have come my way from firefighters were very different than the emails I have received through the years about so many other fire chiefs. The writers or callers may have disagreed with a decision or a direction the department was taking, but I can’t think of any that questioned Carr’s integrity or commitment. From my perspective that is pretty remarkable. Especially considering Montgomery County is a combination system with volunteers integrated into the management team and command structure.

Even right now Chief Carr has been on the opposite side of many volunteers when it comes to the county billing for ambulance service. I have heard much from both sides about how their position is the right position. What I haven’t heard is anyone telling me what an awful person and leader Tom Carr is.

It’s not that I take the emails about the other chiefs as clear evidence they aren’t fit to be chief or that the lack of snide remarks means Tom Carr is a saint who has never made any bonehead moves. What I get from this is that Chief Carr has a different management style that seems to get the job done without a lot of “look at me”. It has served him well in Montgomery County and we hope the same will be true in Charleston.

This video came highly recommended from Chicago’s Steve Redick (don’t forget his book). A fire at W. 48th Street and 10th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen. Looks to me it was about 3 minutes and 15 seconds from the arrival of the big red fire engine until that nasty orange stuff disappeared.

Montgomery County, MD’s fire chief, Tom Carr, has notified the members of his department he has accepted the job of fire chief in the City of Charleston, SC. The official announcement is expected at 11:00 AM from Mayor Joe Riley.

Chief Carr sent an email this morning to his staff. Officially, a spokesman will only acknowledge Carr is out of the office today.

Click the image above to watch a 9NEWS NOW report on the victims of the helicopter crash.

Click here for Sunday’s coverage, including pictures of the crew and more links and information

A police officer following the smell of jet fuel first used his nose and then his ears to find the helicopter crash site where four people died. The officer heard 18-year-old Jordan Wells yell out to him as he approached the wreckage in a wooded area of Walker Mill Regional Park off of Ritchie Road.

In a little more than an hour, Wells had survived a serious car accident and then a helicopter crash.

Jordan Wells transported from the scene. From video shot by Tom Yeatman.

That crash, involving the Maryland State Police helicopter known as Trooper 2, has now grounded the agency’s entire fleet. Officials say they want to know more about what caused the crash before allowing the helicopters to fly again.

Around 11:10 Saturday night, Trooper 2 responded to Waldorf, Maryland. The mission was to transport two car crash victims to Prince George’s Hospital Center’s trauma unit.

According to National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman, between the time the helicopter left its hanger at Andrews Air Force Base and when it was back in the same area, heading to the hospital, visibility had dropped from about seven miles to four miles. In that same hour, the cloud cover, or ceiling, went from 1300 feet to as low as 200 feet in some spots.

Because of the deteriorating weather conditions, pilot Stephen Bunker asked an air traffic control facility in Warrenton, VA, for an instrument approach to land at Andrews. The Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department was notified at 11:53 PM to dispatch two ambulances to the hanger to complete the transport of the patients to the hospital.

According to Hersman, FAA recordings indicate the instrument approach had been coordinated and Trooper 2 was handed off to the controller at the Andrews Air Force Base Tower at 11:55 PM. Hersman said about 30-seconds later pilot Bunker reported problems “capturing the glide slope”. The glide slope is the part of the instrument landing system that helps keep the aircraft at the proper altitude during the approach.

The controller responded that everything was green at the tower, indicating the instrument landing system appeared to be operating properly. At that point Bunker asked for the tower to provide verbal instructions to help guide the aircraft to a safe landing.

At 11:57 PM, before that information could be provided, Trooper 2 dropped from the radar screen. The last altitude reported was 700 feet, at a distance of a little more than three miles from the runway.

Hersman said it appears the helicopter first hit a tree at about 80 feet above the ground. The chopper landed on its left side with a tree crashing down on top of the helicopter. There was no evidence of fire and Hersman says there is no indication the helicopter broke up in flight.

The NTSB investigators said, prior to the crash, the aircraft was flying a heading of 191 degrees, which lined it up with runway 19-R at Andrews. Its final resting spot was 265 degrees, or perpendicular to the flight path.

Killed in the crash besides Bunker were Trooper First Class Mickey Lippy, EMT-B Tonya Mallard of the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department and Ashley Younger, a 17-year-old who was the second victim from the Waldorf car accident.

Mallard, the mother of two, was on one of the ambulances that responded to the 10:45 PM car accident on Smallwood Drive. Mallard had been with the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department since 2004. When Trooper 2 picked up the two teenaged girls injured in the crash, Mallard volunteered to take the trip to the trauma center to assist in the care of the second patient.

The helicopter that crashed is an American Eurocopter Dauphin II. It was the second oldest of the twelve Dauphins in the Maryland State Police Aviation Command. The agency began acquiring the aircraft in the late 1980s to replace a fleet of Bell Jet Rangers. The Bell Jet Rangers had been involved in fatal crashes in 1972, 1973 and 1986.

Click the image above to see our stories on the 1986 crash of Trooper 3 in Baltimore’s Leakin Park.

It was the January, 1986 accident in Baltimore’s Leakin Park that helped move the state to upgrade its helicopters. Like the crash in Queenstown, MD in October, 1972, the Baltimore accident happened during poor visibility due to heavy fog.

The Dauphin helicopters have state of the art Global Positioning Systems and full instrument flight rule capability. They also have twin gas turbine engines. An engine failure was cited in the September, 1973 fatal accident in Beltsville, MD.

On the surface, there are some similarities between the crash Saturday night and the one in 1986. In both, the helicopters, flying in foggy conditions, disappeared from radar without any distress call from the crew.

In 1986 the pilot of Trooper 3, Cpl. Gregory May, last talked to the tower at BWI airport just after 4:00 AM. May and TFC Carey Poetzman were returning after dropping a Carroll County shooting victim at Baltimore’s trauma center. It wasn’t until two hours later, when the relief crew arrived at the hanger in Frederick, that anyone realized the helicopter had not returned from that flight.

A large search was conducted, centered near the common border of Carroll, Howard and Baltimore Counties. That’s where the aircraft had last been seen on radar. It was until about 1:30 PM, after heavy ground fog burned off, that police officers found Trooper 3 crashed on a hillside 20 miles to the east, in West Baltimore’s Leakin Park. May and Poetzman were dead at the scene.

In Saturday’s crash it didn’t take two hours for anyone to realize the helicopter was missing, but it did take that long to find the aircraft. Despite having a last known position from the radar at Andrews and radio equipment that is supposed to automatically keep SYSCOM informed of the the helicopter’s position, police and firefighters fanned out all around Andrews Air Force Base in the early hours of Sunday morning searching for the helicopter.

Preliminary word is the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department became involved in the search around 12:30 AM when state officials contacted the ambulance crews standing by at Trooper 2’s
hanger.

Police officers were finally directed to Walker Mill Regional Park just before 2:00 AM after SYSCOM was able to get GPS coordinates from a cell phone carried by one of the helicopter crew members.

Trooper 2 at a 2004 open house at Andrews Air Force Base. From the Hughesville Volunteer Fire Department & Rescue Squad website.

Read press release from Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department

Read updated press release from Maryland State Police

Watch video of press conference from the scene

A detailed look at the helicopter and its equipment

More coverage at wusa9.com

(Last updated at 2:45 PM)

Maryland State Police helicopter Trooper 2 crashed early Sunday morning in a park in central Prince George’s County killing four people. The helicopter was discovered by a Prince George’s County police officer. Police and fire crews had been searching for the chopper after contact was lost during a medevac transport.

According to Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Chief Spokesman Mark Brady, 18-year-old Jordan Wells, who was being flown from an accident scene in Waldorf, MD, was pulled alive from the wreckage. Wells is in critical condition.

Found dead with the wreckage were the pilot, flight paramedic, a first responder from Charles County and a second patient.

At a press conference Sunday, Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Terrance Sheridan announced the law enforcement agency’s helicopter fleet has been grounded until further notice. Sheridan said the helicopters will not fly until it can be determined whether a problem with the aircraft caused the crash. Maryland will rely on helicopters from U.S. Park Police, Delaware State Police, Pennsylvania State Police and private companies to handle emergency medical transportation.

The 1989 helicopter that went down Sunday is the second oldest in the fleet.

This memorial was added to the Maryland State Police Aviation Command web page on Sunday.

The names of the four people killed in the crash have also been released by Maryland State Police (MSP):

1. Stephen H. Bunker, the 59-year-old pilot from Waldorf, MD. Bunker had retired as a corporal in 1998 after 26-years with MSP. He returned as a civilian pilot. Bunker had been flying for MSP for 24-years and was a certified flight instructor and a certified instrument flight instructor. Stephen Bunker was married with three grown children.

2. TFC Mickey C. Lippy, the 34-year-old flight paramedic from Westminster, MD. Trooper Lippy joined MSP four-year-ago. Prior to that Lippy had been a firefighter and medic with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. He had been assigned to Station 18 (Marley) for much of his career. Trooper Lippy had recently returned from family leave following the birth of his daughter, now four-months-old. Lippy was also a volunteer with the Owings Mills Volunteer Fire Company in Baltimore County. Since April, 2004 he had worked as a part-time paramedic and engineer with Gamber & Community Fire Company in Carroll County, MD. Lippy’s wife, Christina, had been a full-time EMT/driver for Gamber, but cut back her hours due to the baby’s birth.

3. Tanya Mallard, the 39-year-old first responder from Waldorf, MD. Mallard was an EMT-B with Waldorf VFD’s Station 12. Mallard is survived by her husband and two children.

4. Ashley J. Younger of Waldorf, MD. She was the 17-year-old victim of the automobile accident.

Stephen H. Bunker, Maryland State Police pilot

TFC Mickey C. Lippy, Maryland State Police

Trooper 2 was dispatched to the Waldorf accident around 11:oo PM. According to Brady, the helicopter crew was on the way from the accident scene in Waldorf to Prince George’s Hospital Center when the pilot told SYSCOM they would be landing at their Andrews Air Force Base hanger because of bad weather. Prince George’s County was contacted at 11:53 PM to have two BLS units meet the helicopter to continue the transport to the hospital.

Trooper 2 never made it back to the hanger. Radio and radar contact was apparently lost shortly after midnight. The search began around 12:30 AM. The helicopter was found just after 2:00 AM.

The crash scene is in Walker Mill Regional Park, about three-miles north of Andrews Air Force Base.

Crash site access is said to be via Berry Lane off of Ritchie Road on the south side of the park.

This is the fourth fatal accident involving a Maryland State Police helicopter since 1972. Each previous crash killed a two-person crew in a Bell Jet Ranger.

The most recent accident, prior to today, was on January 19, 1986. Cpl. Gregory May, the pilot, and TFC Carey Poetzman, the aviation trauma technician, were returning to their Frederick hanger from the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. The crew encountered heavy fog and crashed in Leakin Park in West Baltimore. An extensive search was mounted along the flight path to Frederick. The chopper wasn’t found for a number of hours.

The 1986 crash led to new safety procedures, stricter standards for pilots, an airborne flight-following system for the helicopters, and the purchase of the American EuroCopter (Aerosptable) Dauphin helicopters. It is one of those helicopters that crashed early today.

Click here to read more about the previous fatal crashes.

On Friday, the Maryland State Police Aviation Command and the Mid-Atlantic Helicopter Association hosted a safety s
ummit for Maryland and Washington, DC area, helicopter pilots and crews.

The one day program was described in a press release from Maryland State Police:

The agenda includes a wide range of aviation experts from law enforcement, television, private aviation companies, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. Speakers will examine best practices, accidents and trends, risk assessments, news gathering operations, and flight operations updates.

Click here to watch WJZ-TV’s story on Friday’s safety summit.

The clip above from YouTube includes still pictures and video of a Maryland State Police helicopter crew in action. Click here to see other YouTube videos of the MSP helicopter fleet.

Barry P. Broyles photo from his page at Firefighter Nation

Baltimore Training LODD Final Report

Baltimore Training LODD Final Report Appendices

Lt. Barry Broyles had been called “negligent” and “incompetent”. Now Broyles has been ordered back on the job with the Baltimore City Fire Department and will likely be promoted to captain.

The trouble for Broyles began after the death last year of Racheal Wilson, a 29-year-old recruit who died during a live training fire at row house. A trial board recommended Broyles’ firing.

Broyles reacted to the news with a message posted to his page at Firefighter Nation. It starts: “It’s been a rough year!!! But the end result has turned out in my favor. As some of you may or may not know I was scapegoated and terminated / forced into retirement after the Tragic death of FPA Recruit Rachel Wilson … ” Click here to read the entire message.

Justin Fenton writes about the latest developments and Chief Jim Clack’s new command staff in The Baltimore Sun. Here are excerpts:

The city’s civil service commissioner has upheld a hearing examiner’s decision to reinstate Lt. Barry P. Broyles, the instructor in charge of an ill-prepared rescue team that responded to the fatal exercise Feb. 9, 2007, in which Racheal M. Wilson was killed. He was among three officers who lost their jobs in the fallout from that incident.

He (Broyles) said one of the key accusations against him was that the hose for his rescue group was coiled in the back of a pickup truck instead of being filled with water and ready to go, a safety violation noted in the state documents. At his hearings, Broyles said that he noted that the department’s training materials did not stipulate that his team was responsible for a charged hose line.

Deputy Chiefs Reginald L. Sessions, Steve Weigman, Jeffrey R. Segal and Raymond O. Devilbiss will also be responsible for managing day-to-day field operations of 36 engines, 19 truck companies, 22 first-line medic units and four critical alert medics, as well as coordinating special equipment such as mobile command and water rescue operations.

I want to know the rest of this story. The picture above is from the website of United Steam Fire Engine Company #3 in Frederick County, MD of a fire Monday afternoon. In the last 15-minutes I have read accounts of the fire from the website where the picture came from, the Frederick News Post, the Gazette and WHAG-TV. Not one of them has the answer to the question I have about the blaze.

Let me back up. The news accounts all make mention this fire was set by eight Linganore High School at Oakdale students. All are boys between the ages of 15 and 17. According to the News Post, the Maryland State Fire Marshals Office has charged them “with malicious destruction of property, second-degree arson and first-degree malicious burning”.

Here is the intriguing part. According to the articles, the fire started when an experiment went awry. The experiment is one the teens were trying to recreate after having seen it on Mythbusters, a popular Discovery Channel Show.

And? …. And?

There is no “and”. The next thing I was hoping for is some hint at what the experiment was. No mention in any of the articles.

Was the experiment one of putting heat, fuel and oxygen together to see what happens or was it something a little more elaborate than that?

The few times I have seen Mythbusters I have really liked the show. It actually seems to be a fun way to get into science stuff. I hate to see the show thought of as something that is corrupting our youth.

So, am I now going to have to put on my reporter’s cap and try to get to the bottom of this myself?

Or, maybe I will get lucky and my old friend Deputy Chief State Fire Marshal Allen Gosnell, who was interviewed about the fire, will read my plea and want to come clean about this deep, dark, mystery.

UPDATE at 12:44 PM Saturday:

From a STATter 911 reader who saw what I did not from a different Frederick News Post article.

During each episode, the show’s special effects experts take on three myths and use modern day science to show viewers what is real or fiction, according to the show’s website.

The group had seen a show testing the theory that if you throw a dry chemical fire extinguisher on a fire, it will explode and put out the fire, McNeil said.

While it worked on the television show, it didn’t for the group who chose to try their experiment at a barn behind the school at 10506 Old National Pike.

So as Emily Litella used to say – “Never mind!”

For more than 50 years they have been burning in Morgantown, WV. But the burn building at WVU has seen its last fire. The training center is being demolished and will become athletic fields. Firefighters are already training at a new facility. Click here to watch the story from WBOY-TV.

An arbitrator has ruled against an IAFF local in a two-hatter dispute in Innisfil, ON. Here are excerpts from the Innisfil Journal:

The Sept. 10 ruling allows the town to use so called two hatters as volunteers even though they are forbidden by the International Fire Fighters Association’s constitution.

Indeed, Hunter had been a two hatter in his early years with the fire department.

Read furlough directive from Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Chief Lawrence Sedgwick Jr.

Two important documents have been emailed from Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department headquarters in Largo, MD this afternoon. The first is Personnel Memo #08-22 – Departmental Furlough Plan from Chief Lawrence Sedgwick Jr. This outlines the personnel rules that will be followed in making sure all of the department’s 800 or so employees are furloughed for 80 hours between now and next June. (Click above to read the 6-page document.)

The second is the email from Lt. Col. Tyrone Wells, Emergency Operations Command. This provides the specifics of the first round of furloughs to begin on Sunday. As we reported on TV yesterday, and very early this morning on the blog, this document was drastically changed after word came from Upper Marlboro in the 5:00 PM hour that none of the 44 fire stations would be left without staffing because of furloughs.

According to sources, the original plan that Chief Sedgwick went over earlier on Thursday with his boss, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Public Safety / Director of Homeland Security Vernon Herron, would likely have left multiple stations without first responders. That assessment comes from numerous career and volunteer sources at all levels of the department. All have asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak for the department on this issue.

Vernon Herron spoke with STATter 911 just before 6:00 PM on Thursday. That’s when Herron said he had ordered all fire stations would still be staffed during furloughs. Herron said he gave the fire department permission to temporarily suspend furloughs if removing personnel would leave a station without staffing.

Herron also confirmed the county would honor the collective bargaining agreement with IAFF Local 1619. That agreement calls for any station where career personnel are assigned to have a minimum of four fighters on duty between 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday, and two firefighters on duty at all other times.

According to the sources, the orders from Herron have forced the department to cut the number of firefighters scheduled for furlough during the first round this coming Sunday through Wednesday from 72 to 24 (this is excluding battalion chiefs and ALS units). Here is the email outlining the current plan:

From: Wells, Tyrone N.

Sent: Friday, September 26, 2008 2:59 PM

To: Battalion 1; Battalion 2; Battalion 3; Battalion 4; Battalion 5; Battalion 6; Battalion 7

Cc: Forby, Tyrone C.; Joy, Lawrence E.; Andrecs, Kevin S.; Fletcher, John E.; Hess, Steven L.; Lamoria, Jerome F.; Thomas, Rudolph; Wood, Dennis C.

Subject: Furlough Schedule

Tyrone N. Wells
Lieutenant Colonel
Emergency Operations Command
Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department

Those stations were chosen because they normally have at least four career firefighters assigned at all times. The union contract allows the department to have as few as two firefighters during the evening and overnight hours. The department has already indicated they would not furlough firefighters during what they consider peak hours between 3:00 PM and 11:00 PM.

The original plan called for all four firefighters assigned to Stations 805 (Capitol Heights), 819 (Bowie) and 821 (Oxon Hill) to be furloughed along with entire two person shifts at Stations 813 (Riverdale Heights), 823 (Forestville) and 825 (Clinton).

According to sources, the email from Chief Wells is an effort to get some furloughs started by the deadline set for this Sunday. The department must now come up with a new plan that meets the requirements outlined by Vernon Herron and, at the same time, furloughs all employees under the county guidelines.

Sources point out one of the biggest challenges will be furloughing the firefighters who are assigned to stations on daywork, Monday through Friday. Union president Doug Bartholomew told STATter 911 on Thursday that’s when the contract requires “four on the floor or none”.

Col. Wells also met with volunteer chiefs last night. According to those present at the meeting, Wells had hoped to show charts and the plan the department put together. Wells told the chiefs he had only learned late Thursday afternoon the plan was no longer valid and he did not have a formal plan to present to the volunteers.

A number of volunteer leaders have pledged to work with the county to cover their own stations during furlough hours and possibly, when multiple volunteer crews were available, provide a transfer unit to cover other stations.

While it appears fire stations won’t be left without staffing by the furloughs, the email from Chief Wells indicates it is possible ALS units will not be staffed. According to sources, supervisors could help keep the units on the street. Two of the twelve ALS units are staffed with only one medic, which may ease the burden of finding people qualified to work the units. The county also staffs medics on three paramedic engine companies.

Picture of the day: Just think of it as a really big house burning drill. One million pallets burned in a three-alarm fire yesterday in Forth Worth. The picture above is in The Star-Telegram. Click here for more on the story and video. Raw chopper video, here.

Furloughs without cutting services: That’s exactly the order the boss has given to Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Chief Lawrence Sedgwick. Public Safety Director Vernon Herron tells us despite the furlough of entire shifts of career personnel beginning Sunday, if STATter 911 stops by any firehouse, the only reason there may be no one home is if they are on a call (or related business). No details on how Chief Sedgwick is to pull this off. Both volunteer and career sources familiar with the plans remain skeptical. Here is the latest.

One way to make up the money lost to the furloughs: Pray for snow. Prince George’s County firefighters are being offered a chance to join a program to drive county snow plows. Time-and-a-half available for pushing snow, but not necessarily for answering 911 calls. An explanation here.

Chief and captain accused of raiding children’s fund: In Kentucky thousands of dollars missing from Crusade for Children and a firefighters fund has brought criminal charges for the chief and captain of the Mount Washington Fire Protection District. Click here to read and see the story.

What’s good for the goose: In Evansville, IN the chief wrecked his car and is now going through the remedial driving program he started. Click here.

Pay as you go: That’s not a plan one fire protection district likes when crossing a toll bridge. Read the story.

Video of the day: Mechanism of injury. A 19-year-old woman in Dallas met a man at a concert. According to her, when she said no, he tossed her out of the moving vehicle on the Dallas North Tollway. She suffered severe road rash. Read more.

Prince George’s County Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Public Safety / Director of Homeland Security Vernon Herron tells STATter 911 he has given the fire department authority to temporarily suspend furloughs when it has been determined firehouses could be left without staffing. This comes after Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Chief Lawrence Sedgwick met with Herron Thursday over the department’s plan to furlough each employee for a total of 80-hours by June of next year. The furloughs have been ordered for all county employees.

As STATter 911 has been reporting this week, the PGFD plan calls for entire shifts of career firefighters to be removed from stations for eight-hours at a time. The reason entire shifts of either two or four firefighters would be furloughed together is because of the county’s collective bargaining agreement with IAFF Local 1619. The contract requires stations with career firefighters to have at least 4 firefighters on duty Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Union president Doug Batholomew confirms during those hours it is either four firefighters or none.

Similarly, at all other times, there is a minimum requirement of two firefighters to be on duty at stations with career staffing.

While a county spokesman insisted Thursday afternoon that entire shifts would not be furloughed, Vernon Herron later confirmed that was incorrect information. Herron said the county would abide by its contract with Local 1619. But Herron also told STATter 911 he has ordered Chief Sedgwick to make sure no firehouses are left without staffing.

One of Chief Sedgwick’s top aides was scheduled to meet with volunteer chiefs Thursday night in an effort to have volunteer firefighters cover for furloughed career firefighters. The department is also expecting to use firefighters and medics currently assigned to office duty to fill in at fire stations.

Sources familiar with the fire department’s plan tell STATter 911 they aren’t clear how the department will be able to follow Herron’s mandate to staff firehouses at the same time they are proceeding with furloughs. The sources, both career and volunteer, say they don’t believe there are enough volunteers and office staff available to keep all of the stations open.

The plan calls for as many as seven stations to be targeted for furloughs in any 24-hour period. Career battalion chiefs are to coordinate with volunteer leaders to determine if the 8-hour furlough for a specific station will occur between 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM or between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM.

As STATter 911 reported on Thursday, the first round of furloughs is scheduled to begin Sunday. Entire shifts of firefighters at six of the county’s 44 stations have been notified they will be taking eight-hours off. Those stations are 805 (Capitol Heights), 813 (Riverdale Heights), 819 (Bowie), 821 (Oxon Hill), 823 (Forestville), and 825 (Clinton). Also scheduled for furlough this Sunday are Battalion Chief 801 and Medic 818 (Glenn Dale).

STATter 911 has been able to confirm that the Forestville VFD has already lined up volunteers to fill inn for the furloughed career firefighters.

Vernon Herron insists that the safety of the public will not be compromised by the furloughs.

Prince George’s County, MD needs snow plow drivers. An August 28 memo from Chief Administrative Officer Jacqueline Brown obtained by STATter 911 (above), shows the continuation this year of a program where the Department of Public Works & Transportation (DPW&T) uses other county agencies as a source of people with commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) capable of operating a plow. DPW&T will provide the training and the overtime money.

A number of Prince George’s County firefighters have pointed out to STATter 911 this program will allow them to make overtime pay driving a snow plow, when at the same time overtime money to drive fire engines has been cut. As STATter 911 previously reported, in an effort to reduce overtime expenditures, the fire department is scheduling volunteer firefighters to cover shifts. Approximately $800,000 has been cut from the department’s overtime budget.

It also comes at a time when the fire department and all county agencies are finalizing plans to implement furloughs requiring employees to lose two weeks pay. The furloughs are tentatively scheduled to begin at six fire stations this Sunday.

A spokesman for the county is checking into the program, but points out they need to keep the roads clear to allow the fire trucks and ambulances to move freely during a snow storm. The overtime money also comes from two different budgets.

The fire department’s guidelines for the program are outlined in a September 23 email from Lt. Col. Victor Stagnaro to fire department personnel:

Must have a current CDL license

Must attend a training session scheduled for October 10 and 14 (additional times and dates will be available)

Will be required to attend a dry run exercise scheduled for October 31, 2008

May be required to work 12-hour shifts

May not work snow removal operations in lieu of their regularly scheduled work days

Their essential employee status is primarily to the Fire/ EMS Department and they may have to forgo working for DPW&T to meet the needs of the Fire/EMS Department.

More than one firefighter points out that if there are enough snow storms, they could possibly make back the money they are scheduled to lose because of the ten furlough days between now and June.

Furlough update: Notifications are already underway for the first round of furloughs for the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department. This is happening even though the department’s plan hasn’t been given final approval. That could come today when Chief Lawrence Sedgwick Jr. meets with his boss, Vernon Herron. We have the list of the first stations scheduled for furloughs if this goes as planned on Sunday. Remember it is all tentative. Click here for the details.

Why firefighters in NY and OH need to sleep with one eye open: We have a bit of a theme show going today. In Cincinnati the problem is bed bugs. In Glens Falls it’s the rats that are biting. Click here for the insects. Click here for the rodents.

Playboy and tears are front and center at gay pride parade trial: A Playboy collection of one of the firefighters suing San Diego was the issue before the judge Wednesday. On Tuesday one of the four firefighters became emotional when explaining the impact of being forced to ride a fire truck in a gay pride parade last year. Click here and here for the stories.

Not fire related, but an interesting public safety story: An order from Virginia State Police Superintendent W. Steven Flaherty has led to the resignation of six troopers from their voluntary positions as department chaplains. The chaplains were told to keep Jesus Christ out of public prayers. Read more.

Maryland firefighters support slots: According to the Baltimore Business Journal, “The Professional Fire Fighters of Maryland is the latest organization backing a proposal to legalize slot machine gambling in the state”. Click here to read the story.

Putting the brakes on a fire/EMS merger: That’s the story from the Columbus, WI council over the fire chief’s plan. Read more.

Fighting fires with the department you can afford, not the one you have: In Bay City, Michigan the local paper supports the city’s choice of reducing the full-time staff from 50 to 36. The reductions will be through attrition and the department will be augmented by on-call firefighters. Read the editorial.

Forced to evacuate with the actress you have, not the one you want: A gas leak at a Paris hotel forced former Baywatch actress Pamela Anderson to flee without her make-up and with curlers still in her hair. It isn’t like we haven’t seen her bare …. Never mind. Here’s the story.

It also gives us time to pray our budget won’t be cut: A fire department in Great Neck, NY wants the date of the annual public budget hearing to be changed so it doesn’t conflict with a Jewish holiday. Read the story.

Fire museum focuses on safety: The refurbished Newark Fire Museum has a message. Read the details.

Watch presentation of Loudoun report: We have a video link to the presentation to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors about the Meadowood Court fire. Click here.

A San Diego city attoney hoped to ask about the Playboy magazines at a firehouse that belonged to one of the firefighters suing over being forced to participate in a gay pride parade last year. The judge did not think the issue was relavent and did not allow the line of questioning.

Here are excerpts from the latest article by Tony Manolatos of The Union-Tribune:

“Questions pertaining to John Ghiotto’s Playboy magazines is denied – defendants have failed to show that questions concerning the (magazines) are directly relevant to the issues or defenses raised in this case,” San Diego Superior Court Judge Michael Anello wrote in a ruling.

Aguirre has argued they weren’t harassed and has said they’re opposed to the gay lifestyle.

One of the two fire stations in Glens Falls, NY is currently operating under a reduced schedule. This isn’t because of a lack of money. It’s because of a surplus of something else: rats.

The Broad Street station will only be open from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The firefighters will sleep and take meals at the Ridge Street station while exterminators and health officials work on the problem.

One firefighter got up close and personal with the problem. Here are excerpts from Maury Thompson’s story on PostStar.com:

Glens Falls officials shut down sleeping and dining quarters at the city’s Broad Street fire station after a firefighter was apparently bitten by a rat while sleeping.

Ives said that the firefighter received a tetanus shot and was prescribed antibiotics at Glens Falls Hospital.

Click here to watch the story from WLWT-TV

In Cincinnati union leaders and council members have met to discuss an infestation of bed bugs at city firehouses. Efforts to bring it under control have so far been unsuccessful. Here are excerpts from the story by WLWT-TV:

Firefighters said that every time they make a run, they brush up against a couch or a bed and sometimes pick up an unwanted hitchhiker.

One firefighter had so many bites, he couldn’t draw a circle the size of a quarter without hitting one on his arm.

Chief Lawrence Sedgwick Jr. and other public safety officials are scheduled to meet with Prince George’s County Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Public Safety / Director of Homeland Security Vernon Herron today. The number one item on the agenda is the approval of furlough plans.

According to sources familiar with the process within the fire department, Chief Sedgwick’s staff has been moving ahead this week getting things ready to start the furlough process at 0700 on Sunday. Even though the department’s plan has not received final approval and could be modified by Herron, the notification process is underway for the first group of career firefighters to be given 8-hours off without pay.

According to our sources firefighters from these stations are being told they could have some free time on Sunday: 805 (Capitol Heights), 813 (Riverdale Heights), 819 (Bowie), 821 (Oxon Hill), 823 (Forestville), and 825 (Clinton). Battalion Chief 801 is also on this schedule.

It is expected the same crews will be furloughed every 20 days.

Medic units are also in the furlough rotation plan.

As part of the furlough plan career crews going off-duty are being told not to respond to calls if they are still in the firehouse after the start of a furloughed shift.

It is unclear how specialized units such as hazmat and technical rescue will be staffed when furloughs hit the fire stations where those units are housed.

Again, all of this could change after today’s meeting. The final plan is supposed to be ready on Friday.

The department expects to use firefighters and officers assigned to office work and volunteer firefighters to cover some of the staffing shortages.

Bill Smith, a vice-president with the Prince George’s County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association contacted STATter 911 on Wednesday to say the association has been unable to get a meeting with Chief Sedgwick or his staff to coordinate volunteer coverage. Smith believes some volunteer stations have enough firefighters to provide additional crews to cover some of the furloughs at stations where volunteer participation is low on non-existent.

This is the second week of the trial where four firefighters are suing over being forced to participate in San Diego’s gay pride parade last year. We first told you about the story last August. Here are excerpts from an article by Tony Manolatos in the San Diego Union-Tribune:

One of the firefighters suing San Diego over being forced to ride a fire engine in last year’s gay pride parade nearly broke into tears while on the witness stand yesterday.

Alex Kane became so emotional that he asked for a break, which the judge granted.

The press conference on Saturday, September 13, of the Loudoun County, VA, report about the Meadowood Court fire was, to my knowledge, not widely covered in the electronic news media (at least that’s how I like to portray anything that I miss). Here’s a chance to view it for yourself.

On September 16, an audio-visual presentation was made to the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. Click here to bring up the video player and agenda. Then click number “5″ under Roman numeral “IV” in the agenda to the right of the screen with the heading, “Meadowood Court Incident Review/Investigation Update (Pozzo)”. It will take you right to that portion of the video.

To read the report, click here.

I noticed something else interesting happened at the September 16 meeting. For the first time since the May 25 fire, the names of all seven fire and and EMS personnel injured that day have been officially released. Prior to the Board of Supervisors meeting where they were honored, the only name made public was that of Lt. John “Bones” Earley. Lt. Earley was the most seriously injured. The department put his name in an August 5 press release announcing Lt. Earley’s return from the hospital.

So, for the first time on STATter 911, here are all the names:

Captain Micah Kiger, Lieutenant John Earley, Lieutenant William Graham, Technician Christopher Grubb, Firefighter Jackie Shingleton, Firefighter Brandy Lapole and EMT Natalie Martz (York).

To watch the this part of the video, click on number “1″ under Roman numeral “IV”, where it says “Resolution of Appreciation”.

When a plan isn’t a plan: The man who speaks for Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson says there is no plan because it hasn’t been received or approved by the public safety director. Numerous sources and an email tell STATter 911 otherwise. We have details of PGFD’s proposal to implement the furloughs ordered by Johnson and the Prince George’s County Council. The fire department’s plan, waiting final approval, would leave many fire stations without career staffing for 8-hours at a time. Click here for details.

STATter 911 has also asked if there will be a schedule released letting the public know when their neighborhood fire stations will be without staffing (similar to how Sacramento has handled rotating closures).

When a plan is a plan: In Milwaukee the mayor makes it clear he wants dozens of firefighter positions cut from the new budget and the union is fighting back. Read the story. Watch the story.

Raw video from underground fire: A little late, but we finally have Vito Maggiolo’s raw video posted from the manhole fires in Southwest Washington on Monday afternoon. Here’s the link.

Interviews with the mayor: Tuesday was interview day for the seven finalists for the chief’s job in Charleston, SC. Read the latest.

Deputy fire chief blowing the whistle on what everyone else says is just fine: In Gloucester, MA, a deputy fire chief has everyone scrambling after he said the emperor has no clothes. Stephen Aiello has apparently been the lone voice questioning how modular classrooms have been integrated into three schools. Chief Aiello has concerns about fire alarms that don’t operate and a closed nearby fire station. Not everyone shares those concerns. Read more.

FF accused of responding drunk: I missed this while on vacation, but a STATter 911 reader sent it my way. From Milton, IN, a volunteer firefighter responding in an emergency vehicle to a gas leak faces a DUI charge. Click here.

Ouch: Firefighters had to drain the water and remove the hose and other equipment after a Lehigh Acres, Florida fire engine got caught in a ditch on Saturday. Traffic was blocked after the engine made too sharp a tun returning from a medical call. Watch the video. Read the story.

Photos from Alan Etter, DC Fire & EMS Department

Watch raw video from DC Fire & EMS Department photographer Vito Maggiolo

The first indication of a problem Monday afternoon was an automatic fire alarm that brought DC Fire & EMS Department’s Engine 13 and Truck 7 to the 400 block of Virginia Avenue, SW. According to spokesman Alan Etter, moments after that 3:19 PM dispatch, the city’s 911 center began receiving more calls for power outages, explosions and stalled elevators.

The first crews requested more equipment when they determined there was an underground fire in the same block as the initial call. Two buildings were evacuated, including the Social Security Administration.

The fire was adjacent to Amtrak and CSX railroad tracks. Firefighters protected exposures while waiting for Pepco to shut the power.