Photo by Christine Keith/The Arizona Republic. Caption:
Mechanic Jason Nickelson works on an 8-year-old fire truck at the East Mesa Service Center. A bond going before voters would free up money for several fire projects, but the city still is struggling with a growing deficit.

In Mesa, AZ, The Arizona Republic is looking at an email from Fire Chief Harry Beck. It is similar to warnings issued to those in fire and EMS around the country about dire financial problems for the city. And this one uses the “L” word. Here are excerpts from an article by Gary Nelson:

Mesa’s fire chief has fired a $1 million early-warning shot in what could become the worst fiscal bombardment in city history.

“Mesa is experiencing the most severe revenue crisis in memory,” Beck’s e-mail said.

City Manager Chris Brady said Thursday that after the City Council decides Nov. 20 what to cut, only “critical services” might remain.

But, he added, “The forecast is very grim, and it may not be possible to avoid layoffs.”

Catlett, VA

It had been 19 years since I spent any amount of time at the Catlett Volunteer Fire Company in Fauquier County, VA. In 1989 it was under very tragic circumstances, covering the deaths of two firefighters when their fire engine was struck by an Amtrak train.

By contrast, my visit Saturday was a very happy occasion. Now merged with the Cedar Run Volunteer Rescue Squad, Catlett Volunteer Fire & Rescue has a brand new building. Inside the sprawling complex, there is a memorial to Jay Mark Miller and Matthew B. Smith and the loss of the two firefighters was noted during the dedication ceremony.

Other than the persistent rain, the only real negative about the event, was the audience being subjected to the ramblings and rantings of some fire service blogger.

Congratulations to everyone in Catlett on the new firehouse and a new pumper.

Takoma Park, MD

While I don’t know for sure, looking at the picture below and the number of politicians on hand for Thursday’s groundbreaking of the new Takoma Park, MD fire station, listening to a speech by Dave Statter during the brief Catlett ceremony, may have been a better deal (just kidding).

The Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department has the oldest station in the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service. The new station, seen in the drawings below, will be on the same site and is scheduled for completion in 2010. A temporary building has been set up for use until the new firehouse is ready.

The pictures at the groundbreaking are from 9NEWS NOW assignment editor and Takoma Park resident Alan Henney.

Click here to read more.

Dominic Bracco Ii/The Washington Post

Today’s Washington Post is on a roll with trends impacting public safety nationwide. This article focuses on Fairfax County, VA’s 911 center and how it copes with the increased work load due to higher call volumes because of cell phones. It also looks at how the large immigrant population needs more translation services than in the past.

Here are excerpts:

“Commonly we see one single accident can generate 100 calls, and that’s not an exaggeration,” said Steve Souder, director of the Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications. “Everybody’s calling. And those calls have to be fielded. Each one has to be queried so that it is confirmed. We just can’t blow them off or treat any one less intensely than the one before.”

Since 2000, annual wireless 911 calls in Fairfax have risen from 180,000 to 268,000, an almost 50 percent increase. That, in turn, has prompted the county to increase the call center staff from 154 to 204 and to increase local spending on 911 services from almost $2 million to more than $10 million (in Virginia, 911 services are funded in part with telephone tax receipts collected by the state). The program is still understaffed, however, so the county also pays police and fire officers overtime — with far higher base salaries than full-time dispatchers — to moonlight at the call center.

Read today’s Washington Post story

Look at our June 12, 2008 coverage

In June we told you about Alexandria, Virginia’s efforts to play catch up with an ethanol transloading facility that suddenly appeared at a city rail yard. Alexandria officials are still fighting with Norfolk Southern over the operation near a school and residential development.

The citizens are also still fighting with Alexandria leaders for not sounding the alarm sooner.

The Washington Post’s Michael Laris looks at Alexandria’s experience as an example of what communities and fire departments are dealing with across the country. From the need for alcohol-resistant foam (eventually supplied to Alexandria by the railroad) to the inability to make railroads follow local zoning rules, the article looks at some important issues for the fire service. Here is an excerpt:

Last year, a tanker traveling from Baltimore to a processing facility in Virginia flipped in Maryland and spilled 6,800 gallons of flaming ethanol, killing the truck’s driver and torching a half-dozen cars. The Baltimore City Fire Department did not have the right foam and struggled to put out the fire, which burned for hours. Crews from Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport eventually helped smother the flames.

Because ethanol mixes easily with water, firefighters must methodically apply a special alcohol-resistant foam to suffocate flames. Traditional foams on many trucks won’t do. “You don’t want to find that out on game day,” Butters said.

Read entire report from IAFF Local 215

Read 2005 report from Matrix Consulting Group

If you don’t do so already, make sure you become a regular reader of thehousewatch.com. Erich Roden’s site is always informative and well written. More important, unlike my friend FireGeezer Bill Schumm and me, Erich is not a washed-up, old guy (Bill already took a shot at me today at the end of his Morning Lineup). Erich is out there fighting fires and saving lives in Milwaukee.

They are also trying to fight budget cuts in Milwaukee. As we have been reporting, Milwaukee is far from alone, but they have been seeing this happen for about seven years. I guess you could make the case that death by a thousand cuts is still death.

This week thehousewatch.com alerts us to a report by IAFF Local 215 called F.I.R.E. Measure, A Frontline Analysis Of Increased Risk In The City Of Milwaukee. It is an attempt to give an analysis of the budget cuts from a firefighter’s point of view. It is also an effort to fight the consultant’s perspective. Mayor Tom Barrett has used an October, 2005 report from Matrix Consulting Group as justification for staff reductions.

Below is the summary from Local 215′s report. Above are links to see both reports. Read them and you be the judge if the Milwaukee firefighters have made a good case and if this has a chance to be an effective means to combat the budget cutting.

We look forward to the updates on thehousewatch.com.

From McNelly.com

When there was such a thing as leisure time in my life (that was before Sam was born and certainly before the birth of STATter 911), I was a regular reader of the funny pages (that’s an old term that some probably use now to refer to STATter 911). One of my favorite comic strips was Shoe by the great, late cartoonist Jeff McNelly. The strip lives on and today it hits home for anyone looking at what the fire service is dealing with across the country.

Steve Marshall, a regular STATter 911 reader in PA, still looks at the comics and found the strip for us. Just yesterday Steve sent in a link to an article about the City of Meadville, PA, the county seat of Crawford County, 40 miles south of Erie. It has a population of 13,000 and a budget deficit of $700,000. To help bridge the gap, the city will lose a firefighter, a police officer and a public works employee from its rolls.

Budget deficits are everywhere and they are getting bigger. From a small city like Meadville to the place where I live and Steve was a firefighter, Fairfax County, VA. Fairfax is considered one of the wealthiest counties in the country. As we have reported previously, it has already made some big cuts for this fiscal year in an effort to make up $58 million.

For the next budget cycle, the warning is the gap could be close to ten times that amount. A recent talk I had with a member of the Board of Supervisors, reiterated the warnings that it is going to be painful, even for public safety (a January 2 furlough for county employees does exempt front line emergency folks … this time).

The man who used to run the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department has some thoughts on all of this. Chief Glenn Gaines wrote in recently to Bill Schumm’s site FireGeezer. Or at least someone assuming that identity left the comment. Either way, it is what was written that is very relevant to this discussion. Bill re-posted the comment this morning (adding his own thoughts) and I think it is well worth just ripping it off and doing the same. It is certainly something to think about for fire chiefs everywhere:

The best test of a manager is when trouble occurs. What are their guiding principles? Will they survive the test of scrutiny and analysis?

Finally, the proposal must be couched with a stipulation that clearly states that these recommendations are in response to unusual circumstances and pose an associated increase in risk to the citizens who reside, work and visit these areas.

Ambulance billing bill tabled: We have been telling you the ambulance fee bill for Montgomery County, MD was in a council committee on Thursday. Right now it isn’t coming out of that committee and a committee member doesn’t see it going anywhere. The Washington Post gives the impression it was senior citizens who swayed the council. The volunteer association had been leading the charge against the bill. Read more.

Not fit for duty?: The Chandler Fire Department is under investigation by the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health over concerns about fit testing. Read details.

Newspaper says the gravy train should be derailed: The Baltimore Sun has come out in favor of Mayor Sheila Dixon’s plan to change a pension benefit that’s been in place for fire and police retirees for 24 years. According to the paper:

… a unique feature of their pension system that increased their benefits when pension fund investments performed well. If the investments perform poorly, retirees didn’t suffer; instead, the city simply paid more into the plan.

Read the editorial .

Chief sues two neighboring departments: The Chicago Tribune has this story-

The chief of a volunteer fire company is suing two other departments over injuries he suffered while recovering the body of another firefighter from a burning house after he had been missing for 45 minutes.

Madison Township Fire Chief Robert Black’s lawsuit in southern Indiana’s Jefferson Circuit Court accuses the Hanover and Kent volunteer fire companies of negligence for failing to keep track of firefighters at the scene.

This involves the LODD of Firefighter Greg Cloud on Nov. 1, 2006. Read the rest of the story.

Chief arrested at Obama rally: An unusual story of a Hialeah district chief being nabbed after jumping a fence at a Miami rally. Read more.

16 gears, no clutch and no use: Some new UK fire trucks are sitting idle because drivers are having a touch time with the Formula 1 style gearbox. FireGeezer has that story.

Dean Parkerson, an off-duty district chief with the Hialeah Fire Department, posted a $6000 bond and told a reporter he was sorry for an incident Tuesday at a Barack Obama rally at Miami’s Bicentennial Park. This followed a grenade threat on the motorcade route that turned out to be a dud. Parkerson, who was off-duty, had jumped a security fence with shiny metal objects in his hand that turned out to be keys.

Here are excerpts from a Miami Herald article by David Ovalle:

Parkerson, 47, is president of the South Florida Council of Firefighters. Police said he ignored warnings to stay out of the restricted area.

Parkerson is also the former Hialeah firefighters union chief.

A new record: Some thoughts on a record number of comments and hits coming in from the St. Louis crash video. Click here.

By the way, the original YouTube video from the red light camera that was posted on Saturday, has been removed. There are many other postings of the same video, but I am guessing the leaker could be feeling some heat (again, just a guess).

More on missing police officer: My friend Tom Jackman is a wonderful reporter at the Washington Post who covers Fairfax County, VA. Tom’s story in this morning’s Post names the officer who is missing. It turns out he is a police lieutenant who has been honored at least twice for bravery.

Tom also has a few more more details on the training exercise that lead to this tragedy. Click here.

9NEWS NOW reporter Bruce Leshan looks at how treacherous the waters around Pohick Bay can be. Click here for Bruce’s story.

Video roundup: Click here to see new fire videos from IL, CA, NY, KY, PA and IN.

A day late and a dollar short: I’m a day behind in posting the raw video and telling you about the ambulance billing press conference that was held on Tuesday by volunteers in Montgomery County, MD. If the bill passes, they plan to get signatures for a referendum. I have links to read and listen to what both sides have to say about this issue. We are also seeing a discussion starting in the comments section.

More career – volunteer issues: This time in Albemarle County, VA. A meeting last night that could be a step toward one chief being in charge of career and volunteer forces. It isn’t sitting well with some. Watch the story.

Being a volunteer can be less taxing: $100 less in Pennsylvania, thanks to an act passed earlier this year. Click to here to read the details.

Sleepover controversy in NC: I am not sure I completely understand this story from Marion, NC. At one point it talks about whether to let volunteer firefighters sleep at the fire station. Then there is the suggestion of something a bit more. The Marion Council was apparently trying to micromanage this one. In the end, overnight stays by firefighters are allowed (for training purposes only). The friends and family plan is banned, except if both are members. Read it for yourself.

Switching channels can be hazardous to your health: A woman had only minor injuries after a propane explosion blew here out of her home in Billings, Missouri (I originally had Montana, but an alert read from MO corrected me). The fire chief says the spark from the explosion apparently came from the TV remote control. Read the story.

It ain’t all just fire trucks and ambulances for Dave Statter: Many years ago, a former executive producer I worked with, once referred to me as a one-trick-pony because of my interest in reporting on fire and EMS issues. In an effort not to leave that same impression with you and to show you how just well-rounded and deep my journalism is (more like a one-and-a-half-trick pony) I thought it important for you to see the story I did for TV on Wednesday. You know, man doesn’t live by sirens alone. With the economy teetering on the edge, the war on terrorism continuing, and a very important election coming up, this is my contribution to what you need to know. Click here and then watch the video in the upper right of the screen.

Click here to see the video

Click here to see the KDSK-TV story with St. Louis officials discussing the video

As I am writing this around midnight, we have received more than 130 comments about the video we posted over the weekend of the two St. Louis fire trucks colliding. With the exception of three comments, they all came in during a 33-hour period starting around 3:00 Tuesday afternoon.

This beats the 114 comments for the Prince George’s County, MD ambulance billing story and the 107 comments about the delayed response to an emergency in Loudoun County, VA. Both of those stories were in August and the bulk of the comments were spread out over a few days.

Comparing notes with Bill Schumm at FireGeezer, it turns out the pages at both sites with this video have received a very large number of hits since we both post the video over the weekend. In fact, the traffic over the last two days is a record for STATter 911.

I am somewhat heartened by the response, because it goes against the trend I have seen since starting STATter 911 about 18 months ago. Until now, the only time safety has been a hot button issue, generating lots of comments, is when there is an underlying agenda. Usually, but not always, it is a career-volunteer issue. Often we will run videos of some very clear and pretty outrageous fireground activities and almost no one will say a word.

This time the issue is really only about safe and sane driving. Someone, somehow tried to stretch this into a career versus volunteer situation. I don’t see any relevance, but the comments met our guidelines, so they were posted.

I urge everyone to remember that as clear as the video seems to be, it is only one angle and aspect of a larger investigation. We all know it is always series of factors that leads to a wreck like this.

Still, there is enough that can be seen in those 12 seconds to stimulate some good conversations and maybe even change attitudes about how one approaches the ever difficult task of just getting to an emergency scene.

I have received many emails and phone calls since posting the clip around 1:00 AM Sunday, from firefighters and officers who have made their shifts sit in front of the computer and watch this video. As I responded to a couple of the people leaving comments, I don’t see how that can be a bad thing.

Wide view of tanker fire

This is a video from a distance of this morning’s tanker fire in Oakland, CA. FireGeezer has more details and a close-up view. In fact the Geezer has a whole bunch of fires today.

IL apartment fire

From Skokie on September 18.

House fire in NY

A Bill Bennett video from a fire Monday in Freeport.

House fire in KY

I believe this is in Henderson, KY. The fire was on Alves Street.

Weekend fire in PA

From Granville Township in Mifflin County. Fire began in the old Echo Building and spread. More pictures and info on centralpafire.com.

Old video of the day

Doc Zaffater posted this one from Indianapolis as fire trucks road by his motel in the 1970s.

Watch raw video from volunteer’s press conference

MCVFRA.org

Montgomery County web page in support of ambulance fee

Documents on ambulance fee impact from Montgomery County

Previous coverage of issue

Tomorrow, the Montgomery County Council’s Public Safety Committee is again taking up the issue of ambulance billing. The council previously rejected the idea, but the new bill is supposed to answer many of the objections brought up the first time around.

The Montgomery County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association isn’t buying any of this. The group continues to make public its concerns about an ambulance fee. It is a multi-media campaign with firehouse signs, a public relations firm and a press conference.

At the press conference yesterday outside the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, the association outlined what they will do if the bill passes. The plan calls for taking the issue directly to the people.

The volunteers would need the signatures of 27,000 registered voters in order to get a countywide referendum. Many of the volunteers believe they may have to go this route because this time around the state of the economy may rule the day.

Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Services has already indicated without the $14 million expected in the first year, cutbacks could be in order that may include removing of staffing from some fire stations. Outgoing Chief Tom Carr and his boss, County Executive Isiah Leggett, have made the case that the ambulance fee will not cost anything for county residents. The bills would only go to insurance companies of those who are insured.

The volunteers believe the fee will make some people hesitate before calling 911. They also say the fire tax paid by county residents should cover the cost of the service.

In the region, only Howard County, MD and Loudoun County, VA do not charge for EMS services.

Missing police officer subject of massive search: Local, state and federal resources massed along Pohick Bay in southern Fairfax County Tuesday afternoon after a police officer vanished during a training exercise. More details, here.

Volunteers win one in Prince George’s County: The bill that would strip power from the volunteers in the running of the Prince George’s County Fire Commission has been withdrawn. As we first reported last week, the volunteers were meeting with County Executive Jack Johnson on Monday. On Tuesday the bill that would have added civilians and career firefighters to the 38-year-old commission was pulled. Read more.

Phoenix stats questioned: A column in the Arizona Republic is looking for clarity when it comes to statistics from the Phoenix Fire Department. Read the complaint.

Harmony apparently isn’t a prerequisite for the award: Topeka Fire Chief Howard Giles was recognized by his own City Council after being named Saturday as the Fire Chief of the Year by the Kansas State Association of Fire Chiefs. Good news for a chief who has made headlines because of a very rocky relationship with the union. Details, here.

Lot of comments about St. Louis crash: The close-up video we first showed you early Sunday morning from the collision that injured eight St. Louis firefighters has brought out some strong opinion. The comments started coming in at a record pace for us after Firehouse.com linked to the video Tuesday afternoon. Click here.

Roundup includes a related St. Louis video: One of the videos in the roundup is an angle I hadn’t seen before of the fire where the two St. Louis rigs were responding when they wrecked. Click here.

Raw video from DC restaurant fire: DC Fire & EMS Department photographer Vito Maggiolo provided us with the video of Monday’s fire. Watch the video.

Mystery explosions in MD town: There is a camera mounted on top of the Cheverly, MD firehouse (PGFD Station 822). It is there to help find the source of mystery explosions that have been disturbing neighbors for years. 9NEWS NOW reporter Nancy Yamada has the story.

Mayor says now is not the time: In Taunton, MA the mayor is citing the economy as one reason to put a halt to talk of having fire-based-EMS for the town. Read more of the mayor’s warning.

Six fires before noon: A busy morning for Fresno, CA firefighters, but it isn’t an arson spree. Read the details.

Still cleaning up from weekend Upstate NY fire: Click here for video from the fire that destroyed an industrial plant in North Tonawanda on Sunday. Read more.

County Executive Jack Johnson with Public Safety Director Vernon Herron

We first told you on October 10 there was dissent within the administration of County Executive Jack Johnson over a bill that would radically alter the structure of the Fire Commission, taking power away from the volunteers. The bill was introduced at Johnson’s request, but sources told us a top aide to Johnson, Michael Herman, was lobbying hard to stop the legislation. Among those on the other side, pushing to add civilians and career firefighters to the commission, were the public safety director and the fire chief.

Last week we told you volunteer leaders would be meeting this week (Monday) with Jack Johnson. A day after that meeting, the bill has been withdrawn, with Michael Herman speaking for the administration.

The volunteer leadership had been making the case the much talked about audit of state grant money, used to support the changing of the commission, is really a county issue and not the fault of the volutneers.

The Washington Post has the latest developments.

The fire the St. Louis crews were responding to

This is raw video of the fire October 10 in St. Louis that two fire trucks were responding to when they collided a block away from the scene.

Straw in the attic

Straw, apparently used as insulation in an attic, posed a challenge for firefighters in Chatham, Ontario. Read more.

More from Allentown

This is another one in a series of videos of ride-alongs with the Allentown (PA) Fire Department. Click here for more videos.

Forcible entry

No need for further explanation.

Watch 9NEWS NOW reporter Scott Broom’s 11:00 PM report

Update 11:15 PM: 9NEWS NOW reporter Scott Broom tells us one focus of the search is on an EPIRB (emergency position-indicating radio beacon) or a PLB (personal locator beacon) signal that is being received. The coordinates put the signal on the Charles County, MD shore line, north of Potomac Heights. That’s about three miles from the boat ramp at Pohick Bay Regional Park.

Fairfax County Police Chief Dave Rohrer calls this a search operation. He points to the dry suit worn by the 19-year veteran as an important factor that could lead to the officer surviving a long period of time in the water.

Update 10:00 PM: At a briefing this evening, the missing man has been identified only as a 42-year-old Fairfax County Police officer. He is not a member of the department’s dive team. Dressed in a dry suit with no scuba equipment, he was participating as a role player in a helicopter search exercise. There were 16 officers involved in the drill.

When word of the search went out, scores of police officers from around the county raced to Pohick Bay Regional Park. There were so many, at one point, the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department made the request that no more police resources be sent to the scene. Of course, one of the big concerns was accountability and coordination of so many people.

Gradually, the expanded joint incident command took shape and is still underway. The resources available for the operation are quite amazing. Local, state and federal agencies have provided an enormous amount of equipment and staffing on land, water and in the air.

Getting to the scene about an hour after the officer was reported missing, we were passed by convoys of police and fire vehicles.

Thanks to web producer Emily Cyr for getting the early information out (below) while we were busy with the TV reporting.

Watch our 5:30 PM report

LORTON, Va. (WUSA) — A search is underway for a missing Fairfax County Police diver in Pohick Bay in southern Fairfax County. The diver was involved in a training excercise Tuesday afternoon, which began at about 1:30 p.m. He was first reported missing at about 2:45 p.m., according to Officer Don Gotthardt, a spokesman for Fairfax County Police.

Gotthardt says crews from Fairfax County Police and Fairfax County Fire/Rescue immediately began trying to locate the missing diver. They are continuing that search, using helicopters, marine patrol units, and canine units. Those Fairfax County crews are being assisted by personnel from the City of Alexandria and Prince William County Police and Fire, as well as the U.S. Coast guard, and other agencies.

Gotthardt says police divers are used primarily for search and rescue missions, and are also utilized for gathering of evidence in or near bodies of water. The missing diver involved in Tuesday’s training excercise is only identified at this point as a male police officer. Police were unable to provide any details about the nature of the training exercise in which the missing diver was involved.

Dave Statter is on the scene and will be providing updates.

For continuing coverage, go to WUSA9.com

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

A 2-alarm fire early Monday morning destroyed a restaurant in Georgetown. The fire began in the basement of Piccolo in the 1000 block of 31st Street, just south of busy M Street. For those of you familiar with Georgetown, the building is at the opposite end of Blues Alley from the famed jazz club the alley is named after (The alley is on Side D of the restaurant).

Here is Vito Maggiolo’s account from DCFD.com:

The first alarm was sounded shortly after 5 AM for the Piccolo restaurant at 1068 31st Street N.W. Firefighters initially encountered heavy fire in the basement of the 2.5 story frame structure, and initiated an interior attack.

Flames quickly ate their way up the walls into both floors and attic, requiring a second alarm to be sounded. It took considerable effort to open up and expose all of the fire.

All hands worked for over an hour before the blaze was finally brought under control. Despite the intense effort, there were no injuries reported.

Passerby hurt, but keeps fire in check after teens crash Monday night: Montgomery County (MD) Fire & Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer describes the actions of a passerby and fire crews after a car leaves the roadway in Damascus and catches fire. There are three teens with life-threatening injuries. Watch the story.

Cousin Peter’s story: The Wilkins family has been friends with the Statters since our children began going to school together and playing on the same Little League team. It was at Saturday’s game that I met Cousin Peter. Peter Basinger was on his way to New York for a Today Show interview. Basinger became the first responder to a bear attack in Alaska last June. Click here to read and watch his story. Make sure you listen to the 911 call.

Firefighter/arsonist roundup: Investigators say two part-time Jacksboro, TN firefighters were on duty when they took the department pick-up truck to a vacant house and torched it. Read details.

In Pennsylvania, a former Jim Thorpe volunteer wants to change his guilty plea for starting three fires in 2006. Click here.

Also in PA, a 52-year-old former firefighter says he is sorry for a series of fires he set in the central part of the state, including one that left a firefighter paralyzed. Read more from Montour County.

Council testimony results in FF’s suspension and protest: In Bay Village, Ohio on Monday, a protest over Ron Westmoreland’s suspension. The firefighter spoke before the City Council last month criticizing budget cuts. Westmoreland even made the case the council was partly responsible for a child’s drowning death over the Labor Day weekend. Read more about the protest.

Do you know the way to the San Jose jail?: The fire department does, thanks to the large number of calls to the facility. Being the San Jose Fire Department’s biggest customer has become an issue. Read the details.

Another training center with a MRSA problem: From our sister station, KUSA-TV in Denver-

Several recruits who were training at the Poudre Valley Fire Authority center (Fort Collins) have been diagnosed with the infection, known as MRSA. The exact number wasn’t immediately available.

Isn’t there something else on the ballot November 4?: In San Diego County, CA they will be voting on the future of the fire service. Proposition A would establish a regional fire agency that is based on the Orange County Fire Authority. It is not without its critics. Read more.

Paper says delay the new fire station: The Wisconsin State Journal says Madison’s belt tightening should include delaying the opening of a new firehouse. Click here.

Heather Westphal memorial services: From IAFC.org-

A memorial is planned in the Denver area to honor the lives of both Heather Westphal and Tonya Cataldo. Services will be held on October 24 at 10:30 am at the Cherry Hill Community Church in Littleton, CO. Details A memorial in the DC area is also being planned for the week of October 27.

At my son’s Little League game on Saturday I found myself being introduced to the man in the picture above. He is Peter Basinger, the cousin of Quincy and Berkeley Wilkins, who play on the Rockies with Sam. Basinger, currently working at a school in Wisconsin, was paying a family visit on the way to New York for a Today Show interview on Monday morning.

It was Peter Basinger’s second Today Show appearance. Basinger has done many interviews since a June all-night mountain bike race in Alaska was interrupted by a bear attack.

Basinger told me he figured the bike he saw abandoned in the bushes was because a rider had to answer nature’s call. Taking a second look, he saw a person on the ground. Only when he got closer did he notice the blood and trauma and hear the word ‘bear” from the badly injured teenaged girl. It took a few more minutes for Basinger to realize the girl was someone he had known for a long time. Basinger had been 15-year-old Petra Davis’ ski instructor and is a friend of her parents.

One EMS supervisor called her injuries among the most “extensively traumatic injuries” he had seen. Basinger carried Davis to an area away from where the attack occurred and then worked on getting help. It wasn’t easy. Read the details that include fire and EMS coming in with armed escorts.

An Anchorage Fire Department spokesperson, so impressed with Basinger’s cool under fire, suggested he switch careers and become a firefighter. You will get a better idea what the PIO is talking about when you listen to the 911 call.

Must see TV and some answers about the fire truck crash video: At 1:00 AM on Sunday morning, when I spotted the close-up video of the two rigs colliding in St.Louis on YouTube and LiveLeak, I was a bit puzzled. I couldn’t find evidence any TV stations or newspapers in St. Louis had reported on or used this rather spectacular crash video. My suspicions were confirmed after we contacted our sister station KSDK-TV. They were unaware of it, but soon determined the video was from a red light camera and was part of the official investigation. The fire chief and public safety director had hoped it wouldn’t get out, at least not yet. They told KSDK-TV they don’t know who leaked the video. Still, they talked with the TV station about the lessons learned.

Click here for KSDK-TV’s story.

Click here for the video.

City manager fires up firefighters: Some harsh words in Gallup, NM about pay raises and job commitment. Click here.

Voting can be costly: At least when you are a fire department and you have to cover for the essential employees who need to vote. Prince George’s County tried to avoid paying overtime to fill-in for the voters. It didn’t fly. Read the memos and the criticism of Dave for running the memos.

While we are on the subject of PGFD, here’s the latest furlough plan.

Steep competition: The Pasadena Fire Department had a record turnout for the written exam to fill just 12 firefighter positions. Click here for the story.

Click here for more fire & EMS news from STATter 911

Read more about the reaction to the video

Watch KSDK-TV story interviewing St. Louis officials about the video

If you haven’t seen this twelve seconds of video, make sure you do. It is the close-up view of the two rigs that crashed in St. Louis on October 10, injuring eight firefighters. This is pretty powerful stuff. Remember, all eight firefighters were wearing seat belts and there were no life threatening injuries.

In Gallup, New Mexico, the city manager has some harsh words for firefighters. Responding to a press conference earlier this month where Gallup Firefighters Association Local 4296 complained the starting salary was only a dollar above minimum wage, Gerald Herrera says city employees should place their commitment to the community before their paycheck.

Here are excerpts from Kevin Killough’s article in the Gallup Independent:

“It is unfortunate that in today’s society that workplace pride has been reduced to a specific delineation of job duties that dictate a contractual dollars and cents value. I would hope that a majority of city employees would feel more of a commitment to the community than just a paycheck, since this community is made of their friends, relatives and family members,” he says.

Photo by Walt Mancini, Pasadena Star-News. See more pictures.

So you want to be a firefighter? It seems everyone else does, too. At least that’s the case in Pasadena, CA where the city had a record turn out for its written Firefighter Trainee exam on Friday. There were 2077 people for just 12 positions scheduled to open up next March.

Read the story from the Pasadena Star-News.

Read pdf version of Memo #08-28 from October 14

Read pdf version of Memo (Revised) #08-28 from October 17

Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department officials are under orders to significantly reduce overtime. On Tuesday, a memo from Chief Lawrence Sedgwick Jr. announced the latest money saving effort. It said the department is not letting employees take time off to vote on November 4. According to the memo, “the Department will not be making any special allowances”, and instead encourages employees who are assigned to work a 24-hour shift on Election Day to file an absentee ballot.

Spokesman Mark Brady says the memo was a good faith effort to save money during difficult economic times, but officials soon realized the order ran afoul of Maryland law.

This resulted in a revised memo issued on Friday that reads in part, “After further clarification within the Election Law Article of the Maryland Code Section 10-315, the Department will be making the following special allowances for essential personnel required to maintain emergency services on Election Day”.

The memo from Chief Sedgwick goes on to say all shift work personnel who wish to exercise the right to vote will be granted two hours of “Civil Leave” between 7:00 and 9:00 AM on November 4. Day work crews will have to vote during their own time.