More fire & EMS news from STATter911.com

The John H. Glenn Jr. and the Spirit of Washington after Saturday’s collision. Photos by Alan Etter, DC Fire & EMS Department.

NEW: Exclusive first look at security camera video of the collision

Click here for DCFD.com slideshow of DC’s fire boats and an earlier story, prior to the John Glenn’s 2003 rehab.

A collision on the DC waterfront has sidelined the city’s 72-foot fire boat with significant damage to its hull. DC Fire & EMS Department spokesman Alan Etter tells STATter911.com the incident happened just after 1:00 PM Saturday as the crew from the Spirit of Washington was repositioning the vessel at the Spirit Cruises dock. That dock is next to the police & fire boat pier in the Washington Channel, along Maine Avenue in Southwest.

The Spirit Cruises dock is on the left of this Google Map satellite image, with the blue arrow pointing to the Spirit of Washington. The DC fire and police dock is on the right with the red arrow showing the John Glenn. Click the image for more.

According to Etter, a gust of wind apparently pushed the stern of the 160-foot cruise vessel into the starboard side of the docked fire boat known as the John H. Glenn Jr. Etter says the collision peeled back a portion of the Glenn’s hull “like a sardine can”. The gash is about 15-feet-long and is above the water line. Etter says at least two ribs of the boat’s hull were also damaged.

Four crew members were on the Spirit and three firefighters were aboard the Glenn. There were no injuries.

The John Glenn was built in 1962 and had been part of FDNY’s fleet of fire boats. DC acquired it in 1978.

Etter expects the boat to be out of service for some time. In a press release Etter says the Glenn “is a critical resource for fire suppression, rescue and ice breaking on the upper Potomac River.”

The last time the Glenn was unavailable for a lengthy period of time was during a 2003 refurbishing that provided new engines and electronics for the boat.

Spirit Cruises vice president and general manager Sal Naso told The Washington Post, “They were just turning it around. It’s done a thousand times a year. We’re obviously going to take care of the fire department.”

The US Coast and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Harbor Branch are investigating.

The Spirit Cruise Line’s docks. Click the image for the Google Street View of the Maine Avenue waterfront area. The larger boat, on the left, is the one involved in this afternoon’s collision.

YouTube video of a previous meeting between the John H. Glenn Jr. and the Spirit of Washington.

Previous coverage of serial arsons in Coatesville, PA

From the AP:

Authorities said four arson fires reported Saturday “share a commonality” with other intentionally set blazes that have plagued this area outside Philadelphia, but they wouldn’t say if they were connected.

Image from News 10 Now. Watch the story.

Watch slideshow

Firefighter Nation

Twenty-five-year-old Mark B. Davis, an EMT with the Cape Vincent (NY) VFD, was shot and killed late Friday night while on an emergency medical call.

EMT Mark B. Davis

Davis was part of a crew of three responding to 114 South Esseltyne St. in Cape Vincent. The EMTs began treating 25-year-old Christopher G. Burke who had made the 911 call. New York State Police will not say the nature of the illness or injury. Police say it was Burke who, for some reason, became upset, grabbed a rifle and fired two shots as the ambulance crew fled the building.

Christopher G. Burke

Here are excerpts from an article by WWTI-TV:

While the EMS workers were tending to Burke, he became agitated, went into another room and retrieved a high powered rifle. While talking to the EMS workers, Burke had indicated he had weapons in the home, police said.

EMTs at the scene attempted life-saving efforts on Davis and continued during the ambulance transport to Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, where he was pronounced dead.

Tour bus crash in AZ: Live coverage from the bus crash near Hoover Dam on Friday. Seven Chinese tourists were killed and nine others were injured after the bus ran off the road and rolled twice. Read details.

Fire engine collision leaves 3-year-old dead: The girl was walking in front of Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ Friday night where Disney on Ice was performing. A fire engine heading to a call collided with a pickup at the intersection. The girl was apparently crushed by a sign. We have details, video, links and a map. Click here.

FF lawsuits dismissed: A Frederick County, MD Circuit Court judge has dismissed nine lawsuits from county firefighters over pay disparities and promotion procedures. The 40 firefighters involved were seeking grievance procedures, collective bargaining $100 million in damages. The Frederick News-Post has the story.

FDNY budget plan means more closings: Twelve fire companies on the chopping block along with night closings for four more companies are part of the FY 2010 plan. Read the memo from the top brass.

Obviously someone didn’t see A Christmas Story: That’s been one of the most common reactions to our story Friday about a BB gun battle inside the Clinton VFD in Prince George’s County, MD. “You’ll shoot your eye out” was the phrase little Ralphie Parker kept hearing throughout the classic holiday film as he lobbied to have a Red Ryder BB gun under his Christmas tree.

The volunteer firefighter didn’t get his eye shot out, but there was enough damage that the local hospital in Clinton sent him to a trauma center in DC. Two firefighters shooting at each other in a darkened bunk room isn’t the only thing the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department is investigating in connection with this incident. There is the matter of a cover up. County officials confirm the first report filed requesting workers’ comp benefits indicated the injury came from a handlight falling out of a locker. Click here for the details and lots of comments (including speculation on why Dave is such a bitter man).

Someone may need to call 911 for 911: We have been following some serious 911 issues that are connected to delayed fire calls in Atlanta and Fort Wayne. Now FireGeezer is on the truly strange story from Detroit of a reporter, a body on ice, an old warehouse and attempts over two days to get a response from the city through 911. Click here.

Police vs fire – contract envy: The police in Erie, PA are hoping something is left for them after binding arbitration gives firefighters pay raises. Read the details.

Chief talks about firefighter accused of impersonating a cop: Click here to read and watch the latest on the story from Connecticut of the firefighter who is accused of using his blue lights to pull over a woman and striking her in the face. The firefighter is also an accused art thief.

Image from KYW-TV. Click here for KYW-TV story

Watch WCAU-TV video

Watch and read WPVI-TV’s story (video includes interview with Tenton FD Director Richard Laird)

Trenton Fire Department

FirefighterCloseCalls.com

Trenton, New Jersey’s Reserve Engine 10 was involved in a tragic collision Friday evening around 7:15 PM that killed a 3-year-old girl. The fire engine was responding to an automobile accident at Route 129 and Route 1 when a pickup truck collided with the rig. The crash occurred in front of the Sovereign Bank Arena on Route 129 at Hamilton Avenue. The streets were crowded with families headed to the arena for Disney on Ice’s Disneyland Adventure that had just started.

The red arrow indicates where Trenton’s Reserve Engine 10 stopped. The location is diagonally across Route 129 from Sovereign Bank Arena. Click the image to see more from the Google Map.

Here are excerpts from an article by Alex Zdan at NJ.com:

The child, whose identity was not immediately available, was struck by a road sign toppled by the accident, which occurred at the intersection of Route 129 and Hamilton Avenue just after 7:30 p.m.

The road sign was twisted metal on the side of roadway nearest to the arena. On the other side of the intersection with Hamilton Avenue was the fire engine, its front left side caved in, still resting against the lamp post.

Image above from WTXF-TV. Click here for station’s coverage.

pdf of memo from Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and Chief of Department Salvatore Cassano

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled his FY 2010 budget today. There is clearly more pain for FDNY.

The specifics of the cuts have been outlined in a one page memo from Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and Chief of Department Salvatore Cassano:

• 4 fire company night closings will become full time closings effective 7-1-09.
• 7 additional fire companies will be disbanded effective 7-1-09.
• 5 additional fire companies will be disbanded effective 1-1-10.
• 30 BLS ambulance tours and 9 supervisory lines in conditions cars will be eliminated effective 7-1-09.
• 27 Fire Marshal lines and 5 Supervising Fire Marshal lines will be eliminated based on attrition.
• 32 EMS administrative lines in units through out the Department will be eliminated, which will require those members on full duty in the designated units to return to ambulance duty and those members with Reasonable Accommodations to seek other accommodations if available, otherwise they will need to retire.
• All civilian vacancies that have not been approved by OMB have now been eliminated.
• There is a complete freeze on all new civilian attrition that occurs until June 30, 2010. This does not include Fire Prevention, Dispatchers, Grant funded positions, Deutsche Bank Task Force positions or ECTP related lines. The Bureau of Personnel Resources will be issuing new civilian guidelines to address critical vacancies.
• Security Services for Randall’s Island, Fort Totten and Maspeth will be discontinued by March 1, 2009.

Click here to read more about Mayor Bloomberg’s budget proposal.

Read response to the story from Scott Kaiser, Clinton VFD president

Earlier this month two firefighters from the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department in Prince George’s County, MD were in a darkened firehouse bunkroom firing BB guns at each other when one of the men was wounded in the eye. Sources familiar with the incident tell STATter911.com investigators have a statement from the uninjured participant confirming the BB gun battle took place.

An investigation by the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department was started after the details of the initial injury claim began to unravel. According to numerous sources, the injured firefighter filed paperwork indicating the injury happened when a handlight fell from a locker and struck his eye. Volunteer firefighters are covered under workers’ compensation. Sources tell STATter 911 the paperwork for the claim was filled out on January 17, the same day the incident is reported to have occurred.

Prince George’s County Public Safety Director Vernon Herron said Friday afternoon that medical reports indicated something very different, that a BB was removed from the volunteer’s eye.

The firefighter was initially seen at Southern Maryland Hospital in Clinton. The eye injury was serious enough that the firefighter was then taken to the trauma center at MedStar in the District of Columbia.

The firefighter, born in 1986, is listed as an active member of Clinton VFD on the department’s website. Since no criminal or internal charges have currently been filed, STATter911.com is not publicly identifying those under investigation.

Vernon Herron said the county is very concerned about the allegations. Herron expects the investigation to quickly get to the truth of this incident. Besides his concerns about violent activity in the workplace, Herron said the county will not tolerate “those who are not honest or forthright”.

Herron had a meeting scheduled Friday afternoon with Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Chief Lawrence Sedgwick to discuss the incident.

STATter911.com has contacted the Clinton Volunteer Fire Department for comment about this incident, but has not received a response.

Shooting the messengers: In this case, the 911 callers. How did well-intentioned citizens originally take the blame in two different cities (Atlanta and Fort Wayne) for what were soon determined to be training and procedure issues at the 911 centers? Click here for a detailed look.

Ohio chief is son of house explosion victims: His mother died. His father is in serious condition. University Heights, Ohio Fire Chief John Pitchler toured the scene and thanked the rescuers. Click here for the story.

FF accused of impersonating a cop has an artistic side: The Connecticut volunteer firefighter accused of using the blue lights to pull over a female driver was already on probation. Read about his connection to a million dollar painting.

Potential DTV delay has Prince George’s County sweating it: There is still a strong possibility that Congress will delay the forced shut down of over-the-air analog TV signals. If that happens, Prince George’s County, Maryland’s new radio system for fire and police could be pushed back a year. Read and watch my story.

Former firefighter charged in firehouse thefts: He wasn’t a former firefighter when the thefts occurred. Read the story from the Manville FD in New Jersey.

Blood alcohol level of Provincetown ladder truck driver was four times the legal limit: That’s the report from court where Elias Martinez entered a not guilty plea. Read more.

Close call in MA: FireGeezer has the story of Seekonk, MA firefighters who almost got caught under a collapsing roof.

Click here for more fire and EMS news from STATter911.com

On January 19 we told you the story from Fort Wayne, Indiana, when city officials initially blamed a 911 caller for providing the wrong address for a triple-fatal fire. When the 911 calls were released it became pretty clear two call takers didn’t ask the right questions at the right time. We have yet to hear from anyone who has listened to the calls who believes this was the fault of the 911 caller.

Something similar happened in the outcry over the controversial house fire in Atlanta Saturday night after it took 22-minutes to get firefighters to the scene. Callers were left on hold at an overtaxed 911 center. On top of that, officials said a caller gave the wrong address.

Yes, the caller gave the wrong address. Sort of. The man reported it as 358 Grant Street. The correct address is 342 Atlanta Avenue. They are a mile apart. A big mistake? Maybe. You be the judge.

Read the transcript of the call in question (you can listen to it above):

Caller: Yes, we’ve got a fire at Atlanta Avenue.
911: Atlanta Avenue and what?
Caller: About three, 350, 358 Grant Street and Atlanta Avenue. On the corner.
911: What’s on fire? Is it a house?
Caller: It’s a house. It’s at the corner of Atlanta Avenue and Grant Street.
911: Anyone inside?
Caller: We don’t know.
911: Okay. I’ll send someone. I’ll send someone over.

358 Grant Street. Click the image for more.

Within a few seconds on Google Maps I could find out the cross streets for 358 Grant Street are Woodward Avenue and Logan Street. I assume this big city 911 center has an even better database of some sort. The call taker never challenged the information that didn’t compute.

The correct information for the location of the fire was actually contained in this first call. 342 Atlanta Avenue is on the northeast corner of Atlanta Avenue and Grant Street. Click here to see the Google Street View of the house that burned.

If you listen to the call carefully, I think you might even come to the conclusion that the caller isn’t even saying 358 Grant Street. They appear to me to be two different thoughts. My impression is the man was trying to come up with a specific address, but couldn’t, and then just gave the intersection.

On Tuesday, after listening to the very same 911 calls, the man who runs the city’s 911 center blamed this error, not on any of his people, but on getting the wrong address and the procedures they must follow. From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Miles Butler, director of Atlanta’s 911 Communications Center, said the call-taker worked with the address that was given.

“I did review the tapes, and when we receive an address with clean numbers, we have to respond to the location,” Butler said. “Yes, he did give the intersection but also numbers, and that is what populated as a confirmed address. It’s a Catch-22 if the fire was at the other location and the fire apparatus were sent to the intersection.”

Is that how it really works? You have conflicting information, but you go with the “clean numbers” rather than someone twice giving you an intersection. You don’t ask more questions or use some of the other tools at your disposal? Really? Of course not.

Now let’s look at today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Here’s the headline -

Atlanta 911 chief: Grant Park fire call mishandled

Miles Butler now says retraining is in order. He told the paper, “If there’s something that doesn’t correlate, continue to verify it. Get that person to commit. You have to be thorough.”

If I was in Atlanta covering this, I would be asking Mr. Butler a few questions: Did you really not figure out retraining for your people was in order on your first listen of the 911 calls back on Tuesday? If you didn’t, what changed between Tuesday and Thursday? Who came up with that policy you mentioned on Tuesday about clean numbers and is that procedure still in place?

I have a more important question about the incidents in Fort Wayne and Atlanta: When did it become okay to try and make well-intentioned citizens the scapegoats for what are clearly training and procedure issues in your own organizations?

Please let me know, as you always do, if you think any of these questions are unfair.

37845 Lake Shore Drive, Eastlake, Ohio.

Watch the story from WKYC-TV (includes 911 call)

See our previous coverage

At 7:00 Thursday morning the first of two STATter 911 readers wrote to alert us that the victims of the Eastlake, Ohio house explosion were the parents of University Heights Fire Chief John Pitchler. Chief Pitchler’s 86-year-old mother Alice survived the initial blast around 9:30 Wednesday night, but died at the hospital on Thursday. Eighty-six-year-old Frank Pitchler is in serious condition.

We passed on the information about Chief Pitchler to our sister station in Cleveland, WKYC-TV. In the video above, they talk to Chief Pitchler who is thankful to the two men who helped rescue his parents.

Chief Pitchler said the explosion appears to have occurred from a natural gas leak.

Read more from WKYC-TV.

Last night we told you about the charges against Charles McDougal, a 47-year-old volunteer firefighter from Connecticut. According to TheDay.com, McDougal is charged with improper use of flashing lights, impersonation of a police officer, breach of peace and third-degree assault after an incident Sunday in Old Lyme. McDougal is accused of using the blue lights on his SUV to pull over a female driver. Police say he then struck the woman in the face.

TheDay.com reporters Izaskun E. Larrañeta, Michael Naughton tell us this is not McDougal’s only recent brush with the law. Here are excerpts:

McDougal was an active volunteer firefighter in Waterford for the past five years, serving in the Cohanzie and Oswegatchie companies. Following a prior larceny charge, he had been suspended from duty until the outcome.

The painting fetched $1 million at an auction.

Image from WSAZ-TV. Click here for the station’s coverage of the story.

From the AP:

State Fire Marshal Sterling Lewis says an early morning house fire in the Logan County community of Monaville has claimed five lives.

The fire began around 5 a.m. Thursday. Lewis says it’s too early to tell if the fire is related to the winter weather.

Police and fire officials in Logan County say officials are still at the scene, and no other information is available yet. No information about the identities of the victims was available Thursday morning.

Click here to watch WKYC-TV’s story (or here)

More from the News-Herald

From WKYC-TV:

An elderly Eastlake couple remains in critical condition Thursday after an explosion tore apart their home Wednesday night.

The cause of the blast remains undetermined.

The Pitchler home. Click the image to tour the neighborhood with Google Street View.

Update on Fort Wayne story #1: A second young college woman has now died and a third remains in critical condition following Friday’s early morning fire at the Willows of Coventry apartments. Chief Pete Kelly still defends the decision not to dispatch the Aboite Township VFD located on property adjacent to the apartment complex. Chief Kelly says his firefighters were on the scene within 8-minutes and points out the volunteer station isn’t always staffed. Read the story. Watch the story. Join our growing and mostly respectful discussion about how some big city departments handle mutual aid.

Update on Fort Wayne story #2: This is the January 17 fire that killed a pregnant woman and her two young boys. An investigation continues into how the 911 center sent firefighters more than a mile out of their way to West Jefferson Boulevard when the fire was on East Jefferson. We have 911 calls. Click here.

Firefighter accused of playing cop: A volunteer firefighter in Connecticut is on suspension after being arrested over a traffic stop. Police say it was the firefighter who was making the traffic stop using his blue light and then assaulting the woman driver. Read the details.

Teaching by example: Unfortunately it is a bad example. Parents picking up their kids from a Massachusetts school don’t care who they are inconveniencing. Little Johnny and Susie come before a little thing like firefighters getting to an emergency. Read more.

Support overwhelming for drum major: The comments continue to pour in on Cleveland Heights fire inspector John Coleman’s wink, nod and wave to President Barack Obama (BTW Coleman denies it was a wink, but I am not sure I am buying that one). If our mailbag is any indication Coleman continues to win the day on this issue. Click here for the comments.

Supergraphics axed by FMs: It is something I have wondered for some time. Aren’t those large vinyl or plastic ads draped over multi-story buildings a potential fire hazard? They think so in Los Angeles. Talking about a large Tropicana orange juice ad, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Kurt Fasmer said, “This would take a fire from the first floor to the top in no time at all.” A crackdown is underway. Read the L.A. Times story.

FEMA finalists: It is getting rough in the competition to be the next head of FEMA. Read the latest.

Swansea, VFD Station 1 from the department’s website.

In Swansea, Massachusetts, Station 1 is having problem with its location next to Joseph Case Junior High School. It’s not the students causing the difficulties. It’s their parents.

Despite numerous warnings from the school and police, parents picking up students in the afternoon seem to think the firehouse is their own personal parking lot. Officials say there is plenty of parking in the rear of the school. That apparently is not good enough.

Firefighters say they have been hampered by the parents parking their vehicles at the fire station or stopping on Main Street, blocking the ramp.

According to Herald News reporter Jay Pateakos, the parents slowed a response to a recent house fire because firefighters couldn’t get to the station and then had trouble getting the ladder track and rescue squad out onto the street.

Police are starting to hand out $15 tickets to see if that will make the difference.

Click here for the story.

Google Map shows Station 1 on the right side of the picture, with Case Junior High to its left. Click the image for more.

Click here for more fire and EMS news from STATter911.com

Photo from Cohanzie Fire Company website.

From CBS affiliate WFSB-TV:

A Waterford firefighter was arrested Monday by Connecticut State Police on charges of improperly using his flashing blue lights.

The Cohanzie Fire Company said thousands of volunteer firefighters throughout the state use flashing blue lights to respond to emergencies on a daily basis. Officials said this case is the exception.

First 911 call (from Heather Kennedy)

Second 911 call

Third 911 call

It wasn’t just one call-taker who didn’t adequately verify the correct address for the January 17 fire in Fort Wayne, IN that killed a pregnant woman and her two young sons. Two other 911 calls have now been released. Another call-taker also failed to pin down whether the burning home was on East Jefferson or West Jefferson when a second caller reported the fire.

STATter 911 previously brought you a recording and a summary of the initial 911 call. That’s the one from Heather Kennedy, a woman passing by the scene with her boyfriend. Click here to read the earlier coverage.

The News-Sentinel now has all three calls and looks at each one. They also talk to Fort Wayne’s 911 director.

The city is investigating the actions of the 911 workers. Officials still believe the delay did not impact the outcome of the tragic incident. Click here for the article.

Three-alarms in Northwest Baltimore: Michael “FirePix1075″ Schwartzberg shot this video of multiple rowhouses burning Tuesday evening just a few block from Pimlico Race Course. Click here for Michael’s still pictures and here for TV coverage of the fire.

Six months, becomes forever: Drum major and Cleveland Heights, Ohio fire inspector John Coleman tells a reporter he isn’t going back to the Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Drums and Pipes after his six month suspension. Coleman says the publicity over his wink, nod and wave to President Obama has caused too many bad feelings. Read the latest.

It just goes to show you just how wrong and stupid this reporter can be: If a citizen tells me that it took a big city fire department 20 or 30-minutes to get to an emergency, this reporter is going to need some proof beyond just an eyewitness account. Yes, I have covered many stories where the person calling 911 was right about a delayed response, but I have seen more when they were wrong. My skepticism kicked in when I read details of a Saturday night house fire in Atlanta and figured it was an exaggeration by people under stress in the middle of an emergency. The Bozo armchair reporter is eating crow on this one. It took 22-minutes for firefighters to show. Read why.

Still looking for more takers on my automatic mutual aid questions: We have a very nice discussion going about big city fire departments’ mutual aid policies. This comes after the Allen County, Indiana sheriff and the Fort Wayne fire chief went at it over a volunteer firehouse that sits next to an apartment complex where three recent fires occurred. The VFD wasn’t dispatched. There was also a somewhat similar incident in North Carolina. See our coverage and some well thought out reader comments.

You’re so vane: You probably think this entry is about you. No, it is about “Old Jake”. He has been a fixture at the Rouss Fire Company in Winchester, Virginia much longer than any current member can recall. Despite that, the firefighters at Rouss aren’t very loyal and are trying to get rid of “Old Jake”. So much for brotherhood. But if you knew the reason, you would also likely sell out “Old Jake”. To do this story properly we assigned a contemporary of Jake’s. Click here for FireGeezer’s details.

All is not OK in Tulsa: They will begin testing soon to see just how much medical knowledge firefighter really have as the probe into falsified EMT training records moves forward. According to Tulsa World firefighters “told investigators that they were instructed to use dates from a provided list, even though they couldn’t account for their class attendance, and that a date was fabricated for a hazardous-materials class that medics recorded but did not take”. Read the article.

But who picked up the tab?: In Sheboygan, Wisconsin a December luncheon meeting between the mayor and the firefighters union president is causing a bit of controversy. The union head admits to asking for an increase from two to three firefighters on rigs, but denies he threatened to endorse another candidate when the proposal was turned down. What has created the flap is an email sent out about the meeting by a member of the Police and Fire Commission. Read the story.

Turning up the heat in the sauna: Click here to view a series of pictures snapped by a UK gym club patient as an electrical fault causes the sauna to burst into flames. Let’s hope the picture taker was wearing a towel.

FFs rescue man who had a little too much protein: Getting his foot caught in an auger was only one of a central Illinois man’s problems. The auger was in a grain bin filled with soybeans. Those soybeans were up to the man’s chin. It took firefighters four hours to get him out of there. He has serious leg injuries. Read more.

Most firefighters are just happy changing the channel: This one wants to swim it. The English Channel, that is. Read how Pete Walker wants to raise thousands of pounds for charity.

Image from WXIA-TV. Read the initial story.

Having done this job for too long, I have built into me a healthy dose of skepticism when the public makes claims that it took 20 or 30-minutes or even longer for first responders to get to the scene of an emergency.

I am sure I first learned this skill similar to the way many of you did. It was a middle of the day garden-apartment fire that was rocking and rolling pretty good when we got there. People were screaming as we pulled up wondering where the hell we have been. They were livid.

Looking around after the fire was out, I must have seen a dozen fire extinguishers on the ground around the building. Later, checking with communications we discovered our arrival time, at the far end of our first due area, was around five or six-minutes from the intial 911-call. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what the neighbors were doing instead of calling for help. Add that to the stress of standing around watching your home go up in smoke where one minute seems like ten.

So, as a reporter I always want independent verification of response times beyond what an eyewitness believes happened. For example, recently there were some pretty wild claims by neighbors about how long it took firefighters to get to a waterfront blaze in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Those claims didn’t hold up under the light of the dispatch audio and records.

It is with those and countless other experiences that I didn’t believe it took, as neighbors told reporters, 20 or 30-minutes for the Atlanta Fire Department to show up to a house fire Saturday night. I am glad I didn’t wager on it because I was dead wrong.

It took 22-minutes for the first fire engine to arrive and start putting water on the fire. Below is the timeline the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has obtained. The delay is being blamed on a shortage of people at the 911 center and a wrong address given to fire crews. From reading the article, I am not sure who is at fault on the bad location.

Click here to read the story by Eric Stirgus and Christian Boone:

10:58 p.m. Two calls are placed to Atlanta 911 by residents at 342 Atlanta Ave. as smoke begins to spread from the home’s attic. Homeowner Wilford Reed said his wife hung up both times after twice getting automatically put on hold for an extended time.

— Sources: Atlanta Fire and Rescue, Atlanta Police Department

WBAL-TV image. Click here for the story.

In Northwest Baltimore, firefighters have 3-alarms on the scene of multiple rowhouses burning in the 3600 block of West Belvedere. The location is three blocks from Pimlico Racetrack.

The image below is from WJZ-TV. Click here to watch the video.

More fire and EMS news from STATter911.com

Click image or click here to see video of the offending moment

Read Michael McIntyre’s Tipoff from The Cleveland Plain Dealer

See our previous coverage

It isn’t just STATter911.com. John Coleman’s wink, nod and wave to greet the brand new President of the United States has been carried and discussed at CNN, AP, Firehouse.com, FireRescue1.com and in newspapers and on TV newscasts across the country.

If the posts on this site and wusa9.com are any indication, Coleman generally seems to have the support of the public and his fellow firefighters. Despite that, John Coleman, a Cleveland Heights fire inspector, says it’s time to say goodbye to the Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes and Drums.

Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Michael McIntyre, who first reported the story, now apparently brings it to a close. It isn’t the pipes, the pipes, that are calling Coleman right now. It is the bad blood that has developed between Coleman and some of his band mates after the news spread around the country that the drum major was suspended for six months for acknowledging President Barack Obama during the Inaugural Parade.

Coleman told McIntyre, “There are too many bridges burned with the pipe band, too many hurt feelings on both sides. There are some of the members of the band who wouldn’t want me back.”

Here is a bit more from McIntyre’s blog:

Coleman, who as the drum major was the face of the organization, leading it in parades and often interviewed by the media. He does not play an instrument, though, an issue that some band members found unpalatable.

“I figure it’s best for the band if I leave,” he said.

Band leader Mike Engle, the pipe major, was out of town Tuesday and not available. A statement issued by the band read: “We’re sorry to see him leave. We are greatly disappointed that this issue has caused so much heartache. It’s been a disheartening few days.”

Coleman first led the band in the 1993 St. Patrick’s Day Parade. This year’s will be the first in 17 years without him in the lead.

Picture of the day: In just two seconds his head snaps down and to the left, his right eye closes, his head straightens out, his head goes down and to the left again and his open right hand suddenly raises to his forehead. No, this is not Oliver Stone’s version of the magic bullet theory in the Kennedy assassination. This is Dave Statter’s description of how John Coleman, a fire inspector in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, was removed as the drum major for Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes and Drums for the next six months. We have have the video, the slow-motion version, the interviews and almost every other possible link you could want. Click here to see why even a presidential pardon wouldn’t help Coleman. (There is better video and some links since we first posted the story yesterday afternoon.)

The feeling is mutual. Or maybe it isn’t: Some recent fires around the country have brought up the issue of automatic mutual aid. A deadly fire on Friday in Fort Wayne, Indiana shut out the fire company that sits outside the gates of the apartment complex. Whatever your position is on automatic mutual aid around big city departments, come play fire chief and defend it as answer the questions of someone playing reporter. Click here.

Gainesville may be a trend setter if chairman has his way: Prince William County (VA) BOS Chairman Corey Stewart wants to see audits of all VFDs in the county similar to the one done for the Gainesville District. Following the audit, the county took over Gainesville’s two stations (previous coverage here, here & here). Stewart wants to know if any similar conditions exist. An excerpt from an article by Keith Walker at InsideNova.com:

Stewart said that there is no chance that Prince William County will abandon its system of using volunteers as well as paid career firefighters.

“To replace the volunteers, we don’t want to do that. They save us about $30 million a year,” he said. “We’re always going to have a mixed system of volunteers and career.”

More 911 issues in Atlanta: Neighbors are claiming it took a long to get fire crews on the scene of a house fire in southeast Atlanta Saturday night. Many said they were put on hold. The fire union thinks city mandated furloughs contributed to the problem. No answer from the head of the 911 center because he was on furlough Monday.

Brownouts spread in CA: This time it is the Alameda Fire Department that will do rotating closures of fire companies. Read the details.

The latest from Kilgore: The investigation continues into how two Texas firefighters plunged to their deaths from the bucket of a new truck. For the most recent news click here, here and here. Funeral arrangements for FF Cory Galloway and FF Kyle Perkins can be found here.

CT chief under investigation takes disability retirement: We have previously reported on Stratford Chief John Cybert, under investigation over his appointment of a lieutenant with a conflict of interest to a panel purchasing a new fire truck. This comes a week before town officials were likely to ask for his dismissal. Read more.

Guess who is coming to the table?: A captain who has had some very public battles with the mayor and fire chief of Haverhill, MA, is now the new union president. Looks like there will be an interesting dynamic at negotiations. Click here for the story.

Bands lead singer is charged in fire: Officials say the singer brought the fireworks that sparked the New Year’s Eve fire in Bangkok that killed 65 people. Read the details.

Raw video from Iowa commercial fire: An auto repair shop and an apartment building burned in Iowa City early Monday. Click here for the story. Click here for the raw video.

A very quick trip around the web: Geezer has the news on criminal charges being filed against the Florida FF/PM with continuing foot troubles.

Firefighter Spot has a Bronx second alarm video and more.

VAFireNews.com has lots of recent stories from around Virginia.

Over at thehousewatch.com, a view from the front lines on what is important to try and hold onto during the economic mess we are in. As always, well worth reading.

Water flow problems in Tennessee: WSMV-TV has been investigating fire hydrants in Davidson County. Click here for the stories and details.

Stand by your fireman. A home with a musical past burns: A large lake front home in Hendersonville, TN (borders northern Davidson County from the hydrant story above) burned Sunday evening. It once belonged to the late country music legend Tammy Wynette after her divorce from George Jones. It was built in 1963 for Roy Orbison. It was designed by the same architect who planned a home for Johnny Cash that also later burned. If you are into that stuff, like I am, watch this nice story by WSMV-TV reporter Regina Raccuglia. You can
also read more here.

Watch story on Friday’s fire in Fort Wayne

There are some recent, well publicized fires where the closest fire station was very close, yet didn’t respond or was delayed in being dispatched.

One of the fires was the house that exploded on January 14 in Kernersville, NC after a firefighter had entered the front door. It turns out that due to dispatching issues (that I can’t make much sense of from the article I’ve read), a fire company just 200-feet away wasn’t immediately sent to the call. Click here to see if you can understand it better than I do.

The second fire has Fort Wayne, Indiana Fire Chief Pete Kelly telling a neighboring sheriff to stick to law enforcement and leave the firefighting to Kelly. In fact, the fire is the latest of three blazes at the Willows of Coventry apartment complex. A 19-year-old woman died Monday, and two roommates are still hospitalized following the fire Friday at 5163 Coventry Parkway. The apartments house students from a nearby college.

The Willows of Coventry was annexed a number of years ago by the city of Fort Wayne. Just outside the complex is Station 2 of the Aboite Township Volunteer Fire Department. Aboite Township was not dispatched on Friday’s fire. The firehouse is separated from the apartments by a chain link fence (the township’s Station 1, with career personnel, is a little more than two miles from the complex).

Click the image for a Google Map of the area.

Here are excerpts from a Journal Gazette article by Rebecca S. Green:

While fire crews were able to get to the scene of Friday morning’s serious apartment fire in Aboite Township in about 5 minutes, Allen County Sheriff Ken Fries questioned why the local volunteer fire service wasn’t called to assist.

Fries said he brought up a proposal for better mutual aid in October but was rebuffed.

While being careful not to detract from the work done by the volunteer firefighters, Kelly said they would not have had the same equipment on the scene as the city department.

Other fire departments, including the Aboite Volunteer Fire Department and the Southwest Fire District, were called later to provide standby support in case it was needed, Kelly said.

This, of course, is not an issue exclusive to the Fort Wayne area. In July of 2007 we discussed the topic on STATter 911 as it relates to the big city fire departments in Baltimore and Washington. Essentially those are the only two jurisdictions in our region that do not have automatic mutual aid with the neighboring counties. As in Fort Wayne, staffing, standards and procedures are often brought up as reasons why it isn’t used.

So, lets pretend you are the fire chief in a big city. You have fire stations on the border of your jurisdiction that could easily smoke in many of your fire companies to addresses near the border. A nosy reporter like Dave Statter has a series of questions for you on this topic:

1. Is it better to get the closest company to the emergency, no matter what?

2. Or is it better not to call on a company you don’t think meets the standards of your department?

3. If you don’t work with these companies (or jurisdictions) on a daily basis, are you confident you will be able to work seamlessly when you need each other on a major emergency or disaster?

4. If the companies are good enough to fill your stations and run on subsequent emergency responses, why are they not good enough for the initial emergency, considering they could have been at the scene minutes before your own crews?

5. If the neighboring companies, in your mind, are truly sub-par shouldn’t you just refuse to use them at all?

6. Is automatic mutual aid a smart thing in tight budget times or will it undermine your efforts to fund your department?

I would love to hear you answers and opinions on any or all of these questions. Click the comments section below.

More fire and EMS News from STATter911.com

Click here to watch the video(or here). (This is a much cleaner version of the offending wink, nod and wave than the one from YouTube. It is the entire raw video of the TV pool feed as the Cleveland group passed the reviewing stand. We even have an instant-replay slow-mo for you at the end.)

UPDATE: Coleman quits the band. Click here

Watch interview with John Coleman, suspended drum major and fire inspector with the Cleveland Heights FD

Read Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Michael McIntyre’s blog entry

Read Cleveland Plain Dealer interview with Coleman prior to the Inauguration

The Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes and Drums website and MySpace page

Watch story by WKYC-TV’s Tom Beres on the band raising money for the trip to Washington

From the AP:

An Ohio firefighter has been suspended from his role in a pipes and drums group for giving President Barack Obama a quick nod during last week’s inaugural parade in Washington D.C.

Coleman says Obama smiled and waved and that he was just acknowledging the president.

Photo by Thomas Ondrey/The Plain Dealer

A car busts though a church roof in eastern Germany on Sunday. How did it happen? Don’t ask me, 30-years-later I am still trying to understand the mechanics of a call we ran on early one morning where students put a car on the roof of Oxon Hill High School. Read the answer here.