Check out DCFD.com. They have much better pictures than I do from a fire Tuesday afternoon on the third floor of Marbury Plaza at 2300 Good Hope Road, SE. A number of residents were helped to safety and three were transported to the hospital. Click here for the slideshow. The building has been the scene of numerous fires through the years, including a tragic one four-years-ago this week. On January 11, 2005 a mother and child were killed after a natural gas explosion. In that fire, Lt. Tony Carroll of Truck 7 fell 35-feet into an open elevator shaft. He returned to work about 7-months later.

The latest from Boston: The driver of Ladder 26 called his officer a hero who saved loves as the truck came barreling down Parker Hill Avenue on Friday. FF Robert B. O’Neill made his remarks as he attended the wake for Lt. Kevin M. Kelley. The funeral is today. Click here to read the story.

The three daughters of Lt. Kelley held hands as Susan, the oldest, talked about her dad. Susan Kelley smiled as she said one reason her dad loved the fire department so much is because it was an escape from being outnumbered by the women at home. Watch the raw video.

Boston’s Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser admits the department’s maintenance schedule isn’t what it should be. Watch the story. The Boston Globe compares the maintenance to other big city fire departments. Click here.

We also have more links on that issue along with the public’s perception of the tragedy. Click here.

Chief Billy Goldfeder has some thoughts about Boston on The Secret List.

There is live coverage of the funeral, here.

Also in Massachusetts: A neighbor and an off-duty firefighter team up to save a woman from a burning home in Pembroke. Click here to watch the story.

Starting fires to earn $10 an hour: Authorities say 15-20 fires set in Western Arizona were the work of on-call firefighters. Four firefighters have been arrested along with two other men. Warrants are being sought for two former firefighters. Read the story.

FF falls into basement at VA house fire: We have pictures and the story of a house fire Monday night in Prince William County where a firefighter took a tumble into the basement. The firefighter is okay. It wasn’t the fire that caused the fall. Click here.

Louisiana peace talks: On Sunday we told you about the battle lines drawn over budget cuts by Jefferson Parish, LA. The IAFF local was taking their message directly to the people with signs and commercials. Both sides have websites painting very different pictures. Now word comes that the two sides are talking to each other and a compromise is being worked on. Read and watch the update.

Firefighters hurt in Elkton, MD: Three suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation at a Tuesday afternoon house fire. Click here for details.

If you are a child or a firefighter of the 60s this video is for you: Some well shot films of Long Island fire departments in action. Well worth watching. Just click here for a trip in STATter 911′s Way Back Machine.

What about us? Aren’t we part of the emergency medical system?: Those are questions being asked by the DC Hospital Association about planning for the Inauguration. The traffic plan calls for restrictions on all of the bridges from Virginia into DC on Inauguration Day. Hospital officials are having a tough time tyring to figure out how to get their workers into the city. I was at a meeting on Capitol Hill Tuesday as lawmakers, hospital leaders and the US Secret Service tried to find a solution to the problem. Click here.

Assistant chief enters not guilty plea: Los Angeles County Assistant Chief Glynn Demon Johnson heads for his day in court over animal cruelty charges in the beating of a puppy. Chief Johnson has called the incident that left a neighbor’s dog dead, self defense. Read and watch the latest.

A NY fire department now has a lot more problems than a naked assistant chief: Last year we told you about an embarrassing situation for the fire department in Johnson City, NY. Now the acting chief is calling their situation dire, saying they fighting for survival. This time the issue is money. Like departments all over they are dealing with potential cutbacks. Click here to read the details.

Geezer channels Goldfeder: FireGeezer is doing his Billy Goldfeder imitation in his Morning Lineup today.

Convicted arsonist again a suspect: A cell phone left at an apartment fire in Houston leads investigators to a suspect. That man just happens to be a convicted arsonist. Houston has been dealing with a series of arsons. Read and watch the latest.

This picture gives you a better view of how lucky the assistant chief of the White Mills Volunteer Fire Department in Wayne County, PA was when this engine wrecked on icy roads on Sunday. Assistant Chief Michael Hill was riding the front seat. Read the update from yesterday and an interview with Chief Hill. Earlier pictures.

While working on the blog Monday night I became aware of a house fire in Prince William County, Virginia where a firefighter suddenly ended up in the basement while working on the first floor. Calling around Tuesday looking for information, I learned from Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton (OWL) VFD Assistant Chief Jim McAllister (Assistant Chief 512) that the firefighter is fine, and didn’t need hospitalization. Chief McAllister was kind enough to send along these pictures of the fire at 1515 Colchester Road and these details about the fire and the close call:

At 9:31pm Fire and Rescue units from OWL, Dale City and Coles District were dispatched to a structure fire in the area of Colchester Rd and East Longview Drive. At 9:35 pm the fire was located by the responding Battalion Chief at 1515 Colchester Road, reporting a single-family house with fire on the rear of the building and in the attic. The structure appeared to be vacant undergoing a renovation. The first fire truck, Tower 512, arrived 1-minute later.

As of this last night, the Prince Williams County Fire Marshals Office was still investigating and had not determined the cause.

My old friend, Kevin Stuart, a DC Fire & EMS Department lieutenant, alerted me to the film above from his native Long Island (gee, you’d never know by talking to him). I am thinking oh great, another drill team video. Stupid me.

This one is a real treasure. It is called Ladders Up and if I am reading the Roman numerals correctly it was done in 1965. It is from Paramount Pictures and is narrated by Chris Schenkel of ABC Sports fame.

The best part about it is the beginning where the filmmakers set the scene for the competition, by following and riding along with the volunteers of the Freeport Fire Department.

There’s more. The clip seems to have been uploaded by someone connected with the Baldwin Fire Department’s team the Tomcats. There are tons of other competition films and videos from various eras, but there are also some vintage firefighting films. Take a look at the two below.

And if that isn’t enough, here is another look at some old Long Island fire action that Kevin sent our way last August.

And even more video from Long Island. Below is Part 1 of a film called Second to None. It is a PR film from the 1970s on firefighting in Nassau County. More parts can be found here.

Some new information coming out of Boston and the death Friday of Lt. Kevin M. Kelley:

Boston Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser admits the Boston Fire Department lacks a rigorous routine maintenance schedule for its fleet. Click here for that story.

The Boston Globe at Boston.com has been big on the interactive graphics. They have one now that explains to the public how air brake systems work. Click here.

Speaking of the public, there is the issue of the perception about who may be at fault in this crash (it is so old school to wait for an actual investigation). The Boston Globe has an Internet poll on this topic. Click here.

Below are the results as of 12:50PM. Notice that most people think everyone shares some blame. I find it interesting that only 2% aren’t sure who is responsible. Does that mean everyone else is so sure already?

Whose responsible for Boston’s fire equipment failures and problems?

Firefighters, for not reporting concerns, problems sooner. 54 4%

The city, for not keeping up with maintenance. 171 12%

Fire department administration, managers, for failing to keep on top of issues 231 17%

All of the above 896 65%

I’m not sure 31 2%

Video of the day: Actually it is from a few days ago. A pre-dawn house fire Friday in Seaford on Long Island. Read more about the fire.

Problems with another Boston ladder: Brake problems were discovered Monday on BFD’s Ladder 14. Read the story and see an interactive map of the crash Friday that killed Lt. Kevin M. Kelley.

Picture catches crash of chopper: A photographer captures the moment of impact of an Army Black Hawk on the campus of Texas A&M. One person died. Click here.

Explosion and fire burns four workers at refinery in Utah: Firefighters in Woods Cross battled the blaze that forced the evacuation of nearby homes Monday evening. We have video, pictures and details.

LAFD inspector caught in sting: Police set up the operation after receiving a tip that 58-year-old Dennis Archie, a Los Angeles Fire Department inspector. was requesting money to sign inspection approvals. A police spokesman says Archie took the bait: $500. Read the story.

The Giants loss is a Connecticut man’s gain: The way Rory Ahearn tells it, if the Giants had been doing well Sunday he wouldn’t have been staring out at the lake near his house. That’s when Ahearn spotted something that didn’t look right. His curiosity sparked a rescue operation begun by Ahearn and finished by firefighters from Danbury. Read the details.

Fire engine crashes on icy PA road. Chief & assistant chief are out of the hospital and okay: White Mills VFD’s Assistant Chief Mike Hill has a story to tell about the crash of 32 Engine into a tree on Sunday on the way to a working cabin fire. Click here for the update from Wayne County and here to see the pictures.

The Cal Ripken of the fire service, but that is only part of the story: Lt. John Simkins has never taken a sick day in his more than 40 years on the job with the Columbus Fire Department. By the way, he is also 71-years-old, working in a fire station and doesn’t expect to retire for two more years. Here’s the story.

A Monday morning house fire in Ridgefield, CT (above). No hydrants nearby. Click here for details from The News-Times and here for more photos by Kevin M. Doyle.

Photo by Vickie Whittle on KSL-TV’s website (where there is also video). See more images here.

Watch KUTV-TV’s coverage

Salt Lake Tribune’s coverage

From the AP:

A fire at a Woods Cross refinery has injured four people and forced the evacuation of some nearby homes.

Bassett says the cause of the fire is unknown.

The Bryan-College Station Eagle is running this picture and others by photographer Dave McDermand of an Army helicopter crash on the campus of Texas A&M. One person is dead and four others have been injured. Here is what the AP is reporting:

The Army UH-60 helicopter crashed Monday afternoon during training exercises near the Corps of Cadets field on the school’s College Station campus, about 100 miles northwest of Houston. No one on the ground and no students were hurt.

“All of a sudden he dropped straight back down into the ground,” Walker told the newspaper.

In case you missed it, The Boston Globe has put together an interactive graphic showing the path of Ladder 26 on Friday. Click the image.

Excerpts from an article by The Boston Globe’s Donovan Slack at Boston.com:

An Allston garage found major brake problems on another Boston firetruck this morning and the city immediately took Ladder 14 out of service, city officials said.

The brake inspection by Arcand Springs on Brighton Avenue was the first performed under orders from Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser, who commissioned the garage to inspect brake systems all 57 firetrucks in the city fleet after a fatal ladder truck crash Friday.

Mechanics at Arcand Springs determined this morning that Ladder 14, which is headquartered in Allston, has “linkage problems” that require immediate repair, city officials said.

Ladder 14 is a 1992 E-One truck with a 110-foot ladder and four-dour cab, the same type and make as the truck involved in Friday’s crash.

Our friend Ron Richards at WithTheCommand.com alerts us to these pictures by Tom Utegg of a fire engine wreck in Wayne County, PA. Chief Kenny Batzel and Assistant Chief Michael Hill of the White Mills Volunteer Fire Department were taken to Wayne County Hospital in Honesdale after the crash Sunday.

Hawley Chief Eugene Krause told the Scranton Times Tribune the accident occurred during a response to a cabin fire at Lake Constance:

The White Mills KME engine had turned off Rocky Run Road and into the private development in Palmyra Twp. when it slid off the icy road about 1:20 p.m., Chief Krause said. Chief Batzel and Assistant Chief Hill were both passengers in the vehicle, which was severely damaged.

Approximately 25 firefighters from the Hawley, White Mills and Forest companies responded to the fire, which gutted a cabin owned by the Susan George family, Chief Krause said.

No word on the conditions of the two chiefs.

Columbus Dispatch photo by James D. Camp

This isn’t the story about the oldest firefighter in Columbus, Ohio hanging up his boots. This is a story about 71-year-old Lt. John Simkins still on the job fighting fires and saving lives. On top of it all, he has never used a sick day.

Lt. Simkins is hoping to keep going until he is 73 when he must retire as part of the benefits of a deferred retirement program. Deferred? I’ll say.

Read this unusual story by John Futty in the The Columbus Dispatch.

Lt. Kevin M. Kelley: STATter911.com readers have been leaving their thoughts on the death of a firefighter who was also a central part of the Discovery series Firehouse USA. Click here to see the videos. Funeral arrangements can be viewed here.

Read the interview with one of the firefighters who was aboard Ladder 26. David Blaides tells how Lt. Kelley tried to warn the public and his crew that the fire truck couldn’t be stopped as it rolled down Parker Hill Avenue.

We also have a page of links to Boston websites to learn more about Friday’s crash. Click here.

The Boston Herald is reporting the rig lost its brakes in 2006 causing it to back into a warehouse. As we reported on Friday there was also a December crash of Ladder 26 when it hit a car on a wet street.

There was a minor crash of a reserve ladder on Sunday in Boston that the union is blaming on a malfunction of the rig. The IAFF is asking for state involvement in the inspection of the fleet.

Almost 60-years-ago Ladder 26 was involved in a wreck where it lost its brakes on the very same Parker Hill Avenue. Click here to read about it.

Remembering Firefighter Kenneth Michael Hedrick: Seventeen-years-ago this morning I was standing on Walls Lane just up Suitland Road from the Morningside VFD in Prince George’s County trying to understand how an 18-year-old volunteer firefighter and a 7-year-old boy had died in a house fire. Adding to the tragedy is that the firefighter was the son of two of the nicest people I had come to know in my time with PGFD. Cathy and Les Hedrick soon made the cause of fallen firefighters their cause. Their work on behalf of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is well known. Kenny’s death helped change how PGFD handles fireground accountability. Take a moment to read about Kenny Hedrick on the memorial page at the Morningside VFD website and this tribute on the floor of the House of Representatives from Congressman Steny Hoyer.

Taking the budget fight to the people: We have a series of IAFF sponsored ads and a look at the battle in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Both sides have websites in an effort to get out the competing messages. Click here.

Every pump operator’s dream: PhillyFireNews.com has the picture of the week that teaches a lesson about blocking a hydrant with your car. Yes, it has been done before (I recall one in the 60s in DC that made the papers). But wait, there is more to this story. Read who was driving the vehicle parked at the plug.

Some interesting videos: We have a few fires from PA and citizens doing some things that aren’t so smart, but that keep you in business. The video that takes the cake is of a man and his family racing behind a ladder truck just to grab some video. Watch our video roundup.

Firefighter/TV technician: The demise of the analog television signal on February 17 is now being listed as one of the duties handled by one all-hazards department. Fiction writing is not my strong point (some disagree … see below), but I take a stab at it as I try to look into the future. Click here.

I am thinking of selling t-shirts and bumper stickers that read, “STATter YOU SUCK!”: That’s one of the many comments I have received over my decision to run the recent story about Maryland’s Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department. Some who disagree with me have even written their objections without telling me what a low-life I am. Most of those writing think we did the correct thing. Others don’t care and just think we should be dealing with more important stuff. There are legitimate arguments from all three camps that entered my mind in my role as the “decider” of news coverage at STATter 911. Click here and you will read, no matter how flawed it is, there is actually a thought process that goes into what I do here.

New rail system’s first crash

In Tempe, AZ, the Metro light rail system had only been in operation a week when a pickup truck full of furniture crossed the tracks at just the wrong moment. No one was hurt in Monday’s collision. Click here to read more.

People with cameras do the darnedest things

Nothing spectacular with this video except the apparent stupidity of the people taking this video. I hope someone can tell me I am wrong, but the best I can tell they are private citizens, in a personal car, with a child in the vehicle. From St. Petersburg Beach, FL.

Funeral home fire in Pittsburgh

This is from the multi-alarm funeral home fire in Squirrel Hill on Saturday. The person who shot this did so out his window with the camera built into his computer. Read more.

Fire in Allentown, PA

A fire Friday night at an old apartment building at 1625 Turner Street.

Another PA fire

From January 6. Described as helmet-cam from Trucksville FD assisting Dallas FD on a house fire.

May I play through

A golf cart burns. Don’t know where, when or why.

One of those videos that justifies your job

This one has two crashes for the price of one.

Jefferson Fire Fighters Association website

Jefferson Parish Fire Facts

These three commercials were posted on YouTube on Friday. While they are not specifically mentioned in an article today by Richard Rainey in The Times-Picayune, they appear to be the latest effort by the IAFF in a battle with Jefferson Parish officials. Each side in the dispute has a website (the links are above).

Here are excerpts from today’s article:

The placards, bold red on white, first appeared along Metairie roads before Christmas. By New Year’s Day, they blanketed scores of chain-link fences and curbsides.

Firefighters bristle at accusations that they have exploited their benefits. And they say the cost-cutting proposals are no more than retaliation for their union’s public criticism of the Fire Department’s leadership: Homeland Security Director Deano Bonano and interim Fire Chief Dave Saunders.

Boston’s Ladder 26 speeding down a steep Mission Hill Street without brakes and no way to stop. This wasn’t a description of the scene Friday where Lt. Kevin M. Kelley lost his life. The date was April 22, 1950 and the outcome was a lot less tragic, but the potential for disaster was great.

The Boston Globe’s Erica Noon takes a look back almost 60-years and tells the story of a previous crash of Ladder 26 on Parker Hill Avenue. In the 1950 incident no firefighters were hurt as the rig jackknifed and slammed into the front porch of a two-family home. According to the article the driver aimed for the house rather than cross Huntington Avenue, 50 yards from where the brakes failed.

Minutes before Ladder 26 hit the home a baby was sleeping on that very same porch. Click here to read the entire article.

I’m betting a hell of a lot more people reading this have threatened to do this than have actually done it. This is a photo by Ron Trout at a Gloucester City, New Jersey fire on Thursday. There are more pictures of this and the house fire at PhillyFireNews.com. Check it out.

BTW, that is apparently not a vehicle belonging to a civilian. Read the thread on PhillyFireNews.com’s message boards discussing this incident.

From IAFF Local 718′s website

Think of the awards ceremony next year:

“With the teamwork, ingenuity and bravery that the fire service is known for, Firefighters Joe Smith and Jane Jones are our Gold Medal winners this year. On February 18, 2009, Firefighters Smith and Jones, in a blinding snow storm, with a wind chill index of 30 below, braved the elements to reach Sadie Smith’s home aboard Engine 1. Mrs. Smith was clearly in distress when the firefighters got to her. The problem needed to be solved quickly and without further harm to Mrs. Smith. The firefighters entered the home knowing what needed to be done. Carefully working their way to the den of the one story, single-family home the firefighters were now face-to-face with a situation only a few firefighters have ever had to deal with. But being trained professionals, Smith and Jones went to work without saying a word to each other. FF Smith used his left arm to reach around on one side. FF Jones used her right hand. Smith was able to grab the horizontal hold button. Jones, the vertical hold. Together they almost immediately stabilized the situation. For the first time in 24-hours Mrs. Smith had a clear digital picture on her 1978 Zenith Chromacolor II. Her digital conversion was now complete. Tears streamed down her face as Drew Carey’s image flashed across the screen. Her only comment to the firefighters was ‘I sure miss that Bob Barker’.”

This scene may not be far from the truth. In Duluth, MN, Fire Chief John Strongitharm is defending the plan to have his crews help residents with the pending February 17 digital conversion of over-the-air TV. The department has received $10,000 in grant money to target seniors who need help with their TVs. It is modeled after a program in Wilmington, NC.

Some elected officials are criticizing the plan considering there was just a special tax levy for the fire department.

Excerpts from the Duluth News Tribune:

Councilor Todd Fedora said during Thursday night’s agenda session. “It’d be hard for me to believe that people would be supportive of that levy increase if they knew firefighters were going to go out and install digital television converters.”

Duluth Chief Administrative Officer Lisa Potswald added that the city was involved with the project because TV is an important resource for the city to communicate with the public during an emergency.

However, if the Fire Department is receiving too many calls for assistance, “we’ll have to re-evaluate it,” she told the council.

FireGeezer also has a few thoughts about this one.

A rundown of our stories from a busy Friday-

The death of Lt. Kevin M. Kelley: Anyone who watched Firehouse USA on Discovery is familiar with Lt. Kelley. He was killed Friday in the crash of Ladder 26. The driver of the rig was seriously injured. Three other firefighters were hurt.

Click here to learn more about Lt. Kelley and see the videos from Firehouse USA.

Click here for our early coverage of Friday’s crash.

Click here for early video and links to Boston news coverage.

Early video of fire that injured 8 FDNY members: A new video has surfaced of a December fire in Brooklyn. Click here.

Indictment in Baltimore: Mayor Sheila Dixon was indicted on theft and perjury charges. Details are here.

Is it Statter or his blog that suck? Probably both: Among the more than 150 comments we have received about our Dunkirk VFD stories, there have been quite a few who believe we were way wrong to cover this one. I have responded to some of the concerns, questions and accusations brought up in the comments. Click here.

Below are links for coverage of the death of Boston Fire Department Lt. Kevin M. Kelley:

Arrangements for Lt. Kelley

Boston Globe

Boston Herald

WBZ-TV

WHDH-TV

WCVB-TV

WFXT-TV

STATter 911 earlier coverage

Firehouse USA videos of Lt. Kelley

The video below was shot as the rescue operation was underway.

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

Arrangements for Lt. Kevin M. Kelley

Lt. Kevin M. Kelley has been identified as the firefighter killed this afternoon when Boston Fire Department’s Ladder 26 crashed into cars, a wall and a building in Mission Hill. Lt. Kelley was 52-years-old and a 30-year veteran of the department.

Make sure you watch the two videos below from Firehouse USA to see Lt. Kevin Kelley in action. There are more videos from the series that featured Lt. Kelley. Click here to see them.

Click here to read an interview with a producer of the series Firehouse USA talking about the many days the TV crew spent with Lt. Kelley.

Not to take away from our breaking news coverage of the Boston tragedy, but there is other big news from Baltimore that could impact the fire city fire department. Mayor Sheila Dixon, who we have reported about previously, has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of perjury and two counts of theft. Dixon says she will not step down.

More from Annie Linskey and Julie Bykowicz at The Baltimore Sun.

Also check in with WJZ-TV.

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

WHDH-TV image

WBZ-TV image.

WBZ-TV special report #1

WBZ-TV special report #2 (update)

WHDH-TV live coverage

Photo gallery

Ground photos

The Boston Globe

Watch videos of Lt. Kevin M. Kelley, who died in the crash of Ladder 26

Arrangements for Lt. Kevin M. Kelley

At 4:30 PM Boston firefighters lined the sidewalk with helmets in hand as a covered body was removed from the crash site.

Boston TV stations and The Boston Globe are reporting one firefighter is dead and another is in critical condition with what have been called “life threatening” injuries. It is reported Ladder 26 had been on a medical call on Parker Hill Avenue and was returning to its quarters two blocks from the crash scene. The accident occurred on the steep incline of Parker Hill Avenue.

Dead is 52-year-old Lt. Kevin M. Kelley, a 30-year veteran of the Boston Fire Department. Kelley had been featured in the show Firehouse USA on Discovery.

Besides the firefighter in critical condition, three others have been hospitalized with lesser injuries. This includes a firefighter who broke his ankle while tending to his injured colleagues.

The name of the dead firefighter is expected to be released after 6:00 PM.

To reach its quarters (see maps below) Ladder 26 would have made a right turn from Parker Hill Avenue at the T-intersection with Huntington Avenue. Instead, it appears the truck went straight across, hit a parked car, crashed into a wall and then the high-rise apartment building.

A number of reporters are quoting an unidentified city official as saying preliminarily it looks like it could be brake failure. Ladder 26 is a 1995 E-One.

At 5:00 PM WHDH-TV reported a radio transmission was received from the ladder truck saying the brakes had failed.

Four children were inside the apartment building, at a computer learning center, and are being checked at a local hospital. Witnesses say the children appeared to have injuries from flying glass. Three adults are also reported to have minor injuries.

WHDH-TV reports Ladder 26 was involved in a relatively minor crash on wet streets on December 10, not too far from today’s crash site.

Earlier from WBZ-TV:

One firefighter was killed and three others were seriously hurt when a fire truck crashed into an apartment building in Boston Friday afternoon, Boston police officials said.

Click the image for Google Street View of the neighborhood

Google Maps shows it is .8 miles from point A, the crash scene at 835 Huntington Avenue, to point B, Ladder 26′s quarters with Engine 37 at 560 Huntington Avenue. If accounts are correct that Ladder 26 was coming down the steep hill on Parker Hill Avenue, the truck would have made a right turn to reach its quarters. Instead it appears to have gone straight across the T-intersection and hit a wall and then the apartment building. Click the map above.

YouTube video of Ladder 26 leaving quarters. Posted last June.

A second video of Ladder 26 and Engine 37 responding. Posted last August.

That’s a quote from just one of more than a hundred comments we have received at STATter911.com and wusa9.com over the last two days in connection with the story from Dunkirk, Maryland. Certainly some people feel I used very poor judgment in running the story involving Chief Toby Sealey. There are others who think I did the right thing. I can assure you, as long as the language is passable we will run the opinions from both sides.

I am writing this not to offer any excuses. It is what it is and I stand by my decisions (even though I can always be swayed by a good, factual argument as to why I am wrong).

Some of my defenders on the forum believe I don’t owe anyone an explanation. I disagree.

I feel that when viewers or readers have questions about news coverage they should be given as complete an explanation as possible, so they understand why decisions are made. I had provided a much shorter version of this in the comments section, but I realize not everyone sees it.

Below are a few areas of discussion that have come up in the comments, along with my responses.

Chief Toby Sealey

First of all, I feel for Toby Sealey. People do make mistakes like this and most of the time they don’t have to read about it in a public forum and see it on TV. Unfortunately for him, when you are the fire chief in a community, you are a public official, whether you like it or not.

By the time we ran the story we were reasonably convinced Chief Sealey was pictured in the photos. We didn’t report that part of the story until a day later in an effort to gather some more information. In my one conversation with Chief Sealey on Wednesday, when asked a direct question, he would not confirm or deny if that was him in the pictures.

The only previous contact that I know I have had with Toby Sealey came just a few weeks ago and it was a very pleasant exchange about a much better story for the image of the fire service. It involved the rescue of the triplets in Bethesda, Maryland. I had written on STATter 911 that the third child was rescued by a firefighter at Bethesda Naval Hospital, but lamented that I had been unable to learn that firefighter’s name.

The only person to reply was Toby Sealey. He was proud to report that firefighter is his brother Jody, also a member at Dunkirk. We were glad to report the information.

Career versus volunteer

Does anyone remember this picture? It is of an assistant chief in Johnson City, New York back in November of 2007. The chief lost his job after celebrating his 20th anniversary with the department by showing up at a fire station in his birthday suit. I even pointed out when I ran the story on STATter 911 that this was likely something that wouldn’t have made news 30-years-ago. Whether we like it or not, what is currently acceptable in society has changed from back in the day.

Almost exactly a year later we ran the story about 20-percent of a Florida fire department being disciplined after an incident in a bar where one firefighter urinated on another.

Why do I bring up these stories? Because both involved career departments. I know I am unlikely to sway any minds of people who are steadfast in their belief that I am either anti-volunteer or anti-career. But please take a look at the record.

If I am guilty of anything, I would make the case I am an equal opportunity offender. When I started this blog, I made the pledge to myself I would show the good, the bad and the ugly.

Are their times there is a lot more ugly? Yes. Are their times there are more stories of volunteers screwing-up? Yes. There are also a hell of a lot more volunteer departments in the United States.

One more important point in this debate. When I first looked at the pictures from St. Mary’s Today and was deciding whether to run them, there was a fact that helped sway my decision. The person exposing himself was wearing a sweatshirt with a DC insignia. To me that had the potential of adding another important element to this story. Could this be a DC firefighter dropping his drawers in a public place while proudly identifying his department?

The last I looked, DC is not a volunteer department.

Ken Rossignol and St. Mary’s Today

First of all, let me make it very clear, Ken Rossignol is a friend. He has been a friend for about 20-years. Ken also used to a have a financial relationship with Channel 9 to tip the station to news from Southern Maryland. That relationship is long over.

As we made clear in our coverage, Ken’s is a tabloid style newspaper and website (some of the comments accuse STATter 911 of the same). So are the New York Post and Daily News and many other long-established newspapers.

What clearly makes Ken’s operation different is that he is involved in what I would call advocacy journalism. He wears his heart, his opinions and positions on his sleeve.

We made it clear that Ken has a position on career fire departments in Southern Maryland. Ken tells me it changed from being staunchly pro-volunteer when he started, to believing there needs to be more supervision of the fire and EMS service by the counties. We made this clear in our original article.

It is not the kind of news I like to do, but reading Ken’s stuff is usually interesting. He has broken a lot of news over the years.

Just like it is for some of my oldest firefighting friends who have stuck with me through the years, being Ken’s friend can be tough. He has ticked-off a lot of people (he has also made a lot of friends). During my forays into Southern Maryland I have had some interesting reactions from people when they hear I am friends with the publisher of St. Mary’s Today.

All of that said, there are a couple of things you should know. While I will always defend Ken’s first amendment rights, I often don’t agree with him. Some of the stories and cartoons he has published have made me extremely uncomfortable and I have told him so. To my recollection, these occasions have had to do with Ken’s opinion or editorial slant and not his facts.

Also, we make decisions independent of Ken Rossignol on whether we are going to run a story on STATter 911, wusa9.com or 9NEWS NOW. Ken had called me earlier in the week pitching one his stories. I made the decision not to run it on STATter 911.

Ken is who he is. We are who we are.

The bottom line

I believe a public official who drops his or her drawers in a public place smells of news. Add to it that the concern by officials in Calvert County and the possible connection to the fire department in the nation’s capital, and I don’t believe it is a tough call.

As I have said many times before on this forum and others: I am a currently a newsman, not a fireman. While I have a great
deal of empathy for the personal toll it takes on the “newsmakers” in stories like this one, it would probably have been unfair for me to ignore this story.

If you have any other questions or comments, fire away.

You may recall the December 30 fire in Bensonhurst where a firefighter from Ladder 148 was injured riding down the collapse of a porch. Eight firefighters were hurt.

This appears to be early video of that fire as the initial companies went to work.

We have a run down of units and more details of the fire here.

Firefighter Spot and FireGeezer have other videos.