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House fire in DC: The video above is from DC Fire & EMS Department PIO Alan Etter taken during a house fire in the 1300 block of Emerson Street, NW just after noon on Wednesday. Here’s what Etter wrote about the fire- When firefighters arrived, heavy smoke could be seen emanating from the attic and roof of the two story single family home. Firefighters were able to locate the fire quickly and extinguish it with no injuries to civilians. One firefighter suffered what was described as a minor ankle injury. The cause of the fire is undetermined.

Lead story – Audio from dramatic rescue of police officer and three women at group home in Ohio. All critically injured. Another case where the closest fire station was closed due to layoffs: A police officer was critically injured in Warren, Ohio Tuesday morning as he tried to help rescue people trapped in a fire at a group home for the mentally challenged. Investigators say the home had been set on fire. Patrolman Doug Hipple and the three women he tried to help escape were rescued by firefighters about 15-minutes after the officer entered the burning home. Make sure you listen to the audio, here. (Just updated this link after it stopped working … 9:40 AM)

The firehouse closest to the blaze had been closed due to budget cuts and layoffs. The union president says this caused a delay of three to four minutes. The fire chief believes it was only a minute. Read that story.

Firegeezer has also been covering this story and has the background on the layoffs.

You can read more about the fire and the injured officer here and here.

More questions than answers at the moment: Doing a follow-up story to the fatal fire near Upper Marlboro, MD on Tuesday evening, I learned the victim had apparently dialed 911 but was unable to report her home was on fire. This delayed getting a fire engine to the burning house. But firefighters on board an ambulance and a medic unit were immediately sent. What happened next is not exactly clear. PGFD says it is reviewing communications between the 911 center and the responding EMS units. Click here for the story. Also scroll down to the comments section. In answer to some of the comments, I list a series of questions about the handling of this call that remain unanswered.

Arson, explosives and murder plot in Maryland school: Two high school students were arrested after what police say was a murder plot unraveled following an arson at a Montgomery County high school. Read and watch the story.

Firings and suspensions in NC: The IAFF says the City of Rockingham is retaliating against union firefighters and union officials. Read the details.

Bridge demolition equals FF OT: In Pittsburgh the fire department is staffing extra units because of disrupted traffic patterns due to the demolition of the Davis Avenue Bridge. It is costing $52,000 a week in overtime. Read more.

Former assistant chief’s dog beating trial underway: Remember the case of former Los Angeles County FD Assistant Chief Glynn Johnson and his neighbor’s dog? Chief Johnson is getting his day in court and he has testified. Read the details.

The bird man of Station 252: A firefighter in Loma Linda, CA nurses a sparrow back to health. Oh, just read it.

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Photo by Bradley Keith, PGFD Safety Officer

Watch 9NEWS NOW 6:00 PM story (or here)

See previous coverage of this fire

It appears Ambulance 845 had a six-minute jump on a fatal house fire Tuesday but pulled up at the burning home after the fire engine from the same Prince George’s County fire station. STATter911.com has learned a review is under way trying to determine more about the conversation with dispatchers and the actions of the firefighters aboard the ambulance from the Croom fire station. PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady said even without the lost minutes, the amount of fire would have made a rescue by the firefighters aboard the ambulance unlikely.

It is a confusing scenario with much of the delay caused by the 74-year-old woman trapped in the burning home unable to tell 911 her house was on fire.

A call taker at the Prince George’s County Public Communications Center knew there was someone in distress when the call came in at 8:14 PM, but county officials who have listened to recordings report there was no indication the house was burning. The 911 call automatically showed an address of 10,190 Old Indian Head Road.

Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Chief Spokesman Mark Brady calls it a “tragic set of circumstances” resulting in minutes lost in sending fire equipment to the home.

Still, help was sent immediately. According to Brady and the other county officials, the call was classified as an unknown type of emergency. The closest BLS unit (Ambulance 845), an ALS unit and police were sent within two minutes of the initial 911 call.

The 911 center didn’t start getting calls there was a fire in the same block until 8:18 PM, with Engine 845 from Croom dispatched two-minutes later. About the same time, 911 callers also reported a house on fire at 10,200 Old Indian Head Road and that the homeowner was likely trapped.

Despite the six-minute head start, county officials confirm Ambulance 845, carrying two career firefighters, didn’t get to the burning home until after the fire engine from the same station. Brady tells STATter911.com a review is underway trying to determine how this occurred.

What is known is that dispatch information released by county officials indicates the ambulance crew spotted the house fire and reported it as they approached the scene. What remains to be answered is what information, if any, about the reported fire and the person trapped had already been relayed to the crew by dispatchers.

There is indication the ambulance crew, following procedures for the initial unknown type 911 call, waited around the corner for police to arrive and determine the scene was safe to enter.

The ambulance crew members did carry their fire gear on the ambulance. Brady points out if the ambulance had arrived first, the crew would have been without water to combat the heavy fire conditions already present.

The large amount of fire forced the first suppression units on the scene to abandon initial efforts to find the woman and mount an exterior attack on the fire.

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Fireground audio from Jacksonville, FL 3rd-alarm: This is from a commercial fire last Thursday. The audio is used with a series of still pictures of the fire. Click here to read more about the blaze.

Fire burns Navy pier in Southern Maryland: We have pictures and video from Tuesday evening’s fire that destroyed a large pier at the Solomons Navy Recreational Center. Click here.

Firefighters burned trying to makes rescue before pumper arrives: An update to the story from Flint, Michigan we first told you about Tuesday morning. One of the firefighters burned is a lieutenant and the union vice-president. He was part of the crew trying to get to a man trapped on the second-floor of a burning home late Monday night. Without water they were forced to retreat. The closest engine company had been moved due to layoffs implemented a day earlier. The man who lived in the house was later found dead. There are also some interesting comments from the battalion chief. Click here for the latest.

PGFD has fatal house fire: An interior attack was abandoned just before a collapse and ruptured gas line occurred at a house fire near Upper Marlboro, MD on Tuesday evening. A body, believed to be the elderly home owner, was found in the house. Click here for more.

Firefighter responds on fatal wreck involving his son: In Shreveport, Louisiana, Chief Brian Crawford tells reporters a firefighter was on the scene of a deadly crash Tuesday morning where the victim was the firefighter’s own son. The 21-year-old had plans to be a firefighter. He was killed when his pick-up truck crashed head-on into a tractor-trailer. The young man’s mother also happened onto the scene. Click here for the story.

Klan robes at a firehouse: News reports indicate a captain with the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Department in Louisville, KY is under investigation for a possible hate crime. WKLY-TV reports there are allegations the captain showed up for work dressed like a member of the KKK. Read the details.

Lots of fire in Scranton: Three buildings destroyed in a Scranton, PA neighborhood just before noon on Tuesday. Click here for some early video, news stories and links to fireground pictures.

The city that keeps on giving: Vallejo, California and its money and management problems have kept Bill Schumm very busy at Firegeezer.com for quite a while. Now there is word its seventh city manager in four years is on the way out. Check out the story.

The best of Vito: DC Fire & EMS Department photographer Vito Maggiolo’s work was featured at the department’s recent awards ceremony. A compilation of his videos was put together by Dustin White at the Catholic University of America. Click here for the video.

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Photo by Bradley Keith, PGFD Safety Officer

The Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department reports firefighters knew on dispatch there was likely a woman trapped inside the burning home at 10,200 Old Indian Head Road near Upper Marlboro, Maryland. The call came in around 8:15 PM on Tuesday evening.

According to Chief Spokesman Mark Brady, the first firefighters attempted to get to the woman despite significant fire conditions in the 1-story, single family home. Here’s what Brady wrote in a PGFD press release:

First arriving firefighters made several valiant attempts in entering the burning home and search for the trapped victim, however, were forced to retreat due to the rapidly deteriorating and unsafe conditions. Heavy fire had consumed one half of the structure and was quickly extending throughout the remainder.

Incident Commanders ordered firefighters to evacuate the now well involved structure and shortly afterwards a partial collapse occurred. A natural gas line broke inside during the firefight allowing a release of product that, at that point, had no impact in searching for the victim or extinguishing the fire.

It took about 30-minutes of an exterior attack before enough of the fire was extinguished to allow crews back inside. That’s when the body was discovered. It is believed to be that of the 74-year-old woman who lived alone in the home. Positive identification is expected from the Maryland State Medical Examiner’s Office.

There were no injuries to firefighters.

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Fire Tuesday evening destroyed a largepier at the Solomons Navy Recreation Area in Calvert County, Maryland. These appear to be early pictures of the fire. Later pictures show the entire pier burning.

Reports indicate the ship seen in the picture below was able to be moved from the burning pier, but suffered some damage. Reports indicate it took almost three hours to control the fire.

The smoke could be seen for a great distance through the lower portion of Southern Maryland.

The Solomons Navy Recreation Area is located on the Patuxent River just north and west of the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge connecting Calvert County and St. Mary’s County. It is operated by the Patuxent River Naval Air Station.

From my recollection, the facility has had at least two other major fires at buildings on the complex over the last 30-years.

The picture below by Matthew Ivancie at St. Mary’s Today shows the pier in the upper left with a ship tied up to it.

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Watch story from WJRT-TV

Watch story from WNEM-TV

The first water to hit the fire in the 1400 block of Bennett Avenue in Flint, Michigan late Monday night came from a garden hose operated by a neighbor. The fire department didn’t have anything better to offer when the first two vehicles showed up. According to union vice-president Lt. Mark Kovach, the first two pieces of equipment on the scene were squad vehicles without water. News reports indicate the engine that used to be at the closest fire house, Station 5, was no longer there due to layoffs that took effect on Sunday. Kovach figures it took three or four additional minutes to get the first pumper to the burning home.

Lt. Kovach isn’t just speaking as a union official on this one. He was one of three firefighters to receive second-degree burns while trying to get to a man trapped in the home. Kovach believes, with water, the firefighters would have made the second floor instead being pushed back as the flames rolled over on them. The man’s body was discovered later.

A woman who lived in the house escaped with serious burns prior to the arrival of the fire department.

According to news reports, City of Flint officials are not disputing the accounts of the firefighters. It isn’t just union leaders and the rank and file expressing concern. Battalion Chief Teresa Root told WJRT-TV, “It was chaotic. It’s not how we do things.”

WEYI-TV reports:

The Flint Mayor’s office says it is doing the best it can with the resources available. The Fire Department says it has a city plan that it keeps updating to make sure it’s addressing the residents’ needs in the best and most efficient way.

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The Scranton Times

WBRE-TV

Click here for pictures from Task Force 1

WithTheCommand.com/Task Force 1′s Ron Richards alerted us to this fire in Scranton, Pennsylvania’s Hill section that broke out late this morning.

The call was received at 11:19 AM at 909-911 Monroe Avenue, a building divided into six apartments. The apartments were transitional housing owned by United Neighborhood Center. The fire spread to 913-915 and to 907.

Here are excerpts from a Scranton Times article by David Singleton:

A firefighter was taken to the hospital with what appeared to be burns to the neck, Public Safety Director Ray Hayes said. No other injuries were reported, and all tenants were accounted for as of 1:15 p.m., Fire Chief Tom Davis said.

Firefighters were ordered to evacuate the structures. A huge plume of smoke is visible from blocks away. Shortly before noon, the roof of 909-911 Monroe collapsed. The roof of 907 Monroe followed minutes later. At 12:21, 913-915 Monroe was fully engulfed in flames.

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House fire: UPDATE – Earlier we weren’t sure where this fire occurred. As usual our readers have the answers. Here is what Bill McCool writes – This job occurred yesterday at around 1530hrs in Doylestown PA (Bucks County) at 310 Sandy Ridge Road (cross streets of Iron Hill and Fox Hill). First Chief on scene had a large 2 story s/f/d under construction with heavy smoke showing. The heavy smoke turned into heavy fire rather quickly and as you can see in the video it totaly collapsed pretty quick as well. The first arriving truck was L-79 (Doylestown’s sub station) and E-19 (Doylestown main Station) arrived right after (from the opposite direction) No real exposure problems but it did start a decent sized brush fire as well. Crews went in service with a ladder pipe, wagon pipe and multiple handlines and a stang gun. Click here for news coverage of the fire. Doylestown Fire Company website.

Fatal fire near unstaffed firehouse: In Flint, Michigan WJRT-TV is reporting one man is dead and a civilian and three firefighters have second-degree burns in a house fire late last night. According to the story, the closest firehouse (Station 5) was not staffed due to the layoffs of 22 firefighters on Sunday. Click here for the story and the video. More here. Previous story on closings. List of Flint fire stations.

Catch of the day: Something you are not likely to see in your career in the fire service here in the U.S. A video from Spain shows a woman escaping an apartment fire by jumping into a life net. Click here for the must see video.

Off-duty firefighter saves woman: A Surprise, AZ firefighter, stopping at a convenience store after his shift, ends up pulling a woman from her burning home in a trailer park. Click here for the story.

Early pictures from a fatal fire: There was a lot of fire when firefighters pulled up to a home early Monday morning in Manasquan, NJ. Monmouth County officials say a 76-year-old woman was found dead in the house with a cigarette as the likely cause of the blaze. Click here for the pictures and the story.

Changes at PGFD: A number of people are telling me the retirement of Lt. Col. Karl Granzow Jr. won’t be the only change we are likely to see in the near future among the command staff surrounding Acting Chief Eugene Jones. Click here for more on Granzow.

On the sprinkler front: From Las Vegas, Azarang (Ozzie) Mirkhah comes out swinging on the battle over sprinklers. Now focusing on the state level, Ozzie gives us his view on “What’s at Stake”. Click here to read the article and here to see a Paul Combs cartoon on the issue.

As always, we encourage those with different view points on this and other topics to voice their opinions. Just contact me at dstatter@wusa9.com.

Fallen Heroes Day in Maryland: The nice folks at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens remind us the ceremony is this Friday at 1:00 PM. Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens is located at 200 East Padonia Road in Timonium (410-666-0490). The event is open to the public and this year honors nine people who have died in the line of duty – Sgt. Richard Findley, Prince George’s County Police Dept. (June 27, 2008); Lt. Michael P. Howe, Baltimore County Police Dept. (August 11, 2008); Pilot Stephen Bunker, Maryland State Police (September 28, 2008); TFC Mickey C. Lippy, Maryland State Police (September 28, 2008); EMT Tonya Mallard, Waldorf Volunteer Fire Dept. (September 28, 2008); PMFF Brian D. Neville, Baltimore County Fire Dept. (October 16, 2008); Officer Richard Bremer, Frederick City Police Dept. (October 23, 2008) and FADO Thomas E. Rice, Baltimore County Fire Dept. (January 21, 2009). Also honored will be former Baltimore Police Officer, Special Agent Samuel Hicks of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pittsburgh (November 19, 2008). Click here for more information.

Getting the scoop on the scoop: As many of you know tomorrow evening is 31-cent night at Baskin-Robbins to benefit the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) National Junior Firefighter Program. Click here for info from BaskinRobbins.com. My old friend Jimmy Seavey sent me details of Cabin John Park’s version of the event. Click here for the press release.

Beauty and the Beast appearing in Prince George’s County: Thursday is the annual Public Safety Valor Awards for the county. My understanding is that everyone is quite excited about the emcee for this year’s event. Someone quite special from 9NEWS NOW in Washington, DC will make an appearance. Of course I was feeling quite good about myself when I heard this positive buzz. Then I realized they were talking about anchor Lesli Foster. I get to tag along and they may let me say a few words if I behave myself. Click here for the details.

Two homes burning in Gary: From Sunday evening in Gary, Indiana. Here is the description with the video – GFD was dispatched to a reported still alarm in the 2600 block of Connecticut at about 8:45 pm on 4-26-09, while en route I was able to see the header and glow at Central and 80-94. Truck 4 And Engine 4 being first on scene advised of a fully involved house with extension to a second house. Multiple lines were advanced and the deck gun was used to knock the fire down. Crews worked the scene for over an hour and fire investigat
ors were requested.

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The caption with this video describes it as a multi-fatal apartment fire in Algeciras, Spain. The video shows what appears to be the body of a man on the ground next to the building with a civilian coming up with a blanket or sheet to cover it. What happens next is something you are not likely to see in the U.S. A woman jumping from a window safely into a life net.

Note what appears to be another woman on the ground in a red bathrobe or overcoat raising a ladder to the building as the jump occurs.

I am guessing the people holding the net with the yellow and black coats and no head gear are cops. Correct me if I am wrong.

The only article I could find on an apartment fire in Algeciras is from Sunday. It talks about six people who were injured, but does not mention fatalities.

Above is a discussion of life nets from William E. Clark’s Firefighter Principles & Practices, 2nd Edition (1991).

Click here to read about a 1903 Harlem fire and here for a 1909 Broadway fire describing a two FDNY life net rescues that thrilled bystanders.

Below is ad talking about the Chicago Fire Department’s use of Atlas Life Nets.

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Prince George’s County photo of Lt. Col. Karl Granzow Jr.

After 21-years with the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, Lt. Col. Karl Granzow Jr. confirms for STATter911.com he is retiring. Lt. Col. Granzow is expecting to clean out his office before the end of the week saying “I’ve had a long run”.

Granzow had said months ago he was planning to retire this year. Sources indicate it coincides with Acting Chief Eugene Jones plans for Granzow’s current position in charge of management services.

STATter911.com has been told by a number of sources to expect further shuffling among the top aides to Chief Jones in the weeks to come.

You may recall that Karl Granzow made news last September when the FBI raided his office at PGFD’s headquarters in Largo. The search warrants, executed at multiple locations, were part of an investigation centering on development and political influence in the county. No recent information has been made public about the investigation and to our knowledge no arrests have been made.

We last reported on Granzow in January when then Chief Lawrence Sedgwick Jr., Major Larry Joy and Granzow ended up as the first responders on a hazardous materials incident on Route 301.

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3-alarm Queens explosion: This happened Friday. The person who took the video reports he began shooting a few minutes after the explosion occurred. Firegeezer has some earlier coverage. The Daily News has more on the blast that killed a woman.

5-alarms in Bethlehem (UPDATED): Exposure problems for firefighters in a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania neighborhood Sunday evening. Early raw video and links to news coverage can be found here. We have added the second portion of NewsWorking.org’s video.

Rosenbaums also tried to get MFRI results: It turns out reporters weren’t the only ones asking questions about the review last year of DC’s paramedics by the Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute. The family of the man whose death sparked the review and other changes wanted details. They couldn’t get them. Click here for the follow-up report by Matt Cella at The Washington Times.

More expected on possible NREMT cheating probe: The other big news out of DC last week involved the investigations underway into how outside material may have been brought into a testing site. City and NREMT officials are hoping to know more this week. On Friday Chief Dennis Rubin addressed the issue. Click here to see that interview and previous coverage.

Glenn to return to DC: We are hearing the John H. Glenn Jr. is now scheduled to return to Washington from repairs in Baltimore as early as Tuesday. The 72-foot fire boat was damaged on January 31 when the Spirit of Washington dinner cruise ship slammed into the police and fire dock in Southwest. The video of the collision can be seen here.

Discrimination and harassment lawsuits in Dallas: Dallas Fire-Rescue now faces two such suits from women employees. WFAA-TV has been looking into the complaints. One of the them gets pretty graphic and involves allegations that bodily fluids were left around the office. Watch and read the story.

Firefighting crew perishes in plane crash: They were headed from Montana to a fire in New Mexico. All three died. More details are here.

Concerns over threats in Illinois: An Alton firefighter on injury leave, ordered to work light duty, is accused of threatening to shoot fellow firefighters while they slept, shoot the chief and set the chief’s house on fire. Read more.

Three alarms in Rochester: Details, pictures, video and audio from a fire that spread to three homes in Rochester, NY. Click here.

Fire company president’s home set on fire: In Minersville, Pennsylvania an investigation is underway into a fire that damaged the home of Paul Kennedy, who is the president of Good Intent Hose Company No. 1, Llewellyn. There have been other fires in the area. Click here for the story.

BB found in lieutenant’s forehead: On April 16 a Newburgh, NY lieutenant was riding in the cab of a fire engine with the window partly down. Something small hit him in the head. It was days later when he went for a previously scheduled medical appointment that a doctor discovered a BB embedded into the lieutenant’s forehead just above the eye. Click here.

A walk down the stairs leads to a wider investigation: The hospital based EMS system in Worcester, MA is under fire after a state investigation finds serious problems. There is an interesting story into what prompted that probe. Click here to read it.

Flying garage door causes close call: In Clarksville, TN an explosion during a garage fire on Saturday gave a firefighter some cuts and bruises. Read the story.

Close call at fast food joint: In Cedar Rapids, Iowa a fire engine crew had just pulled up and about to make its initial attack when something exploded inside the burning Burger King. Click here for details and pictures.

Ten homes destroyed or damaged in Indiana fire: Click here for details and video of a fire early Saturday at Lake James.

Dispute over cause of Las Vegas fire: Remember the large fire at the Monte Carlo in Vegas 15-months ago. Officially it was blamed on molten metal coming from a cutting torch dripping from a platform onto the roof. The contractor is fighting this finding saying that’s not what was going on at the time of the fire. A TV station is taking a closer look as lawsuits have been filed in an attempt settle who is responsible for the loss. Watch the story. Read the story.

“Fill the Boot” leads to firefighter struck: In Waxahachie, Texas on Thursday afternoon firefighters were collecting money at an intersection when one of the crew was struck by a vehicle. He has been treated and released. Click here for more.

“Hybrid” model for CA departments: No, we aren’t talking energy savings here. This is how the latest plan for fire protection in and around Newark, California is being described. After it was determined a merger with Union City would cost more money, this new model is being studied. Here is how Ben Aguirre Jr. of the Argus explains it:

The Newark City Council agreed last week to allow City Manager John Becker to solicit proposals from Alameda County to be the primary provider of fire services to Newark, and then a proposal from Fremont to be an emergency backup.

Under the model, which still is being discussed, the Newark Fire Department would be folded into the county fire agency.

Taking a toll (or rather not taking one): Also in California, a bill would make it official that fire engines and other emergency vehicles don’t have to pay tolls. The bill is expected to make the process easier when automatic tickets are issued. Read more.

Early video from West Virginia and Kansas: Watch the initial attack on an auto body shop in Clarksburg, WV and a house in Olathe, KS.

The second time around: A building burns again in McKeesport, PA. Pictures are here.

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The review of the capabilities of the DC Fire & EMS Department’s 250 paramedics was supposed to be a positive thing. Using the Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute, 175 actually were assessed from March through June of last year. It was a chance to learn where they were and what changes in protocols and training were needed.

Reporters, hearing some concerns about the outcome of the testing, had been trying to get the results. There wasn’t a lot of detail coming from the department other than an overview from officials. In fact, even last week a department official told STATter911.com they don’t have the final results from the written exams.

The Washington Times’ Matthew Cella didn’t have to settle for that. From sources, Cella received much of the raw material. It includes the videos of many of the medics being put through the paces. His story ran on Friday.

It turns out reporters weren’t the only ones asking about the MFRI testing.

The family of slain journalist David Rosenbaum had also been trying to get the department to provide details. It was the settlement of the lawsuit with the Rosenbaum family that set the stage for the work at MFRI.

In his follow-up report, Cella talked with Toby Halliday who was the family’s representative on the committee to determine the future of EMS in Washington, DC. Here are excerpts from today’s article:

Toby Halliday, Mr. Rosenbaum’s son-in-law, said he began late last year asking about the tests conducted at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI), and the fire department refused to disclose the results, even though the testing was initiated more than a year ago.

“To the extent that the department feels that the MFRI evaluations demonstrate gaps in performance that require remedial training, we support that effort and are eager to hear what additional training is being provided and when that effort began. We recently met with the mayor to discuss our concerns about these tests and other issues in the EMS program. We are awaiting his response to those concerns,” he said.

Cella also talks with Mayor Adrian Fenty and the Givens family of Northeast. They are suing the city over the actions of one of the paramedics seen in the testing videos. Click here for the entire article.

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Read more about the fire

Watch report from WFMZ-TV

Our friends at NewsWorking.org hads a busy evening with a 5-alarm fire in Bethlehem, PA. Above is the first part of their video. Here is the account from Bill Rohrer:

Just before 19:00 Bethlehem transmitted the box for 623 Ninth Avenue for a house fire with explosion. First arriving Engine6 and Truck 2 found heavy fire in the rear of a 3-story duplex. Its believed that a propane tank malfunctioned on a gas grill in the rear of the home. Both home were heavily involved and a 2nd and 3rd alarms were struck quickly.

Part 2 of the video from News Working.org

Crews immediately worked on exposure 2, a 3-story duplex and saved those two dwellings. It was a different story for the exposure to the north (exposure 4). This 3-story duplex was quickly involved due to high heat and wind conditions pushing the flames in its direction. The 4th and 5th alarms were quickly struck at that point bringing in Engine 13 and truck 2 from the city of Allentown and Engine 2016 from the city of Easton.

After sunset, the smoke blanketed the city for blocks around and greatly reduced visibly to less than a block. In all 4 homes were destroyed and the fire is under investigation. In this video you will hear round of ammunition going off.

No Street View to help me this time, but looking at the video I am reasonably certain that “A” is the home where the fire started. Click the image for more.

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From Telegram.com.

Not the type of headline any organization likes to see in the local newspaper. What started with Aisha Waller’s complaint about a discrepancy in a report has blossomed into quite a bit more.

Waller spotted in her father’s medical records a notation that an EMS crew from UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, reported they carried Charles Rondeau down three flights of stairs when he was short of breath last Mothers Day. Waller knew that wasn’t the case, because she was there and watched the crew walk her dad to the ambulance. Charles Rondeau died from a myocardial infarction 30-minutes after being taken to the hospital.

According to Waller, she spoke to Stephen Haynes, the chief of UMass Memorial EMS and explained what she knew.

This is Waller’s account of that conversation, as told to Thomas Caywood at Telegram.com:

“I told him that was not true. He asked me how I knew that, and I told him I was there. He said he’d check and that he’d get back to me,” Ms. Waller said. “While I was talking to him, I didn’t feel like he was taking me seriously.”

Mr. Haynes never called back, she said.

This prompted the family to contact a lawyer and eventually the state Department of Public Health. The state officials began looking at the incident in January:

The four-month investigation uncovered serious, widespread and persistent problems within the ambulance service that extend beyond what happened to Mr. Rondeau, according to a stinging Notice of Serious Deficiency issued by the DPH earlier this month.

Caywood takes a detailed look at those problems in his article. Click here.

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More from Indiana’s News Center

More details from WANE-TV

From the AP:

Five houses have been destroyed and five others damaged by fire at Lake James near northeastern Indiana’s Pokagon State Park.

Besides a cat that died in the fire, there were no other injuries reported.

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Photo by Keith Johnson of Deseret News. Click here for additional pictures and to read more on this crash.

From the AP:

A three-member Montana-based crew flying to a wildfire in southern New Mexico has been killed when the plane crashed in the Oquirrh mountains of Utah today.

New Mexico state forester Arthur Blazer says firefighters must pause to mourn their loss, but honor those lost by continuing to fight fires to protect communities.

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Democrat and Chronicle photo by Steve Pfost. See more pictures.

Watch video from Democrat and Chronicle (or here)

Excerpts from Democrat and Chronicle article by Nicole Lee and Gary McLendon:

An official cause has not been given, but a fire Friday afternoon that damaged three 2½-story homes on Seward Street and took more than an hour to extinguish is being considered suspicious, Rochester Fire Department officials said.

“I’ve got no witnesses, so that automatically makes it suspicious,” Salvatore Mitrano, executive deputy fire chief, said of the fire. “Something is not normal here.”

Before and after: The same view of Seward Street, except without the smoke and fire trucks. Click the image to tour the neighborhood from Google Maps Street View.

Scott Ellman alerted us to this fire and Monroe County Fire Wire’s coverage. As usual, Scott has it all covered with still pictures, video and fireground audio.

Click here for the audio.

Here is Scott’s description of the fire:

Rochester Firefighters responded for a car fire next to the house this afternoon on Seward St. While responding, the assignment was filled out for the report of a house fire. Quint 4 went on location with car fully involved with two exposures and requested a second alarm. Battalion 2 went on scene, assumed command and reported fire in two 2 1/2 houses. Car 1 went on scene and reported heavy fire in three 2 1/2 structures. The second alarm companies were Truck 2, Engines 17 and 13. The Third alarm companies were Engine 16 and 12. Battalion 3 was special called as well. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Two more short clips from Tim Karnisky are here and here.

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Watch story from KDKA-TV

On Wednesday firefighters in McKeesport, Pennsylvania visited a familiar location: Hopkins Alley. I figure it must be familiar to them because it is familiar to me and I don’t live there and haven’t visited McKeesport for a quite a few years.

Last summer we ran pictures of a fire at a duplex in Hopkins Alley that a STATter911.com reader was kind enough to send our way. Click here for the pictures from July 23.

This fire burned that vacant duplex again and another structure. The pictures on this page were taken by David Gregg, Dravosburg VFD.

Here is a description of the fire provided with the pictures:

At 03:36 McKeesport Fire Dept. Station 190, McKeesport Ambulance Station 625 and Police were dispatched to the 400 Block of Hopkins Alley for a reported house fire. Police arrived and confirmed a vacant duplex fully involved and a second vacant endangered. The fire eventually spread to the second house a garage before being brought under control. Other units providing mutual aid: Glassport #1 VFD Station 161and White Oak VFD #1 as well as numerous stand-by companies for station coverage. These structures previously burned in July 2008.

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9:00 AM UPDATE: All is now well. A special thanks to Firegeezer for getting the word amid his posting marathon (A lot of new content there). If you were having problems getting STATter911.com earlier today here is why -

Overnight, Network Solutions began having a system problem where the “forwarding” option stopped working on some domain names. This means if you are using the easiest method to access this blog, http://www.statter911.com/, it isn’t working. STATter 911 is up and still operating at its real address:

http://www.wusa9.com/news/columnist/blogs/davestatter.html

Just like last week’s publishing problem that cropped up after Blogger did a little “maintenance”, this one happened after Network Solutions performed “maintenance” over a four hour period overnight. Beware the word “maintenance”.

I realize most who are now having access problems won’t be reading this until the forwarding starts working again, but just letting you know why some of you are getting in and others aren’t.

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This is from Wednesday evening in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The video is from a dashcam on Engine 71 of the Nutter Fort VFD. Here is the account from the department’s website:

At 19:42, Company 15 (West Milford VFD), Engine 71 (Nutter Fort VFD), and Engine 51 (Mt. Clare VFD) were alerted for a Structure Fire on Country Club Road near Sandhill in Clarksburg. Engine 71 (w/6-AC Richards) and Chief 7 (Rohrbough) hit the street seconds later with Tanker 7 (w/2-FF Gross) not far behind. Chief 7 arrived on scene shortly after advising HC911 of an 2-stall auto body garage fully involved with possible exposures to vehicles and a nearby residence. Engine 71 arrived on scene and crews stretched an 1 ¾ cross lay and began fire attack. Crews began knocking down the bulk of the fire while making their way into the garage while other Co. 7 firefighters stretched a 2nd 1 ¾ cross lay while incoming units were ordered to supply E71 with water and to stretch our 1 ½ trash line to assist in fire suppression. Crews made fast work of the fire knocking most of it down within 25 minutes. After performing salvage and overhaul all units went ready by 22:30. EXCELLENT JOB BY ALL COMPANIES!Dashcam footage courtesy of Engine 71.
UNITS ON SCENE:
NFFD: E71, T7, Ch7 (9 personal)
WMVFD: E151, E152
MCVFD: E51, U55

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A close call early Friday morning for firefighters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The story above from KCRG-TV and below from the AP:

A fire and explosion has damaged a Burger King restaurant in Cedar Rapids, but no injuries are reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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This was posted to YouTube a couple of days ago and is from a January 22, 2009 house fire in Olathe, Kansas. It occurred in the 1500 block of East Frontier Lane. Nice and steady camera work (credited to the City of Olathe) as the first lines are being put into service. Here is an account of the fire on the website Capt. Spaulding’s World (I say hooray for him):

The initial fire alarm sounded around 9:45am to the 1500 block of East Frontier Lane in east-central Olathe.The first of 5 companies of firefighters arrived to find heavy fire and smoke coming from the story and a half structure.

Two female occupants of the house had already escaped the flames uninjured.At 9:59am- a 2nd alarm was sent here and 5 more fire companies- some from Overland Park- responded.

The fire was declared under control around 10:30am- with no reports of injuries heard. The house was severely damaged.

The before picture from Google Maps Street View. Click the image for tour the area.

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Pictures by Mark Brady, PGFD.

Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Chief Spokesman Mark Brady says as bad as this looks everyone pretty much walked away from this crash with minor injuries. Sort of walked away, because the driver of the Jeep Cherokee needed a little help in getting safely down from his position at the top of the pile.

For the driver of the Porsche Boxster it was his lucky day. Again, sort of. He did survive what could have been serious injury of death when the Porsche ended up underneath the Jeep at 12:30 this afternoon on Route 1 near Greenbelt Road in College Park. That’s the very good news.

The other part of the story may have you understanding why the driver may not feel so lucky. Here is what Brady wrote in his press release:

Apparently, the owner of the Porsche Boxster, purchased used just yesterday, allowed an associate, an adult male, to take his car out for a “spin.” As the Boxster approached traffic stopped at a red light, the operator could not stop the vehicle in time before it collided with the rear end of the Jeep. The front end of the Boxster went underneath the rear end of the Jeep, lifting it up off the ground, “spinning” the jeep backwards and on top of the Boxster. Fortunately, everyone involved was able to walk away from the crash, after a little help from firefighters.

As Brady pointed out, not quite the spin anyone bargained for.

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Lightning is true to form: Storms last night in Chicago and Atlanta had good examples of how lightning most often strikes the highest object. In Chicago, in the video above, it was multiple strikes for the Sears Tower. At Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport lightning hit the already evacuated control tower, causing smoke in the structure and adding to delays for lots of flights. Click here for that story.

More on Chief Danelle England-Dansicker: The Baltimore Sun looks at the career of Danelle England-Dansicker, the first female career firefighter in Baltimore County and the first woman to become a volunteer at the Pikesville VFC. Retiring as a division chief in 2005, she is the only woman to be promoted above the rank of captain in the Baltimore County Fire Department. Thanks to her brother Bill England for sending us the article. Click here to read it. Click here for our earlier coverage and funeral arrangements.

Responding to bad news by press release: A possible cheating scandal on the National Registry exam for EMTs. Leaked videos and test results from a department wide assessment of paramedics. That is some of the bad news hitting the DC Fire & EMS Department this week. As has been the case for a while, the response from the fire department (and most every other city agency) is directed by the press people in Mayor Adrian Fenty’s office. We are told by sources that is why you will see no one from the city is a part of either of these stories, responding to questions by reporters and giving the fire department’s perspective on the issues (at the same time the number of people responsible for handling the press in the DC Fire and EMS Department is larger than it has ever been). The response to these stories has been only by press release.

Expect though to hear from Chief Rubin today. He is at the National Press Club with a previously planned event on smoke detectors along with the US Fire Administration and other East Coast chiefs. I imagine the reporters will be looking for something more than change your clock, change your battery.

Read up on these stories and the press releases from the city.

Serious issues in report from Orange County, CA: From the AP-

A report by Orange County fire officials has found that firefighters disregarded orders and off-duty crews commandeered fire engines during last November’s devastating Freeway Complex fire.

The 128-page report from the county Fire Authority, which was released Thursday, says that firefighters put themselves and others at risk and hindered firefighting options when they failed to follow chain of command.

Read story from Orange County Register.

Read the entire report.

Layoffs aren’t saving money: Remember the the articles about the layoffs in Woonsocket, Rhode Island? The union said the cutting of 11 firefighters last month wouldn’t save the city money. Now an article in The Call indicates members of Mayor Susan D. Menard’s administration are acknowledging that’s the case. Click here for more.

Arsonist who killed firefighter up for parole: In 1986, at the age of 21, David Winebrenner set his parents house on fire because his father wouldn’t let David drive the family’s new pickup. The parents escaped. Lawrence, Kansas firefighter Mark Blair didn’t. Public comments are now being accepted as Winebrenner comes up for parole (last denied in 2006). Read the story.

Myrtle Beach fires continue: Emily Cyr and Jillian Coyle, who always look out for STATter911.com, have been keeping the wusa9.com site updated on the South Carolina fires with new pictures and copy. There is even video of a story I did yesterday with local golfers worried about their favorite courses (make sure you hear one comment from a woman with a camera and her grand plans for the video). Click here to see it all.

Arsons in Delaware: Homes under construction in the Milton area are bursting into flames. Two of them occurred overnight. For one of the homes it is a repeat performance. Click here for the story.

Sheriff’s deputies enter guilty pleas in beating of firefighter: This was from an off-duty incident involving two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies. Click here for the story.

Does a bear … ? Not this one. Not anymore: A story from Colorado Springs involving a bear and a pregnant woman ended well for the woman and her unborn child, but not so good for the bear. Click here to watch (or here).