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Read letter to Boulevard Heights chief from PGFD

See STATter911.com’s previous coverage of this story

STATter911.com has learned the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department is restricting Station 817 (Boulevard Heights) to its primary response (first-due) area during evenings, overnights and weekends. Boulevard Heights VFD Chief Marco Baylor was sent a letter on Thursday announcing the new dispatch procedures. According to the letter from Lt. Col. Victor Stagnaro, ” … it has become evident that the resources within your organization are struggling to maintain services”.

Besides failing to respond on a significant number of emergencies since 24-hour career staffing was removed on April 1, there are other issues. Lt. Col. Stagnaro wrote, ” … there have been several instances in which rules and regulations regarding emergency responses have not been followed by members of your organization”. According to Stagnaro, who runs PGFD’s Emergency Operations Command, the station has responded with the engine company on calls that required the ambulance.

PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady confirmed the actions have been taken at the Boulevard Heights station. Brady said these are not meant to be punitive and pointed out that an “assistance and compliance committee” has been established to help Boulevard Heights correct the problems.

Through the years PGFD has at various times restricted a small number of volunteer departments to first-due areas as a way to seek compliance with orders from the fire chief. The department last did so in the summer of 2007 during a dispute with Kentland VFD (Station 833) over ambulance service.

STATter911.com has attempted to contact Chief Baylor by phone and email, but has not received a response.

Currently there are four career personnel assigned to Station 817 from 7:00 AM until 3:00 PM Monday through Friday. On April 1, 24-hour career coverage was removed. This consisted of two firefighters at the station from 3:00 PM until 7:00 AM and on weekends.

During the first weekend without career staff the station failed to respond to 30 fire and EMS calls. This included a cardiac arrest about a block from the firehouse. No statistics have been made available to STATter911.com since early April.

Explaining the decision to remove the round-the-clock career staffing Lt. Col. Stagnaro pointed out that in 2008 Station 817 either failed to respond or was understaffed on more than 65 percent of the calls for the engine and ladder truck. Stagnaro wrote then that it was a safety issue when the career staff responded with just two firefighters and no volunteer participation. He also pointed out that PGFD “has been operating with minimal or no operational impact without the services of the Boulevard Heights Volunteer Fire Department”.

STATter911.com also reported in April that Truck 817 will be moved to Station 829 (Silver Hill) after the rig returns from extensive repairs.

In his current letter, Stagnaro said that the committee to assist the station would be made up of PGFD career and volunteer officials. He wrote, “The committee’s work will require a complete and thorough audit of every operational area of the Boulevard Heights Volunteer Fire Rescue Department, Inc.”

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Indiana commercial fire: This fire occurred Thursday night in the town of Anderson.

New information on the police vs. EMS battle in Oklahoma: Statements by two bystanders and the woman being treated in the ambulance on Sunday are now available. There is also a phone interview with one of the witnesses. Other links include a look at what Oklahoma law says about interfering with an EMS crew. Click here for our updated coverage.

The police view of the Oklahoma incident: Our coverage of the confrontation between the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and an EMS crew has generated quite a discussion (click here and scroll down to join in). The video has also prompted discussion on law enforcement web sets. One of the sites is Officer.com. Click here to see what police officers are saying about the incident.

LAFD chief stepping down: Chief Douglas Barry announced on Thursday that he will be retiring near the end of the summer. Click here to read details.

PGFD Engine 858: While there have been a lot of cut backs in the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, STATter911.com has learned there will be some growth. The department is gaining Engine 858. It will be operated by the crew assigned to the fire boat at the National Harbor complex on the Potomac River. Read more.

Missed one: When I posted the various ways to connect to STATter911.com the other day, two of our regular readers, John Astad and Doug Walton, pointed out that I left LinkedIn off the list. It is there now. Click here (or hit the buttons on the left) to find our content on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Firefighter Nation.

Arsonist in Houston: ATF has helped the Houston Fire Department to determine that 4-alarm fire at Gallery Furniture was set. Firegeezer is handling this one.

Betting on the fire department: That may have been the only wagering left after fire broke out at Tuscon Greyhound Park. Dogs and people were ordered out after fire broke out in a tower. That tower partially collapsed during the fire. Click here to watch the story.

Union wins a victory in long battle with Topeka fire chief: A court has ruled the IAFF is right and Chief Howard Giles can’t hire his deputy chief from outside the department. Read the details.

New York fire districts under siege?: Volunteer firefighters are against a bill from State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to streamline consolidation of fire districts. Click here to read why.

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June 16 update: Paramedic White says Trooper Martin should have badge and gun taken away

More STATter911.com coverage: Trooper’s lawyer says medic is danger to the community; Dash cam video released; Fox News interviews EMS crew & Trooper Martin; Trooper on administrative leave; No charges filed by DA; EMT-B Paul Franks speaks out; Read statements from Toopers Martin & Iker; Troopers identified; Statements from witnesses and the patient; Reaction from police officers; Statements from EMS crew.

Watch KOKI-TV interview with bystander Diana Walkup

Read statement from bystanders Diana Walkup and Peggy Skaggs

Read statement from patient Stella Jordan

On Sunday, Diana Walkup and Peggy Skaggs were returning from the Paden Cemetery when they witnessed the confrontation between Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s Daniel Martin and the Creek Nation ambulance crew of Maurice White Jr. and Paul Franks. In a written statement, the women indicate they were horrified by the patrolman’s behavior.

On Thursday, Walkup talked by phone with KOKI-TV’s Abbie Alford, telling the reporter, “He came running around the back of the ambulance, ‘I am going to arrest you for obstruction of justice.’ We thought ‘good Lord what’s happened?’”

Here are excerpts from Alford’s report:

When paramedic Maurice White got out of the ambulance to tell the trooper they had a patient en route to the hospital, Walkup says what happened next is appalling.

“Then he [White] put his hands up as if, I don’t know I can’t say what he was thinking but he was afraid he was going to get hit,” says Walkup.

“I saw what I saw and I was just, like I said horrified at the treatment of the family,” says Walkup.

Alford confirmed with Creek Nation officials that at the time of the traffic stop the ambulance lights and siren were not on.

A statement from patient Stella Jordan is also now available. Critical Care Paramedic Maurice White Jr., who has been involved in EMS for more than 30-years, was treating Ms. Jordan:

I heard him say when he got out of the vehicle, “we have a transport and we need to get her to the hospital.” After that happened, I felt a continuous bumping against the driver’s side of the ambulance. After a little while, the EMT got back in the ambulance. He then said “we are getting ready to go to the hospital. They may arrest me when we get there, but I’m going to make sure you get there”. Then there was a knock at the side door of the ambulance. He opened the door and proceeded to exit. With the door opened I noticed him falling back, almost into the ambulance & an arm around his neck, which appeared to be an officer’s arm. I was so afraid of what was going on I just lost it and began screaming. My heart began to race so fast & I started having trouble breathing. I wanted someone to come help me. I was strapped in and there was an IV hook-up & heart monitor attached to me so I couldn’t get up.

Click the image above to read Oklahoma law about interference with EMTs and care providers. Click here for more from The Oklahoma State Courts Network.

OHP indicates its investigation is continuing and the troopers who were on the scene remain on full duty status. There has been no further comment from OHP about the incident.

KOKI-TV says it has filed an open records request in an effort to get the OHP dash cam video.

Under Oklahoma law interfering with an EMS crew is considered a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months and jail and a $500 fine.

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LAFD photo

From the AP:

Douglas Barry, the city’s first black fire chief, said Thursday he will retire at the end of August.

“At a moment of great challenge for our firefighters, he proved to be the right man at the right time to reform the department and cultivate a culture of respect, tolerance and mutual understanding in our fire houses,” Villaraigosa said.

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June 16 update: Paramedic White says Trooper Martin should have badge and gun taken away

More STATter911.com coverage: Trooper’s lawyer says medic is danger to the community; Dash cam video released; Fox News interviews EMS crew & Trooper Martin; Trooper on administrative leave; No charges filed by DA; EMT-B Paul Franks speaks out; Read statements from Toopers Martin & Iker; Troopers identified; Statements from witnesses and the patient; Reaction from police officers; Statements from EMS crew.

Read discussion at Officer.com

So far (at 1:00 PM) there are almost 70 comments on STATter911.com on the video from Paden, Oklahoma where Oklahoma Highway Patrol Officer Daniel Martin had a physical confrontation with Creek Nation Critical Care Paramedic Maurice White Jr. and EMT-B Paul Franks. Considering the nature of this site, most of the comments are coming from the fire and EMS side, with a few who have written pointing out their law enforcement background.

I checked yesterday to see how this video was playing on Officer.com, the Cygnus law enforcement companion to Firehouse.com. I couldn’t find a discussion. Our loyal reader Steve Marshall saw that the discussion began last night with a posting at 11:54 PM. My quick look at the comments shows few people, if any, flat out defending the actions of OHP, but there seems to be bit more criticism of the EMS crew. Click the link above to check out what the police are saying.

Click here and then scroll down for the latest fire and EMS news from STATter911.com

Photo by Mark E. Brady, PGFD.

On March 8, when STATter911.com last checked in on the fire boat crew at the National Harbor complex on the Potomac River in Prince George’s County, Maryland, we told you what had been a 24-hour dedicated crew was being scaled back. This was part of an effort to use the firefighters to fill gaps elsewhere in the money-strapped Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department. There was also indication the crew would find a more permanent home four-miles-away at Station 821 in Oxon Hill and respond from 7600 Livingston Road to the dock for boat calls. That was then, this is now.

While the 24-hour boat staffing returned, as promised, on May 1 with the warmer weather, there seems to be a significant change of course in how the operation is going to be run in the future. Chief Spokesman Mark Brady confirms for STATter911.com that starting on June 1 Engine 858 will begin taking calls from the facility at National Harbor. Using a 1989 Seagrave that had been the reserve engine for Station 822, the four-person crew at the dock will now also operate an engine company.

Brady reports changes are being made in the CAD system to account for Engine 858 and its new first-due area. Previously the fire boat crew would respond on land-based fire and EMS calls at the National Harbor complex in a pick-up truck.

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Fire in downtown Pikesville, MD: At dawn on Wednesday Baltimore County firefighters dealt with a fire in a row of stores at Reisterstown Road and Old Court Road. Michael “FirePix1075” Schwartzberg was on the scene of the two-alarm blaze and took the video above. Click here for his account.

Cops and EMS crew remain on duty as investigations are conducted in Oklahoma: It may be one of the most interesting and ugliest confrontations between police and EMS or fire crews caught on video. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol confirms that its personnel remain on duty as an investigation into Sunday’s incident continues. No charges have been placed against either side and the EMS crew from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Health System also remains on the job. Wednesday evening a spokesman for the health system sent STATter911.com the written statements of Critical Care Paramedic Maurice White Jr and EMT-B Paul Franks. You can read those documents, watch the raw video and see the updated stories by clicking here.

Also, scroll down to the bottom of the entry to read all of the comments about the Oklahoma confrontation. As you might imagine there is not a lot of support for the OHP.

All career fire department may buck the trend and become a VFD: Even though volunteer fire departments across the country are struggling to find new members, the City of Batavia, New York thinks the VFD may be the model of the future. Having already given up its ambulance service, city leaders are now seriously looking at the idea of going from an all career department to one that is mostly volunteer. Read this interesting money saving idea.

Houston firefighter who received medal for actions during a deadly fire where captain was trapped is caught up in steroid investigation: According to Texas Cable News a Houston firefighter was arrested as part of a large steroid ring bust on Wednesday. Brad Ascenzi received a Medal of Valor following the March 28, 2007 East Loop mid-rise fire that killed three woman and almost took the life of Captain Eric Abbt. Read the story of Ascenzi’s arrest.

Another firefighter, this one in Copperas Cove, was arrested at his fire station. Read that story.

House siren shakes nerves and rattle brains: In Hempfield Township, Pennsylvania, the West Point VFD and neighbors are in a battle over the house siren. Read and watch the story.

Prolific arsonist: In New Castle, Pennsylvania, investigators are looking for the person who has set 35 to 45 fires in vacant buildings in the past 18 months. Click here and here to read and watch the story.

Police chief takes over: In Flint, Michigan the police chief will now oversee the fire department and 911. Read the details.

Chicago refines search procedures in the wake of overlooked body: You may recall the story in early April where a man’s body was left behind after a fire was extinguished. It was discovered by the victim’s family two-days later. Some Chicago firefighters were disciplined and now search procedures have been altered. Read more.

Fire fee fails: Firegeezer is on the failed plan to charge for fighting fires in Toledo, Ohio. Click here.

IAFC deadline approaching: A reminder from the International Association of Fire Chiefs Foundation (IAFCF) that applications are being accepted for its educational scholarships from qualified first responders until June 1, 2009. Click here to read the details.

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June 16 update: Paramedic White says Trooper Martin should have badge and gun taken away

More STATter911.com coverage: Trooper’s lawyer says medic is danger to the community; Dash cam video released; Fox News interviews EMS crew & Trooper Martin; Trooper on administrative leave; No charges filed by DA; EMT-B Paul Franks speaks out; Read statements from Toopers Martin & Iker; Troopers identified; Statements from witnesses and the patient; Reaction from police officers; Statements from EMS crew.

Read reports written by Critical Care Paramedic Maurice White Jr. and EMT-B Paul Franks

Watch the latest story from KWTV-TV

Read the latest story from KWTV-TV

Read paper by Maurice White Jr. on the state of EMS in Oklahoma

Watch the original story from KWTV-TV including interview with witnesses

Read orginial story from KWTV-TV

Some comments from Chief Billy Goldfeder in The Secret List (including Billy’s video response to the incident)

This incident happened Sunday on Highway 62 near Paden, Oklahoma. A trooper with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol pulled over a Creek Nation ambulance as it was heading to the hospital with a patient. TV station KWTV-TV broke this story. KWTV-TV’s Dave Jordan reports there is also dash cam video that apparently includes the alleged assault by the paramedic. That video has not been released.

STATter911.com has been in contact with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Health System, the operators of the ambulance. Spokesman Thompson Gouge would only say the matter is under investigation, but on Wednesday evening Gouge passed along the statements of Critical Care Paramedic Maurice White Jr, who was treating the patient, and EMT-B Paul Franks, who was driving the unit. Click the link above to read their accounts of the incident.

Some details earlier today from our sister station WFMY-TV’s website:

A scuffle between first responders in Oklahoma is caught on tape.

Highway Patrol troopers and a paramedic nearly come to blows while a patient waits to be taken to the hospital. The encounter was caught on a cell phone came by Kenyada Davis, the son of the patient in the ambulance.

The incident started when the ambulance failed to yield to state troopers en route to a call. Davis say the ambulance driver was trying to avoid hitting a car that slowed down and wasn’t aware that troopers were nearby until it was too late.

The Okfuskee County District Attorney’s office is reviewing footage and could file criminal charges against the paramedic by the end of the week.

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Four-alarm fire in Frostburg, MD: Gianni’s Pizza on Main Street was destroyed in this fire early Tuesday morning. Read details about the fire from Jeff Alderton at the Cumberland Times-News.

The “look at me generation” captured in a news story … sort of: WARNING! WARNING!! WARNING!!! The story you are about to link to is not true and I don’t know if the names were changed to protect the innocent. But for those who aren’t offended by a little sexual content, check out this “news item” at Firefighter Spot of how the young ones use their cameras these days. It has a fire theme and it fits with conversations we have had many times since I began the blog two-years-ago. BTW I still say I came up with the term “look at me generation” and not The Wall Street Journal. Again, if you are easily offended, DO NOT CLICK HERE.

Chief and assistant chief follow through on their threat to resign over cuts: Chief Scott Kern and Assistant Chief Randy Wilson now have the word “former” in front of their titles. As promised, the two turned in letters of resignation on Friday as a protest to the layoffs of 12 firefighters in Kokomo, Indiana. Click here to read the latest.

Disability leave due to partner’s injury: An interesting story from Montgomery County MD where a firefighter who handled a search & rescue dog ended up with disability leave for a month after a career ending injury for the dog. Click here.

STATter911.com soon going door-to-door: If that’s what it takes we here at the world headquarters will make it happen. In the meantime you can find our content a lot of different ways. Check out all of the links.

Rotating closures in Alaska: An update on how Anchorage is placing fire companies out-of-service and the impact on operations, including a fire on Monday. Read and watch the story.

Bakery burns: Video and details from a fire in Grand Rapids, MI.

Grain elevator fire: The story and video from Wichita, Kansas of a fire Tuesday morning. Click here. More details on handling these situations from John Astad and the Combustible Dust Explosions and Fires website.

Don’t know exactly where and don’t know when: There is no information with this fire other than the person who posted the video is from Toronto. This does not appear to be from the 4-alarm fire in Toronto on Tuesday. UPDATE-We now have a winner. Gray, a loyal STATter911.com reader, reports this is a fire on Sunday in Meadowvale, a community in Mississauga, a city that shares a border with the west side of Toronto. Read more about the fire. Click here for a view of the neighborhood.

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Reporter Alan Suderman with the Examiner has the story of a Montgomery County, Maryland firefighter who was awarded a month’s disability leave after the search & rescue dog she handled suffered a career-ending injury. The firefighter says she became depressed after the incident. Here are excerpts from Suderman’s story:

County firefighter Laura Kane was on duty when her dog, Frankie, ran away in 2005. When the dog came back, it had a limp. Kane took the dog to a veterinarian, who said the dog had a dislocated hip and could no longer work as a search-and-rescue dog, court records show.

A lawyer for the county declined to comment about the case. The county had appealed the ruling in Montgomery Circuit Court but settled with Kane earlier this year.

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We had mentioned that Anchorage, Alaska is one of the cities using rotating closures of fire companies to help balance the books. A fire Monday morning has the local news media taking a closer look at the policy. The KTVA-TV version is above and here. The Anchorage Daily news version is here.

The practice began in February. Here is an earlier article.

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If you haven’t figured it out yet by the buttons to the left of the page, you can access the content from STATter911.com a number of different ways. The easiest may be the web address http://www.statter911.com/.

There is a “fan page” set up on Facebook where you can become a “fan”.

All the STATter911.com postings and other ramblings are sent out on Twitter where you can “follow” me (no wonder I’m paranoid).

Some of our original video material can be found on YouTube. You can subscribe to the account and even see Dave when the photographers didn’t need a wide angle lens to get him in the frame.

We are also on Firefighter Nation, which includes some pictures from the STATter911.com archives (I was really skinny then).

While I have been on LinkedIn for a bit, I haven’t used it as much. In the comments below you will see that Doug Walton and John Astad think it should get equal billing and I need to do better. So check it out.

And, if you just want home delivery of STATter911.com, click here and subscribe. Our large staff will personally stuff the latest content into your email box once a day.

If you have an interest in being on our email list please drop me a line at dave@statter911.com. I have used the list infrequently, but hope to be using it more in the future to alert you to breaking news and exclusive content.

As always, you can also reach me at dstatter@wusa9.com for more urgent matters.

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Watch story from WZZM-TV

Watch raw video submitted to WZZM-TV

From WZZM-TV (also click here if videos don’t work):

An iconic restaurant and bakery is considered a total loss after catching fire early Tuesday morning on Grand Rapids’ northwest side. The blaze started around 3:30 a.m. at Arnie’s, located on Leonard Street NW.

Arnie’s Restaurant on Leonard Street caught fire in 2002, however damage then was minimal. The restaurant has been part of the West Leonard Business District since 1922, originally called the Sonneveldt Bakery.

Click image for Google Maps Street View.

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Four-alarms in Rolling Meadows, Illinois: Our man in Chicago, Steve Redick, shot this fire Monday morning in a condo complex. Watch news coverage of the fire.

Four-alarms in Baltimore County, Maryland: We have raw video and nice still pictures from Sunday’s garden-apartment fire in Randallstown. Click here.

Four-alarms in Middleborough, Massachusetts: New video was added Monday evening to our coverage of the fire in a 161-year-old church. The fire also caused cancellation of the town’s Memorial Day parade. Check it out.

Inside the Command Post – Memorial Day weekend episode: San Bernardino City Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Alder’s latest video from the command buggy is from Sunday’s fire in a commercial building. Well worth watching and listening. You can also tour the building with Street View. Click here.

PGFD changes plans on repairs and physicals: A week ago we broke the news that the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department was not approving repairs on some front line equipment and delaying physicals for 43 volunteer applicants. This is all due to serious money issues as the department attempts to live within its budget. On Saturday, PGFD announced it has made some modifications in an effort to better deal with these two issues. Read the details.

Ugly Maryland episode settled giving former FFs $175,000: In January, 2008 we told you about the sexual abuse claims against the former president of the Odenton VFD in Anne Arundel County brought by two former members who were teenagers when the incidents were alleged to have occurred. Louis D’Camera had committed suicide after being caught with a male prostitute almost three years prior to the two men going public. They also accused Odenton and county officials of failing to deal with the problem at the time it occurred. The Capital reports this case has now been settled with the older victim getting $125,000 and the younger one $50,000, plus attorney’s fees. Odenton VFD officials still deny the allegations and the county points out this is not an admission of guilt. The plaintiffs see it differently and are concerned some of the same people are still in charge. Read the article by Scott Daugherty.

Baltimore City in action: Early video as crews arrive on the scene of a rowhouse fire last week. Click here.

An action scene worthy of a movie: If you haven’t seen the video released last week from a 2008 incident at a Wichita court house, check it out here.

Check out these pictures: NJ.com is running a couple of pictures of a house fire in Ocean Grove that are worth taking a look at. Four homes were damaged. Click here.

Handling the emergency in front of them: Heading to a brush fire, firefighters in Chester, New Hampshire found something a bit more pressing. They noticed fire coming from the attic of a home they were passing and soon discovered the mother and child inside weren’t aware of the blaze. Click here to read the article.

A closer look at Seattle FD issues: The Seattle Times looks at other disciplinary issues with fire marshals in the aftermath of the Qwest Field scandal and investigations. Click here for the article.

Illinois looks at mandatory background checks for volunteers: There is a request for legislation making this a requirement. Firegeezer is on the story.

Flooding in Beltsville, MD: Flash flooding during thunderstorms Monday kept firefighters in northern Prince George’s County busy. The picture above is from the Beltsville VFD site where FF Matt Tomlins has the details. For the story from 9NEWS NOW’s Gary Nurenberg, click here (or here). For the PGFD press release from Mark Brady, click here.

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We have previously shown you some of the Inside the Command Post videos posted by Battalion Chief Mike Alder of the San Bernardino City Fire Department. This latest clip was shot on Sunday afternoon with the camera rolling just 3 minutes after the 2:15 PM dispatch. Here is Chief Alder’s description posted on the department’s media information blog:

39 SBFD firefighters responded to the ACE Radiator Shop. This commercial building is approximately 2500 square feet and was well involved with fire when the initial companies arrived on scene. Firefighters encountered several access problems along with an electrical panel that was involved with fire. Due to the heavy fire involvement and the electrical problems, the SBFD was initially forced to fight the fire defensively until the electrical and access problems were resolved. One firefighter sustained a minor electrical injury and was transported to St Bernadine’s Hospital for observation.

The “before” picture of Ace Radiatior from Google Maps Street View. Click the image to tour the area.

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Read WFXT-TV story and watch raw video

WCVB-TV raw video

Series of YouTube videos

Read Boston.com’s coverage

From the AP:

An four-alarm fire damaged a 161-year-old Massachusetts church and forced the town of Middleborough to cancel its Memorial Day parade.

The church’s pastor, the Rev. Bruce Smith, vows the church will rebuild.

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Watch story from WJZ-TV

Video from WBFF-TV

A garden apartment fire in Baltimore County, Maryland Sunday evening went to four-alarms before being brought under control. The fire was reported around 9:00 PM on Horizon Circle, the Marion Square Apartments, just west of I-695 off of Old Court Road in the Randallstown area. One firefighter received a minor injury during the blaze. The fire was reported under control around 12:30 AM.

The raw video at the top and bottom of this page is shot by Michael “FirePix1075″ Schwartzberg (check out his other videos). Here are excerpts from his account. Check out Pikesville VFC’s website for more:

While units were enroute, fire dispatch advised police were on scene reporting heavy smoke showing from a 3-story garden style apartment building. BCoFD Engine 2 (Pikesville career) arrived first, reporting heavy fire was showing through the roof, and quickly ordered a second alarm. As the blaze intensified and conditions worsened rapidly, the Incident Commander pulled crews from the building and switched to defensive operations. The fire tore through several attached units of the building, leaving dozens of people homeless over Memorial Day weekend.

From WJZ-TV:

“Initially crews started to do an interior attack, the fire became a little overwhelming,at that time they removed themselves from the fire building, and did an exterior attack; which we have now with the ladders and exterior hose lines throwing water onto the exterior to extinguish,” said Lt. John Cromwell of the Baltimore County Fire Department.

“Crews were working very vigilantly to try to make an initial attack on it. The fire won this time,” added Cromwell.

The pictures below are from STATter911.com reader Stanley Jaworski.

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From the AP:

A man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for driving his car through Wichita’s City Hall. Marcus Johnson, 33, also was ordered Wednesday to pay $142,000 in restitution. He pleaded no contest to criminal damage to property, making a criminal threat, and battery of a law enforcement officer.

Johnson asked for leniency Wednesday and told the judge that he was hearing voices that night.

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We had a bit of discussion this past week about cut backs and various related issues in Baltimore. So, for a break from all of that here is the BCFD in action from Tuesday. Below is the caption with the video:

May 19, 2009 Baltimore City Fire Department Box Alarm 55-9, Working Fire. 321 S. Calhoun Street. Two story middle of the group dwelling fire.

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Read and watch STATter911.com’s previous coverage on this story

Read entire statement from PGFD

On Monday, STATter911.com reported that end of the fiscal year money issues were impacting the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department’s emergency operations. That was the same day Lt. Col. Victor Stagnaro issued a memo to the department’s leadership saying,”Over the next six weeks and perhaps in to the next fiscal year it will become increasingly difficult to maintain apparatus”.

A holiday weekend press release indicates, after further analysis, modifications are being made in an effort to repair fire trucks and ambulances. Many rigs had been lined up at maintenance shops unable to be fixed due to lack of funds. PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady wrote:

Repairs to apparatus will be evaluated on a case by case basis and criteria for which apparatus will be repaired will still be under extreme financial scrutiny and oversight, however, repairs have been started to put front line units back on the street.

In a statement Monday Brady confirmed there were gaps in coverage due to ladder trucks and squads being out of service. About one-third of the truck companies in the county were not operating. Brady said then the department had no choice but to live within its budget, explaining that it was not business as usual.

Despite serious budget problems resulting in furloughs and a drastic cut in overtime, PGFD also found that it was unable to bring in new free labor in the form of volunteer firefighters. A total of 43 people have been waiting to take physicals that had been put on hold because PGFD was unable to pay for the examinations. Brady reports money has now been found and those on the list are being contacted to schedule an appointment.

Here is more from Brady’s press release on the changes:

Fire Chief Jones and his fiscal affairs office have been working diligently to find ways to re-institute programs after having had a chance to review and prioritize them. Fire Chief Jones stated, “Our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our firefighters, EMT’s, paramedics and civilian employees while we continue to provide the very best in fire and emergency medical services possible to our citizens, residents and visitors.”

By these programs being funded does by in no way indicate that everything is back to normal. Oversight and tight control over expenditures in all aspects of our agency will become a way of life for the foreseeable future.