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The Fire Service College website

Campus map

From the BBC:

Fire crews are dealing with a serious blaze in a workshop at the Fire Service College in Gloucestershire.

The single-storey building on the college site is said to be “well alight” and the fire service said they would have to remain there for some time before it is completely out.

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More video of the fire

There was a garage fire at a home on Thursday in Rancho Peñasquitos, a community in San Diego. The 23-year-old man who lives in the house explained to XETV-TV that he was about to fire up his hookah with a torch lighter when the lighter just blew up, setting the couch and then the garage on fire. The dude didn’t say much more before being loaded into an ambulance and a trip to the hospital to be treated for second-degree burns to his hands. He received the burns while pushing his Jeep away from the blaze.

The TV station went on to report, “Investigators say the young man was using the hookah to smoke marijuana and apparently left the torch on.”

The man did manage to alert his sister and father to get out of the house. Neighbors called 911 and fought the blaze with three garden hoses. They told reporters it took firefighters a long time to get to the burning home.

There is apparently something to the neighbor’s complaints. The fire department confirms a computer crashed just before the fire call, and the regular alerting system was not operating.

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Image from KSL-TV.

It may be the Beehive State and the Minor League ball time is the Bees, but not many people in Salt Lake were coming forward to help John Stolle after a small fire broke out under his truck on I-80 on Wednesday. Stolle is a bee farmer and his cargo was 316 beehives. He was heading from California to South Dakota when the fire occurred. It took a firefighter to save the day.

Firefighter Leonard Iversen didn’t just help make sure there wasn’t a bee fry on the highway. He secured a place to take the truck, found a brave mechanic and helped Stolle get to a motel. The firefighter figured those bees were Stolle’s livelihood an felt he couldn’t abandon the farmer.

Click here to read the story from KSL-TV.

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Watch report from 9NEWS NOW’s Scott Broom

No one was hurt when a catastrophic explosion flattened a home on the outskirts of Mount Airy before dawn Friday.

Five neighboring homes were damaged, two badly.

The explosion occurred around 1:45 a.m. Friday in the 2200 block Flag Marsh Road and threw debris as far as 400 feet from the demolished house.

Investigators believe a propane leak is to blame. The cause of the leak and the source of the ignition are still under investigation

The destroyed structure was a two story frame building that was converted to a home from an original schoolhouse built in 1898.

It was unoccupied, but is the former residence of 85-year-old Myra Davis, who now lives with relatives in Westminster. The house was under renovation, according to fire investigators.

In the aftermath of the explosion, Davis’ large extended family, many of whom grew up in the house, were able to salvage family photos dating back to the 1940′s, but little else.

Written by Scott Broom

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Story from WGRZ-TV:

Amherst Fire tell us they have the Main Street fire out and under control.

The fire is also affecting the morning commute. Amherst Police tell us they have closed Main Street between Union and Forest.

Click the image above from Google Maps Street View to tour the neighborhood.

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Open microphone causes racial concerns in Houston: This doesn’t appear to be as cut and dried as someone using a racial epithet and having it accidentally carried over the two-way radio system. Instead it is a profanity laced tirade from someone voicing opinions on racial issues. That doesn’t mean it is any less controversial. It happened on Sunday. Click here to listen to the recording and read comments from the fire chief and others.

An interesting discussion on YouTube: From Alabama, a series of videos that takes you inside a meeting between fire chiefs and law enforcement looking at safety and just who is in charge at the scene of a motor vehicle collision. Click here.

Animal rescue in Indianapolis: A Golden Retriever stuck in a debris in fast moving current is saved by firefighters. Watch the video.

Chief clashes with commissioner: In Grand Rapids, Michigan, the fire chief is frustrated over the relationship between the firefighters’ union and a commissioner. Check out the story.

Bail out in Buffalo: Six firefighters had to leave suddenly during a house fire in Buffalo. One landed on a gas meter after coming out of a second floor window. Read and watch the story.

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KRIV-TV’s story

KTRK-TV’s story

KHOU-TV’s story

An open microphone caused a conversation among firefighters to be broadcast over the Houston Fire Department’s radio system on Sunday. The approximately two-minute discussion has brought up concerns about racism in a department that is still dealing with the aftermath of a noose discovered in a captain’s locker.

From the recordings that three Houston TV stations have played of the conversation caught by the open microphone, it is clear this is going to be an interesting case. There doesn’t appear to be any racial epithets.

What is on the recordings is someone voicing their opinion very strongly on issues involving race. It is punctuated by some profanity. There is little doubt many people will find the comments offensive.

One of those on the record about the incident is Houston Fire Department Chief Phil Boriskie. Boriskie told KHOU-TV, “One of our concerns is obviously profanity. We don’t condone profanity. One of our concerns is the political and racial overtones that had implications on there and obviously we don’t condone that.”

The chief goes even further in a conversation with reporter Isiah Carey of KRIV-TV:

Chief: “We don’t believe we should be talking about race, religion, politics at the station.”

Reporter: “Oh really, I didn’t know that. Is that rule or policy?”

Chief: “It’s been a long standing policy in the Houston Fire Department”.

There is other reaction. Here are excerpts from KTRK-TV’s story:

Otis Jordan is president of the Houston Black Firefighters Association. He believes racial tension increased after a white fire captain was reprimanded for having a noose in his locker.

“If I’m an individual in an African-American community and I had to rely on these individuals to come and save me in my time of need, they are not going to be sensitive,” said Smith.

Chief Boriskie says he isn’t sure who is speaking on the recording and has turned the case over to the Office of Attorney General for further investigation.

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The discussion on this video is universal. There is no information with the clips, but the best I can tell, having not listened to all of it yet, it is from somewhere in Alabama.

The scene appears to be a courtroom in the county courthouse. The people on the left side of the screen in the jury box and in front of the bench are apparently the local sheriff and other law enforcement from the region. On the right, in the courtroom seats, are local fire chiefs. The topic is safety at the scene of motor vehicle collisions and includes discussion about who is in charge. I am sure many of you reading this have had similar conversations with law enforcement on your home turf.

Above is Part 1. Here are the links to the rest of the clips: Part 2. Part 3. Part 4.

If someone can provide more specifics about the video please leave details in the comments section or write me at dstatter@wusa9.com.

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This is a helicopter view as firefighters work to free a Golden Retriever stuck in a creek this afternoon. News reports indicate the dog ran into Williams Creek near 72nd and College Avenue near Park Tudor High School. Recent rains made the current stronger than unusual, dragging the dog until it hit a pile of debris and became stuck. The dog’s owner was unable to free the animal and firefighters from Indianapolis and Pike Township took over to make the rescue.

Read and see more here and here.

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Watch story from WOOD-TV

A little dust up in Grand Rapids, Michigan where Chief John VanSolkema is concerned about the relationship between firefighters and city commissioners. The chief feels the union has the ear of commissioners he believes are overly critical of the department.

It cropped up very publicly on Tuesday when the chief was testifying before the City Commissions’ Public Safety meeting. The chief went on the offensive in the hearing and with reporters. Here are excerpts from John Agar’s story in The Grand Rapids Press:

So, when quizzed Tuesday about response times, he said firefighters can be out of position if they leave the station for burritos at Commissioner Jim Jendrasiak’s fundraiser.

“I just don’t need to be questioned every single time on response times.”

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Listen to fireground audio from Erie County Fire Wire (Mayday comes at about 7:25 into the recording.)

A two-alarm fire at 1:00 this morning in multi-family homes at the corner of West Avenue and Delavan Avenue in Buffalo.

According to Division Chief Jack Hess, master streams were being used on the address where the fire started while other firefighters were operating in the exposure building. At some point the fire in the exposure rapidly expanded, forcing the firefighters to make a quick exit. One of the firefighters jumped from the second floor and hit a gas meter on the way down.

Six firefighters were being treated for burns and other injuries. All the injuries are reported to be non-life threatening.

The 8 adults and 13 children living in the homes were not hurt.

Homes that burned this morning on West Avenue. Click the image for the Google Map Street View to see the other sides of the structure.

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California garage fire: This is from National City about 1:00 AM on Wednesday. Everyone escaped this fire before firefighters arrived. The blaze was mainly confined to the garage.

Interesting video from Gary, Indiana: A house fire leads to some excitement. An argument on the street in front of the fire leads to a face off with people in two different cars. Then, as one car backs up it hits the battalion chief’s buggy and drives off. There was also concern that someone might have had a gun. Police eventually arrive and sort it out. Click here to watch the video. The reporter in me asks the question if police had been on the scene in the first place handling traffic would this have even happened?

Justice is served (actually it was a Big Mac): Jimmy Justice is at it again. Guess where he found the operators of a parking enforcement tow truck that was blocking a hydrant in New York? Click here.

Chief’s computer game playing is one reason some people want him out: In Mills, Wyoming volunteer firefighters say they will quit if Chief Ron Schindler isn’t replaced. The firefighters claim Chief Schindler plays video games 7-hours a day and that work like ordering drugs for use by medics isn’t being done. The chief admits there are times he plays games on the computer, but that work is being accomplished. Read about the dispute.

Down in the West Texas town a business owner complains that firefighters did unnecessary damage: In El Paso a fire was set in an abandoned night club Wednesday morning. There is raw video here. But the story doesn’t end there. The owner of one of the exposure businesses is not happy with firefighters. Read the details.

At least someone was paying attention, but firefighter puts a little boy first: I had told you I was hoping that someone in the Red Sox front office saw the story about North Reading FF Kevin Carter. Carter was off-duty on the way to the game Friday night when there was a subway collision. FF Carter jumped in and started treating his injured brother and some of the other 47 passengers who were hurt. The firefighter ended up at the hospital instead of the game. Radio station Mix 98.5 knew what to do. They got tickets to another game for the firefighter. But FF Carter turned them down and asked the radio station to track down a boy who was also on the trolley in Red Sox attire. They did and the tickets were given to the boy. Here’s the story. (Is it just me who thinks FF Carter should be throwing out the first pitch at Fenway real soon? With that boy standing by his side?)

Mayor delays closing announcement to first tell firefighters: In Muncie, Indiana there is little doubt that two fire stations will close. The word of which firehouses will get the axe was supposed to come on Tuesday. Mayor Sharon McShurley wants to first tell the firefighters. Click here for the story.

Remembering the “custodian” with badge number 2: A brief, but interesting, history listen from Firegeezer Bill Schumm as he notes the passing of a pioneer from Fairfax County. Check it out.

Fire in Delaware: A little bit of good video from a two-alarm house fire near Wilmington on Wednesday.

The other side of Dave: Warning, this has nothing to do with fire or EMS. I guess it could have if I had choked on my food from laughing so damn hard. If you are a fan of the movies This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best of Show and A Mighty Wind, you will want to click here and see how I spent lunch time on Wednesday (or here).

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Jimmy Justice is at it again on the streets of New York. This time it is the traffic enforcement tow crew leaving the crane parked in front of a fire hydrant. The headline provides a hint about the mission the crew was on.

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From Jennifer Price at The News Journal:

A curling iron left on a bed sparked a two-alarm fire this morning near Wilmington.

No one was injured, and the fire was put out shortly before 8 a.m.

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Child stuck in playground equipment: DC Fire & EMS Department spokesman Alan Etter shot this video during the noon hour on Tuesday at the Riverside Baptist Church at 6th & I Streets, SW. The church also has a daycare center. The five-year-old boy’s leg was caught between slats on a piece of playground equipment. According to Etter, “Firefighters were able to insert a Hurst tool under the equipment where the boy’s leg was stuck and pry the slats apart, freeing his leg.” The boy had only minor injuries.

Setting a fire on live TV does not bode well for your future as a firefighter: Andrew Ablog is finding that out the hard way. Caught up in the Super Bowl celebration in Pittsburgh, a college student was seen dousing a couch with lighter fluid and igniting it. On Monday, after someone identified Ablog as the fire starter, the 22-year-old senior turned himself in. His chief back home in Beaver County is expecting the volunteer firefighter to do the right thing. Read and watch the story.

Also at an institution of higher learning, giving it that old college try was just a barrel of laughs: I love practical jokes as much as the next person, but how does anyone see this as funny. Two college students and a former student were arrested for faking a dorm fire and tying doors shut so people couldn’t get out. Click here to read and watch the story from Connecticut.

You should have seen this yesterday morning: Even though I was told about the fire on Monday by Digital Correspondent Greg Guise, I forgot to mention the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department’s rescue of an elderly woman from inside a burning Reston townhouse. So I am doing it now. Click here to read and watch some of Greg’s video and his interview with Battalion Chief Chuck Ryan. (What’s wrong with the idiot that runs this blog that he can run fires from Peoria but can’t keep track of what is going on in his home county?)

Four rescued from Michigan fire: A busy morning in East Grand Rapids. Two people were on the roof and two more inside a burning home. Click here for the coverage.

“We haven’t seen numbers like this ever before”: Chicago Fire Fighters Union Local 2 President Tom Ryan on seven suicides among firefighters in the last 18-months. Ryan went on to say, “It’s a subject that is bewildering, baffling and something we really just are seeking answers for right now.” Last night WBBM-TV took look at the problem. Read the story. Watch the story.

Bower confirmed in Montgomery County, MD: Across the Potomac from my Fairfax County, Montgomery County’s Richard Bower was unanimously confirmed by the County Council on Tuesday. He’s a 32-year vet of MCFRS.

Help needed in Manassas, VA: City of Manassas Fire & Rescue Department Chief Mike Wood is letting us and fire departments in the region know about an extremely unfortunate situation involving one of his firefighters. Firefighter Zygimantas Zalys, known as “Z”, is suffering from advanced pancreatic and liver cancer. He is only 32-years-old and has a 13-month-old son. Anyone wishing to make a donation to help Firefighter Zalys and his family can send it to IAFF Local 4466, Attn: “Z” Fund, P.O. Box 505, Manassas, Virginia, 20108. Click here to read Chief Wood’s entire letter.

Protest over FDNY cuts and possible future cuts: The commissioner and the union president are going at it over staffing. Nicholas Scoppetta says cutting 60 engines from 5 to 4 firefighters is the way to keep 12 more fire companies off the chopping block. Steve Cassidy believes other cuts can be made. Lots of coverage here.

FF returns to work two years after training mishap that almost killed him: In Hamilton, Ohio, John Hansbauer is back to work. Hansbauer isn’t riding fire trucks, but he is working as a fire inspector. A little more than two-years-ago FF Hansbauer and FF Chris Gabbard almost drowned during a training exercise at a dam on the Great Miami River. Click here to read and watch the story, along with links to earlier coverage and the report issued about the incident.

House fire in Stafford County, Virginia: Pictures and video from a house fire in the Hartwood area on Tuesday.

How the airlines handle luggage can really suck: Firegeezer is running a story from my old friend Ed Laskos a TV reporter in Los Angeles. It involves a 747 and a baggage tram that got too close at LAX. Click here.

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Watch slideshow of video images from WTAE-TV

WTAE-TV coverage and video (video was not playing well earlier)

Watch KDKA-TV story

The man with the painted face and tattoo on his back had a big audience watching him on February 1. It wasn’t just the other University of Pittsburgh students who had rushed out to the streets of the Oakland neighborhood to cheer him on as he leaned over a couch with a can of lighter fluid. He was being seen live on WTAE-TV. That’s where these images came from.

Who was that masked man? Well, someone recognized him as Andrew Ablog and gave that information to police.

Ablog isn’t just a student out celebrating the victory by the Steelers. He’s a volunteer firefighter in the Beaver County borough of Monaca. But apparently not for long. Ablog’s chief has already told reporters he is expecting the 22-year-old firefighter to resign from the department.

According to the AP, police say Ablog was seen on an Internet video and a concerned student alerted university police. Ablog turned himself in on Monday.

Does the story of a Pennsylvania firefighter being busted while participating in a rowdy celebration of a sports championship sound familiar? It did to me.

If that is, as police charge, Andrew Ablog setting the fire (police claim he has already confessed), one would guess Ablog missed the story of Upper Darby volunteer firefighter Robert Smith who was arrested after the October World Series celebration that took over the streets of Philadelphia. Police accused Smith of being one of the people in the large crowd who jumped aboard Ladder Tower 5 as it tried to respond to an emergency.

Robert Smith was caught, not because he was clearly scene on TV. In fact, it would have been difficult to pick out Smith from the YouTube video’s showing the large crowd swarming the fire truck. Smith was arrested because he left his wallet on the rig.

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Read and watch story from NY1

Read and watch story from WCBS-TV

Coverage from WNYC radio

Daily News

We told you earlier that official notice had gone out about the closings of three FDNY engines and a ladder come July 1. There was a protest at City Hall this morning about the cuts and a war of words between the union president and Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta.

Scoppetta testified that unless the union lets him cut staffing on 60 engines from five to four he will be forced to close 12 more companies before the end of the year. Uniformed Firefighters Association president Steve Cassidy says there are other cuts that can be made. Check out the links above.

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Watch story from WBBH-TV

From the AP:

Officials at Central Connecticut State University don’t see the humor in this prank: burning bags of popcorn in a microwave in a crowded dorm in the middle of the night and tying some doors shut so residents think they’re trapped in a burning building.

Two of the three are athletes at the school, and the third is a former student-athlete.

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Pictures on this page from Deputy Chief Steve Weissman, Stafford County Fire & Rescue.

Watch video of the fire from Rebecca Sell at Fredericksburg.com

A fire this afternoon in Hartwood, Virginia destroyed a home and left two firefighters injured. Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department Lt. Mark Stone reports the call came in around 1:00 PM for 148 Clark Patton Road. The first firefighters on the scene found fire through the roof.

According to a press release from Lt. Stone, “Additional alarms were struck bringing assistance from Fauquier, Prince William, Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg. Firefighters mounted an aggressive attack; however the volume of fire destroyed a majority of the property.”

No one was home when the fire broke out. Two firefighters received relatively minor injuries. One was treated on the scene and the other was taken to a local hospital.

The cause of the fire has not been reported.

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Vehicle fire spreads to apartments: Sunday night at the Hickory Ridge Apartments in Peoria. Things get quite interesting for neighbors at about the three-minute mark. Click here for what it looked like in daylight.

Atlanta 911 director again admits problems: Still not clear on the specifics, but the man who runs Atlanta’s 911 center admits there were problems over the weekend at the time neighbors reported a long delay responding to a house fire. Read and watch the story.

Rhode Island firefighter talks about surviving gas explosion: Michael Difazio knew the firefighters had to move back when he was unable to shut off the flow of gas after an SUV hit an apartment building. They didn’t move back quite fast enough. Six firefighters and a police officer were hurt in the explosion. Read and watch FF Difazio’s story.

Controversy in Clifton: An agreement allowed New Jersey’s Clifton Fire Department to return to full strength after some recent cut backs. It also paved the way for Norman Tahan’s promotion to deputy chief. Tahan’s move up sparked a small protest from Jewish residents who believe Tahan is anti-Semitic. Read the story. Watch the story.

FDNY makes closings official: The FDNY is giving the required 45 days notice that as of July 1 Engine 4, Engine 161, Engine 271 and Ladder 53 are permanently closed. These companies have been shut at night since January. As you can imagine, there are some unhappy people. Click here for the story.

Newspaper compares minimum staffing to featherbedding: An interesting story and newspaper editorial in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The story looks at the mayor’s view and the union’s view of high overtime expenses. The union believes the biggest factor is that the city hasn’t hired a firefighter since 2005. The mayor makes the case against the minimum staffing of three on a fire truck, or at least wants the ability to hire part-time workers to meet that requirement. There’s a lot more from both sides. In a follow-up editorial, The Eagle-Tribune takes the stand that union work rules, including the staffing provision, inflates firefighter costs. All of it is worth reading.

Firefighter layoffs rejected: In East St. Louis, the Financial Advisory Authority rejected the City Council’s budget because it lays off five firefighters. That in turn puts the city in violation of its collective bargaining agreement with the IAFF requiring minimum shift staffing of 58 firefighters. Read more.

Fire chief paints bleak picture: In Lehigh Acres, Florida the fire chief warns of layoff of firefighters, fire station closings, and ambulances that won’t be staffed. Read the details.

The picture in San Francisco: After a 2004 report said San Francisco had too many fire stations, firefighters convinced voters in 2005 to approve an initiative that calls for fully funding all 42 firehouses. The way it was written gives city officials an out and is now allowing them to consider rotating closures of fire stations. Here is an overview of the issue with links to relevant articles.

Staffing Central: The entries above reminds us that Firefighter Close Calls has been compiling details of staffing cuts around the nation. It is an interesting list and they want your input. Check it out.

Two-alarm house fire in Loudoun County: A WUSA9.com reader sent in some pictures from Sunday’s fire in Broadlands. Click here.

The benefits of high blood pressure: Not really. Just a silly Japanese public service announcement with a unique way to put out a brush fire. Check it out.

Firefighting in Switzerland: This is a video about a fire in a beauty salon in Sion in April. It appears to have been put together by the fire department.

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Watch the story from WXIA-TV (or here)

You may recall a January house fire in Atlanta where it took 22 minutes for firefighters to get to the scene. It turned out, despite 911 center director Miles Butler initially putting some of the blame on a caller who gave a bit of wrong information, that neighbors had called this one correctly. Later in the week Butler admitted retraining was in order for his people and that the citizens weren’t the problem.

A house fire this past weekend has more citizens claiming there was a delay of similar length to a house fire at a home where a birthday party for a young boy was being held.

I am still trying to understand a little more about this story and if there are more specific times than those provided by neighbors. Still, Miles Butler is admitting right away the center has some problems. Here are excerpts from latest story by WXIA-TV:

The head of Atlanta’s 911 center admitted to 11Alive News that they had serious problems with their call center this weekend. This comes two days after a fire destroyed an Atlanta home.

In relation to the situation over the weekend, Butler said, “We had some issues with 911 this weekend. Phone calls were going into hold cues for too long. There were delays in getting them answered. Some calls got kicked over to other jurisdictions.”

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The problem with this technique is it will require you to have a whole lot of salt in your diet, along with eating a tons of fatty foods and drinking loads of alcohol. It is certainly not something the editorial board at STATter911.com is endorsing.

Thanks to Steve Marshall for finding this one.

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Pictures by Frank Pilk. Click here to see more at WUSA9.com.

Fire destroyed a home in the Broadlands section of Loudoun County, Virginia on Sunday morning. The 911 call for the fire on Mitchell Court came in at 9:30 AM.

According to the a press release from Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management, the family of six had escaped the home before the arrival of firefighters. Due to the large volume of fire crews mounted an exterior attack and a second-alarm was dispatched.

Three homes nearby had siding damaged by the radiant heat.

A cause for the fire has not yet been released.

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One building, two second-alarms in Detroit: The video above is from Sunday morning and the second time the Detroit Fire Department sounded the second-alarm for a fire in this building at 13300 Joseph Campau Street. Click here for the video from Saturday during the first round. There are still pictures from Dennis Walus here and here.

Two homeless men indicted in firefighter’s death: An interesting story from Elizabeth, New Jersey. You may recall the tragic story of Gary Stephens, a 28-year veteran, who was the first line of duty death in the nation for this year. Firefighter Stephens was run over by a pumper as he guided it into position at a house fire on January 2. Two homeless men who had set a warming fire in the building have now been indicted by a Union County grand jury for murder, arson and burglary. Read the story.

Firefighter’s day off trip to Red Sox game didn’t quite work out as planned: 41-year-old Kevin Carter is a 20-year veteran of the North Reading, Massachusetts Fire Department. Armed with a pair of free Red Sox tickets on a day-off, Carter and his brother were headed to the game by subway. Unfortunately they were on the Green Line trolley that was rammed from behind (the one where the trolley operator admits to texting while at the controls). Carter is being praised for his actions in helping many of the 49 people who were injured, including his brother. They both spent the evening in the hospital instead of at Fenway. Read the article (let’s hope someone in the Red Sox front office has also read the article).

The story behind the injuries to three firefighters on the front lines in California: We told you last week that three Ventura County firefighters were hurt fighting the fire spreading through Santa Barbara. Click here to watch a compelling story about a captain who rescued two colleagues trapped by the fast moving flames.

Command Post: Maybe that should be the title for a new TV drama. Not sure how exciting it would be, but a local paper in Santa Barbara profiles the command post and the city that has popped up around it at the Earl Warren Showgrounds to handle the firefighting operation. Click here for the article.

He Twitters while Santa Barbara burns: One of the people we have been following on Twitter is Clayton “CJ” Bowyer. CJamz stream of tweets kept a lot of people informed in and around Santa Barbara as property burned. The Los Angeles Times takes note of CJamz accomplishments.

Making the rescue after setting the fire: That’s part of the accusation against three young West Virginia firefighters after a fire was started in a building across from their firehouse. Read and watch the story.

Double fatal fire brings up staffing issues: Did recent cutbacks in Marion, Ohio make it more difficult to handle a fire on Friday that killed two children? That question is being asked. Click to read what is known so far.

Going from two fire stations to one: That’s a real possibility in Johnson City, New York after budget cutting. Click here for some very unclear answers.

Old creamery turned house becomes fire trap for two kids: The children died on Saturday in Exeter Township, Pennsylvania. Click here for pictures, video and details.

Burning skin and trouble breathing for firefighters: Turned out to be from the chlorine in a shed that was burning. Six San Antonio firefighters were treated. Read the details.

Cleared in prostitution case, fire captain is fighting to get back his job: It may not be that easy for Darren Bates. Yes, the former Omaha union president and captain was found not guilty after being caught up in a prostitution sting. But the fire department is making the case that Bates was also AWOL after his arrest. Read details following the verdict. A Sunday interview with Bates explains where he was when the fire department said he was AWOL. Click here.

Videos from MA, PA & NJ: We have some new videos for you. A two-alarm house fire in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a house fire in Glen Ridge, New Jersey and a house fire in Hull, Massachusetts.

It ain’t over until its over: The District of Columbia government was notified last week that it lost another round in the beard case involving firefighters and medics. But is this the end of the legal battle? Click here for some answers.

MD gas leak investigation continues: While the gas company is hinting that a third party could be involved in the leak that lead to Thursday’s explosion at the Penn Mar Shopping Center in Forestville, Maryland, no definitive conclusions have been announced. Click here for the latest along with links to our earlier coverage.

Geezer has a few: Check out Firegeezer for stories from the weekend including a Milwaukee newspaper’s look at the lac
k of minority hiring in the suburbs, a pipeline that went boom in Moscow and a police car and a train trying to occupy the same piece of real estate.

Speaking of train and car collisions: On Friday afternoon in Montgomery County, Maryland, a commuter train hit a car with a pregnant woman at the wheel. Despite the crash, Camile Valencia pent Mother’s Day at home with her family. As part of my TV duties on Sunday I interviewed Valencia. Nothing earth shaking other than a nice story with a happy ending for a change. Click here to watch it.

Roof operations in Houston: This is the only description with the video- HFD House fire 05/08/09. Video of ladder 31 D shift cutting a hole.

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Our New England bureau chief Jimmy Daly reports this video is by Bobby Stella. It is from a house fire on Malta Street in Hull, Massachusetts at 1:00 AM on Saturday. All the residents escaped. Here is the description with the video:

3 alarm fire at 10 Malta Rd. Lots of mutual aid from surrounding towns. Hingham firefighters from Engine 2 bring a big line up the back of the house.