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Raw video from DC mansion fire and latest info and coverage: We had given you one version of the video yesterday that turned out to be out of order. This video, shot by 9NEWS NOW’s James Hash, of Wednesday night’s fire on Chain Bridge Road, begins just as firefighters were forced to leave the large house due to a water supply problem. DC Fire & EMS Department Chief Dennis Rubin said the initial crews had knocked down much of the fire on the first floor but with their hoses suddenly going limp couldn’t make it to the second floor. The mansion takes off as DC firefighters spent about two hours trying to get a reliable source of water. Watch reporter Gary Nurenberg’s report with Mayor Adrian Fenty who says he can reassure the citizens that there will be an adequate water supply if their homes catch fire. I take a look at the similarities between this fire and one in Adams Morgan in 2007. Lindsey Mastis has some views of what was lost at the home of former school board president Peggy Cooper Cafritz. Here is our previous coverage.

Lots of water available for another DC second-alarm: This one was early Thursday evening in the 300 block of Rhode Island Avenue, NE. Crews were pulled from an initial interior attack on a fire on the fifth floor of a vacant apartment building and multiple master streams were set up. We have raw footage from 9NEWS NOW’s Jim “Ratso” Silman and an interview with PIO Pete Piringer. Click here for that coverage put together for us by Tom Hunsicker.

Border talks: The fire chiefs from Montgomery County and Prince George’s County finally met to discuss PGFD’s staffing changes at stations close to the line between the two Maryland counties. There is another change from the initial plan officially announced on Monday. A press release from PGFD indicates there apparently will now be a dedicated ambulance at the Calverton station (Station 841) but now paramedic engine. STATter911.com talked to Montgomery County officials who seemed pleased that Station 841 will now stay open or staffed.

Mass evacuation after chemical plant fire now lifted: One thousand people are still out of their homes, way down from more than 70,000, after a chemical plant fire in Bryan, Texas that included ammonium nitrate. Click here for the latest.

Disney area firefighter dies in off-duty diving accident: 35-year-old Shane Slusarz died while diving for Lobsters. Slusarz was a firefighter at the Reedy Creek FD and before that worked in Seminole County. Click here for the story.

22 out of 36 buildings gone: Firegeezer has the coverage of yesterday’s large fire in Reno, Nevada at a luxury apartment complex under construction. Click here.

Staffing issues at New Jersey department: The last time we checked in with the Robbinsville Fire Department the town’s mayor was threatening to send a bill to a neighboring department over mutual aid issues (check it out here and here). Now some articles yesterday about Robbinsville’s own problems. Click here and here.

Arsenal discovered by firefighters: Kenosha, Wisconsin firefighters found automatic weapons, grenades and possible pipe bombs at a house fire Wednesday night. Click here for the story.

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UPDATED – Water supply again a problem for DC: Fire, last night, destroyed the mansion owned by the former president of DC’s Board of Education (the picture above). Chief Dennis Rubin puts the blame on DC ‘s Water & Sewer Authority (WASA) for inadequate water pressure to fight the fire. WASA now says its early assessment is that problems developed after multiple engines tapped into the same 8-inch main.

We have raw video, details about the fire, and a “before” picture of the home. We also have links to previous coverage and official reports detailing the history of troubles between the DC Fire & EMS Department and WASA. Check out our coverage.

NEW- PGFD & MCFRS chiefs to meet today: In an effort to try and keep the word “mutual” in the term “mutual aid”, Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Services Chief Richie Bowers is meeting with Prince George’s County Fire/Rescue Department Chief Eugene Jones this afternoon. They will discuss PGFD’s new staffing plan that which Chief Bowers learned about just a week ago. The plan begins Sunday. Since the plan has evolved over the last week, the biggest change for Montgomery County is that there will be no suppression units at Station 844 (Chillum), but a medic unit will run from the firehouse.

UPDATED – Town schedules rally to save firefighters: Capitol Heights, Maryland doesn’t want Prince George’s County to remove the career firefighters from the local firehouse. A rally is scheduled tonight in an effort to get PGFD Chief Eugene Jones to reconsider this part of the new staffing plan. We have now added comments to this story by PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady. Read more.

Another street hydrant explosion: This one sent a volunteer firefighter from Sussex County, New Jersey flying through the air on Monday. She was treated and released from a trauma center. Now an investigation is under way into why the Snap-tite manifold suddenly broke apart during a drill. We have pictures and details.

You may recall a similar incident in Lambertville, New Jersey in March and a report issued by Snap-tite. We have also pulled up that report.

Firefighter Close Calls is soliciting information about other occurrences to send on to the IAFC’s Safety, Health & Survival Section.

Click here for all of the links.

Volunteers forced out to make way for career-only station: Changes at an Escambia County, Florida firehouse brings tension between career and volunteer firefighters. Read the story. Watch the story.

A couple from the Geezer: Bill has an interesting story about a very unusual crash in New Orleans and how to get a vehicle off the roof of a building. Click here.

A reader in the Virgin Islands points out that I missed the story on the backing tragedy in St. Paul that left a woman dead. Firegeezer has it covered.

Old school building burns: This happened yesterday afternoon in East St. Louis, Illinois. The former Clark Middle School at 3300 State Street was to be turned into apartments by a developer. No injuries were reported.

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Press release from Capitol Heights VFD

Fact sheet from Capitol Heights VFD

The town of Capitol Heights, Maryland wants Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Chief Eugene Jones to reconsider his new staffing plan. The plan, first revealed by STATter911.com last Friday, permanently moves career firefighters out of town and to other county fire stations. It is to begin on Sunday.

The mayor and town administrator have organized a rally for Thursday evening at the firehouse. They are urging citizens to contact county and state officials about the issue.

Capitol Heights sits along the border of Southeast Washington. It has a population of about 4,000 in an area of less than a square mile.

A press release issued today by the Capitol Heights Volunteer Fire Department (Station 805) indicates the department’s 16 active volunteers will be unable to provide adequate fire and ambulance service. The release also points out that a paramedic ambulance assigned to the station in 2003 has cut ALS response time from more than 12-minutes to a little less than six-minutes.

The release says moving the paramedic ambulance to the District Heights firehouse (Station 826), about 2.5 miles away, “would have a tragic impact on the citizens of Capitol Heights and surrounding communities”.

The release cites cuts to fire and ambulance service in neighboring communities. The Hillside Volunteer Fire Department closed its doors when it went bankrupt about a decade ago. It was located a mile to the south of Station 805 at 1234 Larchmont Avenue.

A little more than 2 miles to the south is Station 817 in Boulevard Heights. In April, PGFD removed two career firefighter positions that helped staff the station on nights and weekends. The county also removed the station’s ladder truck and restricted the volunteers to their home turf because they were unable to regularly staff the fire equipment and ambulance.

Under the new plan, Station 817 keeps its four firefighters assigned to the firehouse on day work Monday to Friday. Previously, a PGFD internal memo indicated the failures to respond to emergencies by Station 817 have resulted in “minimal or no operational impact”.

The Seat Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department (Station 808) is about a mile to the east of the Capitol Heights firehouse. It will remain staffed by career and volunteer firefighters.

We have contacted PGFD for comment about the information provided by Capitol Heights VFD. Chief Spokesman Mark Brady responded by email Thursday evening:

We would expect nothing less for a volunteer department and their members to be passionate about the staffing situation. Being concerned and passionate with the welfare of your station is at the very core of a true volunteer system.

Chief Jones has previously said there are too many fire stations, too close to each other in the county. The chief said budget cuts do not allow the department to staff stations the way they used to.

The Riverdale Heights Volunteer Fire Department (Station 813) will also lose career staffing starting on Sunday. It too has a limited number of volunteers. Also on Sunday, Station 844 (Chillum) will lose firefighters and will house only a medic unit.

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Firefighter Close Calls is gathering information for IAFC on any similar incidents (other than Lambertville) for the IAFC Safety, Health & Survival Section. Click here to provide details.

The pictures and information below are from Deputy Chief Bruce Cole of the Hampton Township Fire Department in Sussex County, New Jersey:

On 7-27-09 the Hampton Twp Fire Dept in Sussex County, NJ, was conducting a training exercise. The drill involved 3 tankers and 2 pumpers. It was to be a water shuttle exercise. Eng 48-62 was set up as the hole pumper at the draft site to fill the water tankers. There was 100′ of 5″ LDH from 48-62 tothe portable hydrant, (The hydrant was a Snap Tite water Thief/Manifold,with 5″ LDH intake and 4 2-1/2″ discharges).

Chief Cole adds that the firefighter in Monday’s incident was treated and released.

You may recall a similar incident in Lambertville, New Jersey on March 28. You can find Snap-tite’s report on that incident here. We have emailed and phoned Snap-tite officials and will pass along any comments they provide.

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Firefighter catches woman jumping from fire – listen to the audio: This is a follow-up to a story Firegeezer first alerted us to yesterday morning. In the video above Buffalo Firefighter Dwayne Cathcart tells us about catching a woman who jumped from a burning home around 1:00 AM. The house had been set on fire and an arrest has been made. Click here to listen to the fireground audio courtesy of Erie County Fire Wire. Very dramatic audio as you hear firefighters tell the woman to hold on while they get a ladder.

PGFD’s Calverton station stays open after all: Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department confirms they will NOT remove staffing from Station 841. This comes after Beltsville VFD (Station 831) decided Monday night not to take extra career firefighters. Instead, 831 will be all volunteer except Monday to Friday day work. Read the latest.

Video shows house blowing up: An explosion that destroyed a house in Florence, Kentucky was caught on camera. Check it out.

A view of the tragic Deutsche Bank fire that you probably hadn’t seen or were aware of: My friend Bill Schumm at Firegeezer sensed early on the serious issues surrounding the August, 2007 deaths of FDNY’s Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino in the Deutsche Bank building fire. But I am not sure even Bill realized how deep all of this ran. Wayne Barrett at The Village Voice has read every report and asked questions that apparently weren’t asked before. He gives a view that puts the focus on the mayor and the fire commissioner and not those on the lower level who received reprimands. Barrett also criticizes reporters for not digging deeper. It is a long, but interesting article. Here it is.

The article was the cover story for The Village Voice this week with a picture of Mayor Michael Bloomberg in fire gear and the headline “Pants On Fire”. It is drawing a lot of reaction. Here’s the latest.

“Don’t treat firefighters like children”: That’s the headline on a column in the Houston Chronicle over the controversial noose incident. Read the column.

How HFD Chief Phil Boriskie handled that incident prompted yesterday’s rally calling for his resignation. Read and watch that story.

On top of that, some women firefighters testified before the Houston City Council about problems they faced in the department. Click here.

Also in Houston, an arrest in furniture store fire: An ex-employee has been busted for the large fire at Gallery Furniture. Read and watch the story.

Man who rescued girl from bear gets hit by truck: Last October I told you about my conversation with Peter Basinger. Peter is the cousin of some friends. He had been in town on the way to do the Today Show to talk about rescuing a teenager after a bear attack during a bike race in Alaska. Peter’s work had the fire department ready to offer him an application.

In his most recent bike race it was Peter who needed rescuing and it sounds like he is very lucky to have survived. Peter had a head on crash with a truck in the Colorado Rockies while traveling the course for Tour Divide, a 2,745-mile solo off-road bike race from Banff, Alberta, to Mexico. Luckily Peter is still around to tell us this story and some other bad incidents we didn’t know about. Here’s his interview with the Anchorage Daily News.

Trying to shake the “heebee jeebees” leaves five people homeless: In Keenesburg, Colorado a man said he was trying to burn out the “heebee jeebees” that were under his bed. I don’t know the status of the “heebee jeebees”, but Jerry Lee Hafner is being held in jail on $100,000 bond. Here’s the story.

An Expo recap: Mike Ward tells us what he learned after spending quality time for three days with Firegeezer and STATter911. Click here.

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Read proposed August Volunteer Staffing Utilization Calendar

While the fate of the Calverton firehouse (Station 841) in Prince George’s County, Maryland may have been a bit unclear yesterday, with discussions about it being unstaffed or closed, today it is different story. As STATter911.com learned early this morning, actions by the Beltsville Volunteer Fire Department’s membership will allow PGFD to keep staffing at Calverton.

As part of it’s new staffing plan, officially unveiled yesterday, Chief Eugene Jones announced fire and EMS calls would no longer be run out of Station 841. The staffing would be moved to Station 831 (Beltsville).

At its meeting last night, Beltsville members voted not to accept the beefed up career staffing. Instead, Station 831 will give up the two career firefighter positions it currently has on evenings and weekends. Starting Sunday, with the exception of the day shift Monday through Friday, Station 831 will always be staffed by volunteers.

PGFD says freeing up the career firefighters allows the department to keep staffing at Calverton.

In a press release issued by PGFD, Chief Jones is quoted as saying, “This decision is just another example of how the volunteers from around the County have been contributing during these tough economic times and ensuring that the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department continues to provide the best possible services to our citizens and residents.”

Under the new staffing plan career firefighters are still scheduled to be removed from Stations 805 (Capitol Heights), 813 (Riverdale Heights) and 844 (Chillum). Stations 805 and 813 have a limited number of volunteers who are not expected to be able to staff the station around the clock. Station 844 has no volunteers, but will stay open with a career medic crew.

As we reported earlier, even though the new plan permanently removes career firefighters from three stations, the rotating removal of career crews that began July 1 will continue to be used. It is part of an effort to further reduce overtime spending. But the Volunteer Staffing Utilization (VSU) program will now impact fewer firehouses and increase the number of days between rotations. A proposed August VSU calendar reflecting these changes has been supplied to STATter911.com by a PGFD source.

PGFD%20Proposed_August_Calendar_After_new_Staffing_Plan.rtf

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From the AP:

Police in northern Kentucky are reviewing a videotape that shows a vacant two-story house exploding and collapsing into a pile of debris.

The news station reports that the property had been for sale for about a month.

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Raw video from Knights of Columbus fire in Prince George’s County: PGFD crews are now back (7:30 AM) on the scene wetting down hot spots after fire destroyed the Knights of Columbus hall at 1501 Southern Avenue in Oxon Hill. Click here for the raw video and here for more details.

Big change in PGFD staffing story in just a few hours: Word this morning from Beltsville VFD Chief Al Schwartz that his membership voted last night not to take the additional career firefighters from Station 841 (Calverton) and instead will make Station 831 (Beltsville) all-volunteer, with the exception of Monday to Friday during day work. Schwartz believes this will allow Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Chief Eugene Jones to keep Station 841 fully staffed. We have contacted PGFD and are waiting for official word on this detail,

Before this development Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Chief Eugene Jones told us yesterday that removing career firefighters from four stations does not mean the stations are closed or services are reduced. The new plan starts next weekend and calls for no fire engines or ambulances running out of the “open” Calverton station (maybe the chief has his ESP working) and only a medic unit responding out of Chillum. We have more details, reaction from Montgomery County, and the raw interview with the chief. Check it out.

Firefighter gives bicycle safety message and then shoots the man: That’s what police say happened in Asheville, North Carolina. An off-duty Asheville firefighter didn’t like the way a couple had their 3-year-old on a bicycle riding alongside the road. The firefighter pulled over to give his safety message and then fired a shot as he was leaving. Read this strange tale.

Close call in Gary, Indiana: A pair of videos of recent fires in Gary has brought out the comments. In one, a firefighter down call was transmitted. Read the details and watch the videos.

Van drives through firehouse the hard way: A man driving a van in Washington State opened up a firehouse like a can opener. The vehicle was found behind the station. The driver was found in the hospital. Read more.

Another big furniture store burns: This one was yesterday in Bremerton, Washington. A pretty massive complex. Video and before pictures can be found here.

Interesting simulation: Yesterday was the second anniversary of the crash of two news helicopters in Phoenix, Arizona that left four people dead. Our friends at Carolinas Fire Page alert us to these videos that simulate the crash. Check them out here and here.

Houston apology brings praise from NAACP and call for fire chief’s job: A fire captain in Houston went before the cameras to say he was sorry about the noose in his locker, unaware of what it implied. A local NAACP VP says the explanation is plausible and blames the command staff at HFD for botching the handling of this incident. Now the NAACP wants the chief to resign for “a climate of distrust in the system”. Interesting development that you can read here and watch here.

Rescue on the mighty Mississippi: A regular STATter911.com reader sends along a Sunday night river rescue of four people in St. Louis County. Click here to read and watch the story.

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From Josh Boatwright, Citizens-Times.com:

An Asheville firefighter charged with attempted first-degree murder after witnesses said he shot at a bicyclist, made his first appearance today in Buncombe County District Court.

Diez was being held today at the Buncombe County Detention Center with a secured bond set at $500,000.

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Click above for entire interview with Chief Jones.

Read entire staffing plan from PGFD press release

Watch 9NEWS NOW 6:00 PM report

The word “close” is apparently a dirty word in Prince George’s County government. County officials, including the fire chief, say that removing career firefighters from a station, or leaving that station without staffing for its fire engines and ambulances, does not close the firehouse.

Still, Chief Eugene Jones admits that starting next Sunday fire engines and ambulances will no longer be responding out of the Calverton station (Station 841) at 3939 Powder Mill Road. There will also be no fire engines running from the Chillum firehouse (Station 844) at 6330 Riggs Road.

Career firefighters are also being removed from the Capitol Heights (Station 805) and Riverdale Heights (Station 813) fire stations. County and volunteer officials admit the limited number of volunteers at those two stations are not expected to be able to staff the firehouses on a regular basis.

On Friday, STATter911.com first reported the new staffing plan called for the closing of Stations 841 and 844. The plan had been submitted by Chief Jones to County Executive Jack Johnson’s staff for final approval.

Over the weekend, two modifications were made to the plan. The changes will put a paramedic unit at the Chillum station and move the office of a hazardous materials coordinator to the Calverton station. Administration sources tell STATter911.com the changes were made in an effort to show the public the stations were still open.

In an interview Monday afternoon, Chief Jones sounded the same theme he has in recent months that there are too many firehouses, too close to each other, in Prince George’s County. The chief has made the point that 22 fire stations each have another firehouse less than a mile and a half away. Under current budget restraints the chief has said the county can’t afford to staff all of the stations.

In the case of the Calverton station, the next closest Prince George’s County firehouse is in Beltsville (Station 831), about 2.3 miles away.

Chief Jones said because the redeployed firefighters will be used to beef up neighboring fire stations it is not a reduction in services to the citizens living near the firehouses impacted by the plan.

On July 1, PGFD began a temporary plan of removing career staffing from firehouses on a rotating basis. This, like the new plan, are part of an effort to drastically reduce overtime. Chief Jones had assigned volunteer stations to provide staffing when the career firefighters were redeployed. STATter911.com discovered that while some volunteer crews were able to cover the shifts, other fire companies failed to respond to scores of medical and fire emergencies. Fire companies coming from a greater distance handled those calls.

Despite visits to these firehouses showing that no one was home, Chief Jones again insisted the fire stations weren’t closed.

The new plan is expected to greatly reduce, but not completely eliminate the need for the removal of station staffing on a rotating basis.

Stations 841 and 844 border Montgomery County. Montgomery County officials says they are concerned about the staffing reductions because of the long standing automatic mutual aid plan between the two jurisdictions. A Montgomery County spokesman said a meeting was held at the highest levels Monday afternoon in an effort to determine how to respond to the situation. No details have been provided.

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Not sure when or exactly where in Gary, Indiana this one occurred, but putting the clues together I am guessing it happened Sunday evening. At about 4:49 in the video you will see dark images of a Gary firefighter being assisted through a basement window as tones are sent and the announcement is being made of a firefighter down.

According to the narrative that photographer Edward Malik has with the video, the basement fire had traveled to the first and second floor. The original call had a report of a person trapped.

At some point the firefighter got into trouble and was able to get himself though the basement window. He apparently was suffering from heat issues. Two other firefighters were treated at the scene.

Malik makes mention that the crews were on a tough fire earlier in the shift. I gather it is the one below from Sunday at a vacant bank building at 5th and Broadway. There was light smoke showing, which Malik says was traced to a basement fire with difficult access.

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Photo and story from Mason County Daily News.

More from KING-TV

It happened shortly after 5:00 PM on Saturday. State troopers in Washington report that a 23-year-old Centralia resident drove his Toyota van through the Thurston County Fire District’s Station 16-1.

The van was found damaged and abandoned behind the firehouse. The driver of the vehicle was found three hours later being treated at a local hospital.

The fire station was unable to respond to calls for four-hours. Damage is estimated at $30,000.

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In Bremerton, Washington firefighters are dealing with a fire at a large furniture store. No injuries are reported in the five-alarm blaze at Arnold’s Furniture Store along Kitsap Way.

KOMO-TV reports that the first firefighters found flames shooting out the front window at 2:00 AM.

Here are excerpts from the TV station’s website:

Bremerton Fire Chief Al Duke says the five-alarm fire has destroyed the showroom where the roof collapsed. Another third of the building is damaged. But Duke says firefighters prevented flames from reaching the warehouse third of the business.

There’s no word what caused the fire. Witnesses said they saw three young men run away from the store just before the fire broke out, and police are trying to track them down.

Google Maps Street View gives you an idea of the size of the complex. Click here for more. And click here for the aerial view.

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Two-alarm house fire: Newsworking has the video from Walnutport, Pennsylvania. The fire occurred Saturday at 253 Pine Circle. Originally reported as a hair dryer on fire. Click here for more details.

Update from NJ 4th-alarm: What we didn’t know earlier is that a battalion chief was seriously hurt when he fell through a skylight at the fire in Newark on Sunday. Of course Billy Goldfeder did. Firefighter Close Calls has the details.

Must see video: A mini-van loses the battle with a 5-inch hose. An interesting scene from Sunday’s 4-alarm fire in Newark, New Jersey. Click here for our coverage.

The plan: PGFD had hoped to officially announce the permanent staffing plan on Friday afternoon for implementation next Saturday. We posted many of the details after the document was sent to Upper Marlboro for final approval. While they have not made a public statement, we can tell you that Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service officials are not too pleased with the proposed closing of two border stations. Check out the details.

Visits to the Expo booth by some previous newsmakers: We have updates on two wondeful stories we posted in recent months about firefighters who rescued family members. Check out our interviews from Baltimore with Alexandria, Virginia’s Doug Townshend and the Moore boys from Catlett, Virginia.

Baltimore celebrates 150 years with a fire: We have video from Saturday’s three-alarm fire on Belair Road that came as a ceremony was underway to celebrate the department’s 150th anniversary. Click here.

A different kind of celebration in Pennsylvania: We take you into the middle of a wetdown in Milford, Pennsylvania. Basically a water gun battle with bigger toys. Check it out.

No professional courtesy for neighboring police chief: While this isn’t fire & EMS related, it is a good reminder for all of us. Alexandria (VA) Police Department Chief David Baker was arrested by Arlington County Police Saturday night with a reported blood alcohol level of .19. The arrest happened after a crash on an I-66 ramp. Click here for details.

Bucking the trend in Dallas: Despite the city’s $190 million budget gap, major fire department services are not on the chopping block. From DallasNews.Com: “There’s going to be no service impact at all,” said First Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans, who oversees public safety. “Public safety is the council’s No. 1 priority.” Read more.

Off-duty firefighter pulls two from burning car: Apparently there is no video of the Atlanta Fire Department’s Karen Nowakowski’s efforts to save two men after a three car crash. It isn’t getting the attention of the saves in Milwaukee, but it is still a good story. Click here to read it.

Making spying an election issue: The timing of the appeals process in Haverhill, Massachusetts after a private detective’s work brought charges against four firefighters may play a role in the mayoral election. Check out the update.

When the fire department’s stuff ends up in member’s hands: Firegeezer has an interesting story from Florida where the VFD is being given another chance after an investigation of allegations of theft of things like gasoline and cell phone service. Click here.

Hasidic community wants its people to be firefighters: We have an update on the story from Rockland County, New York where there has been a dispute between the Village of New Square and the local fire district over the village’s emergency truck and crew. Check out the latest.

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Update: Battalion chief seriously injured at 4-alarm fire. Check out Firefighter Close Calls for the details.

Here’s the description of the YouTube video above by bmxking1504 on Sunday evening:

Video of the Newark 4th alarm fire that took place off of Sherman Ave. on 07-26-09. This is a video of a mini van that caught fire while trying to drive over a 5″ supply line running across the middle of the street. The Mini van hit the supply line coupling and took off its oil pan which in turn caught the mini van a blaze.

As for that other fire, it was pretty spectacular. Not a lot of detail other than it was some sort of warehouse at 282 Sherman Avenue. It did have vehicles inside and one person on a video describes it as a garage. A New York TV station reported it was a “chemical warehouse”.

In Part 2 of bmxking1504′s video a thunderstorm rolls through as the fire is being fought. Here is Part 1 and Part 4 to make the set complete.

Tornadochaser66 got to the fire a bit earlier and has the video above.

Google Maps Street View of the building that burned. Clip the image to tour the building.

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Chief David Baker from Alexandria Police Department website.

This is not fire or EMS related, but I think it has a great deal of relevance to all of us. You may recall the case of former Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service Assistant Chief Gregory DeHaven, where allegations of “professional courtesy” by police allowed him to avoid a DUI arrest after DeHaven crashed a fire department vehicle into a police car on the side of I-270. There was no such courtesy given last night by Arlington County, Virginia police to the chief of a neighboring department.

City of Alexandria Police Chief David Baker is accused of driving under the influence with a reported blood alcohol level of .19. Chief Baker was involved in a collision with his unmarked city vehicle as he tried to merge onto I-66 from North Fairfax Drive.

According to police, the Ford Explorer Baker was driving hit another car. A woman in that car was hospitalized with possible neck injuries.

The Washington Post reports that because the blood alcohol level was above .15, Baker could face a minimum sentence of 5-days in jail.

Baker has been police chief for three-years and had been a deputy chief in Alexandria for 16 years. David Baker started his career in the DC Police Department in 1970. He retired from DC in 1991 as a captain in the Special Operations Division. In that post he supervised traffic enforcement.

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Clearly I ate dinner in Milford, Pennsylvania two Saturdays too early and missed all of the action yesterday. After we ran the video of the fender bender following the wetdown in Andover, New Jersey (31 miles due south from Milford on Roue 206), we received a few questions from people unfamiliar with a wetdown. This video gives you a better view.

It is basically a ritual to commission a new fire engine. Here’s the description with the video of Saturday’s event in Milford.

On July 25,2009 the Milford,Pa (Pike County) FD held a triple wetdown for a 2009 Kme Predator engine,2009 Pierce/Contender tanker and 2008 PL Custom ambulance.

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Photos by Hillcrest Fire Chief Kim Weppler.

Read earlier coverage

An article by Steve Lieberman and Jenna Carlesso at LoHud.com:

New Square officials may form a fire department or have their residents join the Hillcrest Fire Department to provide added protection for the community.

“We’re always looking for the opportunity to have common ground and work things out,” Spitzer said.

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I had just left town yesterday around 4:00 PM when the fire in the 5900 block of Belair Road was dispatched. But Michael “FirePix1075″ Schwartzberg and Steve Skipton were there as the blaze went to 3-alarms.

The fire was burning as the ceremony to mark the 150th anniversary of the Baltimore City Fire Department began at War Memorial Plaza.

Schwartzberg’s video is above. The photo below is from Skipton. You can always see more of Michael’s work on SmugMug and the Pikesville VFC website. Steve is always busy as the New Jersey editor for PhillyFireNews.com.

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Two of the highlights of four days in Baltimore were brief visits from the participants in two of my favorite local news stories this year. It’s always nice to hear from those involved in the good news stories. (When there our visits at the booth from those who are the subjects of the other type stories, I usually hide under the table and tell Bill and Mike to say I have left for the day.)

The first to stop by was the man in the video above, Alexandria Fire Department Firefighter Doug Townshend. You may recall that Friday, March 13, in the end, turned into a very lucky day for Doug Townshend’s brother Mike. Doug rescued Mike from Mike’s burning home in Montross, Virginia. Mike’s home was directly behind Doug’s.

Mike is doing well after a brief stay in the hospital. He’s now living with Doug and the two of them are driving Doug’s wife Kris crazy. Without even talking to Kris, I know from her experience the night of the fire, when she thought she was going to lose both of them, it is a price she is willing to pay. Back me up on this Kris, will you?

Click here for the original story.

The second visit came from the Moore children of Catlett. While they are the children of Jim Moore, they are not kids. They are three young firefighters who helped resuscitate and care for their father who collapsed in front of them at the Catlett firehouse on June 5. We are happy to report that Catlett VFR President and Chief Driver Jim Moore is recovering well from his bypass surgery.

The interview with the Moore’s is below (in order on the video, Lt. Jon, Lt. Jeremy, Capt. Mike). Click here for the original story.

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Photo by Michael Legeros, the official photographer for STATter911.com and Firegeezer. We never leave home without him.

The view yesterday at Booth 2200. Make sure you stop by and say hi today on the exhibit floor at Firehouse Expo. And if there is a Firegeezer in your life, Bill want to sell you a coffee mug.

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Watch 9NEWS NOW 11:00 PM report by Brittany Morehouse (or here)

STATter911.com has learned that Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Chief Eugene Jones wants to completely close two firehouses starting on August 1. According to numerous sources familiar with the plan, Chief Jones is anticipating final approval as early as today to shut down Station 841 in Calverton and Station 844 in Chillum. The plan, as submitted, also calls for the removal of career staffing from Station 805 (Capitol Heights) and Station 813 (Riverdale Heights) Neither station has significant volunteer participation.

As part of the plan PGFD will add staffing at other stations in the county.

Contacted this afternoon, PGFD, Chief Spokesman Mark Brady would only say that the new staffing plan has been submitted for final approval.

Station 841, at 3939 Powder Mill Road off of I-95, and Station 844, at 6330 Riggs Road are two of Prince George’s County’s closest stations to the Montgomery County border. Both stations run automatic mutual aid into Montgomery County.

A Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service spokesman confirmed that Montgomery’s command staff only learned of the plan on Thursday. Beyond that there has been no official comment.

The two stations that are closing are both county owned with little or no volunteer participation.

The plan is expected to replace one that has been in effect since July 1. That plan currently removes career staffing on a rotating basis from as many as seven stations each day. It relies on volunteer crews to cover shifts when available. While a number of stations have been able to provide volunteer staffing, under the temporary plan fire stations are going without staffing and failing to respond on numerous calls.

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Baltimore scene: The view from the Spirit of Baltimore last night as Fire Boat 1, the 87-foot John R. Frazier, shows its stuff. While I only had a short time after our class to spend at the Firegeezer booth yesterday (Booth 2200, along the front wall, to the left, after you enter), I plan to spend much more time on the Firehouse Expo exhibit hall floor today (and Saturday). Please come by and see us. Here’s a link to show you the rest of the crew at the Geezer booth.

Baltimore’s chief signs off of thewatchdesk.com: It is an experiment I have watched closely and even mentioned yesterday in the class I helped conduct at Firehouse Expo. Now Baltimore Fire Department Chief Jim Clack is ending his 16-month run as contributor to thewatchdesk.com’s (TWD) Baltimore City forum. The chief wrote the anonymity of the posters on TWD was used by some “as a license to be rude, obnoxious, defamatory and even openly racist.” Click here for our coverage.

Chopper crash in Maryland kills four: 9NEWS NOW’s James Hash was on the scene late last night in Eastern Washington County after a helicopter crashed and burned on I-70. Click here to read and watch the story.

Fire department’s response to light rail crash caught on video: See four different views of the collision on San Francisco’s Muni Metro system on Saturday that injured 47 people. Plus watch the early minutes of the fire department’s response to the incident. Click here.

LAFD announces rotating closures: The Los Angeles Fire Department says it will institute “brownouts” in an effort to deal with budget problems. The chief says response times will increase. Read more.

Truck goes out of service in 1973 and back in service 36-years later: The year before I joined Oxon Hill VFD, our neighbors to he east, Silver Hill VFD, sold Truck 29, a 1964 Pirsch snorkel. Earlier this week Truck 829 went in service at the firehouse on Old Silver Hill Road. It is the former Truck 817, moved from Boulevard Heights by orders of PGFD Chief Eugene Jones. Check out details at Silver Hill’s website.

Speaking of Chief Jones we keep hearing the finishing touches of the department’s new staffing plan are underway. This is the one that will permanently remove career staffing from some firehouses.

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For our previous coverage on Chief Clack’s postings on thewatchdesk.com click here, here, here, here, here and here

Click here to read Chief Clack’s final posting and the response

This is probably a coincidence, but just a day after I mentioned Chief Jim Clack’s use of thewatchdesk.com (TWD) in my class at Firehouse Expo, and just hours after a pleasant conversation with the chief about his efforts, he has pulled the plug. Baltimore’s fire chief has long complained about the anonymity and the sometimes vicious attacks in the postings on the Internet forum. The chief, who frequently posted in the middle of the night, sent out his final message at 6:45 AM.

We have covered Chief Clack’s postings on TWD since the end of March, 2008. The chief opened the dialogue even before he took over the post in Baltimore, writing under the name BaltFireChief. Many who read the forum were initially skeptical that the person writing was actually their new chief.

In the first few months the chief would often have to respond to questions and criticism of policies from the previous administration. More recently, budgets cuts and the need to close companies permanently and on a rotating basis soon became the topic that brought the most heat and criticism of Chief Clack.

In his final posting, Chief Clack was very direct about his reasons for saying goodbye to TWD, writing, ” … some folks use their ability to be anonymous on this board as a license to be rude, obnoxious, defamatory and even openly racist”.

Not only will he no longer write to TWD, Chief Clack says he will no longer read the postings. Instead, the chief says he will post on the forum run by IAFF Local 964 (Baltimore Fire Officers).

The chief expressed concern about the personal attacks he has endured on TWD “instead of attacking my ideas and engaging in honest debate about what is best for our department.”

Here is another excerpt that sums up Chief Clack’s views on the subject:

Many will form an impression of us as a professional public safety agency by what they read here. I have a pretty high tolerance for foolishness, but I feel that this forum is not healthy for me personally, for the members of this department who read this stuff even for the people who don’t work here. The Baltimore City Fire Department is full of dedicated heroes who put their lives on the line every shift. They deserve better.

FossilMedic Mike Ward also writes about this development at Firegeezer.com.