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

CLOSE CALL: This short clip of a series of still pictures is from the June 20 warehouse fire in Wenatchee, WA. Click here for more.

New PGFD chief sworn in despite union’s objections: It was role reversal time at the Prince George’s County Council on Tuesday. Usually it is IAFF Local 1619 that supports the new chief at the confirmation hearing while the volunteers raise the concerns. Not this time. Actually, with the union as the lone exception, it was a love fest for Eugene Jones, who has been acting chief since February. The council voted unanimously to confirm Jones. Chief Jones said to offset the dwindling number of career firefighters, the department is moving forward in bringing aboard 500 new volunteers. We have our story and the raw video of interviews with Chief Jones and other county public safety leaders. Click here.

That didn’t take long: DC’s chief waited two-years before questioning the accuracy of one of our stories. The new PGFD chief waited about two-minutes. In our interview just after he was confirmed by the council, Chief Eugene Jones claimed the STATter911.com story about a volunteer fill-in crew not wanting to run the ambulance was “hearsay” and “inaccurate”. We lay it all out for you here.

Fossilmedic is on to something: Mike Ward wrote a column in Firgeezer yesterday comparing PGFD to GM. Ward thinks it may be time for a reorganization. Chief Jones certainly gave that indication in our interview. Click here to read what Ward wrote.

Oh, why not one more PGFD story? The spokesman speaks: The Examiner takes a look at the man who may have the toughest job of any fire department PIO in the National Capital Region. Check it out.

The benefits of increasing staffing: In Granville Township, Ohio the local paper is running a story about the immediate payoff of adding staff to a small department. Click here.

Taking a page from the Providence playbook: You may recall our story in May about the Providence (RI) Fire Department hiring private detectives to check on firefighters who call in sick. In Massachusetts, as you may have read, the Haverhill Fire Department is doing something similar. The latest story has the union objecting that wives and children are showing up on the videos. Click here.

Update on Arizona chopper probe: Back in January one of our readers alerted us to a December incident involving an Arizona chief in charge of a crash scene. Whetstone Chief Peter Bidon has now been cited by the state for unprofessional conduct after waving off a medical chopper that was about to land and ordering one from the company where he worked, 50-miles-away. Read the story.

Houston update – putting them on the record: With all of the controversy surrounding HFD, a blogger thinks it is important to put the mayoral candidates on the record. Check it out.

When texting is a felony: Police in Pennsylvania say a volunteer firefighter passed on information gathered from a scanner to assist a friend who was in the middle of an armed stand-off with police. Read and watch the story.

Military flare behind massive meatpacking plant fire: Remember the 3-day fire at the Patrick Cudahy plant in Wisconsin? Investigators now say it was started by a military flare landing on the roof. The source of the flare is still a mystery. Check out the latest.

More fires in New Castle: Lawrence County, Pennsylvania fire investigators have three more fires in recent days to add to a growing list of set fires. Click here for the latest.

Fire engine overturns in TN: The two firefighters on board were sent for check ups after a Rural/Metro engine in Knox County turned over. Click here for pictures and details.

Winston-Salem second-alarm: No injuries as part of a seniors complex goes up in flames. Read more and see some pictures here.

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

Click here to listen to PGFD Chief Eugene Jones talk about the July 8 incident at Station 821 (starts at 1:58)

See our previous coverage of this story here and here

Within ten-minutes of being confirmed as Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department chief, Eugene Jones said a recent STATter911.com story was wrong. The story involves, Vince Harrison, a man Chief Jones acknowledged in his testimony before the Prince George’s County Council on Tuesday. Harrison is the former volunteer chief at Riverdale (Station 807) and is currently the vice-chairman of the Prince George’s County Fire Commission.

As STATter911.com reported last Friday, Harrison was part of a three-person crew providing volunteer staffing at Station 821 (Oxon Hill) on the evening of July 8. An internal document obtained by STATter911.com indicates the ambulance at the station was placed out-of-service and that Vince Harrison claimed it was because they were only at the station to staff the suppression equipment.

Prince George’s County Fire Commission Vice-Chair Vince Harrison.

When questioned about the incident Chief Jones said, “That’s hearsay, there’s no information that Vince Harrison put out that.”

STATter911.com pointed out to Chief Jones that a former volunteer chief at Oxon Hill, Eddie Hancock, verified the account. Hancock, who was at the station to familiarize Harrison with the operations of Tower 821, said that the fill-in crew was responsible for placing the ambulance out of service.

“That’s incorrect and that was not investigated and it’s unfortunate we don’t know”, Chief Jones said. “We need to look at that. So it’s hearsay and I really can’t speculate.”

Chief Jones’ top aide, Major Derrick Lea, confirmed for STATter911.com last week that the actions of the fill-in crew were not appropriate and that the issue was being “dealt with appropriately at the highest levels of the department”.

When confronted with that information Chief Jones said, “We don’t have an answer because we did not have the people appropriately look at that, but we are examining what happened there.”

STATter911.com has learned the only personnel action taken since July 8 involves the member of Chief Jones command staff who documented the incident. According to numerous sources, a career major has been reassigned after he wrote the details in the log kept by the on-duty major in charge of operations. We have asked a department spokesman about this development, but have not received a response.

STATter911.com has made numerous attempts to contact Vince Harrison. Harrison was not at the council hearing, but sources say he did attend the swearing-in ceremony later in the day.

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

Above is raw video from our interview with PGFD Chief Eugene Jones just a few minutes after his confirmation. Following Chief Jones are interviews with (in order) IAFF Local 1619 President Doug Bartholomew, Public Safety Director Vernon Herron, Prince George’s County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association President Buddy King, Former Chief Jim Estepp (who is also a former council member and public safety director).

Watch 9NEWS NOW 7:00 PM report

Chief Jones calls STATter911.com story “hearsay”

Eugene A. Jones is now the tenth person to hold the title of fire chief of Prince George’s County, Maryland. Chief Jones’ job will likely be tougher than any of his predecessors. It was made evident at his confirmation hearing in front of the Prince George’s County Council on Tuesday.

For the first time, the union representing the career firefighters of Prince George’s County has opposed the appointment of the department’s chief. IAFF Local 1619 President Doug Bartholomew said the position was taken based on the staffing plan implemented by Jones after he took over the department as acting chief in February.

Budget cutbacks, including a drastic reduction in overtime spending, has PGFD rotating the removal of career staff from fire stations. Since July 1 as many as seven stations a day have been targeted. The plan calls for volunteer crews to fill the shifts. While a number of volunteer organizations are providing the staffing, STATter911.com has shown in many cases stations aren’t able to respond to emergency calls.

IAFF Local 1619 President Doug Bartholomew spoke in opposition of Chief Jones.

As the lone person speaking against Chief Jones Bartholomew said, “For a county council and an administration that has been so adamantly opposed to gambling in this county, it’s astonishing to us that we are now willing to gamble with the safety and the lives of the employees and the citizens of this county.”

That line brought applause from the approximately 100 off-duty and retired career firefighters who helped fill the council chamber.

Volunteer firefighters also had a strong showing at the hearing. Four volunteer leaders spoke in favor of Chief Jones. They pointed to his willingness to work with the volunteers to help solve the economic crisis and other department issues. The volunteers had expressed displeasure on many occasions with the administration of the man Chief Jones replaced, Lawrence Sedgwick Jr.

Prince George’s County Fire Commission Chairman John Alter was one of four volunteer leaders to support Chief Jones.

Responding to the snubbing by the union, Chief Jones told STATter911.com that it was not a surprise and called it “perfectly understandable”. Chief Jones said, “These are tough times and a union must advocate for its members.”

But both Jones and his boss Public Safety Director Vernon Herron bristled at the allegations made by the union president. According to Chief Jones, “The citizens have gotten the best service they could under these conditions and they will continue to get the best service.”

Questioned about the daily staff shuffling leaving some stations without personnel, Herron had this exchange with STATter911.com:

Herron: “If there is a call that comes out for that area there is another station that can respond. We haven’t had any incidents where somebody didn’t get service from Prince George’s County Fire and EMS.”

Statter: “Isn’t that just luck?”

Herron: “No it’s not just luck. We have done our homework. We’ve looked to see what the busy stations are and what stations are not so busy. So, we are not out here gambling with the lives of the citizens or our employees like what was previously said. That’s just foolishness. We know exactly what we are doing.”

Prince George’s County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association President Buddy King acknowledged the staffing challenges and that same stations aren’t able to respond. Chief King believes that Jones is the person who will work with the volunteers and the union to solve these issues.

Chief Eugene Jones greets well-wishers.

At a time when the career force is shrinking due to the economic issues, Chief Jones sees growth in the volunteer side. “We have recruited over 500 volunteers to be a part of this system”, Jones said. “We have to now outfit them. We have to give them the physicals. So, we will increase the number of volunteers. You can see the excitement among the volunteers.”

Jim Estepp, a former county chief, public safety director and council member, thinks despite the clear message from the union, Chief Jones will work well with both the volunteer and career forces. Surprised to hear that the number of career firefighters has dropped by almost 15-percent since he was last chief in the 1990s, Estepp believes it is up to the citizens to demand elected officials at the state and local level properly fund public safety.

Chief Jones confirmed the current staffing plan is temporary. Jones and others in the department indicate the next step is to remove the rotating element and permanently remove career staffing from a number of county firehouses. Jones said, “We have 22 stations within a mile and a half of each other. We can’t continue to staff all of those fire stations in the way that we have.”

Asked if that wouldn’t effectively close some firehouses, Chief Jones said, “We don’t close fire stations”. He went on to say, “It will always be staffed with volunteers unless there are no volunteers.”

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

From WBIR-TV:

A Rural/Metro fire truck has rolled off the 8400 block of Thorn Grove Pike while responding to a medical call.

On the scene, Rural/Metro spokesman Larry Wilder said the two firefighters inside the truck had no apparent injuries, but they were being taken to UT Medical Center for evaluation.

Image from WATE-TV

The firefighters in the truck report they were on their way to the medical call when an oncoming vehicle drifted into their lane. In avoiding it, they drifted slightly off the road.

Rural/Metro crews are salvaging whatever firefighting equipment they can off the truck before attempting to get the truck back on its wheels. There’s no estimate of damage done to the truck at this point.

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

According to the Bethel Park VFC website, John Clendenin is the financial secretary for the department. Image from BethelParkVFC.com.

An unusual story out of the Pittsburgh area from KDKA-TV’s Ralph Iannotti:

Two men, including a Bethel Park volunteer fireman, have been arrested following a weekend stand-off.

A spokesman for the Bethel Park Volunteer Fire Department had no comment on Clendenin’s arrest and refused to say anything about Clendenin’s status.

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

A funny thing happened on my way to pick up my son at camp in the Poconos: Thanks to a wrong turn by Mrs. STATter911.com while I was sleeping, an unrelated email from Michael Schwartzberg, and just dumb luck, we ended up at the morning gathering for the Pennsylvania Pump Primers annual get-together just 90-seconds after learning the event even existed. From across the parking lot I immediately spotted one of the first fire engines etched in my memory from childhood (it used to belong to Schwartzberg’s company). So, to top off this series of coincidences, in his haste to get back on the road, the ace reporter misses the story of the day right under his nose. But Firegeezer, probably still cozy in his bed in Virginia gets the scoop. Go figure. Click here.

Fire chief confirmation hearing during difficult times: Heading into today’s confirmation hearing in front of the Prince George’s County Council, PGFD Acting Chief Eugene Jones is not getting the support of IAFF Local 1619. Union officials tell STATter911.com the career firefighters plan to voice their opposition to the appointment of Chief Jones. They cite the staffing plan implemented on July 1 as a major reason for the union’s position. While some volunteers have also been critical of the rotating removal of career staffing, the volunteer leadership appears to be supportive of Chief Jones. Jones has embraced the volunteers in a way that was not done by the previous chief. We should have more later in the day. Our most recent coverage and the ongoing debate in the comments section can be found here.

Owner of historic home says FD provided too little, too late and doesn’t believe their statistics: A man who lost his historic Pomona home during a fire that spread through vegetation on Saturday doesn’t believe what the Los Angeles County Fire Department is telling him. He says it took at least 15 to 20 minutes to get help as opposed to just two. Larry Henry says once firefighters got there “it took them forever to set up”. On top of that Henry is certain there were only half the number of firefighters on the scene that the fire department claims. Read the story.

Yet another problem for Houston: HFD officials confirm that they are investigating another noose incident at a city fire station. This one was reported by white firefighters at Station 78 last week, a day after the graffiti incident at an airport fire station. Read more.

Is it really hazing?: I asked the questions and you have answered. Comments are coming in about the videos from Houston that claim to be of firehouse hazing. Click here to join in on the discussion.

More Houston issues – Fire code violations at furniture store that burned: Our last story about the big fire at Gallery Furniture store had to do with firefighters and the department having ethical issues with thank you gifts offered by “Mattress Mac”, the store’s owner. Now it turns out the store had fire inspection issues. The city refused to give the records to reporters until late last week. Here’s what’s in those records.

East Texas community without ambulance service: If they can get someone to respond, people who live in rural Jefferson County, just 17-miles west of Beaumont, are likely to wait 60 to 90 minutes for an ambulance. Read the details.

Of mice and mold (and asbestos and opossums): Just some of the issues at the Englewood (NJ) Fire Department’s 85-year-old station on William Street. Read a detailed article about all of the problems and the plans for a new building.

Letting the parade pass you by: Now that it’s voluntary, the firefighters from San Diego’s Station 5 are saying no thank you to this weekend’s Pride Parade. A different decision two-years-ago is still being dealt with. Click here for the latest.

The reverse of Spotsylvania’s problem: Yesterday we told you (actually it was Firegeezer) how Spotsylvania County, Virginia was putting in some new restrictions on living at a firehouse. In Aurora, Missouri they have been searching high and low for a volunteer willing to make Station 2 their home. Read more.

Three alarms in Andover, MA: This is from a fire a week ago. Fire reported to have started by lightning. No one was injured. Read more.

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

The video above is not part of the KPRC-TV story, but is another example of the “cinnamon challenge” from a different Houston firehouse. It was posted on YouTube a year ago. Click here and you will see videos of similar activities at other firehouses around the country.

See Firehouse.com coverage

Watch story from KPRC-TV

As I write this, the lead story on Firehouse.com has the headline “Video Shows Apparent Hazing Inside Houston Fire Stations”. It is coverage from Houston’s KPRC-TV of a series of videos provided to the TV station. Three of the four are reported to have been taken at Firehouse 68, one of the busiest stations in Houston (click here to view some of the firefighting activities from that station).

The videos show one firefighter swallowing cinnamon, another trying to stay on a swivel chair powered by compressed air, and two incidents where a bucket of water was dropped on a firefighter from above.

These are relatively mild incidents compared to the type of stuff that used to go on in fire stations. And you could argue they are a bit more tame than the videos that surfaced a year ago from the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department in Prince George’s County.

But are they appropriate and are they really hazing or just some innocent practical jokes?

Those are questions I am not going to answer, but instead will let you provide the commentary.

There are a couple of other things I will point out and a few other questions I will ask you about all of this.

Whatever they are, the videos are not something the Houston Fire Department needs after coming off a week of bad publicity over racial issues. There is no indication of a racial motive with the examples given by the TV station.

Is the sin here, doing these things, or is the sin doing them in front of a camera?

If you decide this isn’t hazing, what about the possibility of someone getting hurt at the firehouse?

For someone who is far removed from spending a lot of time in a firehouse I am curious what role this all his in the modern fire service, if any. If your answer is none, do you think something is lost if you completely rid firehouses of anything that resembles this top of behavior?

So here is your turn to educate me. Just click the comment button below.

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

Bath second-alarm: From Bath, PA on Sunday. The video from NewsWorking.org. Here’s their description – A mattress fire broke out in a bedroom of this two and a half story single-family dwelling at 0940hrs. Bath station 40 responded. Upon arrival, crews reported a working fire. We arrived one hour into the fire and found the house totally gutted with heavy fire still working in the attic. Two firefighters were injured. East Allen, Hectown, Klecknersville, Nazareth and Hanover assisted at the scene. North Penn Goodwill was called in for canteen services.

Update on volunteer fill-in crew refusing to run ambulance calls -Former Oxon Hill chief speaks out about this and related PGFD issues: The former chief of the Oxon Hill VFD, Eddie Hancock, verifies most of a Prince George’s County Fire/Rescue Department career major’s account of an incident last Wednesday. As we first reported on Friday, the log written by the major indicates a volunteer fill-in crew decided to place the ambulance out of service and said they were only there to ride the fire trucks. The crew included Vince Harrison, who is the vice-chairman of the Prince George’s County Fire Commission. Lots of comments on this one. Click here for the original story and here for the follow-up with Eddie Hancock.

Must see video of a close call: Very interesting video from a house fire in New Hanover, North Carolina last week. A chimney collapses after an explosion in the attic. Click here.

The firehouse as home: Not any more in Spostylvania County, Virginia. Firegeezer has a good summary of an interesting article in the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star about firefighters who had been using the local fire station as a permanent, primary residence (something that has gone on for decades in other places). The story also discusses controversial per diem payments. In this case it appears the newspaper is setting policy. All the reporter had to do was ask some questions and new orders came out forcing some people to find new living arrangements. Click here.

Suspect in custody in murder of Houston Fire captain’ daughter: We had mentioned the plea by Capt. Larry Lira for the man accused of killing his daughter to turn himself in. Here’s the latest.

Baltimore County apartment fire: 2-alarms needed in Woodlawn for an apartment building fire. Michael Schwartzberg has the video and the story.

Raw video from Florida warehouse: Lots of video from a sporting goods warehouse in Safety Harbor eight-days-ago. Click here.

Coffee shop with the bottomless cup and the topless waitresses wants to make a comeback: The owner says he doesn’t want a fire that destroyed the Maine business to be the end of his unusual coffee shop. Click here.

Bethel, CT fire: Read more about this fire from Saturday.

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

Read written comment from Eddie Hancock, former Oxon Hill VFD chief

Read our original coverage of this story

On Friday we reported on an incident that occurred last Wednesday as a volunteer crew from the north side of Prince George’s County filled in at Station 821 (Oxon Hill) on the south side. A Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department spokesman confirmed that appropriate action is being taken at the highest levels of PGFD after Ambulance 821 was placed out of service because the volunteer crew did not want to respond on ambulance runs. The allegations were made in an internal department document obtained by STATter911.com.

We now have an update on the story after a conversation this afternoon with the former volunteer chief at Oxon Hill, Eddie Hancock, who witnessed many of the events.

Let’s recap. Career firefighters are being removed from county stations on a rotating basis in an effort to drastically cut back on overtime costs. Since July 1, as many as seven stations at a time are being targeted. Acting County Fire Chief Eugene Jones’ plan relies on volunteer crews to fill in at stations where the career firefighters have been removed.

As we have been reporting, while some stations are able to provide volunteer staffing, many are unable to muster a crew. This effectively leaves that station closed. That has been the case at Station 821 where volunteer participation is low.

On the big details, Eddie Hancock’s version of events is very similar to the log we received that had been written by the career major in charge of operations on July 8. Hancock confirms the ambulance was placed out of service by someone at the station. That it twice had been ordered back in service by Volunteer Major James McClelland. When the ambulance went back in service the volunteer crew left the ambulance in the station and took the tower for a long visit to the other Oxon Hill station in Glassmanor (Station 842).

Where Hancock differs is his role in the events. Eddie Hancock said he had been asked by Oxon Hill VFD Chief Vincent Washington to come to the station during the 6:00 PM hour to go over the operation of Tower 821 with Vince Harrison. Harrison is the former chief of the Riverdale VFD (Station 807) and current co-chairman of the Prince George’s County Fire Commission. Harrison was scheduled to drive the fire equipment as part of a three-person crew that included two members of Bladensburg (Station 809).

According to Hancock, he got to the firehouse just before the arrival of Harrison. Hancock believes someone from the visiting crew placed the ambulance out of service. The first call from McClelland came to Hancock who said he was only there to provide some instructions on the tower and would soon be leaving, heading off to his regular job as a grocery store truck driver working the overnight shift.

Hancock also confirms that after the unit was not placed back in service a second call from McClelland went directly to Harrison. According to Hancock, it was only then that the ambulance was placed back in service. Hancock says a short-time later the three visiting firefighters took Tower 821 to Station 842. With just three people on board, the unit would be considered understaffed under PGFD rules.

Looking at the overall staffing issue, Eddie Hancock, who has been a volunteer at Oxon Hill since the early 1970s, is quite critical of the actions taken by PGFD to cut costs. Hancock said, “The public is being placed in jeopardy by this game of ‘Russian roulette’ “.

Hancock says he is one of only about three volunteers who regularly ride at Station 821 and that the number of volunteers at Station 842 has also been decreasing.

Hancock provided a written explanation, along with his opinions of the events, for our comments section.

Also in our comments section, one writer made reference to an EMS call where a woman died that also occurred in the 6:00 PM hour on July 8 in Station 821′s first-due area. The implication was that this call was impacted by the actions of the fill-in crew at Station 821.

STATter911.com has been aware of that incident since Thursday and has been looking into it with the help of 9NEWS NOW reporter Scott Broom. The first 911 call for the emergency in the 7400 block of Oxon Hill Road was at 6:35 PM. Hancock believes that call happened prior to his and Vince Harrison’s arrival at Station 821.

The information we have been given provides no indication that Ambulance 821 was out of service when that run was dispatched. In fact, Engine 821 and Ambulance 821 were sent on the initial call along with an Engine from Station 832 (Allentown Road) and the medic and ambulance from Station 847 (Silesia).

Both units from Station 821 failed to respond. The best information we have is that the woman was dead on the scene and was not transported. Dispatch records show Engine 832 was the first unit on the scene, coming from about three times the distance as Station 821.

While it is clear the units available for that response was impacted by the removal of career staff at Station 821, so far, no one has provided evidence that shows any actions by the fill-in crew delayed the response.

STATter911.com has been trying since last Thursday to contact Vince Harrison and has also made calls to volunteer leadership in the county for comments about this situation.

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

Click here for Part 2, and Part 3

This is video from a warehouse fire a-week-ago in Safety Harbor, Florida. One firefighter suffered a back injury. Read more and see another video here.

From the AP:

Authorities say a fire destroyed a Tampa Bay warehouse, causing an estimated $1.5 million in damage.

It’s not clear what started the blaze, but state fire officials will continue to investigate.

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

Click here for Part 2, and Part 3

Michael “Firepix 1075” Schwartzberg was on the scene late Friday night of an apartment fire in Woodlawn, Maryland. Below is his account from the Pikesville VFC website:

PVFC crews responded on a 2-alarm apartment fire in Woodlawn (Fire Box 3-15) at 3403 Firelight Lane shortly before midnight on July 10. First arriving BCoFD Engine 3 (Woodlawn career) reported fire through the roof of a 3-story garden-style apartment building. With initial reports of possibly people trapped in the building, firefighters attempted an aggressive interior attack but were driven out due to the intense fire conditions. Command quickly requested a second-alarm as firefighters laid multiple hoselines and set up PVFC Tower 323 for operation. PVFC Engine 321, Squad 322, IV325, and Utility 324 were also on scene.

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

Chimney is in mid-collapse on the right side of the picture. Click the image to watch the video.

This is from a fire on Tuesday morning in New Hanover County, North Carolina. Here is the description that goes with the video:

On July 7th, 2009 New Hanover County Firefighters encountered a backdraft/smoke explosion while fighting a fire in a large two story single family residence. One Lieutenant was injured slightly, but has returned to work.

The pictures below are from WECT-TV’s website. Click here for a few more details.

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

Read information from July 8, 2009 career major’s log

A Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department spokesman tells STATter911.com that what happened at its Station 821 in Oxon Hill on Wednesday should not have occurred and is being “dealt with appropriately” at the “highest levels” of the department. Major Derrick Lea is responding to our questions about the actions of a volunteer fill-in crew who came from other stations around the county to handle emergency calls while career firefighters were detailed elsewhere.

A department document obtained by STATter911.com indicates the crew placed Ambulance 821 out of service saying they only came to Oxon Hill to respond aboard the fire equipment. Sources confirm the information came from the daily log of the department’s career major in charge of operations during Wednesday’s shift.

According to the document, Volunteer Major James McClelland had to twice contact the station to order the ambulance placed back in service. On the first call Major McClelland talked with former Oxon Hill chief, and long-time volunteer, Eddie Hancock.

The second call was to Vince Harrison, the vice-chairman of the Prince George’s County Fire Commission. Harrison was part of the volunteer fill-in crew at Station 821. Harrison is also the former chief of the Riverdale VFD (Station 807).

Lea confirms that Major McClelland had to order the ambulance placed back in service, but could not say how long the unit was unavailable for emergency calls. He confirms that placing the ambulance out of service was not appropriate.

Major Lea also says that because of budget cutbacks that require greater use of volunteer fill-in crews “there are challenges, operational and otherwise that are being aggressively addressed right now”.

Prince George’s County Fire Commission Vice-Chairman Vince Harrison.

Here is an excerpt from the document that describes the exchange between Volunteer Major McClelland and Prince George’s County Fire Commission Vice-Chairman Vince Harrison:

Major McClelland called back to advise that he spoke with Vince Harrison, who stated that Hancock had left and that he was not going to ride the ambulance. When asked why he was there then, Vince told him that he was there to make sure if there was a fire across the street that someone responded so that there were no issue before Fire Chief Jones got confirmed. Major McClelland asked him if that was more important than the heart attack across the street, and order Harrison to place Ambulance 821 back in service.

The log goes on to say that after the ambulance went back in service, the volunteer crew got aboard Tower 821 and went to the other Oxon Hill firehouse in Glassmanor (Station 842), leaving the ambulance behind without staffing.

In an effort to drastically cut overtime spending, the department began a rotating schedule on July 1 that pulls career staffing out of as many as seven stations at a time. While some of the stations are able to muster volunteer crews, other firehouses have been left empty.

STATter911.com began making contact with volunteer leadership in the county on Thursday, provided them with the documents and is awaiting comment about the incident. We have also passed messages on to Vince Harrison and Eddie Hancock asking for comment.

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

All images from WTVD-TV.

Watch live report from the scene from WTVD-TV

Raw chopper video from WTVD-TV

See images from WTVD-TV

Three Raleigh, North Carolina firefighters were hurt when a ladder truck overturned on the way to a call this morning. The accident happened around 11:00 AM in downtown Raleigh. Ladder 4 overturned on South Dawson Street and South Street as the firefighters responded to a report of a house fire.

According to police none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening. Four firefighters were aboard the truck. The Raleigh News & Observer reports the driver was not injured and remained on the scene. Here is an excerpt from the paper’s website:

Police on the scene speculate the driver was trying to make a left on South Street from Dawson Street and did a three-quarter flip into a grassy area off the road. The wreck occurred around 10:50 a.m. about a block away from a downtown fire station.

Ladder 4 operates out of Station 1. Station 1 is at 220 S. Dawson Street, which is actually about four-blocks to the north of the accident scene.

Information from police and comparing chopper pictures with satellite photos indicates the rig was heading south on S. Dawson Street and attempted to make a left turn to head east on W. South Street. The truck ended up on the edge of what appears to be a vacant lot on the southeast corner of the intersection.

Click the image for Google Maps and Street View of the area.

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

Another sign of the times in Prince George’s County: This was the scene at the Allentown Road VFD (Station 832) on Thursday. Career staffing was removed for the 24-hour shift that began at 7:00 AM. Last week, Volunteer Chief Nick Finamore warned PGFD’s Acting Chief Eugene Jones that there would be no volunteers to respond on calls. Major Derrick Lea tells STATter911.com that PGFD does not close stations. He says career personnel are removed and it is expected that volunteers will fill in at those stations. Volunteers are covering the shifts at other stations around the county. A group of volunteers are also helping stations that need staffing. Sources tells us that volunteers at Forestville (Station 823) were surprised to come into the station on Thursday morning and find that it wasn’t staffed. The station was not on the schedule for losing career staff and sources indicate Forestville’s chief was not notified of the last minute change. Major Lea says the PGFD command staff was meeting again with the volunteers to iron out any communications difficulties. Some stations are getting little or no notice of the changes due to a decision by the county to not spend overtime funds to cover for firefighters who call in sick.

Ranting and raving on the radio: For almost nine hours a man with a stolen Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department radio interfered with emergency radio traffic. The transmissions were made throughout the day and evening on Channel 1, the main dispatch channel. We have recordings of some of the transmissions along with more details. Click here.

The man who would normally have to answer our questions about the stolen radio sends rescue pictures from his vacation hideaway: Off-duty and trying to enjoy some distance from the constant hounding coming from our direction, PGFD’s Chief Spokesman Mark Brady interrupted his vacation to take pictures of an ocean rescue. We have those pictures and an email Brady sent to Ocean City, Maryland officials. Check it out.

The aftermath of another rogue radio message and other issues in Houston: The Houston Fire Department has been dealing with bad news for months. From LODDs, serious injuries, a tragic fire truck crash and a series of racially charged incidents. After Tuesday’s discovery of graffiti at an airport fire station and Wednesday’s radio transmission with a racial slur, Mayor Bill White wants a consultant to review the department. Check here for that story.

The mayor says he will personally oversee the investigation into how two female firefighters were treated. Watch the story.

Here’s the raw video from Mayor White’s press conference.

The Chronicle attempted to put all of the Houston City Council members on record about the issues with the fire department. Here are the results.

In addition, a retired female firefighter adds her voice to this story.

Also in Houston – A fire captain asks for help in finding his daughter’s killer: The Houston Fire Department helped set up a press conference to allow Capt. Larry Lira make a plea to the public. He wants the man accused of killing his 23-year-old daughter Michelle to surrender. Click here for that story.

And one more interesting story from Houston – Firefighters have to say no to gifts from “Mattress Mack”: Jim McIngvale, known as “Mattress Mack”, wants to donate TVs and furniture to all of the fire stations that responded to the May fire at his Gallery Furniture store. Due to an open arson investigation and other ethics concerns, the department is saying no to the more than $300,000 worth of items McIngvale planned to donate. There were similar issues during a raffle at a picnic the furniture store owner held for firefighters and their families. Check out the story.

Whistle blower lawsuit from LAFD battalion chief and captain: The two claim they tried to report misconduct in the arson and counter terrorism unit, including at least one false arrest and fabrication of evidence. Both have been put back into the unit after being removed for a period of time. The Los Angeles Times has the story.

Chief Cochran still worried about Atlanta: While some cuts have been restored, Chief Kelvin Cochran is still concerned about budget issues for the Atlanta Fire Department. As he gets ready to head to Washington as U.S. Fire Administrator Chief Cochran believes Atlanta remains vulnerable. Read and watch the interview from WXIA-TV.

Don’t get mad, open fire hydrants: Apparently the reason for two teens opening hydrants and letting them flow in two Texas towns is because one of them was mad with the Blanco Fire Department. Dustin Garrett is a 19-year-old former volunteer. The hydrant prank apparently severely lowered Blancos water supply (one of our readers who saw the first story on this noted in the comments section yesterday the math on how much water and what it cost was a bit off). Here’s the latest.

No ladder trucks in Edison, NJ: The chief says he isn’t worried, but the union president insists it’s a big problem. Both of Edison’s ladder trucks are out of service. Read details.

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

Above, listen to excerpts of some of the radio transmission during the 7:00 PM hour from LiveFireFeeds.com.

Listen to Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department radio

Starting late Thursday morning and lasting through the 8:00 PM hour, Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department’s Channel 1 was tied up by someone using a fire department radio. Major Derrick Lea confirms the identifier from the radio indicates it was stolen. Lea says it is on the list of about eight stolen radios that is kept by the county’s 911 center. He could not say when it had been taken or from where.

A man’s voice has been heard at various times over the nine hour period. The man sang, used profane language and at times asked for a reward for finding the radio. He said he wanted $250 for the radio’s return. At one point he was heard yelling “man down, man down”.

In another transmission the man with the stolen radio said he was on Southern Avenue at Brandywine Street. The two streets are along the Southeast Washington border with Prince George’s County, but do not intersect.

Major Lea said emergency calls were still being dispatched on the channel. The dispatchers mostly ignored the individual after initial attempts to get the man to turn in the radio.

Major Lea says an investigation is underway. Lea declined to do a television interview over concerns that it would bring undo attention to the incident and provoke copycats.

The department did issue this statement Thursday night:

On the morning of July 9, 2009 at approximately 1100 hours, Public Safety Communications began to experience a disruption to the normal flow of radio traffic. A radio, which was identified as lost, began emitting transmissions that are prohibited by FCC regulations. These infractions in no way hindered the dispatch of Emergency Service calls; however, Public Safety Communications takes these incidents seriously and continues to investigate.

Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Chief Eugene Jones expressed his confidence in the ability of the Department to continue operations during this disruption, and he further emphasizes no Emergency Calls will be effected.

While the 911 center can tell which radio is making the transmissions, they are unable to disable it. Prince George’s County still uses an analog UHF radio system. The county is in the process of testing a new 700 mhz digital system that will give dispatchers the capability in the future of locking out such a radio.

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

Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Chief Spokesman Mark Brady, apparently tired of dealing with the daily (sometimes hourly) questions from STATter911.com, escaped to an undisclosed location for some R & R. While taking it easy on the beach at that location (sources tell us it’s Ocean City, Maryland) Mr. Brady found a little drama unfolding in front of him yesterday during the noon hour.

Brady snapped these pictures of the Ocean City Beach Patrol and the Ocean City Fire Department in action after a teen swimmer was injured.

Brady, impressed by what he saw, sent a letter to town officials that describes the incident.

At 12:19 PM, Wednesday, July 8, 2009, the Ocean City Beach Patrol Lifeguard protecting the beach at 142nd Street leaped from his stand and made his way south about 150 feet. He saw a swimmer in distress and without hesitation and in what seemed to be seamless motion, alerted other OCBP of the rescue and was with the injured person within seconds. The initial OCBP personnel reached the teen-aged male still in shallow surf and, assisted by family members brought him from the surf to the sandy beach. After a quick assessment, the OCBP maintained traction to stabilize what was becoming apparent as a possible c-spine injury to the teen. In a remarkable timeline, within 30 seconds, two additional OCBP were on location assisting. Within 2 ½ minutes a Ocean City Fire/EMS Department Paramedic Unit arrived at the top end of 142nd Street with patient contact being made at 3 minutes and 45 seconds of pulling the injured teen from the surf. An OCBP ATV arrived in about 5 minutes. The injured teen was immobilized, packaged and loaded onto the ATV and on the way to the transport unit in 11 minutes of initial contact by OCBP. This was an amazing display of fast actions, professionalism and performance by the public safety team of the Ocean City Beach Patrol and Ocean City Fire/EMS Department. I have included pictures of the rescue for you to use as you please.

From my experience it appeared the injured teen-ager received the best care possible by well trained and extremely talented group of first responders. While the injury to the teen is unfortunate and I wish him the best in his recovery, the rescue effort was nothing short of amazing and certainly a first-class textbook demonstration. Congratulations to all on a job well done.

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

Baltimore County restaurant fire: Video above from Michael “FirePix1075” Schwartzberg of the second-alarm at Suburban House, 911 Reisterstown Road, in Pikesville on Wednesday afternoon. Read his account of the fire here. Click here for an early chopper report and here for a story on some sad patrons of the popular delicatessen.

The FBI now involved in Houston’s incident from Wednesday: This time it was someone on the radio with a racist remark. The chief says the radio system was hijacked for a very brief period of time. Click here for the links.

The two firefighters from Houston’s incident on Tuesday speak out. Watch the raw press conference: The firefighters say they were the targets of the racial and sexual graffiti found in the women’s dormitory of Station 54 at the airport. The women say they are afraid to be with their co-workers. Read the story from the Houston Chronicle. Click here or here to watch and listen to their story.

The raw video from the press conference involving Paula Keyes, Jane Draycott and their attorney can be found here – Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4.

Racial make-up of potential new hires causing problems as Toledo tries to cut overtime: One way to cut overtime expenses and not close firehouses is to hire more firefighters. That’s what the Toledo City Council wants. They mayor says the problem is that the next 11 on the list are all white and it would conflict with a consent decree issued by a judge 20-years-ago. Check out the story.

Fire hydrant prank by teens, including a firefighter, cost city at least $3 million: That’s the water bill alone after the young volunteer and friends hit two Texas cities with their prank. Read the details.

Their response was just a little too quick: Firefighters in Boyle County, Kentucky started noticing a pattern with three young firefighters who were always on the scene before anyone else. The trio, and two others who had connections to the fire department, have been charged in connection with a dozen fires. Read more.

Taking it to the people: That is what is going to happen in Tucson, Arizona in November. On the ballot, a chance for citizens to mandate staffing levels in the police department and response times in the fire department. Called the “Public Safety First Initiative” it would require the city to meet 2004 NFPA standards on response times. Check it out.

Police say chief is apparent suicide victim after embezzlement claims: That’s the story form Bedford County, Virginia and the Hardy VFD. Firegeezer has been on this one and so has VAFireNews.com.

Two big fires in York, Pennsylvania: A busy afternoon in York with simultaneous fires in a scrapyard and a dozen rowhouses. Click here.

Helmet-cam from commercial fire in West Virginia: The Potomac Fire Company in Allegany County, Maryland has the video from Saturday’s fire at a Comcast facility in Keyser. Click here.

Deadline tomorrow: Don’t forget I will be at Firegeezer’s booth and doing a little talk at Firehouse Expo. Click here for the details on this and an October appearance in Fairfax County.

Also, for Firehouse Expo, if you are interested in an Exhibit Floor only pass, that also includes access to the opening ceremony and keynote presentation, register before July 10 using Promo Code 69SFP and it will be free. Click here.

Fire in Gary, Indiana: Here’s an excerpt from the description with this one – GFD was dispatched to a reported still alarm at 27th and Monroe on 7-7-09, on arrival Truck 4 advised of heavy smoke showing. After crews made an interior attack conditions deteriorated prompting an exterior attack with the truck.

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

Houston Chronicle coverage

Watch story from KHOU-TV

From the AP:

Racist comments transmitted on the Houston fire department’s radio frequency Wednesday were made by someone outside the department who hacked into the system, authorities said.

Some community activists have been calling on Boriskie to resign from his post. But Boriskie told reporters Wednesday that his fellow firefighters will have to judge him.

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

Watch video from WJZ-TV

It sounds like Baltimore County crews are getting a three-alarm fire under control at a popular restaurant in Pikesville. The fire is at Suburban House, a delicatessen, at 911 Reisterstown Road.

Only a few people were in the restaurant when the fire broke out and there are no reports of injuries. Busy Reisterstown Road is closed in both directions.

This one hits close to home. Actually my former home. I used to live down the street and spent a lot of time at Suburban House as a teenager. I last visited when we took my dad there for a Father’s Day brunch a few weeks ago.

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

Video from York Daily Record.

WHTM-TV report

WGAL-TV’s coverage

Images from rowhouse fire

Images from scrapyard fire

Excerpts from an article at the York Daily Record website:

Two fires in York have crews squeezed for manpower and clouds of smoke visible for miles.

Crews already had been working on a large trash fire a few blocks away at Consolidated Scrap Resources. That fire was reported just before 2 p.m. on East Princess Street, near Alladin and Girard avenues, according to York County 911.

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

A two-alarm fire around 9:30 Saturday night in a former home used by Comcast cable on N. Main Street in Keyser, West Virginia is considered suspicious. Keyser officials say the fire appeared to have started in two different locations.

The fire knocked out cable service for about a day for some customers. Two firefighters received minor injuries. Jeff Alderton has more details in the Cumberland-Times News.

Pictures from Potomac Fire Company. More pictures at PFC22.com.

The video at the top is from the helmet-cam worn by Assistant Chief Eric Derham of the Potomac Fire Company in Allegany County, Maryland. Below is the account with the video. More details are at the fire company’s website:

2 Alarm Working Commercial Building Fire Main St Keyser, WV Potomac Fire Company Engine Tanker 22. Assistant Chief 22 (Derham) FC II Helmet Camera Footage of the interior. The 22 crew went to the 2nd floor of the building for fire attack and ventilation. The crew encountered heavy gauge wire mesh covering all of the interior windows. Crew members worked to removed the wire and then ventilate the windows on the 2nd floor. The crew came across fire in multiple locations on the 2nd Floor. Fire was in the attic area, 2nd floor rooms, and between floors.

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

Nice pictures: If you are ever looking for hints on how to shoot video of a fire take a look at the clip above. It is from Somerville, Massachusetts. Crisp, clear images as the action fills the frame. Not a lot of panning and zooming. Not sure when it was shot or who the photographer is, but it is one of the nicest videos I have seen in a while.

A fire chief who says no to the mayor often becomes an ex-fire chief: That’s the case in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Chief Donald Barnes was fired by Mayor Earl Leiken on Monday for refusing to find another $250,000 in cuts from his $8.3 million budget. Barnes had been chief since 2002. The Plain Dealer writes -

Leiken said he did not want to cut firefighters because the city had laid off four this year. The mayor said he wanted Barnes to trim management costs.

“We had prolonged discussions, but in the end, he refused to come up with anything,” said Leiken. “We need a chief who can be flexible enough and creative enough to find the best plan.”

In a letter to the mayor last month Chief Barnes wrote, “I just can’t professionally or morally do what you have instructed without jeopardizing the health, safety and welfare of our residents and our firefighters.”

Trouble in Houston: We told you yesterday morning about the press conference being held in Houston following racist and sexist graffiti found in the women’s dormitory at HFD’s Station 54 at Intercontinental Airport. Click here to read the latest. Read and watch the stories here and here.

OSHA will NOT be investigating: The Atlanta Fire Department has been telling reporters OSHA will be handling the probe into the recent parking deck collapse. OSHA says otherwise. From AJC.com-

“OSHA’s mission is to assure the safety and health of America’s working men and women by preventing injuries, illnesses and fatalities,” said Michael Wald, a spokesman for OSHA in Atlanta. “OSHA’s regulations apply only to the employer-employee relationship and not to employer activities that can affect the general public.”

OSHA crews were on scene at the collapsed garage while 300 emergency workers from throughout Georgia searched the garage. OSHA was there to ensure the recovery was done safely, Wald said.

A spokesman for Atlanta Fire said Tuesday that firefighters will not conduct an investigation and did not know who would determine the cause of the collapse.

Neighbors want their fire station back: The holes in the roof of the 107-year-old firehouse let in rain water and pigeon poop. It forced the relocation of Engine 31 a month ago. Now, residents in Baltimore’s Waverly community say they want their fire station on Greenmount Avenue back in operation. The problem is there’s no money in the budget to make that happen. Read the details.

Fire engine hit by explosive device: Sparks were flying and there was a loud boom on Sunday morning as a Gastonia, NC fire engine responded to a call. Most likely it was a large firework that leaving $150 damage to reflective stickers. Here’s the story. You will notice in the comments that not many readers are sympathetic.

Man who climbed the world’s tallest summits had tough time getting out of his bedroom: An interesting house fire story from Phoenix. The multi-million dollar, 7500 square-foot home caught fire early Sunday morning. Owner Michael Marin tells how he grabbed one of his SCUBA tanks as a precaution after he was met with a wall of heat upon opening the bedroom door. Read and watch the story.

Destroyed by Katrina. Delayed by Gustav. Now frustrated by builder: A new fire station in Metairie, LA is near completion, but Jefferson Parish officials are in a dispute with the builder. Read the details.

Water all around, including inside the firehouse: That’s the story from Niagara Falls, NY where the Royal Avenue station is recovering from a June 25 flood. Read the article.

More Heritage Foundation rebuttal: Billy Goldfeder takes another look at the issue of FIRE Grants with some research done by a Massachusetts firefighter. Click here.

Cameras everywhere: This is one of those stories that isn’t fire and EMS related but could have been. If you have been following the story you probably know investigators determined the operator of the Metro train that slammed into another train, killing her and eight others, had her phone in her knapsack where it belonged. Now Metro has dealt with another train operator after a customer’s YouTube video caught him in the act. Click here to see the video and here to read the story. The incident happened on June 5 and was posted on YouTube the same day as the Red Line crash. Now, another video was posted Tuesday evening that claims to show a Metro bus driver with phone in hand.

If you can finish this sentence you might be interested in this story – “You can trust your car to the man ….”: A gasoline pump was given as present to the firefighters of Monroe, Washington. No fuel will be flowing through it and it is on display in the lobby of the fire station with a 1936 Pirsch. Click here for the story.

Firefighting – The Musical: A firefighter on Wisconsin wants to put on a show. Many of the songs are written for his musical about firefighting. Here’s the story.

Deadline near: Don’t forget I will be at Firegeezer’s booth and doing a little talk at Firehouse Expo. Click
here for the details on this and an October appearance in Fairfax County.

Also, for Firehouse Expo, if you are interested in an Exhibit Floor only pass, that also includes access to the opening ceremony and keynote presentation, register before July 10 using Promo Code 69SFP and it will be free. Click here.

An HD fire: Since we mentioned the nicely shot fire at the top of the page, look at this video from the fire at 109 St. Louis Street in Buffalo on Sunday (we previously posted another video and offered this link to the radio traffic). It is a very short clip but watch it in the HD mode and put it on full screen. Not bad.

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

Image from KRIV-TV.

The Houston Fire Department sent out a message to announce a press conference being held at this hour “to address the latest allegations of racism within the ranks of HFD”.

KRIV-TV’s Isiah Carey reports the incident happened at Station 54 this morning.

Here are excerpts from his article:

Sources tell FOX 26 that on the walls of the women’s dormitory and on a bed were scrawled such phrases as “Ni—r Lover,” “Die B—h,” and “Die N—-r.”

Sources also tell FOX 26 that the female firefighters are distraught and blocking the room so that no one came come in and erase the graffiti.

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

Warning signs: The pulling of the career staff from PGFD Station 845 (Marlboro-Croom) was not part of the plan for Monday. A spokesman says sick calls forced the department to add another station to the six that were on the schedule for day work. The redeployments save the county overtime money. We are told by sources that the volunteer leadership put this sign up when it was clear they wouldn’t have a crew until the career staff returned after 3:00 PM. Station 845′s area has had 50-percent of the fatal fires in the county this year, including a double fatal fire on Saturday (two stations with career staffed pulled on Saturday responded fully staffed to that fire with volunteers). We have a report on the Saturday fire and a look at the updated schedule. Click here.

Turns out it was firefighters who were first on the scene of the Disney crash: If you watched and listened closely to that early video of the deadly monorail collision at Disney World I posted on Sunday, you heard one of the first people walking up in civilian clothes referring to an “MCI”. That caught my attention. Now we know the rest of the story. It turns out the two of the people in the video were off-duty firefighters from elsewhere in Florida who jumped in to help out in those first chaotic moments. Read more here.

UPDATE – Atlanta’s chief gets the nod from President Obama: It’s tough being a big city fire chief these days (or even a small city chief). Chief Kelvin Cochran certainly experienced that in Atlanta with cuts that closed fire stations. As we reported early yesterday evening Chief Cochran gets to leave Atlanta to take the job as the U.S. Fire Administrator. Click here for the story.

A note on Chief Cochran’s appointment. While we had this posted from The White House press release at 7:50 last night and other fire service web sites followed with more details, I have yet (at 9:15 AM) to find this story on any of the Atlanta news media websites. Shreveport, where Chief Cochran previously served, has the story up, but the best I can tell it isn’t news in Atlanta. (If I am missing the coverage please let me know.)

Eight years later an arrest in the Southwest Supermarket fire that killed Phoenix Firefighter Bret Tarver: A man was arrested in Texas on Saturday and accused of setting the March 14, 2001 fire. The arrest came following the investigation of an anonymous tip received two-years-ago. Click here to read the story and here to watch it.

Fire engine takes off and plows into people and a car: A nurse trying to help an injured person was trapped for 90 minutes after being run over by the fire engine that had come to assist. The crew says the engine just took off after being put in park. Two other people were hurt in the incident during fire works Saturday at Lake Santee in Indiana. Read and watch the story.

Dispatch delay: In Dixfield, Maine reports that 20-minutes were lost when a cell phone call for a house fire went to the wrong dispatch center. Read and watch the story.

Dispatcher saves family: A Blount County, Tennessee 911 worker got into the burning home next to hers and got everyone up and out. Of course Crystal Greene called 911 first. Click here for the story.

UPDATE – Show me the beef: Firegeezer has extensive coverage of the stubborn fire at a Wisconsin meatpacking plant that began Sunday night. And this morning the Geezer tells us it is still burning.

Patch change leads to hard feelings: The survey showed more than 70-percent of Austin’s firefighters were ready for a new logo. They got what they wanted. Now that some have learned the history of the old patch they have changed their minds. It is up to Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr to, um … patch things up? Check out the story.

Embattled Topeka chief to leave: It has been a while since we have updated you on the bad relationship between Chief Howard Giles and some members of his department. Chief Giles has announced he is saying goodbye in September. Read more.

3-alarm house fire in Pennsylvania: This is from June 25 in South Whitehall Township in Lehigh County. No injuries, but a cat died. More video can be found here. Details are here.