The credit card bills show charges to EHarmony.com, Match.com, Singlesnet.com and True.com. Clearly someone is a little lonely. But is that someone associated with South Carolina’s Honea Path Rescue Squad or did someone else get access to the squad’s card?
The local police chief is investigating and Anderson County’s EMS Advisory Commission is suspending squad funding for now. A squad official says they are being tried by “rumor and innuendo” and gives indication someone without authorization got hold of the card.
More from the AP:
Officials are investigating the use of a South Carolina rescue squad credit card after learning it was used for dating services.
Multiple media outlets reported the Honea Path rescue squad bill was charged for several dating services between Jan. 14 and March 13.
Honea Path Police Chief David King says the department is trying to determine if there was a misuse of public funds. The Honea Path Rescue Squad receives about $25,000 per year from Anderson County.
The Anderson County EMS Advisory Commission voted unanimously Thursday night to recommend that the county withhold funding until an investigation is finished.
King says officials don’t know who had the card at the time. He says the possibility of credit card fraud is also being considered.
What's Missing? Fire service press does what Google couldn't.
Offensive use of fallen firefighter’s picture is removed: Score one for the fire service online community. When I spotted the story by WFTV-TV about the misuse of Volusia County fallen firefighter John Curry’s image on a blog in Australia, I had little doubt that the fire service community would be outraged and attempt to do something about this problem. The original article indicated that Google was unable to provide help without a court order. Firehouse.com soon picked up the story and I alerted Billy Goldfeder, knowing full well that his outrage would turn into a message on The Secret List. One of Billy’s readers noted that the blogger hadn’t uploaded the image but essentially embedded it from FireEngineering.com. That person and Billy were instantly in contact with PennWell. Late yesterday PennWell simply removed the picture from its site where it was being very legitimately used. This automatically removed it from the Australian blog where John Curry’s image had been posted to illustrate an article about a former firefighter who is a sexual predator. STATter911.com readers alerted me late last night and early this morning it was gone. Thank you Bobby Halton and company. Click here to read our original story (interview with Kristen Currry now added) and here for the posting on the Secret List.
Fire Engineering Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Bobby Halton sent in this comment about the removal of the image-
Dave,
We here at Fire Engineering were very upset to learn how inappropriately this link was being used. It did take considerable effort and a few hours to get it done given the way all this electronic gadgetry works however we got it done. I have never seen a more offensive use of photo in my entire career. Thank you for the kind words however we here at fire engineering felt we had a moral obligation to remove this more than anything else.
Your friend, Bobby
UPDATED – Firefighter told to park his SUV elsewhere because of anti-Obama bumper sticker: This may be a slippery slope for the Hartford Fire Department in Connecticut. Deciding what kind of bumper stickers can or can not be on a firefighter’s car when parked on the firehouse property could turn into a full time job and could help keep some lawyers employed. Check out the story and the offending bumper sticker here. Once there scroll down to read the comments where the issue seems to have united some polar opposites on the political spectrum. An interview with Firefighter Mike Di’Giacomo has now been added to the story.
Second time around: Click the image for a series of Zone911.com pictures by Vincent Fradet of the latest wreck of a new quint in Levis, Quebec. This time a crew member was seriously injured as was the driver of the vehicle the rig collided with. It was less than a month ago that the other new E-One overturned.
NEW- Timing is everything: In Canandaigua, New York city officials were discussing plans to cut firefighters and close stations. Around the corner an apartment fire broke out, which itself is around the corner from a fire station. Click here for the story.
Someone admits to withholding autopsy results from NIOSH: Yesterday we told you there were a lot of people saying “not me” as reporters tried to figure out who refused to turn over autopsy reports to NIOSH. NIOSH recently released its investigation into the deaths of two Boston firefighters, but without the documents could not address the widespread media reports the autopsies showed drug and alcohol use. Now the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says it believes it didn’t have the authority to overrule requests from the families not to release the reports. Here’s the update.
More courts – Agility test does not discriminate against women: Lexington City, Tennessee’s requirement that candidates handle a 24-foot ladder is not discrimination, according to an appeals court. Here’s the story.
Another Bourne investigation: Officials in the Massachusetts town have hired a private investigator to try and help sort out the multiple messes. Click here for the update.
Firefighter Mike Di’Giacomo said his SUV is banned from in the firehouse because the bumper stickers he has on it, displays his political views.
Di’Giacomo said he has never run into a problem like this in the 10 years he has been with the department.
The bumper stickers read:
Somewhere in Kenya, a village is missing its idiot
I’ll keep my guns, freedom and money. You keep the change
Obama Bin Lyin. Impeach Now
Di’Giacomo said that because of them, he’s not being treated the same as everyone else in his firehouse. He said, “These are just my political views. It’s freedom of speech as far as I’m concerned. It’s my personal vehicle.”
Di’Giacomo said on Tuesday night, a supervisor told him because of his stickers, he could not park his SUV inside the firehouse anymore.
Parking is allowed inside the firehouse on a first-come, first-served basis.
“He (Di’Giacomo’s supervisor) said that the union, corporation counsel, and downtown were all in agreement that I could not park inside of the firehouse anymore. However, I spoke to the union president this morning and said he was not aware of any such agreement and that I was welcome to come down and file a grievance, which I will do,” Di’Giacomo said.
Channel 3 Eyewitness News asked the fire department about the incident and was told to submit questions to Chief Charles Teale in writing.
Di’Giacomo said no matter what Teale’s explanation is, he will not remove the stickers.
Storage shed with lots of hazards burns in Gary: The call came in as a brush fire yesterday morning. A shed at what appears to be a salvage yard was burning. It apparently had acetylene tanks and a few other things that go boom stored inside. You will see a glimpse of something taking off at 3:38 in the video.
Prepare to be outraged. This is a picture of John Curry, a Florida firefighter who died during a 2007 training accident. His widow wants the operator of a blog from Australia to stop using this picture to illustrate the story of a firefighter child predator. Click the image for the full story.
Not me – Boston officials refute NIOSH claim that autopsy report was denied: We told you that NIOSH says it could not get the autopsy reports for two Boston firefighters who died in a restaurant fire. This is the case where media reports indicate one firefighter was drunk and the other had cocaine in his system. Now some Boston officials are saying they didn’t tell NIOSH no. Click here for the latest.
Cop who handcuffed firefighter is reprimanded: Back in April we told you the story of a confrontation between New Haven Fire Department Lt. Filipe Cordero and Officer Newton Anderson of the police department. Cordero was trying to convince an overdose victim to go to the hospital while Anderson was berating her. It ended with Cordero in handcuffs. The police chief has now counseled the officer. More interesting may be the police internal affairs conclusions about who was in charge of the scene and related issues. Here is the article.
Fire chief accused of assaulting former member: Quentin Fowler used to be a member of West Virginia’s Bradley-Prosperity VFD. Now he’s a member of another department. Fowler claims his former chief came up to him in the parking lot of a local market on Wednesday afternoon and began hitting him. Some of it was caught on video. Click here for the story.
Philly firefighters sue their union: A group of African American firefighters in Philadelphia is suing IAFF Local 22 in federal court accusing the union of being “racially harassing and abusive” to blacks. The suit claims the firefighters have no voice in the union and that the local is being run by a white firefighters organization with the purpose of ending all quota-based hiring practices. Local 22′s president told Philly.com the allegation of the union being racist is “completely not true”. Here’s the complete story.
Color blind firefighter rejected for career service: In Australia a volunteer who has been trying to become a career firefighter is finding that his color blindness is keeping him from living his dream. Here’s the story.
Family blames Baltimore’s mayor for rotating closures: Sheila Dixon is on trial in Baltimore right now. Baltimore’s mayor is also being named by one family as the guilty party behind rotating closures they believe played a role in the loss of a loved one. WBFF-TV has the story.
Neighbors are still complaining about what they see at the Grand View Topless Coffee shop in Vassalboro, Maine. The staff is only part of the problem. The big eyesore is the pile of debris that still sits at the location from the fire in June. But the place is back in business. Here is the latest from the AP:
The Grand View Topless Coffee shop in Vassalboro is back in business.
On Tuesday the town planning board gave Donald Crabtree permission to operate the shop out of an office trailer on his Route 3 property.
The coffee shop reopened Wednesday morning. Crabtree says business is slow, but customers are starting to trickle in.
The opening of the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop last February angered many residents in Vassalboro, a small town outside of Augusta.
Officials continue to investigate the fire that destroyed the shop in June just hours after Crabtree talked with local officials about making the business more like a strip club.
UPDATE- The firefighter’s picture and the story have nothing to do with each other. Efforts by firefighters and FireEngineering.com have since had this image removed from the Australian blog.
Regular STATter911.com readers will likely recognize the man in the picture above. We have run the picture a number of times. He was John Curry, a Volusia County, Florida firefighter who was killed when a tree fell on him during a training accident in 2007.
A blogger in Australia apparently thinks it is okay to use this firefighter’s image to illustrate an unrelated news story that was posted on September 13. Not just any story mind you, but a story about an Australian firefighter who was sent to jail for 20 years after selling naked photos of his daughter and granddaughter.
Kristen Curry told WFTV-TV, “To link such a good man, honorable man, to pornography and rape is just awful.” I doubt there are many people who would disagree with her.
The blog is called Velociraptor on Zebra. It isn’t like the person running the blog doesn’t know that the person in the picture has nothing to do with the news story. The blogger wrote under the picture: “General picture of a fire-fighter not of the man himself. ”
Okay, nice disclaimer, but did you ever think about the person in the photo and how they might feel about their image illustrating a story about a sexual predator? Or in this case, how the relatives and friends of a fallen firefighter might feel?
The name of the person associated with the website is David Harris. If any of you know David Harris, you might want to contact him. Please let Harris know there’s a woman in Florida who is desperately trying to find him. She is also trying to hold on to an image that is dear to her.
If you want just the facts on the Jeffrey Boyle case out of Chicago, just click the image to read and watch WLS-TV's coverage.
My kind of town – columnist takes on judge who granted fire lieutenant/arsonist his pension: Jeffrey Boyle, a former Chicago Fire Department lieutenant, served two years of a six year sentence for a series of arsons. He had entered a guilty plea to eight fires but told investigators there were 20 in all. The Firemen’s Annuity & Benefit Fund of Chicago thought Boyle was a good candidate to have his pension denied. On Friday a judge thought otherwise. Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass, who has closely followed this case, has a special honor for the judge. Boyle’s main argument was that he didn’t set the fires with city equipment or on the department’s dime. Click here.
Super Bowl TV star/firefighter/accused arsonist gets reduced charge: Do you remember the case of the Pittsburgh area volunteer firefighter/college student who set a couch on fire on live TV during last year’s Super Bowl celebration (if you don’t, here it is)? He is now a former firefighter and college student. He also had his charges reduced following completion of a program for first time offenders. Click here to read and watch the update.
Jewish EMS crew claims discrimination over beards: In Baltimore County a discrimination complaint has been filed by volunteer EMS members of Pikesville VFC. All three are Orthodox Jews who say shaving their beards is against their religious beliefs. Watch the story. Read the story.
Autopsy report withheld from NIOSH: A bunch of new NIOSH reports on firefighter fatalities have come out. The one on the Boston Fire Department’s loss of two firefighters at a restaurant fire is not really complete. NIOSH wrote in the report that it was aware of allegations of alcohol and drug use by the fallen firefighters, but its investigators were denied access to the autopsy reports. Click here to read the reports from Boston, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
They are back to rolling up their sleeves in Haverhill: Firegeezer told us about Haverhill, Massachusetts Chief Richard Borden putting a halt to H1N1 shots for his troops last week. The chief said he did so to make sure all of his department could get the shots and was concerned about not being in the loop for the decision making process. These issues that stalled Monday’s shot have apparently all been resolved and the firefighters started getting the shots yesterday. Here’s the latest.
Update on firefighter trapped when garage door came down: Both the local paper and Firefighter Close Calls have the latest on a Hooksett, New Hampshire firefighter who was hurt Monday night during a fire at a firm housing lawn mowers and other garden equipment. A mayday was called by the injured firefighter’s officer after “an overhead door came down as he had just stepped inside the large metal clad building with heavy fire conditions”. Goldfeder says full PPE likely helped save the day on this one.
Mystery odor brings out the troops: The Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service in Maryland found a bunch a people complaining they were sick at a grocery store yesterday afternoon. They blamed it on a smell that suddenly filled the store. Six people went to the hospital and much of the shopping center was shut down for a few hours. Watch the story. See slideshow. Read the story.
FMs shut doors on community arson meeting because of overcrowding: The Seattle Fire Department met with Greenwood residents last night about a series of arsons, but the interest was so high they had to close the doors. A second meeting was held so everyone could hear the details. Who can blame the people for wanting to know more? There have been 14 set fires in their community. Some of the arsons caused significant damage. Read more about the meeting. Read details of the investigation.
The Cabin John Plaza shopping center at Seven Locks Road and Tuckerman Lane is now open after parts of it were evacuated due to a possible hazardous situation this afternoon. Captain Oscar Garcia of Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service says that hazmat investigators have not been able to identify what made people sick inside the Giant food store.
Health officials joined firefighters in investigating the Giant and surrounding stores trying to determine the source of a smell reported by customers and workers.
Click the image for more aerial views of the scene.
The total number of people evaluated by firefighters and medics was 14. Six of them were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening symptoms. This included customers and Giant employees.
Store workers said they believed the problem was a Freon leak. The odor came suddenly and dissipated quickly. Captain Garcia says firefighters found no indication of leaking Freon, natural gas or other hazardous gas.
The fire department turned the store over to the health department. Health officials allowed the Giant to reopen at 4:30 PM about three hours after the incident began.
You may recall this headline and story in the Boston Herald on October 4, 2007 and a similar story in the Boston Globe. It followed the deaths of Firefighter Paul Cahill and Firefighter Warren Payne at an August 29, 2007 fire inside a West Roxbury restaurant. According to the Herald, “Paul J. Cahill, 55, had a blood alcohol level of .27 – more than three times the legal alcohol limit for motorists”. Both papers and other news media reported Payne had an unspecified amount of cocaine in his system.
Now, the NIOSH report into that fire has been released. It does not mention alcohol or illegal drugs. NIOSH makes note that its investigators were not able to access the autopsy report:
Note: There have been media reports of alleged substance abuse that were discovered during the toxicological screening of both victims. NIOSH repeatedly requested a copy of the autopsy reports through the fire department, district attorney’s office, and representatives of the families, but did not receive any toxicology reports; therefore, NIOSH is not able to comment on the alleged condition of the victims.
Helmet-cam and other cameras from Western Maryland house fire: This video is from the Potomac Fire Company in Westernport. It is of a house fire just before 9:00 last Wednesday morning. There is a detailed account along with pictures at the fire company’s website.
Helmet-cams like the one above are under the microscope: Paul Peluso at Firehouse.com looks at what I have long thought is an interesting issue being dealt with by fire departments all over the world. The debate focuses on helmet-cams, but the problems are similar for any picture taking by on-duty personnel. Paul talks with a public safety director who has a law degree. Click here for Paul’s story.
Finally, some details from Bourne. The firefighters' union provides details of what they say were major concerns about Lt. Kelli Weeks' behavior and the failure by Bourne, Massachusetts officials to properly investigate the matter. This picture of Weeks is from a charity calendar. No details yet on the rape charges against Weeks' husband, Deputy Chief Paul Weeks. Click the image for the latest.
The Firehouse.com story mentions the helmet-cam rescue video taken at an apartment fire by Kentland VFD. After Kentland contacted me and 9NEWS NOW ran the story (so did other TV stations), it brought an immediate ban on helmet-cams in Prince George’s County, Maryland (but not a ban on other picture & video taking). That fire occurred on August 8, 2006 and it also brought a sharp rebuke of Kentland and the news media by then PGFD Chief Lawrence Sedgwick Jr. It read in part, “The release of this video and the media coverage demonstrated a lack of compassion and sensitivity for the family of the deceased. These actions are extremely unethical and unprofessional.”
For our previous coverage of the helmet-cam issue click here, here, here, here and here.
A look back to a tragic and chaotic 14-hours: This execution of DC area sniper John Allen Muhammad is scheduled for tonight in Virginia. The region and the nation became aware of this series of killings because of what happened in Montgomery County, Maryland on October 2 and 3, 2003. Five people were shot and killed in separate incidents. 9NEWS NOW executive producer Samara Martin Ewing put together the 911 calls and her 2003 interviews with firefighters and medics. That and more about the snipers can be found here.
Punishment for deputy chief and captain in cheating case: Remember the story we told you about from Papillion, Nebraska where cheating was uncovered in the test for fire department applicants. It is costing Papillion about $25,000 to administer a brand new test. It is also costing two firefighters their rank. While it was previously reported this was an inside job, there is now new information that a deputy chief and a captain have both been busted back to Firefighter I. Read and watch the details.
Tragic situation in Fairfax County, VA: Retired Captain Richard Scott and his wife were found dead in their home in what is believed by police to be a murder-suicide. Neighbors and firefighters say Scott, who retired in 1996, suffered from Alzheimer’s. Click here for the story.
Firefighter trapped & burned during 3-alarm NH building fire: According to Firefighter Close Calls one firefighter was burned and others injured during a fire last night at Mow Town Power Equipment in Hooksett, New Hampshire. The building houses lawn mowers and other garden equipment. Here’s some of the details-
The Firefighter was treated in Manchester and is now being transported to Boston with 2nd and 3rd degree burn related injuries after a garage door came down and trapped him during the fire. The Firefighter was reported to be fully geared up in his PPE and other Firefighters were able to get him out by cutting open the door.
First due at Area 51 (sort of … after Nellis AFB FD): Well they might be if people in unincorporated Rachel, Nevada could solve the dilemma that has cropped up with the June, 2008 donation of a 1986 Pierce pumper. They would like to put it in a county building as the start of a Rachel VFD. But Lincoln County won’t let them use it as long as the fire engine is still in private hands. Quite a problem for the closest habitation to the mysterious Area 51. Read more.
Another fire truck donation story: This one’s a 1918 Mack and is heading for the Sioux City Public Museum. Click here for the story.
Even though convicted killers John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo had been wounding and killing people around the country for at least eight months, it wasn’t until their shooting spree that took the lives of five people on October 2 and 3, 2002 that anyone realized something very unusual was going on. In fact, it wasn’t until midway through that violent 14 hours in Montgomery County, Maryland that this all starting coming together and everyone went on high alert for the next 20 days.
It was a terrifying time in and around the Washington, DC area. It showed how vulnerable we really are. It didn’t take some vast, costly, years in the making plot to strike terror in our hearts and minds. All it took was a beat up car, some fuel, a rifle and a few bullets to alter our way of life and impact how we view our own safety and the safety of our family.
The video above was put together by 9NEWS NOW’s Samara Martin Ewing. On the eve of the scheduled execution, in Virginia, of Muhammad, it shows how firefighters and paramedics with the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service dealt with the killings that put the spotlight on the snipers. It combines interviews Sam conducted in 2003 with 911 recordings and news footage.
Also, I suggest the 2003 book Sniper by Sari Horwitz and Michael Ruane. The two Washington Post reporters provide an inside look at the massive investigation involving federal, state and local law enforcement. I think it is a must read for any of you might some day find themselves involved in a large interagency task force.
Roof operations in Tampa: A smoky restaurant fire at 7212 N. Armenia Avenue on Saturday. This raw video is from Tampa Fire Rescue. Read more here. There is more Tampa news and video below.
Trial for Baltimore mayor starts today: While this is not directly fire service related, Mayor Sheila Dixon has certainly not been a favorite among firefighters. Realistically speaking, even mayors without these criminal problems are having a tough time staying on the good side of city employees in tough budget times. But as you can read in this AP article previewing the trial, Mayor Dixon has had a particularly tough time with her image issues. Some of Dixon’s legal problems stem from allegations she made personal use of holiday gift cards the mayor’s office had asked businesses to donate to the needy. That doesn’t need to be illegal for it to be problematic. And as reporter Ben Nuckols writes it is just one in a series of similar public image problems Sheila Dixon has inflicted on herself.
New York’s Unified Call Taking system cited for dispatch error in deadly Queens fire: The wrong address was put into the computer for the triple fatal in Woodside on Saturday. Firefighters union officials point out the delay and are again pointing fingers at the Unified Call Taking system which has police dispatchers taking fire information from 911 callers. The New York Times has the story.
With a fire station that is only open one week per month what could be next for Gilroy, California?: Gilroy’s Sunrise Fire Station is being shut down three weeks a month to save money (that’s what the article says). Now a council member has an idea how to save even more money. He wants the union to give up minimum staffing of 4 on engines at its two other stations. Read more. The city’s document on the brownouts (or if the newspaper is correct, near blackout) doesn’t indicate the fire station will be closed that often. Here it is.
Tampa Fire Rescue image of crews trying to rescue worker overcome by fumes aboard a Coast Guard ship in drydock. Click the image for the raw video and the details.
Chief & wife at center of tragedy are now in the middle of a potential scandal: It has only been a month since Danny & Stephanie Clark were the first help to arrive at a vehicle wreck just south of Cashion, Oklahoma. They found their daughter dead and six of her friends injured. Now, Danny Clark, Cashion’s fire chief and director of emergency management, and Stephanie Clark, the town’s clerk and treasurer, have been placed on administrative leave with pay. The mayor says they are being investigated for “questionable financial practices”. In that town they aren’t alone with these kind of troubles. Read more.
A little must see video in the what goes up, must come down department: In this case it is the way you come down. A new high-rise rescue rig was very publicly demonstrated recently in Spain and it appears it is not ready for prime time. We also have two companion videos. Click here.
More must see video from the what goes up department: In case, like me, you missed the story of the medical chopper hitting the power line in Iowa, click here for the before, during and after video. All were okay.
Lots of rescues at Massachusetts 5th-alarm: Firegeezer is all over a fire that destroyed a four-story apartment building in Greenfield, MA. Click here.
Fireground audio illustrates some of the drama from a fatal 3-alarm fire: People waiting at windows ready to jump and water supply issues are evident on the audio from last Monday’s midday fire in Jacksonville, Florida. One of the water problems came from a citizen’s car running over and disrupting a 5-inch supply line. Check it out.
Another all-hazards department. You too can be a FF/Herpetologist: In one town in India the firefighters are getting snake catching lessons because of a rise in the snake population. Not me. That’s where I would be telling them what they could do with that snakes and their lessons. Click here for the details.
Maybe they needed to call a pachydermatologist: Instead they called 911 in Enid, Oklahoma when an SUV collided with an elephant. The plight of that elephant is truly a serious matter that previously caught the attention of federal authorities and likely will again. While that part has little to do with the fire service (other than having to respond to another escape by poor Kamba), there is the interesting 911 call and, in my opinion, an enlightening discussion in our comments section. That’s where a somewhat naive question by Firehouse Zen‘s Mick Mayers forces me to respectfully provide the chief with an anatomy lesson and a fire service reality check. Just trust me. You don’t want to miss this one. Our coverage begins right here.
Pranks for the memories: The Fire Critic (which, by the way, is a term I could use to describe most of the firefighters I know) seems to like the two videos I posted here of firehouse pranks. Rhett has a much more extensive collection of such videos that you can find here and here (my personal favorite).
CO leak at church: Saturday, people started feeling sick at St. Bernard Church in Prince George’s County, MD. Responding crews soon found CO levels at 1300 ppm. Click here.
More from Gary: This was an occupied house that apparently had a natural gas explosion Saturday night. There was a report of people trapped initially. No one was injured. Much of the rear of the home was destroyed by the blast.
Two men working inside the hull of a dry docked Coast Guard ship are safe tonight after firefighters say they were overcome by fumes while cleaning a water tank on board.
Image from Tampa Fire Rescue
HAZMAT crews arrived to the scene at Riverhawk Marine off Tyson Avenue in South Tampa. The company builds and refurbishes marine vessels, many used by the military, according to the company’s owner.
Two workers were initially overcome but rescue crews say one was able to make it out on his own, while the other remained inside, possibly disoriented and unable to escape.
Tampa Fire HAZMAT crews pumped fresh air inside the ship’s hull as firefighters prepared to crawl inside the narrow water tank where the worker was trapped. The man was eventually rescued and taken to Tampa General Hospital, conscious and alert.
The owner of the company believes at least one of the workers may have taken off his breathing apparatus while cleaning, allowing him to breath in the fumes. Firefighters say if the worker had been exposed to the chemicals longer, the situation could have become life threatening.
No one was injured when a medical helicopter hit a power line while lifting off from the scene of an accident in Council Bluffs.
Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker says the helicopter was called to help a man who had fallen off a ladder Wednesday evening.
Danker says the accident happened when the Life Net helicopter was taking off to transport the man to Creighton University Hospital in Omaha.
Danker says the chopper’s tail rotor clipped a power line owned by Mid-American Energy. That caused a loud pop and a blue flame, and sparks from the power line caused a small brush fire.
The chopper landed safely but sustained some damage.
Danker says an ambulance took the fall victim to the hospital.
Click the image for the Google Map Street View of the area.
Prince George’s County firefighters and medics have been on the scene of a carbon monoxide emergency at a church since about 6:30 this evening. The location is Saint Bernard Catholic Church in the Riverdale Park area.
In a press release, PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady said that the original call was for a person feeling faint and dizzy. When the first EMS unit arrived other reported similar symptoms.
Here’s more from Brady’s press release sent just before 8:00 PM:
Additional Firefighters and the Departments Hazardous Materials Team, Mass-Casualty Support Unit and Mobile Ambulance Bus were called to the scene to assist. One person reported that work on the church’s boiler had been performed earlier in the day. A gas meter detecting the level of CO in the atmosphere showed levels at 1300. A normal CO level should be around 0 – 30 parts per million (ppm). The building was evacuated and the utilities were shut off. CO levels have started to decrease.
At this point 3 patients have been transported to area hospitals, an adult female and two children, both around 10 years of age. As many as 10 additional patients are receiving oxygen, being monitored by paramedics on the scene and are being prepared for transport on-board the Departments Mobile Ambulance Bus.
Google Maps Street View of fire building. Click the image for the tour.
We first brought you this video on Wednesday of Monday’s midday apartment fire in Jacksonville, Flordia. IAFF Local 122 has now added fireground audio to the video.
A woman was found dead in the unit where the fire started. A number of people were hanging from windows when the first firefighters arrived.
One firefighter and two residents were treated for minor injuries.
On the fireground audio you will hear some water supply issues. They include a lengthy lay to a hydrant early on in the operation and a 5-inch supply line that was busted by a citizen’s car.
There are only seven employees in the town of Cashion, Oklahoma. From the two videos above it is starting to sound like the town should be called ”Cashion carry”.
Liz Hurtensen is one of the locals interviewed about the latest news. She has some experience with scandals like this. Hurtensen used to work for the town until she got into her own trouble and freely admits to KSBI-TV that she is paying restitution to Cashion.
KWTV-TV image of Cashion Fire Chief Danny Clark
Then there is the former police chief who was recently charged with conspiracy and fraudulent training certification.
And now, in an apparently unrelated probe, Cashion’s fire chief/emergency management director and clerk/treasurer are on paid administrative leave for what the mayor calls “questionable financial practices”.
The chief, Danny Clark, and the treasurer, Stephanie Clark, happen to be married. You may recall their names (we did, but it appears the local news folks didn’t).
It was one month ago that we told you about a tragic situation the Clarks were involved in. According to news reports, the couple was the first to respond and arrive on the scene of a motor vehicle collision south of town just before 4:00 AM on Sunday October 4. An SUV carrying seven teenagers had run into a tree. A 16-year-old girl was dead on the scene. She was Kalee Jo Clark, Danny and Stephanie Clark’s daughter.
I am gathering KWTV-TV reporter Dave Jordan, who appears to be an excellent reporter (he broke the Oklahoma trooper – paramedic scuffle story) and explains this one nicely, was unaware of the previous story involving the Clarks. Jordan did report, “When NEWS 9 went to the Clark’s home, no one was there. Signs of love and support from a local church were displayed in their front window.”
One has to wonder if those signs could possible be referring to the loss of the Clark’s daughter.
Back to the drawing board on this invention from San Sebastian, Spain. The video says the demonstration was on Wednesday. The 39-year-old man who rode it down suffered injuries to both legs.
Above is an older video from Russia of what appears to be another escape device. The results were likely much more serious.
Their slogan is “Count on us, we will let you down”. Above is a promo video for the company High-Rise Escape Systems that is apparently more successful in this arena.
“What elephant? I don’t see no elephant.” That was a line from Jimmy Durante (ask your parents, grandparents or Firegeezer). Luckily Bill Carpenter did see the elephant and swerved while driving with his wife on a road in Enid, Oklahoma.
Carpenter believes if it had been a direct hit they would have been a goner with 4500 pounds of elephant coming through the windshield. Instead it was a glancing blow that cracked the animal’s tusk as it ripped through the side of the SUV.
Imagine you are on the receiving end of the 911 call and hear that someone has just hit an elephant with their vehicle on U.S. 81.
The elephant is Kamba, who escaped from a traveling circus that had come to town. Since the Carpenters are okay, the serious side of all this comes from In Defense of Animals which believes the circus life has not been good to Kamba and cites a previous escape during a tornado in Kansas.
Let me be the first to admit there is absolutely no redeeming social value in running these two videos. But here they are anyway. Not much information with either of the videos.
UPDATE- A press conference at 2:20 PM with Orlando officials confirms the gunman has been apprehended. One person is confirmed dead. Five others wounded and one person transported with medical issues.
A gunman opened fire Friday in the offices of an engineering firm where he was let go more than two years ago.
At least six people were hurt and police are not confirming earlier reports that two were killed. Police were searching for a gunman in a sport utility vehicle.
From FloridaToday.com
People streamed out of the 16-story Legion Place office building around lunchtime and some told local television stations they had barricaded themselves inside their offices.
Orlando Fire Department District Chief Michael Droege said an unknown number of people were still in the building and could be injured. He said the SWAT team was trying to pull people out.
“The building is not secure now,” he said. “It’s still unfolding.”
Orlando police spokeswoman Barbara Jones identified the gunman as Jason Rodriguez, 40, and said he might be in a 2002 silver Nissan SUV with license plate D119UX. She said he used to work at the building but did not say where or when he left.
“I would consider him armed and dangerous,” Jones said. She said at least five people were taken to a hospital and another had chest pains but did not go to the hospital. Orlando Regional Medical Center said four people were being treated in the emergency department.
From FloridaToday.com
She confirmed witnesses told police the shooting started at Reynolds Smith & Hill, a transportation engineering consulting firm in the building.
Company spokesman Mike Bernof told CNN all the people shot were in the firm’s office. He could not say if any died.
Rodriguez, an engineer, was released in June 2007 for performance issues, Bernof said. He could not say why. The firm performs transportation engineering work with the Florida Department of Transportation.
Gerry Gilgo, who works on the floor where the shooting occurred, told The Associated Press she was meeting a co-worker at the elevators for lunch.
“She yelled, ‘There are gunshots! There are gunshots! Get back in your office,’” Gilgo said.
Will Halpern, an attorney works on the building’s 17th floor, was among the last group to be evacuated. He said the lobby was filled with about 20 officers in SWAT gear, carrying assault weapons, ready to search.
Interstate 4 was closed in both directions through downtown and nearby schools were locked down.
Rows of ambulances lined up outside the building as police snipers took up positions around the building and officers on foot and horseback searched the area.
Orlando police are asking that anyone with family who works at Reynolds, Smith & Hills to go to College Park Baptist Church, located at 1914 Edgewater Drive, so they can speak with them.
Mug shots of Jerry Engle (l) and James Martinez provided by PGFD.
“When you are the best fireman in the county and you come from Kentland, I mean, yeah, everyone’s going to try to knock you off the pedestal.”: The words of Probie Days author Jerry Engle, talking with STATter911.com in May. That interview came just a day after a raid by fire investigators of the Riverdale VFD and the home where Engle was living. Engle is now in the Prince George’s County jail on arson charges (a return visit for Engle who there on unrelated charges in July). Engle was indicted Thursday along with James Martinez, a career firefighter in Montgomery County. Both men were members of Riverdale in March, 2008 when a vacant house was set on fire down the street from the Riverdale VFD. Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey and PGFD Chief Eugene Jones say the investigation is still active with more arrests possible. Sources indicate the investigators are looking at a list of fires that includes more than just homes and apartments that were vacant. We have updated our coverage from yesterday adding an official statement from Riverdale VFD , the press release from PGFD and more. Click here.
Volunteer recruitment in “rural” Prince George’s County is down: I use the word “rural” in quotes because the Route 381 corridor in the southern part of the county isn’t quite as rural as it used to be and that appears to be the problem. Despite PGFD touting recent records on volunteer recruitment, the fire companies in this part of the county point to declining numbers of firefighters. Zoe Tillman at Gazette.net has the story.
$20 to kill a firefighter: That’s the sad truth from Detroit where it has surfaced that the man accused of starting the fire that killed Firefighter Walt Harris was paid $20 to burn down the home. Read the details.
Geezer cranking them out: Firegeezer Bill and his partner FossilMedic Mike had a very productive Thursday. Lots of good stories. Click and scroll. I particularly liked the pictures of the two derailments at the same bridge.
Sleeping dispatcher update from Ohio: We told you recently about the Warren County 911 director who resigned in the controversy of a dispatcher who may have been dozing as a call came in that was a key to a high profile murder case. The call taker’s discipline and more details have now been revealed. Read the story.
Dispute over how to pay OT settlement: We have been following the story from Louisville on the recent settlement of a 9-year dispute over firefighters overtime. Now questions are being raised over how the city will pay out the almost $45 million in back pay. Read the story.
Inside the Command Post: It has been a while since we have checked in with this continuing series of videos from San Bernardino, California
A volunteer firefighter who told fire investigators earlier this year about a firefighter arson ring operating in Prince George’s County has been indicted on charges he set fire to a vacant Riverdale Park, Maryland home. Forty-six-year-old Jerry Engle is accused of breaking into the home at 5413 Riverdale Road on March 17, 2008 and setting it on fire. At the time Engle was a member of the Riverdale Volunteer Fire Department.
5413 Riverdale Road on March 17, 2008 from the Riverdale VFD website.
Charged with Engle is 24-year-old James Martinez. Martinez was also a member of Riverdale VFD and is a career firefighter in Montgomery County, Maryland. Both Martinez and Engle responded to the early morning house fire as part of the firefighting crew from Riverdale.
On April 21, 2009 STATter911.com first broke the news about the investigation of a firefighter arson ring in Prince George’s County. At the time a handful of volunteer members at Riverdale had been suspended.
Sources confirmed that Jerry Engle provided information about firefighter arsons to Prince George’s County fire investigators. Engle made the accusations after he was investigated for stealing firefighting equipment from the Riverdale station. At the time Engle, who has been associated with at least four volunteer companies in the county, was riding with the neighboring Riverdale Heights station.
On May 5 Engle gave an extensive interview to STATter911.com about his actions in the hours prior to the fire on Riverdale Road and other related topics. The tape of that interview was subpoenaed by fire investigators.
Engle told STATter911.com he watched as three firefighters set the vacant house on fire. According to Engle, he left an anonymous letter for the chief and president of the Riverdale Volunteer Fire Department alerting them to this serious problem. Engle says no actions were taken.
Engle claims the episode began when he drove the fire engine to check out a report of smoke in the area during the overnight hours. According to Engle, he waited inside the cab of the engine as the three other firefighters on board walked toward the home carrying road flares. Thinking that was odd, Engle says he followed the firefighters and saw them using the flares to ignite debris inside the house. Engle claimed that James Martinez was part of the crew on the fire engine that morning.
According to Engle, he drove the fire engine with the crew back to the Riverdale firehouse a few blocks away. Once there, Engle says two firefighters then left the fire station with a gasoline can. A short time later the call was dispatched for a house fire at 5413 Riverdale Road.
Jerry Engle in July, 2008.
Jerry Engle contacted STATter911.com immediately after a May 4 raid at the Riverdale Volunteer Fire Department. Fire investigators served a search warrant looking for evidence of an arson ring. Engle said at the time a warrant was also served at the Bowie area home where he was living.
Jerry Engle denied being involved in the Riverdale Road fire or setting any other fires, but admitted investigators have questioned him extensively about the arsons. Engle told us he wanted the investigators to administer a polygraph examination to prove his innocence. It is not known if that ever happened.
Engle believes the investigators were already looking at the possibility firefighters were involved in a string of arsons when he provided the information about the Riverdale fire.
According to area fire department websites the same house also burned two days earlier in the early morning hours of March 15, 2008 and possibly in the evening hours of March 16, 2007.
At about 0545 hours, a citizen heading to work called the station stating he smelled what seem to be mulch burning in the area of Tanglewood Drive and Riverdale Road. He added that he did not see any smoke or fire in the area. The station notified Public Safety Communications (PSC) and responded to the location with E807 staffed with 8 volunteers. After arriving in the area and finding nothing the crew returned to the station.
As they were heading back to bed, PSC alerted the station for a reported house on fire at Kenilworth Avenue and Riverdale Road at 0621 hours. E807 went on scene at 5413 Riverdale Road with fire and heavy smoke coming from the 3 story vacant structure.
Above, Jerry Engle in happier times at the Kentland VFD. This is part of the video that surfaced in July, 2008 of apparent hazing and the shooting of illegal fireworks inside the Kentland firehouse. Engle can be seen using his body as a launching pad for bottle rockets. Click here, here and here to read more about this episode. Click here to watch our interview with Engle about the videos.
Engle has long been a controversial figure in the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department. He wrote a book called Probie Days about Engle’s many years with the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department, one of the busiest volunteer fire companies in the world.
Last year, videos surfaced of Engle’s time at Kentland. It showed firefighters apparently hazing a new firefighter and shooting off illegal fireworks inside the station. Engle was seen using his body as a launching pad for a bottle rocket.
In May, Engle was driving a red Volkswagen adorned with numerous pieces of small fire equipment, including nozzles and axes. Many firefighters who have seen the vehicle questioned how Engle got the equipment. Engle said in his interview none of the items were stolen, but they are surplus equipment he was allowed to take from the various stations where he was a volunteer.
Engle admits his departures from the volunteer fire departments at Kentland, Riverdale and Bladensburg each involved controversy. Engle was suspended from the Riverdale Heights Volunteer Fire Department in March following the accusations that he stole items while his company was transferred to the Riverdale station. Engle says the nozzle and nozzle bale he took were his own that he had left behind after parting ways with Riverdale VFD last year.
Back in May Engle said he was told by a top official in the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department that he is now permanently barred from being a firefighter in the county.
The Riverdale VFD has issued a statement indicating both Engle and Martinez had been dismissed for “unrelated reasons” prior to Riverdale officials becoming aware of the investigation (Engle rode at both Bladensburg VFD and Riverdale Heights VFD after leaving Riverdale). Here is an excerpt from the statement:
These indictments should in no way reflect on the sincere dedication that the majority of volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel put forth each and every day protecting life and property. The Riverdale Fire Department and the many other volunteer departments continue to provide a professional and competent volunteer force answering the majority of fire and EMS service calls during nights, weekends, and holidays due to the County’s budgetary constraints.
Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service officials tell us Firefighter Martinez remains on administrative leave with pay as he has since late April.
Jerry Engle faces the possibility of 51-years in prison on charges of second degree arson, burglary, conspiracy to commit second degree arson, burning with intent to defraud and malicious burning.
The same charges were filed against James Martinez along with making a false report. He faces up to 54-years in prison.
Mug shot of Jerry Engle from the Prince George's County Department of Corrections
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