Baltimore County house fire: I was in the Chestnut Ridge area Sunday, but a little too early in the day to take in this fire on Nancy Lee Court (it would have also been bad form to leave my parent’s 60th anniversary party). Michael “FirePix1075″ Schwartzberg was there and took this video. You can click here to see Michael’s still images and read his account.
Pranks put three jobs in jeopardy: STATter911.com learned yesterday that three career firefighters in Loudoun County, Virginia are suspended as internal and criminal investigations continue into two unrelated incidents that apparently were meant as pranks. In the first, on December 4, officials confirm there are allegations that two white firefighters put a noose in the car of a black firefighter. In the second, some horseplay on the phone resulted in what someone thought was a bomb threat and caused the partial evacuation of a fire house. Read and watch the story.
Guess who drew the short straw? The rookie, of course. Nathan Williams, one of the newest firefighters in San Luis Obispo, California was sent in to shut the water after a hydrant problem. Click the image by The Tribune's Jack Hindmarsh for more details and pictures.
Woman who is former FDNY lawyer is in the running to be next commissioner: A lot of talk in New York about Mylan L. Denerstein. Denerstein used to be the FDNY’s deputy fire commissioner of legal affairs and is now on the short list to be the next commissioner. Read all about it here and here.
Are background checks and psychological evaluations worth it?: That question is being asked in Maine which has had some recent bad headlines because of firefighters accused of arson. The discussion is over the cost in dollars for the return and the cost in losing firefighter candidates who might not want to go through the process. Read more.
Fire chief and township manager will not be punished for keeping sex offender on department: An interesting story from Plainfield Township, Michigan. City officials decided not to take any action against the chief and manager after an on-call lieutenant was arrested. The two men knew that Jeffrey Hawkins was a registered sex offender. It came to light when Hawkins was charged a month ago with soliciting sex with minors online. Read more.
Video of EMS actions inside liquor store prompts investigation: In Atlanta, an investigation is underway after a TV station showed surveillance video from inside a liguor store to fire department officials. The question is whether the first responders properly evaluated a man who was shot, before declaring him dead. Here is the latest story. Here is the original story and video. More from AJC.com.
Two white career firefighters in Loudoun County, Virginia are suspended with pay after a noose was found in the car of a black firefighter. Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management Chief Joseph Pozzo, while not providing details, confirms an investigation is ongoing. In an email to STATter911.com Chief Pozzo wrote, “When the Department learned of the allegation we took immediate action. . Employees under investigation are not currently assigned to any public duties.”
Sources familiar with the investigation, but not authorized to speak for the department, confirm the incident occurred the first week of December at the Station 5 in Hamilton. According to the sources, the two firefighters, one of them a rookie, put the noose in the car of their fellow firefighter. The black firefighter discovered it and brought it into the station. The sources tell us that the firefighter who was the victim was not happy, but did not pursue a complaint involving the incident. We are told the lieutenant of the station became aware of the noose and reported it to his superiors.
The two firefighters, now under suspension, face the possibility of losing their jobs. They are currently on administrative leave with pay.
A third career firefighter in Loudoun County is suspended in an unrelated incident that occurred a few days later. A call came into Station 6 in Ashburn on December 6 that was perceived as a bomb threat. According to sources the phone call was traced to Station 2 in Purcellville. A career firefighter from Purcellville who had apparently been involved in some prank phone calls back and forth between the two fire stations is under investigation.
Chief Pozzo replied responded to STATter911.com’s questions about this incident via email:
LCFR did receive an allegation that what you have described occurred. As with the other incident when the Department learned of the allegation we took immediate action. This matter is also currently under investigation. The employee under investigation is not currently assigned to any public duties. As the matter is under investigation I cannot comment any further.
Off-duty firefighter makes rescue at Chicago high-rise: Fifteen months on the job, Jason Durbin was working part time at an ambulance company on Sunday afternoon when he spotted the fire at Bryant House on Chicago’s North Side. Durbin says he climbed 28 flights to find a burned woman on a hallway floor. The firefighter carried her down. Click here to read more about the fire.
Statter blew the story of the Florida chief still on the DC payroll: Back during the second week of June, STATter911.com received a couple of tips that DC Fire & EMS Department Chief Kenneth Ellerbe was days away from being named as the new chief of the fire department in Sarasota County, Florida. That proved accurate when the announcement was made on June 17. The other part of that tip included information that Chief Ellerbe, at age 49, was about a year short on qualifying for a benefit that would allow him to start receiving his retirement pay at age 50 instead of 55. A significant amount of money (now reported at about $600,000) would be left on the table. Our tipsters told us that a deal was in the works to help out Chief Ellerbe in this matter. We contacted the administration of Chief Dennis Rubin to confirm such a deal was happening. We were told emphatically and on the record by department officials that there was no deal and there wouldn’t be one on Chief Ellerbe’s retirement. Well, shame on STATter911.com for not following-up on that story. As David C. Lipscomb reports in The Washington Time today, Chief Ellerbe is still an employee of the DC Fire & EMS Department while still serving as Sarasota County’s chief. Chief Ellerbe is officially on “leave without pay” until his birthday in April. Department PIO Pete Piringer (not on staff when our initial calls were made) tells Lipscomb, ”He had the years [of service] but not the age. They’re waiting for him to get to 50.” Here’s the story.
One fire engine and one firefighter apparently not enough for this house fire: In Millville, California a woman is is asking for changes after it took about 15-minutes for the first engine to arrive after her home caught fire in October. That engine showed up driver-only and three of the woman’s neighbors (two former and one current Cal Fire employees) handled the hoses. Read more.
Off-duty firefighter shot during apparent road-rage incident: A Milton, Massachusetts firefighter and his girlfriend were driving through Quincy when there was a reported confrontation with the driver of another car. The word is that the driver of a sports car kept hitting the brakes while in front of Firefighter Joseph Fasano’s car. Police say the two men got out of their cars and into a confrontation where Fasano was shot once in the abdomen. Read and watch the story.
State association is rallying around union president suspended over speaking out: The New York State Professional Firefighters Association wants firefighters from around the state to show up at the Johnson City Village Board meeting on Tuesday. They are protesting the suspension without pay of Captain Marty Meaney. Meaney is charged by the mayor with insubordination in comments to the press and at a public meeting. Here the latest. Here’s the earlier coverage with the charging documents.
Wife’s free spending causes hazmat: A woman in Rockland, Massachusetts was trying to hide her spending from her husband. She just didn’t let her daughter in on the plan. The confusion brought a hazmat response to the daughter’s home. Click here for an explanation.
Cumberland union still in a battle over reorganization: In Western Maryland, Cumberland officials are having to deal with the union to change the make up of the fire department. While the idea of going to a volunteer force seems dead, there are still serious issues, including bumping lieutenants back to fire engineers. Click here for the latest.
Normally we don’t see the public focusing on roof operations when they have cameras in hand during a fire. This neighbor, Lee Brenner (Twitter.com/deepdishpol), has a video that covers only the rooftop. That’s because it is shot from Brenner’s roof a block away. The house fire was yesterday near 13th Street and S Street, NW. Below is Part 1 of the video.
A village trustee who serves on the public safety fire committee is upset Mayor Dennis Hannon didn’t discuss the 30-day suspension of Fire Capt. Marty Meaney with him.
“Typically, you would think a board, a governing body, would all be aware of what’s going on,” said Johnson City Trustee Bruce King. “(Meaney) could lose his job over it.”
Meaney, who is president of Johnson City Professional Firefighters Local 921, received a letter dated Dec. 2, and signed by Hannon, explaining he was being suspended for 30 days without pay, or until a ruling is made by a hearing officer on four charges alleging “misconduct.” Fire Chief Stephen Hrustich was listed as having received a copy of the letter.
King said the first time he heard about the charges against Meaney was when they were posted on pressconnects.com earlier this week.
Mayor Dennis Hannon said, no offense to King, but “I don’t need Trustee King’s permission to take a personnel action.”
“Under village law, the mayor is supervisor of all village employees,” said Hannon, who served as a former village police chief.
Generally, he said disciplinary matters are handled by a department head with the mayor’s oversight.
According to Article 16.1 of the “Rules and Regulations for the Government of the Fire Department,” which were adopted by the village in July 1996, charges against any member of the fire department below the rank of chief “will be prepared by the chief of fire and will be immediately forwarded to the governing body. Such charges will be in writing and signed by the chief of fire.”
It also states: “In the event that the Mayor or any board member prefers charges against any department member, the mayor or board member preferring the charges will not vote in any hearing on the charges.”
Recent suspensions of firefighters have been handled in a variety of ways.
Earlier this year, under former Mayor Harry Lewis, two firefighters were suspended with a board of trustees’ vote on the issue at a public meeting. The board, however, did not name the firefighters.
In 2008, former Johnson City Fire Chief Henry Michalovic was suspended for 30 days after Hannon publicly accused an unnamed “high-ranking official” of receiving more than $10,000 he was not entitled to. At the time, Lewis suspended Michalovic, who later retired.
In yet another case, in 2007, Michalovic handled the suspension of a firefighter who showed up for work naked. The firefighter eventually retired.
Local 921 Attorney Eugene D. Faughnan said Meaney has demanded a hearing, but has made no requests regarding the hearing being open or closed to the public.
In addition to alleging he was disrespectful and impolite, the charges against Meaney cite insubordination, conduct that reflects unfavorably on the fire department and governing body, and unauthorized communications about fire department plans, policies and affairs.
According to Faughnan, not only is Meaney allowed to comment, but his position in the union gives him additional latitude.
“Marty is a union president which gives him heightened protection and the matters of which he spoke were of a collective nature in that they involved the safety of the firefighters and the community,” said Faughnan. “There has been no issue raised regarding his skill in the performance of his duties or his work ethic. He is also protected under the Taylor Law as union president and labor Law 740, which is a whistle blower statute, as well as the 1st Amendment.”
A ferry tale ending: Stranded on the Potomac River. Sixteen cars, drivers and passengers, aboard the General Jubal A. Early. A tree caused White’s Ferry to come to a halt for about four hours on Thursday evening. Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service crews were about to begin a rescue operation to bring the people to shore when the vessel suddenly came free of the tree. All are well.
NEW – “I had the ambulance and I had a pretty good time driving it”: The words of Mindy Jones from a must see interview. Jones was in handcuffs when she told a reporter about her joy ride in a stolen ambulance. It was taken from Oklahoma’s Shawnee Regional Medical Center. Click here to watch the story. Trust me you don’t want to miss this one.
Former Maryland volunteer is charged with setting a man on fire: You may have seen the story of Joshua Mashburn. He was arrested in Little Rock, Arkansas after being accused of using gasoline and a candle to set a man on fire in Frederick, Maryland. It turns out Mashburn, until August of this year, was a member of the Burtonsville VFD in Montgomery County. Read more.
Local 2 points to fire in debate over staffing levels: Yesterday’s fire in Chicago is already making its way to the negotiating table. Read the details.
Firefighter shuts valves to propane tank as fire burned: Pictures and the story from Norfolk, Nebraska after fire shot from a 30,000 gallon propane tank following a ruptured pipe. Click here.
Commercial fire in South St. Louis: This fire was yesterday at 3100 South Jefferson Avenue. The building had both a business and apartments.
“No, this was not the result of budget cuts. Based on the distance of the current stations we are still within a great safe zone as far as responsiveness. It’s not because of the rotation.”
Those are the words of Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon from her response to WJZ-TV following the death of a man inside a burning rowhouse on Presstman Street early Wednesday morning. The closest truck company to that home was shut due to the city’s rotating closure policies.
We are not sure what investigation into the response to the fire, if any, Mayor Dixon is using to come to her conclusion. Clearly there were a number of factors involved in this response, including crews being sent to the wrong location based on a call taker not hearing the correct address from a woman trapped in the home.
Baltimore City Fire Chief Jim Clack has pretty consistently told the news media in Baltimore and in previous emails to STATter911.com that rotating closures do have an impact on response times. He has also indicated response times have gone up some since the closures started.
On Wednesday, Chief Clack told the Baltimore Sun the department is still reviewing the response to the fire, but indicated the first truck company’s arrival on the scene likely would have taken longer than the closed Truck 18:
The search-and-rescue company nearest the Davis’ home,Truck 18, was closed overnight. Had it been in the station when the call came, the truck could have arrived in about half the time the first unit took to arrive, said Fire Chief James S. Clack.
On Thursday Chief Clack modified that statement a bit. Also from The Baltimore Sun:
Also yesterday, Clack said that if the truck had been in operation, it might not have arrived at the fatal fire earlier than other units because it would have been sent to the incorrect address after a garbled initial call. That was a change from his initial assessment of the fire response.
If units had gone to the right address initially, the closure of the truck “would have affected our response time,” he said.
Right now, City Council members and the mayor are trying to now come up with money to end these closures for the rest of the fiscal year.
Isn’t this usually how it goes with rotating closures? Of course it is.
There is plenty of case history in Baltimore, in Washington and around the country where a fatality near a closed company allows those who hold the purse strings to suddenly see the light. In this case, to be fair, just hours prior to the deadly fire, city leaders were finally starting to address the idea of finding overtime money for the department to stop the rotating closure policy. But now, all indications are it is THE priority.
IAFF Local 734, in a press release yesterday afternoon, called the closures “firehouse roulette” and is telling citizens the mayor and the fire chief “have placed a price tag on yours and your neighbor’s lives”.
You don’t have to be a genius or the Amazing Kreskin to have predicted a while ago that this was exactly how the story of rotating closures in Baltimore would play out. Even a lowly blogger living 40-miles-away saw this coming. Here’s what we wrote one year and two-days before the fire on Presstman Street occurred after learning that rotating closures were in store for Baltimore:
Having covered three rounds, in three different decades, of what union officials called “firehouse roulette” in Washington, DC, there is a lot of precedent you can point to indicating how this policy is likely to play out. In fact the City Paper article talks about a previous Baltimore City rotating closure policy:
In 1995 and ‘96, BCFD tried to keep overtime costs down by closing some firehouses during certain shifts. Such “rotation closures” became controversial when fires broke out near firehouses that were temporarily shut down.
True, these are fiscally much more difficult times than any but the eldest among us have seen. But it all comes down to how much heat the political leaders can take when the inevitable headlines appear.
That 1998 Baltimore City Paper article I was referring to is from 1998 and gives the details of the cuts the Baltimore City Fire Department endured in the 1990s. It is well worth reading.
The Frederick County, Maryland sheriff’s office says a Frederick man suspected of setting an acquaintance on fire has been apprehended in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Cpl. Jennifer Bailey says 26-year-old Joshua Mashburn was picked up Wednesday by Little Rock police.
Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service Assistant Chief Scott Graham confirms that until August of this year Mashburn had been a volunteer firefighter at the Burtonsville VFD. He had been a member for more than three years.
Mashburn is charged with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree arson and other offenses. He is accused of dousing a 48-year-old man with gasoline and setting him on fire with a candle. The attack occurred in the victim’s Frederick home early Saturday morning. A motive for the attack has not been provided by law enforcement officials.
Graham could not provide a reason for Mashburn’s departure from Burtonsville. Calls to Burtonsville’s chief earlier in the week have not been returned.
Hundreds of Chicago firefighters worked to put out a high-rise fire that left one person dead and 12 people injured.
The fire broke out shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday, shooting flames out of the condo building. More than 200 residents ran out into the bitter cold.
The 12 people injured included five firefighters, but authorities say none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.
Authorities say the fire started on the 36th floor in the unit of the woman who died. Fire Commissioner John Brooks says she was found near the front door of the apartment, apparently trying to get out.
Fatal 5-alarm fire on the 36th floor: One person is dead and 11 others injured, including two firefighters, in an overnight fire in a 44-story Chicago building. Two people were rescued from the roof. This building was the scene of a fire eight years ago that killed one resident, injured eight firefighters and opened the debate on retrofitting sprinklers in high-rise buildings (Read one firefighter’s story from the January 2002 fire). About one-third of the city’s firefighting force was on the scene of the fire. The picture above is from Chris Sweda of the Chicago Tribune. Click here for more pictures and more pictures here. Click here to read the story. Watch video from WBBM-TV. More video from WGN-TV.
It’s 11:00 PM, do you know where your firefighters are?: In Raceland, Kentucky we can tell you where they aren’t and that’s the firehouse. Firefighters are quite upset over the town’s order that no one can be in the fire station after 11:00 PM. The town’s leaders instituted the curfew after concerns about firefighters “loafing” and young people congregating at the firehouse. You will want to read this story.
Fatal fire near closed truck company puts the focus on rotating closures: Baltimore City Fire Chief Jim Clack makes it clear that it took twice as long to get a truck company to a fatal fire Wednesday morning because of rotating closures. The chief wants the policy to end but needs the money to do so. As we reported yesterday, a discussion of doing just that had occurred among city leaders hours before that fire broke out. Now there is a new urgency to deal with this matter. The Baltimore Sun has a detailed story on the efforts to change the policy.
DC medical director named in $17 million lawsuit: The family of a Northeast Washington man has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the District of Columbia and the DC Fire & EMS Department’s medical director, Dr. James Augustine. This was the case where relatives say Edward Givens died six hours after being told by a medic all he needs is some Pepto Bismol. Dr. Augustine announced he was leaving the department 10-days ago due to health issues. Read more in Matt Cella’s article in The Washington Times.
He wanted the picture for his son: That’s what a Winnipeg firefighter wrote to the newspaper that ran the picture of the firefighter posing in front of a burning house. The firefighter, and another firefighter who took the picture with a cell phone, are under investigation. Read parts of the letter.
Firefighters want cross back on fire department’s hose tower that’s been part of Christmas celebration for nearly 70-years: Another Massachusetts fire department is trying to fight regulations on holiday decorations. This time a cross on a hose tower is the issue. It was ordered removed in 2005 and the firefighters want it back. Read the story from Holliston.
NJ firehouse shut: The Delaview VFC has been ordered closed by Pennsauken Fire Chief Benjamin Patti over procedures that haven’t been complied with involving accounting for public funds. Read the story here and here.
The firefighter posing for a cell phone picture in front of a burning Winnipeg house has written to the paper that published the picture. The firefighter who asked that his name not be used wrote to the Winnipeg Free Press, "The reason I wanted the photo was I wanted a picture that I could give my six-year-old son. The reason for this is personal and I don't want it to be an excuse for my poor judgment."
Previously Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service Deputy Chief Ken Sim said while firefighters are provided with cameras for evidence documentation the camera used was not issued by the department. An invetsigation is underway.
The house on fire was vacant and derelict, "used for storage and was filled entirely with stuff," the firefighter wrote. He explained the two were waiting for an aerial ladder to arrive to attack the fire from above.
"Our attack line was taken by other crew members to cover exposures and we staged at the sidewalk waiting to be retasked when conditions permitted," he wrote. "At that point in time I asked the fellow firefighter to quickly take my picture with my cellphone. Once the roof was burnt off, the fellow firefighter and myself were tasked to take a line and begin extinguishing the flames from the front of the house along with the other crew members and the aerial ladder."
The firefighter deemed the photo op an "innocent" mistake. "At the time I deemed the picture to be innocent since there were no life safety issues at hand and we were without a task," he said.
House fire in Upton, Massachusetts: Minor injuries to the couple living in the house. The fire broke out yesterday morning. Read details.
NEW – A glimmer of hope in Baltimore hours before a fatal fire occurs with the closest truck company shut down: Overnight in Baltimore a fire in the 3100 block of Presstman Street left one person dead and one injured. Firefighters found them both on the second floor. The PIO for the department confirms the closest ladder truck, Truck 18, was shut down due to rotating closures. The next closest, Truck 16, is scheduled to be shut for good next month. Read more.
This comes a few hours after city leaders confirmed they are now looking for overtime money to help the fire department reduce the number of rotating closures. The new effort to address overtime follows Chief Jim Clack’s proposal to permanently close three fire companies. Late yesterday Mayor Sheila Dixon reduced the number of permanent closings to one (Truck 16). The chief’s plan appears to have stimulated some discussion. Click here for that part of the story.
Think Safety – the monthly planner: Billy Goldfeder tells us about this one -
This is our fundraiser for the IAFC Safety, Health and Survival Section for the holidays and an excellent, and quite honestly, a “dirt cheap” risk management tool that will put a specific FIREFIGHTER SAFETY AND SURVIVAL MESSAGE in front of all of your members-everyday. You can also have up to five lines for your FD info, name, message from you etc imprinted on the front …and will be delivered before Christmas.
Coaching soccer on-duty costs two firefighters their jobs: In North Port, Florida, where a ladder truck crew took the rig three miles from the station so the lieutenant could coach a youth soccer match, two firefighters are out of work. Lt. Robert Combs, who was coaching the team and didn’t respond with the crew on a medical call, has resigned. One of the other two firefighters on the truck was fired. Read the details.
A refreshing lesson in public information during a crisis: Yesterday, in Woodbridge, Virginia, a student opened fire with a rifle on the campus of the Northern Virginia Community College. The school went on lock-down for more than three hours. No one was hit by the bullets and the gunman was captured very quickly (though there was a long, thorough check for possible accomplices). This left hundreds of students stranded, parents and friends worried, and of course the press, including me, racing to the scene. Well before we even got to Woodbridge, the long time public information officer for Prince William County Police, Sgt. Kim Chinn, had confirmed some basic information and set up an area for reporters, live trucks and cameras. There was no fighting with police to get to that location. The officers at the road blocks were already briefed to let us through. Once there, we were given regular updates with new, relevant information. Much of it important for anyone who had a loved one trapped on campus. We didn’t have to wait for the police chief or an elected official to come tell us what the PIO knew. There wasn’t a big joint press conference where most of the time was spent thanking each other for doing their jobs. It wasn’t about the brass, it was about the information. We weren’t berated because we asked questions or told there would be no more information for hours. The police answered with the information that was available at the moment, with no speculation. The police even encouraged and brought campus representatives out to talk to us. When I remarked to Deputy Chief Barry Bernard how refreshing and unusual the treatment of the press was during this emergency, he made it clear this wasn’t by accident. Chief Bernard pointed out, in a crisis like this, the press is their conduit to reach the community with vital and important information. From my experience, this is not the prevailing philosophy on handling public information in this part of the world. But to me it is one that makes a whole lot of sense.
A warning to firefighters: In Shoreline, Washington firefighters are being warned about a man who assaulted a firefighter and threatened to kill first responders. Police also found a cache of weapons. The man who called 911 for a medical emergency was arrested and released. Read the details.
Houston harassment report: Interesting details from a report looking at allegations of harassment and discrimination in the Houston Fire Department following some high profile incidents. Click here to read and watch the story.
Two from Pennsylvania: Photographer Steve Roth has two photo galleries of recent incidents. One is a dump truck into an SUV and a house in Adams County east of Gettysburg. Click here for the pictures. The other is a commercial building fire in Hanover. Click here.
It was a monster: That’s how a firefighter in Port Tampa, Florida described the 12-foot Burmese python he helped capture. See the video. Read the story.
Boston firefighter to sue police: After being acquitted of criminal charges in a dispute with a girlfriend, Firefighter Wayne Abron is now focusing on police officers he says used excessive force in his arrest. Abron is expecting to file a lawsuit against two Boston cops. He says the incident has left him paranoid about police, including at work. A police union attorney points out that Abron can make those accusations but it doesn’t make it so. Read more.
A reminder about comments: They aren’t going to be printed when they include expletives. I am not personally offended. Just the policy of the TV station. Also, react, state your opinion, but don’t act as the reporter. If you want to go beyond what is already on the record about an incident or topic and provide a whole bunch of new facts, please do so on your own blog. The other option is to send me your tip or information, and if there is time and a way to verify it, I will (I am always interested in tips). While it is not policy, personally I prefer spirited conversations about the facts and not personal attacks. We also do not edit comments. If it is a long, beautiful and thoughtful commentary, but it includes one four-letter word, it will be killed. We encourage comments and are getting close to posting comment number 13,000. Hope this helps explain why your comment may not have made the cut.
And finally … some silly stuff: Dave got away from the blog Sunday night and for a brief moment found himself set up by two of the funniest people in the world at the Kennedy Center Honors. There is even a fire department connection to my story. the video. Check it out.
Baltimore City Fire Chief Jim Clack tells STATter911.com that at a meeting this evening he learned the City Council and Mayor Sheila Dixon are trying to come up with money for the department’s overtime for the rest of the year. This comes at a time when Mayor Dixon has modified the chief’s plan to close three fire companies and continue rotating closings for two others.
The mayor’s decision to permanently close only one of the three companies means the department, without approximately $3.5 million in overtime between now and June 30, 2010, would still have to close at least four companies each day.
Before that meeting occurred this statement from Mayor Dixon was issued from City Hall in the afternoon:
“Yesterday, I listened to Chief Clack’s proposal to permanently close fire companies, and we had a follow-up meeting again today. Both the Chief and I are confronted with the difficult challenge of keeping the residents of this City safe during difficult economic times. We simply do not have the funds to maintain every City service at our historic levels.
Baltimore City Fire Department photo of Chief Jim Clack.
However, I support Chief Clack’s recommendation to close Truck 16 at 405 McMechen Street because that fire station will remain open and will continue to be staffed with a fire engine and a medic unit on site. The nearest truck company to Truck 16 is Truck 10 at 1503 W. Lafayette Avenue, which is 0.76 miles away from the station housing Truck 16. The closure of this truck company will decrease the number of citywide rotating closures from five to four per day.
To be clear, we are facing unprecedented deficits heading into the next fiscal year. Budget cuts to the Fire Department and every other City department will be on the table as we work to develop next year’s budget.”
I usually try not to waste your time with most of what I do during my day job (I just waste it with the other mindless pulp I send your way). I am making an exception in this case.
I am still laughing over how two of the funniest people on this earth, one 87 and the other 83, plotted to set up a reporter on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Sunday night. The editor of STATter911.com just happened to be the one who took the bait.
Keep in mind that Carl Reiner showed up about a half hour before the arrival of Mel Brooks and planted the seed.
Other than a great lesson in comedy and patience for you firehouse pranksters, the only other fire department connection in the video is my interview with a serial arsonist and a brush off by the fire investigator (the story of my life).
Some must listen to fireground audio: This is from the house fire Sunday morning in Buffalo where six people were trapped. We have the dramatic fireground audio and interviews with the firefighters. Check it out. We have also links to video and pictures from the scene.
“[The suburbs] do an exterior attack. That’s why they lose most of their buildings. If we stood back and put water on, we’d feel like we weren’t doing anything”: That quote is causing quite a bit of controversy in the Chicago area. The discussion of the “Chicago way” by members of Engne 106 is part of a column by Neil Steinberg in the Sun-Times. There are a number of comments attached to the story that give a good sense of what we have also seen in emails floating around. Here is the story and the reaction.
More details on water problems at Maryland house fire that left eight firefighters hurt: The hydrant that couldn’t be pumped during the initial stages of the house fire in University Park on Sunday night tested fine. PGFD’s Mark Brady says it took three attempts and five to seven minutes to get water from the plug. Click here for the details.
An explanation on water problems at Ohio fire: Video from a neighbor and lots of questions from a reporter seem to have gotten to the bottom of water issues at a Westerville, Ohio house fire on Saturday. Watch the video and read more.
Status of former Maryland assistant chief changed from fired to retired: You may recall the story of Greg DeHaven, a Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service assistant chief who was fired after he crashed the county vehicle into a bunch of cars and a police car on I-270. He is no longer in the “fired” status. Read more.
A three-year-old girl is in Women and Children’s Hospital and two adults are in critical condition at ECMC, following a fire that swept through their East Side home Sunday morning.
No word yet on what started the early morning fire Sunday at 96 Crossman Avenue near the Buffalo/Cheektowaga border.
The condition of 3-year-old Martejha Drayton is not known. 37-year-old Eugene Barker and 43-year-old Cherie Chatmon are being treated in the Burn Unit at ECMC. The three other children who were trapped in the home were treated and released from the hospital.
The call came in at 6:42 Sunday morning for a fire on Crossman Avenue in Buffalo with people trapped inside.
“I was driving, took a quick look at the address and off we went. As soon as we turned the corner, we saw smoke the lieutenant called smoke showing,” said Firefighter Pat Lalley.
As soon as firefighters from Engine 31 and Ladder 14 arrived, they split up, some working on knocking down the fire, the others looking for those trapped inside.
“As we were down looking for a way into the house, we heard kids screaming in the backyard, we both ran back there, we found one girl on top of an SUV and she was yelling that her brothers were still upstairs,” said Lt. Doug Lash.
“The kitchen door was burning through, I forced that door and firefighter O’Leary started putting the fire out,” said Lt. Dan O’Leary.
“We got water on the fire and started knocking it down,” said firefighter Tom O’Leary.
“The one boy was hanging. Hanging by his hands on broken windows no less. We coaxed him, finally got him to drop, I caught him, set him down and then his brother came out, he was taking a beating from the smoke. We got him out and he was hanging,” said Lt. Doug Lash.
“We just kept screaming at them, ‘drop we’ll catch you, we’ll catch you’ and finally they believed us.”
Meanwhile, Lt. O’Leary began searching the back of the first floor of the house.
“In the right hand side I looked and firefighter Jerry Norstram was coming through an outside window and said ‘I found one’ and I assisted firefighter Norstram in assisting one of the victims out of the window.”
Upstairs, two firefighters were searching for the the fourth child, a three year old girl.
“We’re on our hands and knees and pretty much just feeling for anything- mattresses, other furniture,” said firefighter Quincy Drake.
“It was heavy smoke from top to bottom you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. When we got to the front we found the last victim and we just scooped her up and took her outside.”
“There was a total team effort by everybody without everybody none of this would have got done it was a great job.” said Lt. O’Leary.
Both the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) and a Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department spokesman verify a hydrant closest to a burning University Park home was providing plenty of water hours after the fire was extinguished. But shortly after the report of the fire late Sunday night a pumper was unable to relay water from that plug on Partridge Place.
A Bill McNeel picture from the fire last night in University Park that injured eight firefighters.
Engine 801 (Hyattsville) was on that hydrant attempting to pump the supply line for Engine 812 (College Park). Evacuation tones were sounded after the tanks on both rigs ran dry and no water could be relayed from the hydrant. PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady says the pump operator from Hyattsville tried three different times to get water. Brady believes five to seven minutes were lost until the water began flowing on the third attempt.
According to Brady, a secondary water supply was being set up at about the same time. Once water flowed again crews were allowed back in the home.
Brady says firefighters were again pulled from the home on the arrival of Major Jerry Lamoria who took over command from Battalion Chief 804. According to Brady, Lamoria ordered the evacuation for accountability and to “organize a coordinated deployment”.
Along the way eight firefighters were hurt, all with relatively minor injuries. Two received burns and the rest were from strains, sprains, bruises and exhaustion. Brady says PGFD will look closer at why there were so many injuries on this one fire.
Officials are also trying to better understand why there was difficulty getting water. Brady says they certainly would like to have those five to seven minutes back when there was no water, but due to the large amount of fire on arrival he doesn’t believe it would have significantly changed the outcome.
People living along Ormsbee Avenue in Westerville, Ohio knew something wasn’t right as firefighters went to work on the fire in their neighbor’s garage on Saturday. There was hose on the ground, both a supply line and an attack line, but no water wasn’t getting to the flames. In the video above you can hear the neighbors recognizing the problem as they watched firefighters gesture and saw water coming out where it shouldn’t.
When they told the local NBC-TV station in Columbus what they witnessed a reporter attempted to get some answers. That apparently didn’t go to well during the first round on Saturday (the video below). But now the fire chief has supplied an explanation to reporter Matt Alvarez. Here is an excerpt from the article on the WCMH-TV’s website:
NBC 4 did some digging, and over the past three days, the interviews with officials, eyewitness accounts, home videos and documents prove that something went wrong.
Westerville Fire Chief Bernie Ingles told NBC 4 Monday, “A hose line was tangled near the nozzle which rendered the hose unusable.“
Below is an excerpt from Ingles’ interview with NBC 4:
Ingles: “It has about 100 pounds of pressure in the hose, and the hose actually goes round and if it’s trapped in here then there’s no water getting past it.“
Alvarez: “So it’s just trapped in the handle?“
Ingles: “Yeah, the hose would come from the fire truck, and goes to the nose, part of the hose became entangled in this bale, which created the pinch, which wouldn’t allow water to get to the nozzle.“
Alvarez: “How often does that happen?“
Ingles: “This is the first time I’ve experienced it in my career, I’ve been in the fire service for 33 years.“
Alvarez: “Are you 100 percent sure this is what happened the other night?“
Ingles: “I am not, that’s what I’ve been told about the initial attack crews, I need to interview them a bit further in the morning.“
The clip above is the original story by WCMH-TV with an interview with a battalion chief.
Baltimore City Fire Department Chief Jim Clack confirms for STATter911.com this morning they are making three of the five daily rotating closure slots permanent. Engine 14, Truck 15 and Truck 16 are scheduled to shut down on January 1. There will still be two daily rotating closures of fire companies.
The details are outlined in the message below from Chief Clack posted this morning on the forum of the IAFF Local 734 website by its president Bob Sledgeski:
Because I have committed to keeping the entire command staff and both the Union Presidents informed as soon as important decisions are made, I have copied all of you this morning on this very important message from me regarding unit closures for the rest of FY 2010.
1. For the rest of December 2009, we will continue the current practice of up to five rotating closures of fire companies per day.
2. We are going to permanently close Engine 14, Truck 15 and Truck 16 effective January 1, 2010. The personnel assigned to these companies will be reassigned to other companies per the current MOU provisions with the unions. Appropriate notifications will be made as soon as possible (today).
3. There will be some reduction in the number of Emergency Vehicle Operator, Pump Operator, Lieutenant and Captain promotional positions available going forward. We will work with the unions during the next week to come up with the appropriate number for each rated position within the guidelines of the labor agreement. One of the goals in this process will be to avoid reductions in rank if at all possible.
4. We will move Engine 31 down into the quarters of Truck 15 on January 1, 2010 and they will remain running from there until their station is finished.
5. The quarters of Engine 14 will be used for apparatus storage only. No in service fire or medic units will be stationed there. The building will need to be marked appropriately so that residents know the station is out of service.
6. We will still have to accomplish up to two more rotating closures of fire suppression units for vehicle maintenance and overtime control during day works and to reduce the need for overtime during night works. This will maintain our current practice of up to five companies out of service each shift (three “permanent” and two “rotating” closures for the remainder of this fiscal year.
7. We will also continue to relocate companies when a single house is vacant for any reason. Apparatus will not sit outside during the winter months. This restriction will limit the “pool” of available companies for closure and many fire companies will not be participating in the rotating closure plan for this reason.
8. Once Engine 31 goes back into their station around July 1, 2010, the station of Truck 15 will permanently close. The quarters of Truck 15 will also need to be marked appropriately to notify the public at that time.
9. This leaves us with very little room for error in deploying our suppression forces on a daily basis. The Shift Commanders and Battalion Chiefs will need to be more engaged than they ever have been in the minute by minute management of resources on the street.
10. Chief Officers must continue to carefully assess risk to firefighters vs. expected benefits to be gained by interior operations when deploying companies for interior operations at the scene of structure fires. Since there will be less fire companies available on the fire ground within four minutes at fires, it will become necessary to pull companies out of structures quicker than in the past.
11. I also expect that all Incident Commanders will insure that there are always companies available in the staging area near the fire ground for immediate deployment. This will require even quicker declarations of working fires and quicker use of multiple alarms as conditions dictate. The Shift Commander will respond to all working fires and may take command at their discretion.
12. For my part as Fire Chief, I will be working very hard over the next several months to argue that we have done as much as we can do to get the city through the current economic depression and that the fire department very much needs to be spared further cuts to the fire suppression force in FY 2011.
Two-alarm commercial fire in Cambridge, Massachusetts: This fire was Saturday at 241 Monsignor O’Brien Highway. Fire in a Meineke Car Care Center. The same building was the scene of an arson in 2006 when it was the Boston Tropical Fish and Reptile pet store. The store’s manager and two others went to prison in a fire that killed dozens of animals. This time a cat was saved. Read more.
NOTE: It was a very busy weekend in the fire news business and we are getting a late start. Below is just a recap of our stories since Friday. More to come.
A Bill McNeel picture from the fire last night in University Park that injured eight firefighters.
Eight firefighters hurt in Prince George’s County, MD: : The evac tones were sounded at two different points in the battle to bring a University Park house fire under control. All firefighter injuries are reported to be minor. We have raw video from Tom Yeatman and lots of pictures.
Video by Vito Maggiolo from two more local fires: Vito was out with his camera early Saturday morning to capture a three-alarm fire at a former movie house in Takoma Park, Maryland. The building was most recently a clothing and shoe store. Click here for that video.
The tragedy in Russia and lessons from the past: If you haven’t seen it yet, click here for the video from inside the Perm, Russia club where fireworks apparently started a blaze that killed 112 people, with many more burned. Echoes of the Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island. We have the video of the NIST re-creation from the 2003 blaze and the NIST report.
Firefighters in hot water over picture taking: One firefighter posing for another in front of a Winnipeg house fire was caught on camera by a news photographer. Now the firefighters are in trouble. Click here.
Philly firefighter accused of setting ladder truck on fire: The firefighter is accused of not listening to his lieutenant about setting papers on fire and then starting a blaze inside Ladder 2. Read the details.
More to the story on Chief Dennis Rubin’s lawsuit deposition: You may have seen our unusual story last week where DC Fire & EMS Department Chief Dennis Rubin describes in detail what he claims was an expletive filled tirade by the former lawyer for the department. That attorney, Theresa Cusick is suing after Rubin got rid of her. Cusick claims there was no tirade but instead she was moved after trying to alert the chief to a cover-up of cheating. Cusick herself has been on the other side of a complaint about a wrongful termination and news reports at the time indicate she didn’t like it one bit. Here’s that story.
Eight firefighters were hurt during a fire late Sunday night in a large single-family home in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The home that burned is at 7016 Partridge Place in University Park. The injuries are all believed to be minor.
Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Chief Spokesman Mark Brady says the initial crews found fire on the first and second floors. According to a press release from Brady, ”Using the water the engines carry on-board, firefighters were able to mount a brief aggressive interior attack on the well advanced fire until forced to withdraw to wait for an adequate water supply to be established. Interior operations commenced again after the primary and secondary water supplies were in place.”
According to Brady the evacuation tones were later sounded a second time for accountability and to “organize a coordinated deployment”.
Photo courtesy of Bill McNeel.
The fire could be seen from high-rise buildings at the University of Maryland about a mile away prompting calls to 911. Brady reports it took about an hour to knock down the fire.
Smoke alarms alerted the family of five to the fire and they escaped without harm.
Brady indicates the eight firefighters taken to area hospital suffered “burns, sprains, lacerations and exhaustion”.
Raw video above from DC Fire & EMS Department photographer Vito Maggiolo.
Just after 1:30 this morning DC Fire and EMS Department crews responded to 1361 Oak Street, NW. The house was under renovation. It is described as a middle of the row two and a half story home.
Two-alarms were sounded bringing about 90-firefighters to the scene. One of the firefighters was hurt. No details, other than the firefighter was taking to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Firefighters report a wall collpased during the operation.
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