Pool company burns in Wolcott, Indiana: Officials say a furnace started the fire that destroyed the showroom of San Juan Pools. Read more about the fire here and here.
DC fire and police radio systems crash on Monday night: The fire department worked to switch over to the 800 MHZ systems used by Montgomery County and Arlington County. The police department, on a different part of the radio spectrum, apparently had a little tougher time. It appears to be a pretty significant failure of two different public safety radio systems in the Nation’s Capital. Read more.
Truth serum: The editor of this blog takes a very brave editorial stand and comes out in favor of the truth. He’s a regular Edward R. Murrow, that guy. Finding the truth is near and dear to the heart of a reporter. DC Fire & EMS Department Chief Dennis Rubin writes in this month’s Firehouse that always telling the truth should be near and dear to the heart of a firefighter. Rube’s Rule 7 fits well with a previous posting from STATter911.com. Check it out.
Check out this video of a close call: In Chula Vista, California a camera was rolling as a firefighter took a bit of a tumble during roof operations at a house fire. Luckily the only thing he lost was the tool in his hand (and I am sure he is wishing there were no camera around). Check it out around 1:45 in the video.
Seems there is a lot of this going around: It turns out that medics in Little Rock also declared a DOA on Friday when a person was alive. Their incident happened about six hours before the one we reported on in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Click here for the Arkansas coverage.
Firefighter demoted for hanging mayor’s picture next to photos of Adolph Hitler and Osama bin Laden: In Memphis when the order came to hang Mayor AC Wharton’s picture in city fire stations it was followed at Station 16. But it was the company that the picture was keeping that has now brought the demotion of a lieutenant to the rank of driver and lesser punishment for a battalion chief and others. Here’s the update.
23 layoffs. 23 fires: Those were the totals yesterday evening in Flint, Michigan. As many firefighter layoffs as fires since Wednesday. The arson spree continues. Read and watch more. Also, the city council wants to set minimum staffing levels for fire and police. Those levels are apparently to keep down future layoffs and not restore what has been lost. Click here for that one.
UK firefighter who lost his son is among those charged with gross negligence: Paul Stephens is one of six people charged in connection with the handling of the tragic fire that killed four firefighters in Warwickshire in 2007. Stephens’ son was one of the firefighters killed. Here’s the latest.
Five-alarms in Massachusetts: Firegeezer has video and details of the fire early Monday morning in Onset. Emily Cyr posted video from the same fire in our player.
