The East Eden fire station in Saline County, Arkansas was one of many buildings suffering heavy damage from severe storms Friday evening. Here’s more from the AP:
Several tornadoes that ripped through central Arkansas killed at least one person and injured two dozen others, destroying homes and leaving officials scrambling to clear debris even as they braced for more severe weather.
Damage assessments were under way in the community of Scotland as day broke in Van Buren County, about 75 miles north of Little Rock, where authorities said at least one person died in Friday night storms. A sheriff’s department dispatcher said details were expected to be released later Saturday.
At least two dozen other people were hurt across Van Buren and several other counties, state Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Renee Preslar said. Officials in many counties referred questions to the state agency, but Preslar said local authorities who provide her with updates hadn’t released details about the severity of the injuries.
More storms — including tornadoes — could hit the state Saturday, said meteorologist Brian Smith with the National Weather Service in Little Rock.
“We have a lot of warm air over the area, warm and moist air. The atmosphere has a very high amount of wind energy available and a lot of instability, and as the day gets warming, that’s all we need,” Smith said.
Search teams Friday night located a person believed missing in the wreckage of a home in Center Ridge, while extensive property damage was reported across central Arkansas, Preslar said.
Tornado sightings were reported just a few miles north in Culpepper, according to Arkansas State Police. A sheriff’s dispatcher said a sighting also was reported in the Oakland area, near the Missouri border. Trees and power lines blocked major roadways in both areas.
South of Little Rock in Saline County, high winds and heavy rains left nearly 3,000 people without power and forced about 100 to take shelter at an elementary school in East End late Friday, officials said.
Sorry for the lack of new material on the blog today. Other obligations kept me off the computer. I am trying to make it up to you with the video above. The 1959 clip from New Jersey’s Laurel Springs Fire Department was first posted to YouTube a-year-ag0. Somehow I missed it.
Most fire departments have had to deal with a bay door incident or two. I doubt many caught the action on camera.
More to the runaway fire engine story: It turns out it was a parent who jumped in behind the wheel of Lake Shore VFC Engine 201 when it began rolling with eight children aboard at a birthday party. The Annapolis Capital has new details on Saturday’s story from Anne Arundel County, Maryland. But the article also has a line that has brought in more than one comment – “the keys weren’t in the ignition”. Hmmm. Here’s the update.
Size matters: One of the unanswered questions from NIST’s study on the impact of staffing when responding to a residential fire is will this information help fire chiefs in their budget battles. There are people in a number of fire service organizations already working on shaping arguments and looking for effective ways to use the data. You can read the report here. Susan Nicol Kyle from Firehouse.com attended yesterday morning’s press conference at the same hotel where CFSI is being held and filed this report. Billy Goldfeder, who was the featured speakers at CFSI’s opening session, has some thoughts on the NIST report at Firefighter Close Calls. Christopher Naum, as promised, looks closely at the report at his Command Safety blog.
REMINDER – fundraiser this afternoon in Baltimore: They are raising money to help the family of injured Baltimore City Firefighter Jeff Novack. It starts at 3:00 PM and goes until 10:00 PM at Mothers Federal Hill Grille, 1113 South Charles Street. Click here for more.
Drink in hand at firehouse could mean demotion for captain: A fire captain in South Bend, Indiana is reported to have said others were doing the same thing and getting away with it when he was caught with an alcoholic beverage inside the fire station. It happened at 7:15 AM while the captain was still in uniform as the shift ended. Here’s the story.
Sheriff who wants to take over fire protection has some issues to handle in his own house: I am sure you recall the battle that has been ongoing in Lake County, Colorado over the future of fire services, currently handled by Leadville/Lake County Fire Rescue. That issue made headlines when a fire captain was arrested by sheriff’s deputies during an EMS call at the jail. The only person facing charges in that case is the deputy who ordered the captain’s detention. You may also remember there was another deputy who resigned after it was learned he used the Taser on 30 school children during a career fair. It is now being reported the former deputy is facing criminal charges in that case. But there may be hope for his future in the sheriff’s department, KUSA-TV has learned a former deputy who faced criminal charges after being accused of beating up a homeless man three-years-ago has been rehired by Sheriff Ed Holte. Here’s the latest.
Off-duty firefighter leads charge to save girl: In St. Paul, Minnesota an off-duty firefighter heard a neighbor scream his name and he soon found the house down the street on fire. Another neighbor sprinted up with a 24-foot ladder. Together they brought a teenager to safety out of the second floor of the burning home. Here’s the story.
On-duty firefighters make a bunch of saves: A detailed account of an apartment fire in Augusta, Georgia where a lot of people were hanging from windows. Click here.
Early house fire video: Before firefighters arrived on this busy street in Oak Bay, Victoria, BC, someone already had their camera rolling.
There was indication listening to witnesses speak about Saturday’s runaway fire engine incident in Anne Arundel County, Maryland that parents jumped aboard the rig as it rolled away with eight children on board. Now, the Annapolis Capital has confirmed that and other details from the police report. According to the report parents say they steered Engine 201 from the Lake Shore Volunteer Fire Department into a tree to avoid parked cars. Here are excerpts from the article by Lisa Beisel:
The Lake Shore Volunteer Fire Company drove its newest engine to a child’s birthday party Saturday afternoon on Edgewater Road. Eight children were on it when the truck suddenly began to roll down the hill, crossing Edgewater Road before hitting a tree. None of the children were injured.
Tim Hall, the chief of the volunteer company, said yesterday he was at the party and near the truck when it began to move. When he saw what was happening, he took off running to try to stop it.
Picture by Matt Stevens.
“I just did what I thought I had to do,” he said.
But he fell and hurt his knee before reaching the truck.
Hall said he doesn’t know how or why the truck started rolling. The brake was on and a wheel chock – a device placed in front or behind a wheel to keep it from moving – was in place, he said.
One of the parents told police investigating the crash that he heard a “loud clicking noise” right before the truck began rolling.
He and another parent ran after the engine. One of them was able to get into the rear passenger’s-side area of the fire truck and grab the steering wheel, running it into a tree at an adjacent home. County fire officials said Saturday that the engine rolled from 441 Edgewater Road to 445 Edgewater Road.
According to police, volunteer Firefighter Lisa Hall, the chief’s wife, parked the engine and put the brakes in place. She is in training to earn certification to drive the engine on calls. Their son, Timothy Hall Jr., another volunteer, also was there, police said.
He said he followed safety protocol at the scene. The engine was off, the keys weren’t in the ignition, and there were wheel chocks in place to prevent rolling.
Early video of house fire in Tinley Park, Illinois: A neighbor boy with a camera catches this one before firefighters arrive. Listen to the questions asking where is the fire department (did they call?). You can read a few more details about the fire here.
Fire engines, but no fire department: I urge you to take a few moments to watch the videos and read the information about the state of fire protection on Mudge Island in British Columbia. It is a place with two fire trucks and no real fire department. But the citizens have taken the matter, and the hose lines, into their own hands. Some of our readers find what they see inspiring. Other think it is ridiculous. Either way it sure is interesting. Click here.
Another police chief makes the case for taking over the fire department: In Auburn, Maine the acting fire chief feels the bosses showed disrespect toward him and the fire department for failing to include the fire service perspective in the city’s study of combining the police and fire departments. That job went to the police chief who says it could work just fine having public safety officers showing up at fires, putting down their weapons and going in to fight a fire. Watch the story.
Bourne’s back: For a while the Bourne Fire Department in Massachusetts just stayed in the news as the department dealt very publicly with a series of problems (click here and scroll down). The recent quiet from Bourne has now been broken. Two paramedics are claiming an on-call firefighter drove his personal vehicle recklessly through a crash scene on the way to a fire call. The medics says they were almost struck while tending to a patient. Here is the story.
Probation in hazing incident: A judge has given a year probation to three Connecticut firefighters and another person after a hazing incident we had told you about. This is where a 14-year-old member of the Quaker Hill Fire Department, who had pulled a chair out from underneath a firefighter’s girlfriend, found himself bound to a backboard, gagged and shot with an air gun. Here’s the update.
Consulting firm fired because it had never recommended layoffs: In Palo Alto, California a consultant was dropped midway through a staffing study of the fire department. Council members were shocked to learn the firm had never recommended layoffs in any of its previous studies. According to MercuryNews.com, some on the council were hoping the study would pave the way for cut backs. The official reason for the dropping of the consultant is a “conflict of interest”. Check out this line from the article – “they were surprised to learn at an April 20 finance committee meeting that consulting firm Emergency Services Consulting International was affiliated with an international fire chiefs union.” I knew those fire chiefs would eventually unionize.
What happens in Las Vegas may be shared with Clark County: With both Nevada jurisdictions in battles with firefighters over budget issues, leaders hope to share services like hazmat and heavy rescue in an effort to save money. Here is the latest.
CFSI: The Congressional Fire Services Institute’s National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner and Seminars start today. Click here for details.
It is Bonanza time: May 7 is the start of the two day Bonanza Extravaganza put on by the Professional Firefighters of Hagerstown, Maryland (IAFF Local 1605). This event, involving music, gaming, big money prizes and much more has become a real happening. The union says, through a foundation set up to handle the profits from the event, firefighters have given away hundreds of thousands of dollars to non-profits in the community and ”a $40,000 donation to Children’s Village that funded every second grader in Washington County to be able to attend a two day fire and police safety educational program”. Click here to read more background information on the event. Here’s the website.
Another fired DeKalb County, Georgia firefighter makes the case for reinstatement: William Greene goes public in his efforts to get his job back after being fired with four others following a botched response to help an elderly woman who said her house was on fire. Greene says he was not given complete information by dispatchers. Read the story.
Mayor’s fund raiser attracts firefighters: We have shared with you a number of stories about the relationship between North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi and his firefighters (click here and scroll down for a recap). If you have read any of them you know that if a large group of firefighters showed up at a fund raiser for Lombardi it wasn’t because they were invited. There were about 250 firefighters with picket signs outside the restaurant last night. Click here for the story. Watch the video.
Three-alarm church fire threatens hotel: The two buildings are connected in Portland, Oregon. Firegeezer has the story.
How sad: During a retired firefighter’s funeral in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, burglars broke into the home the firefighter shared with his brother. Read more.
Union called out for stealing story of 1953 fire: A paranormal researcher who had written a story in 2008 on the 55th anniversary of a nursing home fire that killed 33 people says IAFF Local 2427 reposted that same story on its site. The author says her name wasn’t on the story but credit inhstead was given to someone affiliated with the union. Here’s the story about the story, that we are crediting to TampaBay.com.
Man’s duck story apparently doesn’t hold water: The man admits he set the fire inside the Ride the Ducks building in Seattle. But the story about why he did it might quack you up. (Seriously, what kind of an idiot writes this junk?) Here’s the story.
NIST staffing and response study out this morning: I am not sure NIST’s efforts will have much meaning on Mudge Island (see here), but a lot of fire chiefs are hoping it will help put things in perspective when the boss says cut. We spent a frigid day in January of last year at the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service Training Academy when this study was first publicized (above). Christopher Naum has one of the more detailed looks at what it is all about on his Command Safety blog. Expect more at Command Safety (and here) later today.
Mudge Island, in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia has 60 or so year-round residents and a summer population of about 200. It has no recognized, legally authorized fire protection, but it does have a couple fire trucks.
The arrival of Mudge Island's newest rig. Click the image to see the fleet.
The video above shows a live burn training exercise, apparently familiarizing the citizens with the equipment. It is worth watching all three parts. Their goal is to keep fires from spreading. There is little you would recognize as standard PPE being used.
As a community we will attempt to keep fires from spreading and causing more damage. Our society does our best to maintain the trucks that haul and pump the small amounts of water they contain: but has no authority, jurisdiction, formal training, real knowledge, and perhaps most importantly NO LIABILITY INSURANCE concerning fire fighting or fire protection. In other words those covering your personal house insurance can refuse to pay claims for the above reasons and in all likelihood sue all and any inexperienced people for trying to save a structure.
I feel it is necessary to drive it home that we are not a fire department; fire hall; volunteer fire fighters; or fire fighters of any kind. We, along with you, are good neighbours doing what we can to keep fire damage as minimal as possible as we can on the island.
Below is a video from last September showing residents how to operate Mudge Island’s “new” fire truck.
Click the image for this must see video from Evansville, Indiana.
Lots of comments rolling in on the Evansville, Indiana video: The incident was only a little more than two-hours old when we first posted the video of a van fire yesterday that left a firefighter injured. A deputy fire chief says water hit a magnesium comopent of the vehicle and sent a blast into the face of a firefighter, knocking him to the ground. He was treated and released at a local hospital. The comments started coming in and, as you can imagine, they focus on PPE. Click here to watch the video and read the reaction.
Liberty Heights, the sequel: IAFF Local 734 is again making the case that a fire on Liberty Heights Avenue was impacted by the rotating closures of fire companies. This fire was at Gwynn Oak Junction in the 4700 block. The last fire, in the 3900 block, next to the quarters of Squad 40 and Truck 12, left Firefighter Jeff Novack seriously injured. Here’s the latest story. Click here to read the union press release.
Fire chief returns as firefighter: An interesting and complicated settlement from Johnston City, Illinois where the fire chief returns to the department as a firefighter. Click here.
Kentland VFD member McCloskey is PGFD firefighter of the year: At Monday’s award luncheon, Tim McCloskey received gold and silver medals for two separate rescues. In one he teamed with Kentland’s Joe Brown (also a gold medal winner) to bring Firefighter/Paramedic Daniel McGown to safety. Five other Kentland firefighters received bronze medals for the McGown rescue and the paramedic crew took home silver medals. Firefighter/Paramedic Rachel Edney was also a double medal winner. Click here for the entire list.
Display equipment stolen at seminar: Two companies attending a fire service seminar at a hotel in Salina, Kansas lost helmets, gloves, tools and vehicle lights in a theft. Here’s the story.
It ain’t over until it’s over: If you thought the ruling that provides drugs testing and gives Boston firefighters a 19-percent raise was the end of the four-year battle between Mayor Menino and the union, think again. Click here for the latest.
The video above was shot by WFIE-TV around 12:30 PM this afternoon. It shows firefighters handling a fire in a Chevy Astro van in the 3500 block of South Weinbach. You will see a firefighter from the Evansville Fire Department taking the brunt of a small explosion inside the van and being knocked to the ground.
Here are more details from the station’s website:
District Chief Greg Main says as firefighters started attacking the fire, they encountered a magnesium reaction with water stream from their fire hose. As a result of this reaction, one firefighter was struck with debris that flew into his eyes.
Wathen Masden was transported to Deaconess Hospital and later released.
The fire was extinguished, and the owner of the vehicle, Brandon Henderson of Henderson Ky. was not injured.
Early video from Tampa house fire: This duplex fire at 7903 N. Brooks Street in Sulphur Springs occurred Sunday evening. Investigators believe a child playing with matches started the fire in a bedroom. There were no injuries reported.
Radio traffic from runaway fire engine with children on board: We have added FireSceneAudio.com’s radio traffic from Saturday’s birthday party in Anne Arundel County, Maryland where a Lake Shore VFC engine took off with eight children on board. The children weren’t hurt. One firefighter was injured after he jumped into the cab. The rig stopped when it hit a tree. Here’s our coverage.
Fundraiser for Baltimore’s Jeff Novack, plus an update from his family: A lot of thanks from Al Novack and his family as he provides an update on his son Jeff’s progress. The Baltimore City firefighter was seriously burned and suffered multiple fractures during an April 7 fire on Liberty Heights Avenue. There is a fundraiser on Thursday. Click here for all of the details.
Mayday radio traffic in Cincinnati: Click here for the fireground audio from the yesterday’s fire in a vacant duplex. One firefighter fell through the floor.
Click the image for details and a series of pictures by Dennis Walus of this fire yesterday in Detroit.
Fire vs. police, female vs. male: This wasn’t just a contest between fire and police recruits in the District of Columbia, this was a battle of the sexes. It was caught on video at the DC Fire & EMS Department Training Academy. I think you will want to check it out. Click here.
Settlement in U.K. sex suit: We told you last week of the lawsuit Kate Ellis filed in her battle with Hampshire Fire & Rescue. Ellis, who once was on a department recruiting poster, said she slept with her supervisor in an effort to stop harassment at the fire station. That suit has been settled, but a lot more detail is coming out. Read the update.
New definition of “deadliest catch”: We have two examples for you of fishing expeditions that brought back work for firefighters and other first responders. A fishing crew off the coast of Italy snagged a World War II mine. Firegeezer has that story. In New Bedford, Massachusetts a clamming operation dredged up about 100 hand grenades from either WWII or the Korean War. Check that one out.
Fallen Heroes Day: Nita Walden alerts us to the 25th anniversary of Fallen Heroes Day at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Baltimore County. It is being held on May 7. Click here for all of the details.
Fall River arson problem: Mill buildings and a few other things have suddenly been catching on fire in this Massachusetts town. Click here.
Watch Philippine firefighters in action: Some interesting video from a fire last week that destroyed 20 homes and businesses. Check it out.
High-rise fire in St. Louis: Video from a fire on the 15th floor of a 31-story building in downtown St. Louis.
A rescue any self-respecting firefighter can relate to: In Naperville, Illinois firefighters had to cut a dog out of a mechanized recliner. Here’s the story.
A firefighter was injured during a three-alarm house fire Sunday morning.
Cincinnati.com photo by Malinda Hartong.
Smoke was reported at 5:51 a.m. near Winfield and St. Lawrence avenues and the Cincinnati Fire Department responded to a vacant two-story duplex at 940 Rosemont Ave, where firefighters discovered a large fire on the first floor.
In the ensuing fire attack, the firefighter fell through the floor and injured his shoulder, according to District Two Fire Chief Gary Scott.
The injured firefighter was rescued by fellow firefighters and transported to a hospital for evaluation.
The fire was extinguished in about an hour. Forty-five firefighters responded to the location.
No other injuries were reported.
The origin and cause of the fire is under investigation by the Cincinnati Fire Investigation Unit.
We have been corresponding with Al Novack, who is president of the Montgomery County 5th Fire District in Pennsylvania. Al has two sons who are Baltimore City firefighters, Scott and Jeff. As many of you know, FF/PM Jeff Novack was seriously injured after making rescues at an apartment fire at 3910 Liberty Heights Avenue on April 7. He suffered serious burns and many broken bones when fire conditions forced him to bail out of a third floor window.
Al Novack, who is also a veteran radio reporter in Philadelphia, sent this message early this morning-
I’m very thankful for the outpouring of support and prayers from both the brotherhood, the union, the Baltimore City Fire Department, the people of Baltimore, his friends, and his hometown communities for all their concern, their texts, their emails, cards, letters, and Facebook messages.
Please express my sincere thanks on behalf of myself , my son Scott, daughter Melissa, and most of all my son Jeff.
Jeff has really appreciated hearing from all of the brotherhood in addition to the community.
Jeff Novack was transferred from the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center this past Thursday to the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Burn & Rehab Unit. Visiting hours are from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily. According to his dad, Jeff is allowed mail, and “anything else that people generally send”. Here is the address:
Firefighter Jeff Novack -Patient
c/o Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
5505 Bayview Circle
John Arbor Burton Rehab Center -Room #31
Baltimore, Maryland 21224
IAFF Local 734 has alerted us to a fundraiser planned for Thursday from 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Mothers Federal Hill Grille, 1113 South Charles Street.
A fire engine at a birthday party on Saturday in Anne Arundel County, Maryland started rolling away with eight children on board.
Picture by Matt Stevens via The Capital.
Witnesses tell WMAR-TV that a firefighter jumped into the driver’s seat and was able to steer the rig into a tree. That firefighter was hurt, but the children were not injured.
The Lake Shore Volunteer Fire Company had Engine 201 parked on Edgewater Road in Pasadena for a community event. Several children were on the fire engine throughout the day. At one point, the emergency brake was released and the fire engine rolled down the hill, said Battalion Chief Steve Thompson. One firefighter was injured after somehow trying to stop the engine.
“There were several children on the fire engine,” Thompson said. “They were looking at it and crawling inside.”
Police in Fall River say they are looking at a “person of interest” following fires set in two buildings, a truck and some brush Saturday night. The Herald News reports one of those fire was in a building attached to a mill at 638 Quequechan Street, occupied by a furniture company. These fires occurred eight days after someone set the former Parker’s Candy mill structure on fire at 420 Quequechan Street (see video below). Click here to read more.
A fire lasting nearly four hours, blamed on children playing with matches, gutted 20 commercial establishments and residential houses along the national highway in Barangay Sevilla here.
The fire started at around 9:15 a.m. and was put under control at around 1 p.m. It reached the fifth alarm and caused heavy traffic on the city’s main roads.
Michael Ruiz, one of the displaced residents, told The STAR that the fire allegedly started in a room of his house where his children, aged below six, allegedly toyed with matches, burning the foam of their bed.
Make sure you take a few moments to listen Thursday’s passionate speech at FDIC in Indianapolis by New Haven Fire Department Lt. Frank Ricci. While Lt. Ricci talks about his experience in the “New Haven 20″ case, that is far from his only topic.
Ricci urged the audience to stop blaming issues, particularly safety, on the culture of the fire service and instead begin taking personal responsibility. He challenges firefighters, chiefs and politicians to do the right thing.
You may agree with all of what Lt. Ricci has to say, some of what he has to say or none of it. But please keep my favorite words from his speech in mind, “We must be careful never to demonize those who disagree with us. We should only debate the issues.”
I have often wished I could get that point across to some of the people who write comments into this blog and other websites. But Dave is just dreaming.
In a forceful address that touched on topics as diverse as fire service culture, the need for stronger leadership, equal opportunity, merit and the debate over education vs. experience, Frank Ricci urged FDIC attendees to have “political courage” in his keynote address at today’s General Session.
Ricci, a lieutenant with the New Haven (Conn.) Fire Department who became a fire service household name when he led a successful lawsuit alleging that New Haven discriminated against firefighters with regard to promotion, quoted fire service legend Tom Brennan, who once stated that firefighters were “losing the fire service to the politicians.” Ricci argued that the same thing is happening now. “Tom knew that safety goes well beyond strategy and tactics,” he said. “Critical elements of our survival are dictated by politics.”
Arguing that politicians “view us as sheep, content to be slaughtered” and “shake our hands while they slash our budgets,” Ricci implored firefighters to get involved in politics, to take a stand: “How many of you are willing to go shoulder to shoulder against city hall? We must all get involved.”
If the fire service is going to successfully fight that battle, however, Ricci said that it first must get its “own house in order” and take personal responsibility for safety. That involves eliminating what Ricci identifies as they “four horsemen of the fire service”—lack of accountability, loss of faith, indifference and politics over merit.
The Laclede Gas building in downtown St. Louis was evacuated after a fire broke out inside.
The fire started just after 8:00 a.m. on the 15th floor of the building. Some flames and smoke could be seen coming from the structure, located in the 700 block of Olive.
Photo by Carlos Chalmers via KSDK-TV
Firefighters responded after someone inside called 911. Responders called for a second and then a third fire alarm due to the size of the 31-story building.
At the height of the fire, smoke was billowing into the air and glass was showering down to the street below.
One man was overcome by smoke and was being examined by paramedics on the scene.
Fire investigators said the cause appears to be accidental or electrical. They are still working to pinpoint the origin.
Workers were allowed back into the building around 9:40 a.m.
Early video of New Chicago, Indiana house fire: Edward Malik again beats the fire department to the scene. This time not in Gary, but to the east in New Chicago. The fire killed a a few pets.
REMINDER: Don’t forget to check our player to the right for lots of new videos from around the country. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Firefighter says she slept with supervisor in an effort to stop the harassment: Kate Ellis is suing the U.K.’s Hampshire Fire and Rescue. Ellis, as the only woman at her station, claims she had to endure constant jokes, leering and innuendo. Ellis testified she tried put an end to it by becoming a notch on the bedpost of her supervisor. Here’s the story that appears to be getting prominent play by Britain’s tabloids.
Click the image for more of Ian Haight's photos of a strip mall fire Thursday in Waterloo, Ontario.
Mayor says firefighters may be selling overtime shifts to help others inflate retirement: In Rochester, New York, Mayor Robert Duffy has notified Attorney General Andrew Cuomo that city firefighters may be padding pension payments. Duffy said it appears some firefighters were taking “kickbacks” to allow more senior members to inflate their wages in the final years in an effort to get a higher pension. The union says no proof of this was found in an investigation three-years-ago and calls the mayor’s actions retaliation. Click here for the details.
Two firefighters fall through roof of home: In Union, Missouri one of two firefighters who came crashing though the roof of a ranch style home in Union, Missouri is in a burn unit. They fell fifteen feet shortly after getting onto the roof to begin venting operations. Here’s the story.
After NIOSH urges a Massachusetts firefighter seat belt law, a look at policies outside Boston: Despite state law currently exempting firefighters from having to buckle up on the job, other Massachusetts chiefs say, unlike Boston, they require seat belts. Check it out.
Boston columnist says she wants to be a firefighter, mocking decision to give 19-percent raise over four-years: Despite her advanced age and “pathetic fitness level”, Boston Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham has written an open letter saying she wants to be a part of “Firefighterland”, “a beautiful place with no connection to the economy whatsoever”. Here’s an excerpt-
Elsewhere, the city is shutting libraries and giving school custodians the ax. But in Firefighterland, it’s all dollar signs and days off.
That’s because for four years, the firefighters union refused to give an inch during negotiations with the city. Instead, they attacked the mayor and tried to scare the public. It worked. That arbitrator in Albany just gave them a whopping 19 percent-plus pay increase over four years.
Award for Siarnicki: Former Prince George’s County, Maryland chief and National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Executive Director Ron Siarnicki recevied the Tom Brennan Lifetime Achievement Award at FDIC. During his acceptance speech Siarnicki announced military firefighters will now be included in the NFFF Memorial. Read coverage here and here.
Florida firefighter charged in home invasion: Investigators say Punta Gorda Firefighter Ernest Bowen is suspected of planning the robbery of a prominent family and getting more than 100k in jewelry and money. Here’s the story.
The volunteer shortage: Tom Lindtveit, who has contributed in various ways to STATter911.com, has a letter to the editor of Occupational Safey & Health magazine/online that is worth checking out. Captain Tom looks at the demands placed on volunteers and how it impacts recruitment and retention. Read the letter.
She was injured on the job as a Tampa firefighter and is receiving $34,000 a year in disability payments, but now Abbie Bennewitz is working at Pasco Fire and Rescue as the Personnel/Special Projects Chief.
The job requirements for the position say a person holding the job must have the physical strength to pass an agility test. The job description also says the position may involve climbing a ladder, pushing, pulling, bending, kneeling, stooping and running.
Some on the Tampa Police and Fire Pension Board suggest Bennewitz is violating the law by collecting the disability payments. Chapter 175.191-(7) states if a firefighter is receiving disability income and is no longer disabled, the board shall direct the trustees of the pension fund to discontinue those payments.
Bennewitz, who maintains she is disabled and deserves the payments, has been working for Pasco Fire and Rescue for several years. We first told you about her more than two years ago when we uncovered that Bennewitz had been working as a fire inspector in Pasco since 2006.
At the time the Chairman of the Pension Board, Tampa Police Detective Patrick Lynch, was surprised when we told him about Bennewitz’s job. Lynch said he believed their rules precluded her from receiving the disability checks and doing the work she was doing.
Now Tampa Fire Captain Wesley Adwell, who is a Pension Board trustee, says he feels obligated to tell the board and talk about discontinuing the disability pension.
Authorities have rescued two window washers stranded 35 floors above downtown Seattle after their platform got stuck.
Firefighters in climbing gear came down from the roof and rescued them one at a time. The two window-washers were wearing safety harnesses and were not injured.
Seattle fire department spokeswoman Dana Vander Houwen says the platform’s rigging snagged Wednesday afternoon during a job at a Sheraton hotel, but that it was secure.
Pennsylvania apartment fire: This fire was reported at 1:45 Monday morning at the Willow Creek Apartments in Ephrata Township (Lancaster County). Two alarms were sounded. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries. It is a fairly new sprinklered building, but news reports indicate the fire began outside, on the balcony of a third floor apartment. Read more.
Update on Baltimore’s Jeffrey Novack: The Baltimore City firefighter continues to recover from many broken bones and serious burns following the April 7 fire at 3910 Liberty Heights Avenue. Jeffrey Novack’s home town paper in Pennsylvania talked with his firefighter/radio reporter dad Al, who provided a lot more details about his son’s condition. Here’s the story.
Ammo takes firefighter’s eye: That’s the latest on Ventura County, California Firefighter Paul Torres. You may recall he was hit on April 5 by exploding ammunition during a house fire. Read and watch the story.
Brain drain in Fairfax County: Darryl Louder is the latest assistant chief leaving the Fairfax County Fire Rescue Department for a chief’s job. Chief Louder is getting about as far away as he can get from us. He’s been picked to run the Contra Costa Fire District in California. Read more. By contrast, Assistant Chief Dave Rohr is staying about as close as he can get to his old office. It was announced earlier in the month Chief Rohr is walking across the street to take over as chief of the City of Fairfax Fire Department.
Video from substation fire: Click here and here for good video of a Pinellas County, Florida electrical substation burning last night and a foam truck moving in to put out the fire.
911 calls from Austin plane crash into IRS office: Austin police released the recordings of the calls about the fiery plane crash into the building housing the IRS on February 18. WUSA9.com’s Emily Cyr loaded them into our player (at the upper right of the blog). You can listen to the calls here, here, here, here, here, here and here. We also have the calls made about the fire at pilot Joe Stack’s home here, and here. Read more.
NIOSH wants Massachusetts to require seat belts for firefighters: One of the recommendations following the January, 2009 crash of Ladder 26 that killed Lt. Kevin Kelley. Read the report.
Also in Boston, Globe wants the pay raise slashed: Editorial writers at the Boston Globe are urging the City Council to reduce the 19-percent raise for firefighters over four-years cleared by an arbitration panel that also ordered mandatory drug and alcohol testing. Read the view from the paper.
Two go through the floor in Columbus, Ohio: We have the fireground audio from FireSceneAudio.com and video of yesterday morning’s fire that took the life of a woman and injured two firefighters. Click here.
Audio from Houston crash: You have likely seen the pictures of Houston Fire Department’s Engine 13 following Monday’s crash into the underside of a freeway overpass. Here’s the radio traffic.
Firefighter and son could face murder charges: Now that a 55-year-old man has died from an April 8 beating, a Philadelphia firefighter and his son are expected to be charged with murder. The pair are accused of attacking Mark Wallace and fleeing the scene after Wallace walked in front of their car. Here’s the story.
Sunday’s 4-alarm fire in Union, New Jersey: You have probably seen lots of pictures and video from the weekend wind swept fire in Union that spread to four buildings. This version is from our friend Paul Bassett. Make sure you check out Paul’s still pictures by clicking here.
A deaf woman died in a Columbus, Ohio house fire this morning where two firefighters were briefly trapped. The fire on Medina Avenue was reported shortly after 4:00 AM. A second-alarm was sounded on the report of the trapped firefighters. Details below are from WBNS-TV:
Battalion Chief David Whiting said two firefighters were hospitalized after the floor they were standing on collapsed.
Captain Rick Biancone and firefighter Bryan Owens were both quickly pulled to safety by fellow firefighters, Whiting said.
Both men were taken to The Ohio State University Medical Center and later released after being treated for smoke inhalation, cuts and bruises.
From Charleston, South Carolina, some difficult news from someone we know well. Charleston Fire Department Chief Tom Carr, who previously headed Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service in Maryland, announced today he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Our best wishes are with the chief. Chief Carr passed along to our readers this message that he sent to his staff:
As you may know I am a strong advocate of the organization supporting fire fighter health. In order to establish confidence in the medical support system, fire fighters must have total confidence that their personal medical situation is confidential. I do not take the decision to share my medical information with you lightly. But I feel it’s important that I share some personal health information with you.
Chief Tom Carr from Post & Courier website.
I have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Parkinson is not fatal, but currently it is a non-curable, degenerative, and a debilitating disease. It generally doesn’t affect critical thinking and normally advances slowly.You may know this as the disease that Michael J. Fox, Pope John Paul, Janet Reno and Mohamed Ali have. It is difficult to diagnose because there aren’t specific tests for Parkinson’s and each person is affected differently.
Currently my symptoms are a soft, raspy voice, some balance issues, some tremors in my hands and face, and a lack of facial expression. Symptoms are controlled to some degree by medication although there can be fluctuations during the day. My soft voice is the most frustrating. In the past I had a strong voice and rarely used a microphone.
But I still wake up every morning ready to get at the days activities. As the chief executive officer of the Charleston Fire Department, my responsibility is not fighting fires but fighting, cheerleading, and facilitating for you folks on the street.
My career plan is to continue to implement our CFD vision. We have made a great deal of progress but there is plenty left to do. We have established a great leadership team which is very effective.
I also want to help other fire fighters understand Parkinson’s, its risk and how your environmental exposure as a fire fighter increases your risk of having PD. There is a study that states in the general population the probability of PD occurring is 3-4 out of 1,000 and for a fire fighter the risk increases to 30 per 1,000. It is thought that people develop PD either genetically or environmentally or a combination of both factors. I went though genetic testing to determine if my children were at risk. I do not have the genetic markers for PD. Given the genetic test results, I most likely developed PD as a result of environmental exposure, such as, chemicals released from normal room and contents fires as well as exposure to pesticides and other chemicals. We need to assure our fire fighters have the information they need to understand the risk and reduce exposure.
I have talked at length to my doctor at MUSC and have been evaluated at the Mayo Clinic. They believe, and I know, that I am able to continue fire chief executive duties. I don’t take this lightly, my responsibly is to support you. I take this commitment seriously and would do nothing to compromise you or the CFD. I plan to continue working for you as long as I am able. My doctors say that 5-10 years is a reasonable expectation.
I am totally committed to you and the CFD. In fact you are the CFD and many of you have experienced devastating impacts on your family and on yourselves personally.
My initial diagnosis of PD felt devastating on my life but the opportunity it presents can’t be overlooked. I am committed to getting the word out about PD and the possible links to fire fighting.
Have no doubt that I will continue to lead the CFD on its current path.
FireSceneAudio.com posted the radio traffic from yesterday’s crash involving Houston Fire Department’s Engine 13. Three firefighters had relatively minor injuries after the rig hit a support to a freeway overpass while responding to a school bus collision. Click here for more on this crash.
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