This video begins before firefighters arrived on Sunday to Southwest Marine Drive and Lord Street. No further information.
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Early house fire video: A neighbor began shooting and narrating a few minutes before the fire department arrives at this house fire last Wednesday on McKendree Lake Drive in Lawrenceville, Georgia (Gwinnett County). Click here for Part 2 of the video.
Ohio firefighter shot: Police are investigating a home invasion robbery that left East Cleveland Firefighter Jonathan Alexander in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the back. Three men have been arrested. Click here to watch the story.
FDNY radio traffic from Ferry crash: FireSceneAudio.com has the audio of the operations during the mass casualty incident at the Staten Island Ferry on Saturday. Click here.
FDNY didn’t have street on its maps: The New York Post reports that Van Nostrand Court in Queens has now been drawn in on some maps used by the FDNY after an incident a week ago where firefighters took 37 minutes to get to an EMS call. A Flushing Hospital EMS crew coming from a further distance also apparently had some difficulty in finding the address but beat the fire engine in. The patient died. The family does not blame the firefighters but thinks there needs to be some changes made. Here’s the story.
Quick Takes: There was so much news on Friday and early Saturday we did a rare weekend Quick Takes (it is also because you didn’t do one on Friday, dummy). If you missed the large fire in Salamanca, New York, the raw video of the fire at a Maryland congressman’s property, the Jet Ski rescue in Tennessee and much more, click here.
Explosions caught on video: An early security camera video shows two explosions at a house in Taiwan and some early video of fire department operations. Check it out.
Fallen Phoenix firefighter honored: On the site where he died nine years ago, a learning center has been dedicated to the memory of Firefighter Bret Tarver. Read the story.
Firefighter smoking ban banned: An arbitrator has thrown out a smoking ban for firefighters in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin saying it is overly broad. Read details.
Two-alarms in Virginia Beach: Both Firegeezer and Martin Grube at FireRescueTV.com have coverage of a two-alarm apartment building fire early this morning. Recently I have been enjoying looking through Martin’s History of the Virginia Beach Fire Department that he sent to STATter911.com’s world headquarters. Click here to find out more about the book.
Red light district: Firefighter Close Calls just posted a video reminding us how many drivers out there are apparently doing things besides operating the vehicle when they are behind the wheel. It is a compilation of mostly red light runners that has been out for a while on YouTube, but is well worth a second (or first) look. Click here.
Insurance premiums rising: In West Virginia volunteer fire department officials are complaining about sudden jumps in premiums for workers’ compensation insurance. In at least one case it has doubled. Here’s the story.
Engine & ladder truck damaged at 3-alarm fire in Atlanta: Lots of fire and some water supply issues made for a difficult time for Atlanta firefighters on Sunday as they battled this fire in an apartment building under construction. Two rigs suffered damage from the heat.
This incident occurred in Hualien City, Taiwan early on Saturday. After the initial explosion the woman who lives in the home comes down to investigate and is standing nearby when a second explosion happens. The person who posted the video on YouTube wrote that it was ”a bit strange that neither the neighbors nor even the policemen went over to tend to the stunned and injured woman but just watched the fire.”
This is another good catch by Firefighter Spot.
Emergency radio traffic from Staten Island Ferry collision. Dozens injured when boat slams into dock.
1 commentFrom the AP:
The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team to investigate an accident involving New York’s famed Staten Island ferry.
The ferry malfunctioned this morning as it approached its Staten Island terminal and smashed into a pier with a jolt that tossed passengers to the deck and hurt as many as 37 people.
New York City’s transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan says the accident appears to be the result of a mechanical failure. She says the ferry’s throttle failed to engage as it prepared to dock and the crew was unable to use the engines to apply reverse thrust and slow down. The cause of the malfunction is still unknown. The ferry, carrying 252 passengers and 18 crew, was moving at about 5 miles per hour when it hit.
The Department of Transportation describes damage to the vessel and terminal and slip as minor.
The 310-foot-long Andrew J. Barberi has a history of accidents, including a 2003 wreck that killed 11 people. That accident was blamed on human error.
Six rowhomes were damaged during a three-alarm fire just before noon today in Baltimore City. The fire occurred in the 700 block of North Collington Avenue. No injuries were reported.
A rather amazing flood rescue story from Nashville. Man on Jet Ski grabs woman from burning home.
2 commentsExcerpts from an article by Dennis Ferrier, WSMV-TV:
The owner of a house that exploded in flames Monday along the flooded Cumberland River said she’s alive after being rescued by a man on a Jet Ski.
Leslie Bills’ Pennington Bend home caught fire while being enveloped by rising floodwater.
“We were just an island We were totally surrounded by water. So, here I am just calling 911 (asking), ‘What do we do?’ And they’re saying, ‘Stay on the line. Don’t jump into the river because of the undertow. Your house might blow up,’” said Bills. “About that time, we started seeing more smoke. (The 911 operator said), ‘Get blankets, put them into the water, get them wet, put them over you so you won’t burn. Be prepared for an explosion.’ Now, I’m thinking, ‘Do I want to burn, or do I want to drown?’”
Then, a locksmith named Bill Krauser came to her rescue on a Jet Ski.
“I look up and there’s an angel on a Jet Ski. God sent me an angel on a Jet Ski. I yelled at him, ‘Can you please check and see what’s coming out of that garage?’ He went and looked in and saw the fire had taken over and was getting ready to attack the cars. He said, ‘We have to get out of here.’ He said, ‘Jump on the Jet Ski,’” said Bills. “So, he jumps on his Jet Ski. I grab the dog, Juice, (and) get on the Jet Ski with him. We got 20 yards away, and ‘kaboom’ — the house blew up. This man saved my life.”
Drinking & responding – two stories: – A firefighter strikes a cop & a chief tries to handle an EMS run.
3 commentsFrom Guilderland, New York (Albany County) comes the story of a volunteer firefighter responding in his personal vehicle to a house fire on Curry Road early this morning. Jordan Carleo-Evangelist reports at TimesUnion.com that Captain Thomas Fortunes of the Stanford Heights Fire Department struck and sped past Officer Don Jones who was directing traffic at the scene of the fire. Here’s more:
Fortune’s 1999 Saturn sedan clipped Jones’ right arm and kept going, prompting Officers Mike Minette and Joe Mazzone to give chase and ultimately stop him, police said.
Police said Fortune was discovered to have a blood-alcohol content of .15 percent, just shy of twice the .08 percent legal limit, and was charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, reckless endangerment and failure to comply with a lawful order.
Jones was treated by Guilderland EMS. The extent of his injury was not immediately clear.
Above is the earlier video from KCCI-TV. Click here to watch the latest story.
Read police report from Carlisle, Iowa
The second story is a follow-up to the one above we brought you earlier this week from Carlisle, Iowa. A man told a local TV station that the fire chief who responded to his wife’s diabetic emergency was acting in a very strange manner. Now KCCI-TV has obatined the police report in this case and it indiates Chief Scott Burger was intoxicated. Here is an excerpt from the KCCI- TV story:
According to the report, a Carlisle police officer who confronted Burger after the incident said Burger admitted to drinking two beers, which he also acknowledged was against policy.
The report said, “Mr. Burger provided a sample of breath, which indicated his breath-alcohol content at 0.152.” The legal limit in Iowa is 0.08, nearly half of the test result.
In the report, emergency crews from Frasier Medical Services who also responded to the 911 case said Burger was acting unprofessionally.
“They described Mr. Burger’s behavior as ‘just not right’ and ‘goofy,’” the report said. “They advised that Mr. Burger’s behavior was unprofessional because he was very close to the individual’s face with his own.”
Another officer’s report said, “Two of the men had direct contact with Chief Burger and they stated he was actually hindering their ability to help the situation.”
Virginia firefighter hears call dispatched for own home. Blames Sparky for starting the blaze.
1 commentGlenn Ross was about to sit down to dinner at Alexandria Fire Department Station 206 Tuesday evening when he heard a familiar address come across the radio. Other Alexandria and Fairfax County stations were dispatched to a report of a house fire at the firefighter’s Franconia home.
There were lots of thoughts going through the mind of Glenn Ross, with the most important being to get home. Battalion Chief Joe Hoffmaster decided the safest way to get him there was aboard Engine 206.
Discovering that his wife was at not home, Firefighter Ross then thought about his two dogs who spend the day in the kitchen. When he pulled up, Sparky and Brownie were on a neighbor’s lawn, unconscious. They were wearing pet oxygen masks and being treated by Fairfax County paramedics. Firefighters found the dogs under a table in the burning kitchen.
The kitchen is gutted and the Ross home has significant smoke and water damage.
Investigators believe the fire started because of a box left on the stove top ignited. What was in that container leaves a big clue into the leading theory of how this blaze began. It was a box of dog biscuits.
Glenn Ross believes that one of the dogs, most likely Sparky, jumped up trying to get the treats and accidentally turned on a burner.
Dr. Katy Nelson at Alexandria Animal Hospital and Veterinary Emergency Service is treating both Brownie and Sparky for smoke inhalation and corneal burns. Dr. Nelson says both dogs are recovering nicely.
Dr. Nelson agrees with Firefighter Ross. In her professional opinion, the fire starter is clearly the always hungry Sparky, a beagle.
Ross says the hero of the day is a five-year-old neighbor who saw smoke coming from the home while playing outside. The boy ran in to get his grandparents who called 911. The early call apparently meant the difference between life and death for Sparky and Brownie.
Ross says the lesson learned is one that is basic in his business: Never leave anything combustible on or near the stove.
Glenn Ross says he is also learning what it is like to be on the receiving end of all the brotherhood the fire service has to offer. According to Ross offers of help have come in from his brother and sister firefighters across Northern Virginia.
Fuel tanker in deadly California crash: This is video from yesterday morning on Highway 99 in Chico. The driver of the rig was briefly trapped but got out on his own. Officials say a woman was killed when she tried to pass traffic and ran straight into the truck. According to ChicoER.com, “Cal Fire-Butte County officials said the tanker was allowed to burn itself out, partly over concerns that putting water on it would spread the fuel.” Read more here. Check out this photo gallery (really good pictures).
Thanks so much for helping my friend: A man in Seminole, Florida showed his gratitude to firefighters who responded to his friend’s medical problem by sneaking into their rig and stealing a lieutenant’s helmet. Here are the details.
Fire truck turned prom limo crashes, but no pictures allowed: Taking two of its members and their dates to the Shippensberg (PA) Area High School senior prom, two rigs from the Pleasant Hall VFD pulled up to the event Saturday night. The Sentinel Online reports one of the fire trucks hit a light pole. When two photographers tried to shoot the damaged pole and truck they say they were surrounded by firefighters. Here’s what one of the photographers wrote to the paper-
“When the firemen saw we had cameras, they acted as if it was a crime or homicide scene and insisted that we were not permitted to take photographs. The driver was a bit too aggressively assertive.”
The chief of the department admits some of his people, including the embarrassed opererator of the fire truck overreacted. Here is the story.
Did chief violate privacy by telling reporters the reason a firefighter was fired?: A former firefighter has filed suit in Pasco County, Florida claiming the City of Zephyrhills fire chief did just that. Shawn Baptist, a 16-year-veteran, says the chief shouldn’t have gone beyond acknowledging the firefighter was no longer employed by the fire department. City Manager Steve Spina defended Chief Kevin Williams telling TBO.com-
“When you are a public safety officer and you get fired for a certain reason, that’s the public’s business. You know that going into it.”
Council members want to know if a new chief is really necessary: In Flint, Michigan the question is whether the expense of the new fire chief is needed considering they have had an acting chief for more than a year. There are also questions about two lawsuits the nominee, John Linker, had filed against the city that gave him more that $200 thousand. Linker, who retired in 2002 as an assistant chief, now says he actually regrets filing the suits claiming discrimination. Watch the story. Read the story.
Newborn rescued from pit toilet: Firefighters and paramedics in Durban, South Africa responded after someone heard the cries of a newborn child from amid the waste in a pit toilet. Here are the details.
Big bust in topless arson case: The headline, no surprise, is from Firegeezer (who consistently breaks new ground on ways to sneak sex into these boring fire/EMS sites). This is a follow-up to the story we both ran last June of the fire at a topless coffee shop in Maine called Grand View. Here’s the update.
Indy apartment burns again: You may recall there was an apartment fire in Indianapolis on April 23 during FDIC. The vacant building at Nottingham Village burned again this morning. A firefighter was slightly injured when a stairwell fell on him. Click here to read and watch the story.
Baltimore County two-alarm apartment fire: Michael “FirePix1075” Schwartzberg says this started out as a smoke investigation for Engine 1 (Towson) at Rodgers Forge Road and Blenheim Road around 11:40 PM last night. Soon it was a second-alarm with fire in the basement of the apartment building. One firefighter suffered a knee injury.
Gratitude: Florida firefighters help man. Man’s friend helps himself to firefighter’s helmet.
2 commentsRead more from TampaBay.com
From the AP:
A Pinellas County man has been charged with stealing the helmet of a firefighter who responded to help his friend.
The sheriff’s office reports that Seminole Fire Rescue firefighters responded to treat an ill person Sunday morning. While rescue workers were inside the home treating the sick person, authorities say 21-year-old Christopher James Bergling got into the unlocked cab of the fire truck and took the helmet.
The firefighter noticed that his helmet, worth about $500, was missing several hours later. Deputies were able to track it back to Bergling.
He was charged with grand theft, burglary of an unoccupied vehicle and possession of a controlled substance. He was being held on $7,000 bail.
Barn burner: No details on this very early video of a barn fire in the U.K. with lots of popping sounds from inside. It is early enough that you even see the cattle getting down, getting low and getting out.
TIC used by FDNY in Times Square helped indicate something wasn’t right: We have interviews and raw video from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s visit to firefighters who were among the first responders in Times Square Saturday night. Also, the diagram of how the Nissan Pathfinder was rigged. Check it out.
While we are on the subject, Fire Engineering’s Bobby Halton gives us his views on this latest terrorist act and what it means for first responders. Click here.
Steve Roth at 911 Photography has a bunch of pictures from a two-alarm house fire in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania yesterday. Click the image for the rest of the photos and the details.
The bear facts: We have lots of video from Oxnard, California firefighters’ encounter with a bear in a tree. Here’s our coverage of a very delicate technical rescue operation.
House fire and tanker crash in Maryland: A tanker from Delmar VFD in Sussex County, Delaware heading to a working house fire in Salisbury, Maryland collided with a car. It happened Tuesday afternoon. Click here for pictures of the fire and the crash. Read more and watch the video of the fire.
EMS credentials for sale: That’s the accusation in Lexington, Massachusetts where a firefighter is under investigation by the state over his side business of teaching EMS skills. Click here for the story.
Deputy chief resigns/retires over handling of MDA boot drive money: Just before a disciplinary hearing was to be held over $2300 in boot drive money, a Hamilton, Massachusetts deputy chief left the department. Here’s the story.
Steve Skipton and Ted Aurig from PhillyFireNews.com were on the scene of a 4-alarm apartment fire in Merhcantville, NJ (Camden County) yesterday afternoon. Click the image to see more of their photos.
And this is why some firefighters don’t like to do door-to-door fundraising: A District 6 volunteer firefighter in Hardin County, Tennessee was trying to raise money. Instead he raised the ire of a dog who bit the firefighter sending him to the emergency room. Read more.
Another, “What and give up show business?” moment courtesy of the Firegeezer: Bill Schumm, the favorite of firefighters from Germany, tells us about a daring rescue in a rain swollen creek at a fairground. Check it out.
Get the point: Ever just think you can’t deal with sitting and watching another PowerPoint demonstration. The Fire PIO feels your pain and has just the column and the video for you.
Hear from first firefighters on the scene of the Times Square bomb. TIC helped alert FDNY’s Engine 54, Ladder 4 & Battalion 9.
6 commentsAbove are interviews with some of the firefighters from Engine 54, Ladder 4, and Battalion 9 who responded to the bomb inside a Nissan Pathfinder parked in Times Square on Saturday. The video below contains Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s remarks from his visit today with the FDNY members.
Here is part of what Mayor Bloomberg had to say about the actions of the firefighters:
The reason I came here was to personally thank the FDNY for the important role that they played. I came here today to meet the members of Engine Company 54, Ladder 4, and Battalion 9. And I would just like to point out near the front door, if you look on the walls, you will see a lot of brass plaques. This Fire Department has a custom that one year after somebody dies in the line of duty, they put up a brass plaque in memory of that person, but mainly I think to tell the young recruits that come into these fire houses that somebody has paid a terrible price but they are the role models for all of us. Those are people that put their lives in danger and unfortunately didn’t come out. And there were 15 from this house who lost their lives on 9/11. And I wanted to thank all of them, and you see some of the young ones here, for their deft and professional response to the car bombing in Times Square.
Justice Department diagram of how the Nissan Pathfinder was rigged.
“I was able to shake hands with a lot of them at about two in the morning on Sunday morning. Members of this fire house responded when Police Officer Rhatigan saw a fire in the car and immediately notified his superiors that something was awry. The vehicle was parked haphazardly, the engine was running and the smoke emanating from the rear was white which is unusual for a vehicle fire. The fire officers on the scene then used thermal imaging cameras to detect the heat source, and once they saw that that the only heat was coming from the engine itself and the smoke had a different source, they worked hand-in-hand with the NYPD to evacuate the area and keep the public at a safe distance so the bomb squad could arrive and do its work. And then they stayed throughout the night to help secure the area.
“Our Bravest did exactly what they have been trained to do in such situations. They knew not to apply water or any other extinguishing agent. Their quick thinking and restraint preserved important evidence – evidence that could be very significant in the ongoing investigation of this act.
Sometimes you get the bear. Oxnard, California firefighters pluck a 200 pound bear from a tree.
4 commentsFrom the AP:
A California black bear that scampered up an Oxnard cemetery tree has been plucked from branches where it was wedged for hours after being peppered with tranquilizer darts.
Image from KTLA-TV.
Firefighters fitted the groggy 200-pound bear with a harness before using a ladder truck to lower it to a grassy cemetery grave site at 9:10 a.m. Tuesday. Fish and Game experts bundled the bear in a tarp, and police say it will be released in Los Padres National Forest.
The bear was reported prowling a nearby neighborhood just after 2 a.m.
It was first spotted in a fire station parking lot, then up a tree in a condominium complex. It eventually went over a cemetery wall and, at dawn, was in the cemetery tree with at least three tranquilizer darts poking from its fur.
Medic unit stolen in Columbus, Ohio this morning. Man arrested after police stop vehicle a short time later.
3 commentsA paramedic ambulance on a call in Columbus, Ohio was stolen early this morning. According to police a man jumped into Columbus Division of Fire Medic 32 around 5:00 AM while it was on a run in the 3700 block of Kimberly Parkway.
Image from WBNS-TV
Here’s a few more details from WBNS-TV:
About 15 minutes later, Whitehall police stopped the medic near the corner of East Broad Street and South Yearling Road.
The medic’s lights and sirens were activated when police stopped the driver, Ramos reported.
The man suspected of driving the medic was taken into custody, police said.
Court rules against white firefighter’s claim promotion denied because city caved into Vulcan pressure. Judge says Mount Vernon, NY case a ‘far cry’ from Ricci.
2 commentsBy Timothy O’Connor, LoHud.com:
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a white Mount Vernon firefighter who said he was passed over for promotion because of his race.
Calling it a “far cry” from a case where the City of New Haven, Conn., was found by the Supreme Court to have engaged in reverse discrimination, U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel rejected the lawsuit filed by Joseph Carroll.
Carroll, 50, sued the city in December 2007, five months after his upgrade to lieutenant was stopped when the Vulcan Society of Westchester, a black firefighters’ group, opposed his promotion as violating a federal decree aimed at increasing the number of African-Americans in the department.
In his lawsuit, Carroll claimed he was denied his promotion by the city because the city caved into pressure from the black organization.
His lawsuit appeared to get a lift last year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a predominantly white group of New Haven, Conn., firefighters whose promotions were rejected after the city threw out the results of a 2003 Civil Service test.
The court ruled 5-4 in Ricci v. DeStefano that New Haven officials wrongly tossed the test after black firefighters did not score well enough for promotion, and the city feared a potential lawsuit.
But Seibel said in her 17-page ruling Friday that unlike New Haven officials, the City of Mount Vernon did not take any steps designed to deny a promotion to Carroll, who was a 19-year veteran of the department.
Mount Vernon officials waited for the city Law Department to evaluate the Vulcan Society’s complaint regarding the consent decree. The Vulcans’ protest came four days before the 2004 test list for promotion expired.
The Law Department did not respond before the list expired, necessitating the use of a 2007 list where Carroll placed lower. The first two firefighters promoted to lieutenant from the new list were white.
“There is no evidence that the delay occasioned by consideration of the Vulcan Society’s objections was a pretext for discrimination,” Seibel wrote, adding that there was no evidence the Law Department deliberately dragged its feet as the old list approached its expiration.
Article from SheboyganPress.com:
A former volunteer firefighter will make an initial court appearance today for allegedly stealing more than $20,000 worth of gear from the Town of Sheboygan Fire Department and auctioning it on eBay.
Items reported stolen included two sets of fire gear, 15 pagers, 13 defibrillator batteries, two defibrillators, a dash-mounted two-way radio, a set of vehicle emergency lights and a device that changes traffic lights to green as fire trucks approach, according to a criminal complaint filed Friday. The stolen equipment was valued at $23,000.
Jamie M. Jochmann, 30, of 1342 N. 38th St., could face up to five years in prison on a count of felony theft. He has no prior criminal record, but he does have another pending case for an alleged theft in January.
Jochmann has admitted to the fire department thefts and told investigators he took items between mid-2008 and spring 2009 after losing his job at the Elks Club, records show. He was fired from the fire department after the thefts were discovered.
According to a criminal complaint:
The investigation began in March 2009 when the fire department reported the two-way radio — valued a $5,000 — had been stolen along with the vehicle light, a hose washer and a projector. The fire department discovered other items missing in the months that followed.
The Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department served a search warrant at Jochmann’s house in January, at which point he admitted to the thefts. Records from his two eBay accounts showed he tried to resell many of the items reported missing earlier, as well as a voice amplifier, Jaws of Life hydraulic pump, firefighting helmet and other smaller parts.
The complaint filed Friday also charged Jochmann with misdemeanor theft for allegedly taking numerous items from a Town of Sheboygan home where he worked as a handyman.
The homeowners reported stolen an iPod, GPS, bottles of wine, collectible coins and bills, two Ducks Unlimited prints and at least $500 in cash their down-syndrome son had saved up, the complaint said. Jochmann’s eBay account showed he resold the coins, iPod, GPS, prints and bills.
Jochmann denied taking the wine, coins and $500 in cash.
Pretty awesome early video from 4th alarm in Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania: A neighbor was rolling well before the first alarm units arrived to this fire around 3:30 Sunday morning at 350 W. 4th Street. Make sure you take a close look at the video at 5:49 and 8:43.
Just when we thought things had calmed down between the fire chief and the councilmember: DC City Councilmember Phil Mendelson has asked the chief financial officer to look into how DC Fire & EMS Department Chief Dennis Rubin is overspending his budget. Mendelson wants action taken against Rubin that could include firing under the city’s ant-deficiency regulations. Read Bill Myers’ story from The Examiner. Click here to read the letter from Mendelson.
Garage explosion video: We have the full raw version with slo-mo and the short clip of an explosion as Lake Stevens, Washington firefighters stretch to a garage fire. Well worth seeing. Here it is.
Is checking for holes in your eyelids wrong?: The Fox TV station in Detroit certainly thinks so. Our audience isn’t so certain. I even have a few comments and questions about the story of two supervisors with Detroit EMS. One of the supervisors shown with her eyes shut is the wife of the city’s EMS chief. The chief responds to a reporter’s questions. Check out the story and the comments.
Fire engine taken out by flood waters: Shelby County, Tennessee Engine 69 was down for the count as the crew responded to one of many flood related calls on Saturday. Also, watch as a house (actually a portable classroom) outpaces cars and trucks on a highway. Plus more video of firefighters in action during the flooding. Click here.
Female sues lieutenant over sexual harassment. He claims she is just as raunchy: Pretty detailed sex talk coming from Reading, Massachusetts after a veteran female firefighter files suit. The lawyer for accused Lieutenant Richard Puopolo says that Firefighter Lisa Palermo ”gives as good as she gets”. Click here for all of the lurid details.
The house comes tumbling down: Within 30-minutes of a fire being reported in a 150-year-old wood frame house in North Attleboro, Massachusetts it was on the ground. Click here to see the collapse.
They say comedy is tragedy plus time: Carol Burnett is credited with that quote (if you don’t know, ask Firegeezer who she is). Apparently 51-years is not enough time for me to have the slightest bit of fun with an absolutely wonderful film from a New Jersey volunteer fire department. A little interaction between a bay door and a fire truck is caught by the camera. It reminds us that bay door collisions are universal and have been happening since the first fire truck went behind closed doors. Here’s the film.
Thieves target fire stations: Two nearby firehouses have been hit in Kentucky. The men responsible for an attempted break-in of a storage shed in Rowan County were caught on video. It shows the three men in masks and hoods. It is believed an alarm system scared them off. In Lewis County a generator and other equipment were taken.
Must see Tennessee flood video: Fire engine washed over. Plus, the cars are stalled, but the house is moving just fine.
5 commentsFiregeezer Bill Schumm reports that is Shelby County, Tennessee’s Engine 69 on its side after being flipped while responding to one of scores of flooding calls on Saturday. Check out Bill’s site for an earlier picture with the crew sitting on top of the pumper waiting for help to arrive.
The video above shows how a house (reader Gavin Richardson points out it is actually a portable classroom) can travel much faster than a car or truck in flooding conditions.
Here’s more on the flooding from AP:
At least five people had died and hundreds were being evacuated Saturday as flooding was reported across Tennessee and heavy rains continued to pound the state, officials said.
The forecast called for more rain through the weekend.
The five deaths reported in Stewart, Davidson, Williamson and Carroll counties were storm related, but the exact causes of the deaths were not yet known, Jeremy Heidt, spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, said Saturday evening.
Hundreds of homes had been evacuated in Tennessee and shelters were being opened across the state for people stranded due to flooded roads.
Memphis received up to 10 inches or more of rain during the day and officials were warning that 4 – 8 more inches could fall overnight and into Sunday.
Heidt said crews were called out for swift-water rescues from Nashville to Memphis.
Here’s the description with this video: “Footage shot on Sunday May 2nd in Hendersonville, Tn. Boat rescue at the intersection of Wessington Pl. and Keystone Ln. Firetruck running through the overflowing bridge water on Wessington Pl. near Scotch St./Southburn Ave.”
I saw the video above on Firefighter Spot earlier today. Two different views of a bit of an explosion coming from a burning garage at a home in Lake Stevens, Washington last Sunday.
Below I found some of the raw video shot before and after the explosion (plus slow motion versions of the blast).
Providence Fire Videos shot this video from a two-alarm house fire in Bellingham, Massachusetts. According to Providence Fire Videos, a power line came down on Engine 1. No reports of injuries or further details.
Last May we ran another story and video from Bellingham where live electrical wires on the front yard prevented crews from reaching a hydrant. Click here for that one.
Early video of Massachusetts house fire. Collapse during defensive operations in North Attleboro.
2 commentsThis fire occurred last Sunday afternoon on Mendon Road, in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. At 3:44 in the video the house comes crashing down.
News reports indicate the collapse of the two-and-a-half story wood frame house happened about 30-minutes after the fire was reported. The 150-year-old home had been undergoing renovations. Read more.
Quick Takes
1 commentMedic unit stolen this morning: A TV station was on the scene when police recovered a Columbus, Ohio paramedic ambulance and took a man into custody. Check it out.
“It was disgusting Lorain politics at its best”: The words of the fire chief of Lorain, Ohio after the City Council killed a deal to save the jobs of four firefighter. Chief Tom Brown says the budget cuts could mean days when only two of the city’s four stations will be open. Here’s the story.
Fire chief and deputy get to sue over “toxic comments” made to website: Firefighter Nation’s Bill Carey found this very interesting story from Halifax, Nova Scotia where two top fire officials have the court’s okay to go after their “anonymous” enemies. The lawyer for the chief and deputy chief says he now has information on who made the posts thanks to previous rulings that forced a newspaper and Internet providers to cough up the data. The comments centered on allegations of racism. Here’s the story.
Fire chief’s actions on medical call brings suspension: A man in Carlisle, Iowa tells KCCI-TV the person helping his diabetic wife was slurring his words and didn’t seem to know what he was doing. The man who responded to the 911 call is the chief of the Carlisle Fire Department. He’s now been suspended. Check out the story. Watch the video.
A ‘far cry’ from Ricci: That’s what a federal judge wrote in ruling against a white firefighter from Mount Vernon, New York who had filed a discrimination case. Read the details.
Collapse in Orlando caught on video: Two firefighters were injured at an apartment fire yesterday. Firegeezer has the story and the video.
Another DeKalb County firefighter wins his job back: WSB-TV reports a second DeKalb County firefighter has won his job back after being fired for his role in the botched response to a fire that killed an elderly woman. Click here for the latest.
Former firefighter witnesses murder of police officer: Bill Langevin ran to the side of Sgt. Joe Bergeron Saturday after seeing the Maplewood, Minnesota police officer being shot in the head. Langevin spent four years as a St. Paul Police Department officer and twenty more as a firefighter for the city. He got on the officer’s radio, called for help and provided a description of the killers. Click here to read the story and here to watch it.
Houston fire captain critically wounded at birthday party: Senior HD Captain Ricky Johnson, assigned to Station 74, was shot in the lower abdomen while attending a birthday party off-duty. A neighbor, complaining about the noise, killed the man throwing the party for his wife and wounded another man. Click here for more.
Missing equipment? Check eBay: That seems to be the pattern these days. In Sheboygan, Wisconsin a lot of the $20,000 in PPE and other fire & EMS equipment that was missing was being sold on line. A now former firefighter has been charged. Here’s the story.
Punishment for firefighter who lost equipment seen as too harsh: In Toledo, Ohio an arbitrator ruled a firefighter gets 80 percent of his wages back after being docked 120 hours for leaving a radio on the running board of a rig. The firefighter also is no longer required to pay for the lost radio. Here’s more.
New head of internal investigations in Los Angeles: Following a 220 page report critical of how discipline was documented and handled in the Los Angeles Fire Department, a new boss of the Professional Standards Division has been announced. She is Assistant Chief Roxanne Bercik, a 26-year veteran who most recently ran the Homeland Security Division. Read more.