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This is the third house fire video from Kosciusko, Mississippi we have run in the past month. It was reported at 2:17 PM today in the 100 block of Allen Street. As usual Kosyonline.com was on the scene. The site also has some excerpts of the dispatch and fireground audio and still pictures. No injuries were reported.
I know the headline above is rather strange. But this is a strange story. It’s about balls, both metaphorically and literally.
In this case, involving Village of Freeport, New York Mayor Andrew Hardwick and volunteer Fire Chief Daniel Fee, it is currently the mayor who is saying his are bigger. Mayor Hardwick has suspended Chief Fee for 30 days. The reason: a set of testicles. Really.
Click the image for the Freeport Fire Department website.
Scrotum-gate first was uncovered by a Freeport citizen who complained to the mayor two months ago about seeing the genitalia ”affixed to the rear end of the rig” (as the Post so eloquently put it). It was at that time Mayor Hardwick ordered the castration. But rather than having the humiliation of a fire truck that was looked upon as a eunuch, there was simply a testicle migration. When the mayor saw that firefighters were now storing their nuts inside the cab of the fire truck he got a little testy.
Chief Fee had no comment about his fate. I understand. This story is probably leaving a lot of people speechless.
We assume by now you have figured the tetsicles are plastic novelty items known as Bumper Nuts (click here if you really want an up close and personal view). And, to top it off, the balls in question are blue. Really.
This is a fire from yesterday morning on West Main Street in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The video is NOT in chronological order. It shows a couple of small explosions at the :08 point and then at :48 there is a wall collapse. There were no injuries.
Nine residents lived in the four apartments above Cypher Truck Parts. Here are excerpts from the Pocono Record’s article by Andrew Scott:
Fewer available volunteers due to the opening day of hunting season, low water pressure and exploding combustibles were among the challenges firefighters faced in battling a fire that destroyed a prominent Stroud Township business Monday.
Image from Pocono Record video
Stroud Township, Stroudsburg, East Stroudsburg and Pocono Township firefighters, along with ambulance crews, began arriving as Stroud Area Regional and fire police closed that section of West Main to non-emergency traffic.
“We’ve gotta hit the interior and then attack the roof,” one fire officer told another.
The fire at first seemed manageable and contained to the front apartment where it had started. But, as the morning wore on, it became clear the fire had spread beyond that apartment to the rest of the upper level as flames shot through the roof and smoke began pouring out of windows in the rear.
A firefighter appeared through one of the rear upper-level windows and began yelling for fellow volunteers to bring a ladder around back.
“Watch those wires,” another firefighter shouted when the top of the ladder almost touched one of the power lines to the building.
“One thing working against us is that the water mains in this part of town are older and give lower water pressure,” (Stroud Township Fire Chief Dave) Smalley said at one point.
From Claudine Ewing at WGRZ-TV:
Linda Herbert told 2 On Your Side that burglars ransacked her home in the City of Buffalo and took precious items that belonged to her late husband, firefighter Don Herbert.
“The most devastating thing was the wedding bands and my engagement ring because that’s something you can’t replace,” said Linda Herbert about a recent burglary at her South Buffalo home earlier this month.
Her late husband’s high school ring from Bishop Timon was stolen, along with school rings belonging to her sons and her father.
“It’s like losing another piece of him. Once you lose that person, there are personal items that you knew they cared for and worked so hard to give you. It’s ridiculous. It’s like actually going through a mourning process again because those things are lost.”
Firefighter Don Herbert was knocked unconscious while battling a fire in 1995. He had severe head trauma as well as prolonged oxygen deprivation and remained in a coma for months. After a decade, Herbert woke up from a coma then died several months later.
Linda Herbert has checked area pawn shops. She has even left a list of the items stolen.
Rosary beads given to Linda as a gift while her husband was alive were taken. “Those were part of his funeral,” she said.
Herbert wants the perpetrators caught and prosecuted.
She is disgusted with the rash of abandoned homes in the city and burglaries in her neighborhood. “I feel like I’m being forced out of my home and this home means so much to me. Don built a lot of this house.”
There were two house fires in two different sections of Buffalo, New York early this morning 16 minutes apart. The first, in the video above, was at 819 E. Eagle Street at 4:22 AM. The fire heavily damaged a vacant home.
The second fire was at 56 Buffum Street at 4:38 AM. That video is in two parts.
It happened shortly after 4:30am Monday. Firefighters say a woman and two teenagers live in the upper floor apartment. A man and woman live on the ground floor. Everyone got out safely.
“I went to bed because I had to be to work at six,” said Joann Wiedricht, who lives in the bottom floor on the house. “And he [her husband] said I smell smoke and he jumped out of bed and all the sudden they’re banging on my door and said get out, get out, get out.”
Firefighters intially had trouble with water pressure in the area which delayed putting the blaze out.
Newark, New Jersey house fire: Another one from allhandsgoingtowork. This is from November 17 at 414 South 18th Street. Part 2 is here.
CBS Sunday Morning crew shoots interview with Kelly Walesh and Lexus Koeser at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial on October 3, 2010.
CBS Sunday Morning looks at volunteer firefighters: Peter Greenberg, a volunteer firefighter from Long Island, gave the CBS Sunday Morning audience a look at the nation’s volunteer firefighters. In our role with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation we hooked producer Kay Lim up with Kelly Walesh and Lexus Koeser at the 2010 Memorial Weekend in October. They are the survivors of Firefighter Steven ‘Peanut’ Koeser of Wisconsin and were featured in the CBS story. If you haven’t seen it yet, click here.
Anne Arundel County, Maryland loses lieutenant in off-duty Thanksgiving Day crash: The Anne Arundel County Fire Department is in mourning following the death of Lt. Elizabeth Nahory. Lt. Nahory died on Thursday in a car crash near her home in Dublin Township, Pennsylvania. Read more here. IAFF Local 1563 has the funeral arrangements posted.
Arson at mosque attended by Oregon bomb plot suspect: A small fire was set at the Salman Alfarisi Islamic Center in Corvallis, Oregon. It is the same mosque once attended by 19-year-old Mohamed Osman Mohamud, accused in the plot to bomb the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland. Read more.
Maryland firefighters rescue dog and owner: Thanksgiving night found firefighters from both Montgomery County & Prince George’s County rescuing a Belgian Shepherd and its owner from the bottom of a ravine. Here’s the video & the story.
In the middle of all the stupid stuff there are a few gems on the topic of firefighters using social media in the latest STATter911.com animation. Click the image to check it out for yourself.
Dave enters the carnival with his social media policy & so much more (or less): This is my first entry into the First Due Blog Carnival. I figure it will be my last because they will likely ban me for life. They wanted suggestions for a fire department social media policy. I turned this one over to my animated staff. There is actually a serious policy in there somewhere. You just have to wade through the usual conflict that comes with a STATter911.com animation. On top of that there is a response from Roanoke and some investigations into STATter911.com. These have uncovered some dark secrets of my empire, including a recent visit to a Roanoke area hospital (HIPAA rules preclude me from providing more information) and some very interesting pictures from my past. Click here for a complete waste of your time.
What a picture, plus radio traffic: In case you missed it last week, we added radio traffic to the picture of the Detroit fire engine that was squashed went it went under an over pass that was a little too low. Here it is.
Firefighter says he sees dead Marine brother on his turnout coat: There is a most unusual story from Weymouth, Massachusetts. Firefighter Jason Farrar says after hanging up his dirty gear after a fire a week ago an image appeared on the back of his coat. Some may see smudges of dirt, but Farrar, his family and fellow firefighters see the image of Farrar’s brother Andrew, a Marine sergeant killed in Iraq five-years-ago. Check out the story.
No ambulance service, no firefighters: Firegeezer has a profile of Gregg Township, Indiana where they once had an ambulance service and 59 on-call firefighters. (Firegeezer also pays tribute to actor Leslie Nielsen who died at the age of 84.)
Thanksgiving video round-up: Here are some of the structure fire videos we have posted since the start of the holiday weekend- Raw video from five-alarm Elizabeth, NJ fire with mayday; Pre-arrival video at Cleveland, TN house fire; Surrey, BC two-alarm apartment fire.
And the most unusual video from the last few days: Check out the rolling and burning van from Los Angeles as it goes from one service station to another.
Faulty chimney blamed for Hollywood Madam’s Thanksgiving Day fire: Heidi Fleiss escaped her Pahrump, Nevada home on Thursday and was seen walking around with a bird on her shoulder. Click here for the raw video and here for the local TV report.
Change of plan on stubborn debris pile fire: In Concord, North Carolina firefighters are no longer going to just let a debris pile that caught fire last week burn itself out. That could take a month. Click here to read and watch the updated plan.
Looking back to a Thanksgiving Day fire 64-years-ago: An interesting tribute to a retired Newark, New Jersey fire captain who died last month at age 96. Click here for the story of Frank Conville and his heroics at a fire on November 26, 1946.
Cry Baby Bridge fire is the work of a firefighter: Probably the main reason I am running this story is just to be able to write the name “Cry Baby Bridge”. Investigators in Oklahoma say a fire in the fall of 2008 near that bridge is the work of a former McAlester area firefighter. Click here if you want to know more about the arrest and here if you want to know more about the many Cry Baby Bridges around the U.S.
Two-alarm house fire in South Bend, Indiana: A fire that was reported about 5:30 Sunday morning in the 700 block of South Bend Avenue. No injuries reported. Click here for more on the fire.
Click the image to see the CBS Sunday Morning segment on volunteer firefighters by correspondent and volunteer Peter Greenberg.
This is a November 18th fire at 15,030 101st Avenue in Surrey, BC. No injuries were reported.
I just received word this evening that CBS Sunday Morning has scheduled the airing of a long planned feature on volunteer firefighters during the broadcast tomorrow morning (Sunday, November 28, 9:00 AM ET).
Part of the segment is expected to feature Kelly Walesh and her daughter Lexus (seen in the photo by Glenn Udsin, below). They are survivors of Wisconsin Firefighter Stephen ‘Peanut’ Koeser who died in the line-of-duty on December 29, 2009. The CBS crew, with producer Kay Lim, followed Kelly Walesh and Lexus as they attended the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation 2010 Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg.
Photo by Glenn Usdin
From WUSA9.com’s Gary Nurenberg:
Montgomery and Prince George’s County fire departments joined Park Police in an unusual rescue operation in the woods just off New Hampshire Avenue Thursday evening.
It started when Hedin Drive resident Sarah Lesher was walking her dogs Muppet and Ginger along a ridge in those woods at about 5 p.m. Muppet, the 15-year-old Belgian Shepherd whose hips have been described as a disaster area by her vet, took a bad step and tumbled 200 feet down a steep hill into a ravine.
Lesher had a friend call for help and then returned to the top of the hill.
“I slid down on my butt, never falling, and found her standing in a pool of water. I got her out of the water and got her onto a ledge and stood there and wedged her onto the ledge with my knee, and that’s where we stood while we waited,” she said.
Lesher was soon joined by a Park Police officer who helped her keep Muppet calm while about two dozen rescue workers fashioned a hauling system to pull the three back to safety.
“I was lashed into the basket and the dog was then loaded on top of me and the officer held the dog and the basket and we all got pulled up,” Lesher said.
“It took us about an hour and a half to get them safely out of the ravine,” said Captain Oscar Garcia of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Department.
“We took a lot of safety precautions in performing this task and, fortunately, again, nobody was injured,” Garcia said.
Muppet was carried through the woods and into her home by her rescuers.
A few minutes later, Muppet, Ginger, and Sarah were on Hedin Drive again, finishing their walk.
Above is Part 1 of the video from allhandsgoingtowork on YouTube (AKA Ed Gray). At this point firefighters have a knock on much of the visible fire and are still working inside the structure with a lot of indication of fire in the walls and ceilings. All the way at the bottom is Part 7 showing the fire taking hold of much of the building and exterior operations. To see the fire progression between these two clips click here to watch Parts 2 through 6.
This fire occured around 1:00 AM on Thanksgiving Day at 420 Magie Avenue in Elizabeth New Jersey. FirefightingNews.com has a series of photos by Bill Tompkins along with Tompkins’ write-up about the fire. Here’s an excerpt:
A fire that had possibly started on the exterior had possession of part of the first floor and was traveling up the exterior walls to the upper floors by the time firefighters arrived. A second alarm was transmitted. Several residents on the upper floors had to be rescued by firefighters but all were soon accounted for. While performing a search, Members of Truck one had their way out cut off by flames and a “Mayday” was transmitted. A quick placement of ground ladders allowed all firefighters to exit the building with two suffering minor injuries.
At that point, all firefighters were withdrawn from the building and operations went defensive.
Above is video shot by bmxking1504 posted to YouTube. At about 1:20 on the video you can hear the order to evacuate the building.
Above is Part 7 of the video shot by Ed Gray.
I don’t know if it was in search of cheaper gasoline but this van took its business to the competition across the street. It’s business I am sure the service station operator would gladly turn down.
While a camera was rolling the burning van traveled across a busy street and into the parking lot of the neighboring gas station. It came to rest against the pumps. Don’t know where or when this occurred (Readers say this is in Los Angeles). At least the horn was blaring to alert other drivers.
It reminds me of the video we ran in June, 2009 of the burning truck that rolled down I-81 in Pennsylvania. Click here for that video.
A fire earlier today on 14th Street, NW in Cleveland, Tennessee. No further information.
Click here if you missed STATter911.com’s Animated Comments Premiere Edition
Here are some pictures mentioned in the above broadcast. All are courtesy of IronFiremen.com:
Fireboy From Roanoke (AKA King of the Fire Blogs) gets his Thanksgiving bath
Fireboy From Roanoke in his role as King of the Fire Blogs
Below is the initial episode of The Adventures of Fireboy From Roanoke (AKA King of the Fire Blogs) & Captain Wines. It was orignally seen on the blog IronFiremen.com and can be followed there and on FireCritic.com.
So far I have not seen anything on news sites in Detroit about this picture. But it’s making its way around the fire service and on Facebook.
We are told it occurred Sunday while Engine 8 was on hydrant inspection around 11:30 AM. There is a report of one minor injury. The incident happened off the 1200 block of West Jefferson Avenue.
This is the direction Engine 8 approached from. Click the image for the Google Maps Street View.
We have seen other pictures and the Google Map view all showing this low overpass is marked at 7’11″.
This has been a bad year for Detroit fire equipment. You may recall the March 1 incident where Ladder 13 was hit by Amtrak Train 353 (see the videos below).
Bill Rohr at NewsWorking.org tells me he’s ready for a rest on Thanksgiving. Bill’s been contributing an awful lot to STATter911.com in recent days. This is the latest from a fire last night. Here’s Bill’s description:
Allentown transmitted box 2252 (4th & Liberty) for 418 Liberty Street on a house fire, sending engines 4, 9, 6, truck 2 and BN 2 (Lanshe). BN 2 arrives and transmits a working fire in a 3-story M/O/R at 418-1/2 Liberty.
BN 2 has heavy fire on the number 2 and 3 floors of the original fire building. Engine crews fight there way to the second floor, stretching a handline, while another stretches two lines to the rear through an exposure. The engine can’t make it to the rear and the tower ladder doesn’t fit on Liberty. Engine 6, the squrt, sets up in front of exposure B.
Lanshe transmits a second alarm for Engines 13, 14, 10, Air 1, Cars 40, 41, 46, 47 and 48. Multiple lines are now stretched and operating. As the fire rapidly extends to the cockloft, a third alarm is transmitted for Truck 1. Engine 11 is special-called.
As the fire extends into the cockloft, it spreads quickly to the right (D exposure) and eventually to the left (B exposure). After hours of trying to extinquish the stubborn fire, two master streams are put into service at the front of the building to finally finish the job on the B exposure.
In all, 9 lines are stretched and operating, along with three master streams. 4 dwellings are severely damaged in the fire. Red Cross was on the scene assisting the families. The original fire building is thought to be vacant. The fire is under investigation by the fire marshall’s office. Volunteer Mutual-Aid companies had apparatus standing by at the city firehouses.
In October we told you about the fire that critically burned Dauphin Island (AL) Fire Chief Brad Cox. Cox is also a fire medic with Mobile Fire-Rescue. Because he was injured as a volunteer he was not able to use his benefits from Mobile. His colleagues from Mobile joined with others and raised $115,000 to help Chief Cox and his family. Mobile Fire Chief Stephen Dean told WALA-TV that they initially expected to raid 20 or 30-thousand dollars. Cox hopes to be back to work in about four months.
“Never thought I’d be that person in need,” said Cox. “Words cannot adequately describe the appreciate I feel for the kindness shown to myself and my family by our community. In addition to the kind donation which will help to ease our burdens.”
“Made it to where I have time to get healthy so I can get back on the streets,” said Cox.
Cox suffered burns on 17 percent of his body and was sedated for three weeks after the fire.
“I was five feet into the door, when there was a flash over and the pressure blast happened,” said Cox. “When I was trapped inside the fire I was unconscious and I had ran out of air. A Dauphin Island firefighter got me out, and a police officer. Even my wife helped pull me down the stairs. They saved my life, pulled me free.”
Cox is still recovering from his injuries. He was released from the hospital Friday, but is still very weak and has a long recovery ahead of him.
“I’ve been beating their goals,” said Cox.
“Biggest thing: never put yourself alone in a fire. I was fortunate that I had a radio with me and Mobile Fire Department training allowed me to survive as long as I did,” said Cox.
Three clips from Saturday night’s second alarm at 296 Sip Avenue in Jersey City. They were posted TO YouTube by allhandsgoingtowork (AKA Ed Gray). The fire was reported at 10:34 PM. Charles Hack at The Jersey Journal had these details about two injured firefighters:
During the one hour it took to bring the fire under control, Firefighter Nelson Ortiz, assigned to Ladder 7, suffered dehydration, and Francis Devaney, assigned to Ladder 9, received a neck injury. Both were treated and released, Roman said.
At about :35 in this report you will see a partial collapse of the structure. Not sure if it is the same one that injured the firefighters.
More video here
Two firefighters, reported to be on ladders when walls collapsed at a house fire last night, were slightly hurt. It happened on South Minnie Street in Kansas City, Kansas. More from KSHB-TV:
When equipment arrived, flames were shooting into the air. Crews were forced to fight the fire from the exterior.
As firefighters placed ladders on the side of the house to reach the second story around midnight, the roof and walls collapsed sending flames even higher, some of them reached 50 feet into the air.
Two firefighters who were on the ladders were rushed to a local area hospital where doctors evaluated them for minor injuries.
Our long-time contributor Bill Rohr at Newsworking.org has been on a roll. This is a fire Monday on Old Bethlehem Pike in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. Here’s what The Morning Call wrote about the fire:
Firefighters were dispatched to the blaze on 4076 Old Bethlehem Pike at 11:40 a.m., Upper Saucon Fire Chief Chuck Castetter said.
“Flames were coming out of the windows when we got there,” he said, noting that no one was home when the fire started. He said Monday evening he had not yet determined how the fire began.
A vehicle caught fire outside of a duplex at 2300 South 1360 West in West Valley City, Utah on Sunday afternoon. It spread to other vehicles and the homes. No injuries were reported. I spotted Part 1 (above) of the video on Firefighter Spot and found Part 2 (below) all by myself.
LAFD River Rescue 11-21-2010 from LAFD on Vimeo.
This sure beats the last one of the rescues from the LA River we ran. If you recall, in that one the victim bit the rescuer.
Spokesman Erik Scott, writing in the Los Angeles Fire Department News & Information blog:
On Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 7:51 AM, 11 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 1 LAFD Rescue Ambulance, 2 Helicopters, 1 Battalion Chief Officer Command Team, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Assistant Chief Mark Stormes responded to a River Rescue in the LA River x 1st Street bridge near Boyle Heights.
Due to recent heavy rain, local flood control channels remain swelled with storm-water, causing the Los Angeles Fire Department to remain in a “River Rescue” preparedness status. Over 60 firefighters were rapidly and strategically placed near the LA River bank, on bridges, overpasses and in the air, all searching for an adult male wearing dark colored clothing that was swept away. In approximately 20 minutes the fast moving water carried the victim from the 1st Street bridge south until he was rescued near Bandini Boulevard and Washington Boulevard. A firefighter was skillfully lowered out of a LAFD helicopter into the rough water, where he grabbed hold of the 54 year-old and both were hoisted up. Once safe inside the helicopter the patient received medical aid and was transported to County USC hospital in stable condition. A special thanks is extended to our friends at the Los Angeles Police Department and Vernon Fire Department for their expert assistance.
A truly fascinating video: I apologize if you have seen this before, but I had not. This version was posted to YouTube yesterday. It’s reported to be a 1941 film of members of Italy’s fire brigade strutting their stuff. The first thing that comes to mind watching the coordination and timing is synchronized swimming. Sure enough, later in the film they are all in the swimming pool. I don’t know if they could fight fire, but it looked pretty and some of those moves took a lot of guts. The idea that Mussolini made sure the trains ran on schedule is now seen as legend rather than fact, but this film seems to show his firefighters had their timing down.
Our reader’s words come to life : It isn’t quite Masterpiece Theatre but we have put together dramatic readings of some of the recent comments to STATter911.com. It is quite moving. Pure poetry. While not really a “must see” video, it’s kind of in a category of its own. Click here to watch the video.
Buy this book! Will Wyatt's And a Paycheck, Too! would make a great holiday gift. Click the image to read why Will wrote it and why Dave likes it.
30th anniversary of a deadly fire: There were a lot of lessons from the MGM Grand fire of November 21, 1980. But as one of our reader’s wrote, not all of them have sunk in 30-years later. Particularly how effective automatic sprinklers are. We have gathered reports and videos for your reading. This history lesson is well worth your time. Please take a look. Over at Command Safety, Christopher Naum had the same idea but went quite a few steps further.
Two for the price of one in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania: I always like it when I am researching one interesting story and find another one in the process. That was the case over the weekend where a search for the details behind the video of a burning ambulance brought me to the story of a rugby team that trashed the Bloomsburg Fire Department banquet hall. Read it all here. Update- Bloomsburg FD was able to hold a Sunday morning breakfast fundraiser despite the damage. Click here to read and watch the story.
Looking again at FDNY firehouse closings: Firegeezer has the latest on the revived plan to shut down 20 firehouses at night on a rotating basis.
Controversy over FDNY calendar: It’s not what you think. It isn’t about sex. It’s about money. Here’s the story.
Distracted driving: One of our readers from South Portland, Maine sends this reminder of distracted driving. A driver on a cell phone hit this police car and injured Officer Rocco Navarro. Click the image to watch an interview with the officer.
911 issues during Ocean City, Maryland cardiac arrest run: Audio, documents and a very interesting story about an October, 2009 incident. If you missed it Friday, here it is.
And they are off – turkey fryer fire week: Already one in Fort Myers, Florida. My guess is it will be the beginning of a trend for the week. (What, is Carnac the Magnificent now running this blog? Are you sure you want to go out on a limb with that prediction, Dave?)
The volunteer blues in South Dakota: Around the Rapid City area volunteer fire departments are seeing the same trend as elsewhere in the country. The Rapid City Journal has a detailed article on the impact of the reduced availablity of volunteers and how many departments are wrestling with the idea of hiring career firefighters. Here’s more.
Texas fire leaves four dead: A Sunday morning fire in a Harlingen trailer park left four people dead and one injured. Read more.
My favorite story of recent days: The Fire Critic got in early on the woman who almost laughed herself to death at a comedy club. Read the story and watch the video. It’s a shame the “Critic” isn’t old enough to get into a club where they sell booze and have adult humor.
They’re out. They’re in. They’re out again?: The saga of Flint, Michigan firefighters. They have been asked to take a 10 percent pay cut or lose a dozen firefighters. Likely cut, the firefighters who were brought back from previous layoffs thanks to federal grant money. But, of course, if the new layoffs occur, the city might have to pay back that money. What a mess.
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A social media policy from the anti-social Dave Statter. Plus CSI – Roanoke & more.
7 commentsCSI – Roanoke; Special Blogs Unit
Previous STATter911.com animations
Rhett finds some very interesting photos of Dave
The Iron Fireman just fuels the fire
Backstep Firefighter as the carnival barker
Our friends at FireEMSblogs.com including Backstep Firefighter Bill Carey and Fire Critic Rhett Fleitz have been running something called a blog carnival for a while. Looking at some of the silliness that has been going on in the fire blogosphere of late, a three-ring circus might be a better description. The idea is for a bunch of us write about the same topic and it is all posted together. This is my first carnival but not my first rodeo.
ChiefReasonArt.com lowers its standards. Click the image to lower yours.
This time the goal is for us to come up with a social media policy for our departments. Obviously I don’t have a department to write a policy for. When I did have a department, more than 30-years-ago, we didn’t have social media, just social diseases. Now we have both. I guess it’s progress that you can blog about your social disease and how you caught it.
I gave the project of coming up with this policy to my crack staff here at STATter911.com’s World Headquarters. The video above is what they came up with.
If you can sit through latest in the back and forth that has taken place between Iron Firemen’s Willie Wines and Rhett (more on that in a second) there are actually some nuggets of useful information (seriously). My top ten suggestions for firefighters using social media are buried somewhere in the video.
You will also find that in many ways the video itself is a good example of why you need to have good social media practices.
Now, for the few who have been following the three-way blog/video conversation that Willie, Rhett and I have been entertaining ourselves with, there is bad news. It has grown. It is now a foursome.
Seriously, what does this guy Fleitz have against me that he would publish these old photos? Have I done something to him?
Art Goodrich has added his mighty pen to this battle of nitwits (you would think he would be smarter than to get involved with us). Art may be the only one who has any real talent. He can actually write.
Please view ChiefReasonArt.com’s I-Team investigation (did you know there is no “you” in I-Team?) on my running battle with The Fire Cricket (AKA Fireboy from Roanoke, King of the Fire Blogs, Cotton Candy & Willie’s Little Buddy). Art somehow penetrated the security at the STATter911.com World Headquarters Building. You can read what he found at CSI – Roanoke; Special Blogs Unit.
I have prepared an official response to this absolutely scurrilous report. Here is my statement:
These assaults on me are coming from many different directions (including my own people). The video below (from IronFiremen.com’s Willie Wines) was apparently shot in an emergency department in Roanoke. It includes someone they claim is me standing over a gurney carrying an apparently unconscious fire blogger. You will have to view it to get the full context.
And finally The Fire Cricket checks in from Roanoke. He has uncovered two pictures from my past that I am sure my enemies (and there are many) will enjoy seeing. I really don’t understand why this guy Fleitz is after me. Seriously, what have I done to tick him off?