Four-alarms in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania: This is from Sunday night at on East Pine Street. Click here for still pictures.
Bait and switch by the news media: If you are like me it will drive you up a wall if newspapers, websites or TV news operations use a fire truck from one jurisdiction to illustrate a story in another jurisdiction. Well, the new site, FireTruckBlog.comby Chief Glenn Usdin, is calling out one newspaper for crossing the continent to screw up its story on a Maryland budget issue. Check it out here.
You may have noticed the link that went up recently on the bar above for FireTruckBlog.com and a feed of the blog’s content in the right hand column. We are working with Glenn to help make sure you know about this great source for fire apparatus news. You’ll want to check it out.
For those of you who don’t know Glenn, he has been in the fire apparatus business since 1974 and curently is President of Command Fire Apparatus, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, based company providing used fire and rescue vehicles to fire departments across the United States, Canada and for export. Glenn is also a veteran firefighter and officer in New York and Pennsylvania. I think you will find FireTruckBlog.com a good complement to what we do here.
Dennis Walus has a series of photos from yesterday's large fire in Southfield, Michigan. Click the image for the pictures from Dennis.
Michigan fire spreads thoughout large one-story complex: Firegeezer is all over the fire yesterday afternoon in Southfield, Michigan. When you see it you can’t help wonder how a daytime fire was that advanced with a four-minute response time from the fire department. Click here to watch the video.
“The time for trickery and lies are over. We’re playing with people’s lives”: Those are the words of IAFF Local 428 Union President Eric Jenkins. They are directed at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Mayor Linda Thompson. The union had its press conference yesterday firing back at the mayor’s plan to change schedules and drop people to save $1.6 millions dollars in OT money. Here’s more.
Making the case against massive layoffs in Cincinnati: Cincinnati.com’s Jane Prendergast has the details as more than 200 firefighters packed the City Council chambers last night trying to prevent the layoff of 144 firefighters. Here’s the story.
Union points out what it believes is a cancer cluster at a Pittsburgh firehouse: Nine cancer deaths of firefighters over 13-years at a South Side firehouse has firefighters sounding the alarm. Read the story.
Questions asked after it takes 10-minutes for fire engine to travel a half-mile: It appears Virginia’s Vinton Fire Department had to wait for a crew before responding to a house fire Monday night. The 10-minute response time made it the second engine to arrive at the fire and has reporters asking questions. Here are the answers from The Roanoke Times.
Cops to run day-time fire calls: A shortage of volunteers in Alma, Michigan has the town recruiting police officers to handle fire calls. First they have to be trained. We assume it is something a bit more than “fire safety training” mentioned in this article.
Also on STATter911 …
- Two from FireTruckBlog.com you should check out: Tower suddenly retracts injuring five in AZ & OH pumper goes swimming. – August 17, 2012
- Must see from FireTruckBlog.com: Impromptu parade to say goodbye to firefighter’s son. One last item on your Christmas list – send a patch to Kyle McGetrick. – December 24, 2011
- FireTruckBlog.com: Rigs for sale from Command Fire Apparatus. – January 6, 2012
- Quick Takes: December 26, 2011. – December 26, 2011
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Mohney City? Never heard of it. Not much action here, alot of people standing around. Not very agressive. Dumpster in the wires looks safe. Poor radio operations, same unit barkin on the radio multiple times. Go to staging, get outta your truck and report to command for an assignment, stay off the radio.
Among the photos that Dennis Walus shot of the fire in Southfield, Michigan are a series that illustrate the epic failure of a firewall to stop a well advanced attic fire. Even well executed trench cuts beyond the firewall were unsuccessful.
http://www.detroitfiregroundimages.com/gallery/14895514_krtaC#1111795989_rLoby Photos 61 -125
Great images of the Michigan job. The trench failed because they didn’t get it opened up soon enough, and didn’t get handlines in place soon enough. Once it gets past you, the trench is useless.
Very good lesson here that I’ve learned the hard way. You have to write off an considerable amount of building to allow yourself time to cut the trench and get the resources in place to make the stop. Pick a spot and then move even further down. You need the trench open nice and wide, the ceilings completely open and multiple handlines in place.
You have to work fast and hard to get all that done before the fire beats you. It’s a race against time, and I didn’t see that urgency in the photos until it was too late.
Water supply can be a challenge in these jobs. If the fire is past you, SHUT DOWN! Save the water for the guys down the line where the battle is still being fought. No sense pouring thousands of gallons of water on flaming rubble while the guys down the line need water to make the stop.