Maryland’s police officers and firefighters who have died in the line of duty during the past year will be honored at the 26th Annual Fallen Heroes Day Ceremony on Friday, May 6, 2011, 1:00 p.m. at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens. Fallen Heroes Day is the only statewide ceremony in the nation that brings together all segments of the public safety community. The ceremony salutes police and correctional officers, firefighters, emergency medical and rescue personnel who risk their lives everyday to protect the citizens of Maryland.
The 2011 Fallen Heroes Day ceremony will honor Sgt. Hector Ayala, Montgomery County Police, who died just before the 2010 ceremony (April 4, 2010); TFC Wesley Brown, MD State Police, Forestville (June 11, 2010); Baltimore Police Officer James Fowler, III (September 27, 2010); Baltimore Police Officer Thomas Portz, Jr. (October 20, 2010); Baltimore Police Officer William Torbit, Jr. (January 9, 2011); and Firefighter/Paramedic Mark Falkenhan, Lutherville Volunteer Fire Department (January 19, 2011).
In the summer of 2009 STATter911.com readers had a very lively discussion over the issue of fire department wetdowns (see the links above). As you can imagine, some readers thought they are an important part of the fire department and the community. Others saw the ceremonies and celebrations as potential liabilities for departments.
The video above is from a wetdown at New Jersey's Sea Bright Fire Department on October 9 of last year. It was shot by homer218 on YouTube who attends a lot of wetdowns. Reporter Dustin Racioppi at redbrankgreen.com reports an incident that stemmed from this event (apparently not seen on the video) now has three firefighters scheduled to be in court today. Racioppi identifies them as Steven and Peter Lang IV, who are brothers, and Justin Hughes.
Both Langs were scheduled to move up in rank within the department, but those promotions (Steven to second lieutenant and Peter to assistant chief) have been held up because of the pending charges.
According to court documents, the brothers assaulted firefighter Justin Hughes, who was injured in the attack and has yet to return to active duty.
According to police records, the Lang brothers committed an “act of simple assault upon Justin Hughes with the purpose to cause bodily injury” on the evening of the wet-down.
Peter Lang IV, 33, of Ocean Avenue, grabbed and choked Hughes to the ground, and kicked him in the abdomen, according to the police report. Steven Lang, 25, of Sandpiper Lane, pushed Hughes, of Ocean Avenue, twice and put him in a headlock, the complaint says.
Steven Lang, on the same day as the incident, was named as a complaining witness against Hughes, 28, who was issued a summons with harassment, disorderly conduct, badmouthing and offensive language, according to court records.
The video above, shot by FireTruckBlog.com's Glenn Usdin, is from the second of two major fires during the 9:00 hour Wednesday night, about 16 miles apart in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Here's the information posted with the video from East Hempfield Township:
A suspicious fire destroyed the West Lancaster Diner on Columbia Avenue in Lancaster PA around 10:00 PM on May 4th, 2011. FD units were dispatched and told to stay back as this was an arson/robbery fire and the scene was not secure. Arriving companies had fire through the roof and after a few minutes the PD notified companies that the scene was safe to begin extinguishing the blaze. By now the fire had complete control of the building. One patient was transported to Lancaster General Hospital and it was reported that he was soaked in gasoline. As the fire was being knocked down, another call came in for an armed person barricaded in a nearby home, also soaked in gasoline. PD and fire units were on the scene there and no further details were available at the time of this posting.
Strasburg Assistant Fire Chief John Stoltzfus said he encountered heavy smoke and flames coming through the roof when he arrived at the scene. He said firefighters tried to mount an interior attack but were "blown back" from the front door by heavy flames.
A bad mix in Reboboth, Massachusetts this morning. Firefighters say the wrong mixture of chemicals sparked a fire that destroyed the G & W Foundry off of Bay State Road. Another bad mix was a lack of access and a water supply. Click here for more details.
Fire on Monday at 518 North Sante Fe in Salina, Kanas inside a one-story structure that previously housed an antique store and a tire storage facility. The fire has since been ruled arson. Click here for details and pictures from the fire by salina.com. There is also an update here.
Our short local nightmare is over. Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers made his point that Firefighter Jack Slavinski violated department policy when he posed shirtless for a charity calendar. But in the end, the commissioner sent Firefighter Slavinski back to Rescue 1 with only an oral reprimand. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer this happened yesterday when Commissioner Ayers made a rare appearance at Slavinski's trial board hearing.
A spokesman for Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter reiterated Ayers' previous position that the department is in the safety business and not the beefcake business. Here is an excerpt from Robert Moran's article:
Slavinski appeared at a hearing Tuesday and was facing three disciplinary charges, said union official Mike Kane.
In a surprise move, Ayers appeared at the hearing and agreed to simply give Slavinski an oral reprimand and reassign him back to Rescue 1.
Kane said he had participated in more than 50 such hearings and "it was the first time the commissioner walked into the room and talked to anybody."
Firefighter Slavinski is one of a dozen firefighters across the country who were asked to be part of the charity calendar. He posed for photographer Katherine Kostreva in front of a well known Philly fountain. The union had help set up the shoot and expected the city's portion of the money raised to go to the survivors of fallen firefighters. IAFF Local 22 president Bill Gault confirmed for reporters they failed to run the shoot by the commissioner's office.
Last week Commissioner Ayers told Philadelphia Daily News reporter David Gambacorta, "We get letters from children. They look up to us. We cannot allow them to be showing nipples in photographs of Philadelphia firefighters."
Ayers is catching some grief today about this even becoming an issue from Philadelphia Daily News columnist Ronnie Polaneczky who cites what she calls a double standard by the commissioner. Polaneczky pointed to a YouTube video of Ayers (below), in uniform, providing a testimonial while shopping in the Philadelphia book store Black and Nobel.
Polanecsky believes that the store's home page might be more offensive to some than exposed nipples.
"I went to the store to get black literature and the guy stuck a camera in my face to say things about the store, but I didn't know he was going to put it on YouTube," Ayers said defensively. "I don't see how this issue ties in to the calendar controversy."
Here's how it ties in:
The commissioner did something well-intentioned that he never expected would be taken the wrong way. Just as Slivinski did something well-intentioned that he never expected would be taken the wrong way.
Ayers' first response should've been to extend to a decent, hardworking underling the same compassion he affords himself.
The mayor's spokesman told reporters the city is considering legal action to keep Slavinski's photo out of the calendar.
This is Ed Gray's work from a 5-alarm fire in Queens that was discovered very late Sunday night. It occurred at the restaurant O'Neill's on 53rd Drive and 65th Place in the Maspeth section. The restaurant opened in 1928. It was destroyed and the fire extended to a deli next door. The restaurant was open when the fire broke out. Fire officials say the blaze began in a deep fryer in the restaurant's basement kitchen. Click here for more on the fire.
This is WSVN-TV's initial coverage moments after a plane crashed as it took off from Opa-Locka Airport yesterday morning. The plane hit trees and two vehicles and burst into flames as it made a path leading up to a home in Miami Gardens, a community adjacent to the airport. One person, apparently the pilot, was killed.
The news chopper arrived over the scene before Miami-Dade firefighters pulled up. This coverage shows a combination of live video as the first firefighters go to work and video shot immediately after the crash. It also shows the fire department from the Opa-Locka Airport arriving and foaming down the wreckage. Click here for more coverage from WSVN-TV.
In my business I teach people the importance of a clear and consistent message. We are told the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department on Long Island has these four simple words in front of each of its five firehouses. I think we hear this one loud and clear.
Below, a more somber look at what the news of the killing of Osama bin Laden means. CBS News' Jim Axelrod visited with the firefighters at FDNY's Engine 54 and Ladder 4 today.
The image above of FDNY's Ladder 4 is on the home page of the New York Times this morning showing the firefighters joining thousands of others in Times Square taking in the news of the death of Osama bin Laden. Click the image for more pictures from New York and elsewhere. Below are videos from Times Square showing the crowd gathered on and around Ladder 4, along with videos of celebrations from Ground Zero and The White House.
Pizza shop & video store burn: This looks like fairly early video of a fire Sunday in Prince George, BC that took out Boston Pizza and Blockbuster video on Central Street. Read more.
TOP STORY – Osama Bin Laden dead: Almost a decade after the attacks of September 11th that left almost three-thousand people dead, including 343 New York firefighters, al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has been killed by U.S. forces in a mansion outside the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. President Barack Obama made the official announcement from The White House just after 11:30 PM Sunday night. Retired FDNY lieutenant, Kenneth Specht told CNN a short time later, "I hope he rots in hell". You will find plenty of coverage on TV and across the Internet.
Roof operations at East Palo Alto apartment fire : From California, helmet-cam video taken by a Menlo Park truck crew a the two-alarm fire. Click here.
It's rodeo time: Glenn Usdin's FireTruckBlog.com is featuring video from the fire truck rodeo that was part of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival and has links to the firefighter's parade video. Click here.
Rescued teen now is in the business of saving others: From Gowanda, New York, the story of a teenager who owes his rescue after falling off a cliff while hunting to volunteer firefighters. Now Andrew Carriero is a member of the Gowanda Fire Department. Read his story.
A really nice story: Firegeezer has Steve Roth's photos from a farewell tour by the long-time fire commissioner in Hanover, Pennsylvania. And the commish got to ride on the back step one last time. Check it out.
Glenn Usdin's FireTruckBlog.com has the remarkable details as Shoal Creek VFD Chief Vernon White tried to unsuccessfully outrun a tornado and found himself upside down in the Coosa River. Click here.
A blaze tore through an Oxfam warehouse, destroying thousands of items of clothing destined for the world's poor. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, who sent ten crews to the scene, said the warehouse was '100 per cent involved' in the fire and a structural engineer had been called because the building "was showing signs of collapse'.:
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