On board these New Jersey National Guard vehicles Sunday morning were five soldiers, a police officer and New Jersey Star-Ledger photographer Tony Kurdzuk. According to the Star-Ledger, they were on a mission to aid law enforcement when they were diverted to the town of Manville. This is where South Main Street and Kennedy Boulevard intersect. Chief Warrant Officer Patrick Daugherty told the paper as they tried to make their way down the flooded roadway the vehicles soon shut down.
"At the time they entered the water, they believed they were fine until everything turned off. At that time they panicked a little bit," he said.
The video above is shot shortly after the first video and shows the photographers calling help.
"The chain of command is taking the incident seriously," Daugherty said. "They know the soldiers went in with the best intentions. They were perhaps a bit too confident."
Seven people were inside the two Light Medium Tactical Vehicles, which are capable of driving through 46 inches of water, Daugherty said.
The Manville Fire Department assisted in the rescue.
Click the image to see photos of the incident from the photographer who was on board, Tony Kurdzuk.
An onlooker with a camera proceeds to heckle the guardsmen.
“Are you guys that stupid?”
“Why would you take a guy that can’t swim?”
“You guys are stupid.”
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Patrick Daugherty, a spokesman for the New Jersey National Guard, said it was an ambitious effort that took an unexpected turn.
"In many cases, soldiers, fireman, policeman, they overcome the impossible," he said. "Sometimes, they enter the darkest places that people would never enter. Those soldiers were there to search for and assist residents of New Jersey who needed help. … Unfortunately, things didn't work out right."
Bill Rohrer at Newsworking.org says firefighters in Allentown, Pennsylvania had a very tough time with a house fire that began in the basement at 627 Allen Street on Monday. Reported around 2:30 PM, firefighters were still dealing with the fire until almost midnight. The problem was the large amount of material inside the home.
Fueling the fire, investigators said, was floor to ceiling stacks of cardboard boxes, electrical equipment and paper.
Fire crews said the homeowner, Dan Vuong, tried to put the flames out himself and didn't call 911.
The first firefighters to arrive on the scene said they couldn't get inside the home because of the debris and thick smoke.
They said it was so bad that the first floor of the home actually collapsed, but only fell six inches. It didn't fall any further because the debris that was in the basement held the floor up.
After trying various ways to access the seat of the fire amid the heavy fire load inside the basement, the fire department called in heavy equipment to rip open the front wall and dig the burning debris out of the home.
Here's more from Newsworking.org on the earlier efforts to put out the fire:
Heavy fire was venting from the rear of the house. Crews had access problems to the rear due to a lack of an alley. Companies stretched hand lines through the front door of the dwelling to start their attack.
As they darkened down the fire in the kitchen, they had heavy fire in the basement. A hand line was stretched to the basement, but they couldn't gain access to find the seat of the fire.
Other crews made it to the 2nd floor to conduct a search and found fire on this floor and radioed for a hand line.
As crews tried to find the seat of the fire, it was determined that they were working in a house occupied by hoarders.
At 14:54 hours, Battalion 2 transmitted the second alarm. Engines 10, 14, Air 1, Cars 40, 47, 48 and Engines 5 and 8 responded.
As the hours passed, crews were still trying to access the fire in the basement without success.
Chief 40 special-called North Catasauqua's CAFS (Foam Engine) Engine 18-11 into the scene. By 22:00 hours, that idea had failed too.
Appeals Court opinion doesn't give a lot of support to the belief of the EMS crew member in this July 22, 2011 video from Coudersport, Pennsylvania that she can decide who takes her picture in a public place.
We have written often about confrontations between first responders and the people who take pictures of them doing their jobs. The videos on this page are two of the most recent ones we have posted. The discussion has been quite animated, with some in our comments section believing that police, fire and EMS have a say in what the press and private citizens can and can't shoot in a public place.
I have often expressed my bias in this conversation as a strong supporter of the First Amendment. In an important ruling that addresses new technology and the reality that cameras are everywhere, I am very happy to report the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has the same view I do.
The case involves Simon Glik who was arrested in 2007 after using his cell phone to record an arrest by police on Boston Common where Glik thought excessive force was being used.
Police claimed Glik was violating Massachusetts law prohibiting audio recording without the consent of the person being recorded.
Glik was charged with wiretapping, disturbing the peace and aiding the escape of a prisoner. The last was so silly the state dismissed the charge.
The Boston Municipal Court found Glik not guilty of the other charges, noting the audio recording was not secret and carried out in plain view. Glik complained to the police, but they refused to investigate, so he filed a civil rights suit for violation of his 1st and 4th Amendment rights.
Last Friday the court issued a ruling agreeing with Simon Glik that his rights were violated.
The opinion touches on many of the issues we have discussed in this forum about just who the press is these days and what rights the public has in using their cameras. Here is some of the operative language from the ruling.
The First Amendment issue here is, as the parties frame it, fairly narrow: is there a constitutionally protected right to videotape police carrying out their duties in public? Basic First Amendment principles, along with case law from this and other circuits, answer that question unambiguously in the affirmative. It is firmly established that the First Amendment’s aegis extends further than the text’s proscription on laws “abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press,” and encompasses a range of conduct related to the gathering and dissemination of information. As the Supreme Court has observed, “the First Amendment goes beyond protection of the press and the self-expression of individuals to prohibit government from limiting the stock of information from which members of the public may draw.”
Moreover, changes in technology and society have made the lines between private citizen and journalist exceedingly difficult to draw. The proliferation of electronic devices with video-recording capability means that many of our images of current events come from bystanders with a ready cell phone or digital camera rather than a traditional film crew, and news stories are now just as likely to be broken by a blogger at her computer as a reporter at a major newspaper. Such developments make clear why the news-gathering protections of the First Amendment cannot turn on professional credentials or status.
The Suffolk County (NY) Police sergeant in this July 29, 2011 incident isn't likely to find a lot in this opinion that gives him a legal right to become news editor and decide when it is okay for the public and the press to use their cameras.
(Note: While I have apologized and given up my involvement in writing The Fire Critic, Willie Wines apparently is having a tougher time letting go. There is a brand new post attacking me and the people who read STATter911.com. Click here. Personal note to Capt. Wines – Willie, it's over. You can't put the genie back in the bottle. Give it a rest.)
If you saw Part 1 of our investigation into the website FireCritic.com you know that we have determined rather conclusively that there is no Lt. Rhett Fleitz in the Roanoke Fire Department. But it left open the question of who then is The Fire Critic (AKA Fireboy from Roanoke). Who has been writing the website FireCritic.com all of this time?
The shocking answer is in the video above. Our lawyers at STATter911.com World Headquarters advised us strongly not to run this story. But we thought it extremely important that the truth finally come out.
"Amber", a self-described Fire Critic groupie, with her man/boy. But just who is this guy who claims to be a Roanoke fire lieutenant? Capt. Willie Wines, who took this picture, comes clean in the video above and it isn't a pretty picture.
Before you watch Part 2 we should share with you comments from two of our readers quite concerned (and rightfully so) about what we reported in Part 1. Here are the actual comments:
Comment 1:
… this kid (supposedly) from Roanoke has been on line how long? Nobody from there noticed he didn't exist? Child sociopaths turn into adult sociopaths and this kid needs help. Some motivation via Trademark infringement suits might get him the help he needs.
Comment 2:
The sad part is this kid is setting himself to destroy any chance of a career in the fire service, which to his credit he seems to love. Imagine doing the background check on this kid…
I couldn't agree with these readers more. This is all an outrage. And yes, maybe the authorities need to investigate.
As for any part I may have inadvertently played in helping further this ruse on an unsuspecting fire service web community, I offer the following message straight from my heart (and from Chuck in our PR department):
You will notice I am telling you first about this issue before you hear it elsewhere. It became clear there was nothing to gain by waiting for some smartass reporter (like FossilMedic) to uncover this problem. It was only a matter of time before it leaked out. In addition to getting the news to you first, I am getting it out, getting it right and getting it behind me.
So, let me share with you the steps I am taking. I have ordered a thorough investigation into how this Fire Critic crisis occurred. We will be using a team of outside investigators to insure impartiality. We tried to get J. Gordon Routley to lead that time, but Chief Routley had a prior commitment. (Dave, I have checked the budget. We can't afford Routley, Chuck in PR.)
Instead, I have asked Benny, our 12-year-old neighbor who is really a whiz on the Internet, to trace the digital trail and provide us some answers on how this could go so terribly wrong. Benny has promised me he will get to it as soon as he and my son Sam are finished with their latest battle in Call of Duty. We will share Benny's findings and recommendations with you when they are available.
I will be checking myself into a 12-step program in the morning. (Dave, I have checked all over the country, there is no program for egotistical bloggers who make fun of short people … Chuck.)
In addition, I have spent time today with my spiritual advisor, the Firegeezer Gnome, who I am certain will help me find my digital way once again. (Dave, have you checked with Schumm on this? I really don't think the Gnome counts as an important religious leader … Chuck.)
Please be certain that I take full responsibility for my actions and the actions of my staff at STATter911.com. Remember, the buck stops here. (Dave, fill in other clichés as needed … Chuck.)
To all of those I've hurt, I sincerely apologize. And I particularly regret dragging my family into this unfortunate situation. (Dave, both Hill and Sam have made it clear they will not be standing beside you if you decide to do a press conference, so I advise just go with the written statement … Chuck.)
State fire investigators were in Deerfield Beach, Florida today trying to determine the cause of a fire jut before 7:00 Sunday morning at the landmark restaurant and bar, Crabby Jack's. The two-alarm blaze was fought by 50 firefighters from three departments.
The Crabby Jack's blaze may well be the last large fire that Deerfield Beach Fire-Rescue responds to under that name, since the City Commission recently voted to merge with Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue.
"We have one of the best fire departments in the county," (Mayor Peggy) Noland said. "They will stay in Deerfield Beach. All the fire departments are headed to regionalization.
"The cities can't afford to buy ladder trucks and aerial trucks, but merged, we can have two or three that can be used in an emergency like this," she said.
House fire in Bozeman, Montana: Bozeman Daily Chronicle video of a house fire on Saturday evening in the 1100 block of Wilson Avenue.
UPDATE to story below: As of 11:00 this morning news reports indicate that 39-year-old Michael Kenwood of the Princeton (NJ) First Aid and Rescue Squad has died. More details here.
EARLIER – Wrong information supplied by governor that firefighter had died during Irene swift water operation: The latest official word is that a 39-year-old member of the Princeton (NJ) First Aid and Rescue Squad is in critical condition after being swept downstream following the checking of a partially submerged car. Yesterday, Governor Chris Christie reported that it was a firefighter lost in that operation and that the firefighter was dead. Here's our rundown of how this story developed Sunday morning.
You can still use the Statter name to save some money: Come see me in St. Charles, Missouri for the Gateway Midwest Firefighter Leadership & Training weekend October 21 to 23. I will be telling you how to keep your fire department's name out of the headlines on STATter911.com. But there's lots more to the event that you will want to check out. If you use the name STATTER in the promo code before September 15 you will receive 10 percent off of the reduced early bird price. Click here to register.
Our shocking, exclusive investigative report about The Fire Critic: The insults have been coming our way for some time now. They didn't bother me. But when The Fire Critic took aim at the people who comment on this site, I knew I had to take action. Grabbing my reporter's hat, notebook and trench coat, which have been on display at the Newseum in Washington, DC since my retirement 14-months-ago, I took a trip to Roanoke, Virginia with my camera crew looking for some answers. And did I find them. Click here for this must see video.
News happens right under STATter's nose & he hasn't a clue: Despite showing off my investigative skills in the story above, it took a real journalist like Firegeezer Bill Schumm to alert me to news that happened nearby while I was in Atlanta for FRI. Here's how Bill Described it -
A PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITY AROSE WEDNESDAY at the Fire Rescue International Fire Chiefs' Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Desi Deandre Wade, the U.S. Department of Defense Chief of Fire and Emergency Services in Afghanistan was nabbed by FBI agents in downtown Atlanta moments after he received a $95,000 cash bribe and stuffed it into his backpack.
Delayed response & water supply problems make for a bad combination: Seattle Fire Department Chief Gregory Dean talks about issues at a weekend house fire. We also have video showing firefighters dealing with the water problem. Click here.
You are doing it all wrong & the Swedish doctor has returned to tell you so: Four years ago on this blog we linked to the story of a visit by Dr. Stefan Svensson – a firefighter from Loberod, Sweden. Dr. Svensson then told us that the fire service in the United States has it all wrong when it comes to safety. He returned last week to FRI to see how we are doing. The doctor's assessment isn't any better and he vents a lot on ventilation. Check out the story.
My Knee Hurts Now is back up again: We have been getting lots of emails and comments about this. The popular 911 abuse music video that has been playing now you see it and now you don't on YouTube seems to have returned. I spotted it making the rounds on Facebook yesterday and is again showing on the original YouTube channel where I first spotted it. Catch it fast before it vanishes again.
Another unusual video posted on the same YouTube channel: On Friday we posted a firefighter's attempt to get drivers to do the right thing when emergency vehicles approach. It sure is different. Click here to watch.
Sign up for 9/11 Memorial Stair Climbs in the National Capital Region: Amy Tarte, Firefighter, Health & Safety Technician with the Stonewall Jackson Volunteer Fire Department in Manassas, Virginia, has been doing a great job getting publicity for the climb on September 11 in Manassas. But they are still looking for more participants. Click here for details and to sign up.
The other stair climb in the area is in Greenbelt, Maryland where Kellie Bornman and Gloria Lowe are running things. Here's that link.
There was great participation at the Atlanta FRI climb. Even had a lot of chiefs climbing the Westin Peachtree Plaza Tower. Thank you Atlanta Fire Rescue for all of the hospitality. Click here for a video.
Another 9/11 event – Brotherhood Ride: The Brotherhood Ride is in Charleston, South Carolina today on its way from Naples, Florida to New York. Check it out.
Many thanks to the Johns Creek Fire Department: While in Atlanta I had to miss out on a steak dinner with A Shift at the Johns Creek Fire Department, Station #63. Willie Wines and that high school kid who is masquerading as a lieutenant (see above) made it and brought back a challenge coin for me. Read Willie's account.
Tell me what you think, because I sure don't know what to make of it:
Mike Legeros looks at STATter911.com: Mike has some observations on the fire videos we post and the comments that come with them. Check out his Legeros Fire Blog.
House fire in Madison, Florida: A fire on Summerset Way on Sunday afternoon. There are quite a number of comments on the website of the Madison Florida Voice about this fire. Click here.
I am sure most of you have seen the pictures and maybe even the website and wondered how this could be true. A boy, who can't be more than 14-years-old, claiming to be a firefighter in Roanoke, Virginia. Actually, not just a firefighter, but a lieutenant. And on top of it, this teenager claims to have enough experience in the fire service to write a blog and proclaim he is THE Fire Critic.
Some of you may know him from a series of animated films as Fireboy from Roanoke. He says his real name is Rhett Fleitz. Furthermore, in many comments on FireCritic.com and elsewhere, this Fleitz guy has been telling people for quite some time that Dave Statter has never been a firefighter. And to make matters worse, he has referred to the readers who comment on STATter911.com as "trolls".
Well, some of those "trolls" have been sending me emails and comments with tips on a story I should cover about Rhett Fleitz. But I had given up being a reporter 14-months-ago and vowed to leave the reporting to others. As more of these tips came in, many of them from firefighters in the Roanoke area, I found it too hard to ignore and just had to check them out.
Basically, the tips indicated that The Fire Critic was pointing the finger at me to take the focus off of himself. That, in fact, Rhett Fleitz was not a firefighter and there was no Lt. Rhett Fleitz in the Roanoke Fire Department.
Shocking, you say? That's exactly how I felt.
To determine the truth I took a little side trip during my travels last week to Fire Rescue International. I showed up unannounced in the wonderful city of Roanoke and paid a visit to Engine 3, the firehouse where The Fire Critic claims he works. The results of my secret, undercover investigation can be found in the exclusive video above (though, another fire service blogger nearly spilled the beans last week about our Roanoke visit).
It turns out there is even more to this story than we could tell you in the video. Right now we have the lawyers working overtime at STATter911.com World Headquarters trying to determine if we can even reveal the entire truth about all we have learned. Stay tuned for more.
In the video above, Seattle Fire Department Chief Gregory Dean explains problems encountered by firefighters dealing with a house fire in the 10200 block of 41st SW in Arbor Heights around 5:30 PM on Saturday. According to news reports, a neighbor was attempting to fight the fire with a garden hose when the first firefighters arrived. Chief Dean says a truck company was the first on the scene with a seven minute response, because the two closest engine companies were on medical calls.
Chief Dean said when the first pumper pulled up the closest hydrant did not work. Water pressure supplied from the next house fire was not adequate. A second alarm was called and a relay was set up from more distant fire hydrants. One firefighter was slightly burned and the fire did spread to an exposure.
Below is a series of videos showing the firefighters attempting to deal with the water problems.
Around noon on Sunday New Jersey Governor Chris Christie reported a Princeton firefighter had died during a rescue operation early this morning. That information turned out to not be correct. The rescuer did not die, but is in critical condition.
In addition, the person is a 39-year-old member of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad. The name has not been released.
The official infomation from Princeton Township is that two members of the squad were returning on foot from checking out a vehicle near Johnson Park School that was partially submerged when one of the two slipped into the rushing water. Both squad members were then "unsecured in the water". One of the pair was unharmed and the other was "found unconscious". EMS, fire & police were initially dispatched to the call around 4:30 AM. The vehicle turned out to be empty.
The Governor's report of a Princeton Firefighter death last night is inaccurate. The correct report is that a Princeton First Aid member was critically injured early this morning during a rescue operation. Our thoughts go out to him and his family.
The Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad swift water rescue technicians entered the water in an attempt to determine if persons were trapped inside the vehicle, according to the release. During the course of the rescue attempt it was determined that the conditions were too dangerous for the technicians to continue the rescue, and the two assigned rescuers were recalled. While attempting to return to safety, one of the rescuers slipped into the rapid current which set off a series of events which caused both rescuers to be cast unsecured into the water, according to the press statement.
One of the rescuers was able to gain his footing and was brought to safety without incident. The second rescuer was located and found unconscious, and life-saving efforts were initiated at the scene. The second rescuer, whose name is being withheld by police, was transported to a local hospital and was in critical condition, police said.
"Gov. Christie should have checked with the Princeton Fire Chief first," said Fire Chief Dan Tomalin on Sunday, moments after Christie's press conference.
Princeton Township Police Sgt. Michael Cifelli told Princeton Patch that the first aid worker swept up in flooding during the water rescue was still in critical condition, but not dead.
Gov. Chris Christie, at a press conference this afternoon, said that a firefighter in Princeton “succumbed to his injuries from an attempted swift water rescue.”
But the governor's office has acknowledged that Christie was incorrect. The fire fighter is still alive in the ICU, according to Princeton Township Mayor Chad Goerner, who spoke with The Associated Press.
EARLIER:
One firefighter was killed this morning during a water rescue operation near Johnson Park Elementary School in Princeton, New Jersey. Here's what is known so far.
An hour ago, one first aid responder in Princeton was awaiting water rescue after going in to rescue someone else, according to Princeton Township Mayor Chad Goerner.
Another first aid responder is in the hospital after being pulled from the same body of water, Goerner said.
Above is live coverage of WUSA-TV in Washington, DC of Hurricane Irene. There are also links to live audio feeds for fire & EMS along the mid-Atlantic coast and the Chesapeake Bay.
In my presentation today at FRI I played an interview with Detroit Fire Commissioner Donald Austin contrasting his style with the two previous commissioners who would run and hide when the press, and particularly reporter Charlie LeDuff, came knocking. Getting back to the hotel I was alerted to this this video posted yesterday of Commissioner Austin visiting a public affairs program on LeDuff's TV station, WJBK-TV. The commissioner was there (as was LeDuff) to address the potentially controversial topic of allowing some vacant structures that catch fire to burn rather than have firefighters try to extinguish them.
Whether you agree with his plan or not Commissioner Austin does a good job of explaining the various factors involved in the risk analysis firefighter's face every day and why he is renewing and refining a policy that surfaced after the death of Firefighter Walt Harris who died fighting a fire in a vacant house.
As I said in the session today, having a commissioner in Detroit willing to talk bluntly and directly when there is controversy will not solve all of Detroit's many problems, but it will put them on the path of repairing the image issues that have plagued the fire department for a long time.
Fire Rescue International is ending a little sooner than expected for some East Coast fire chiefs. They have been watching the weather closely for a couple of days. Now, with the projected path of Hurricane Irene hugging the coast, many of these chiefs have booked flights leaving early this morning.
But if you are staying (and plenty are), please come see me this morning. I will be in Room B313 from 10:30 AM until noon with Today's PIO: Building Reputation Equity in the Digital Age. We will be looking at a lot of stories straight out of the pages of STATter911.com.
If you don't think you can take 90 minutes of me or my blog (and who could blame you), check out Room B308 for Lights, Camera and All the Action of Media Relations. My friends Billy Hayes and Mike Brooks will be doing the second part of a two parter that I am sure will be informative and interesting. Mike, who couldn't make up his mind on whether he wanted to be a cop or a firefighter when he grew up, did both. Then he completely lost his mind by becoming a part of the news media at CNN and HLN. I can assure you he's not just another pretty face.
And speaking of not just another pretty face, if I you get bored with my class after a half hour, at 11:00 THE Fire Critic himself, Rhett Fleitz, will be at the Firehouse Cafe: Concourse B, Level 3. Rhett is moderating a discussion on Social Media and Incorporating Technology in the Workplace.
At 10:23AM, box 1228 was transmitted for a house fire at 32 Summit Street (btwn Germantown & Stenton Avenues). On arrival, crews found a 2-1/2 story 50×50 detached garage fully-involved behind a dwelling.
Battalion 9 filled-out the box on arrival and placed 3 and 3 in-service. The upper floor of the garage collapsed into the first-floor. The fire was place under control around 11:15AM.
Watch at 1:57 of the video – a wall collapses just missing a firefighter.
A fire around 11:00 AM on Monday in the 100 block of West Avenue in Pitman, New Jersey. Gloucester County Times says there was an initial report of people trapped, but everyone escaped. Read more about the fire. This one was discovered at Firefighter Spot.
One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded on the East Coast shook buildings and rattled nerves from South Carolina to New England on Tuesday and forced the evacuations of parts of the Capitol, White House and Pentagon.
Skyscrapers swayed in New York, and frightened workers spilled into the streets. The National Cathedral in Washington said its central tower and three of its four corner spires were damaged.
There were no immediate reports of deaths, but fire officials in Washington said there were at least some injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake registered magnitude 5.8 and was centered 40 miles northwest of Richmond, Va.
The White House said advisers told President Barack Obama there have been no reports of major damage to the nation's infrastructure, including airports and nuclear facilities.
Two nuclear reactors at the North Anna Power Station, in the same county as the epicenter, were automatically taken off line by safety systems, said Roger Hannah, a spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The earthquake came less than three weeks before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, and in both Washington and New York it immediately triggered fears of something more sinister than a natural disaster.
At the Pentagon, a low rumbling built until the building itself was shaking, and people ran into the corridors of the complex. The shaking continued there, to shouts of "Evacuate! Evacuate!"
The Park Service closed all monuments and memorials on the National Mall, and ceiling tiles fell at Reagan National Airport outside Washington. All flights there were put on hold.
The National Cathedral said cracks had appeared in the flying buttresses around the apse at one end. "Everyone here is safe," the cathedral said on its official Twitter feed. "Please pray for the Cathedral as there has been some damage."
Metro says all trains are running at reduced speeds and crews are conducting track inspections. MARC officials say all train service is suspended until Amtrak and CSX crews are able to inspect the tracks and declare them safe.
9NEWS NOW's Derek McGinty was standing outside the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial when he says, "The stones underneath our feet began to move." He said people were asking, "Did you feel that, did you feel that," and "This is God letting us know he's still in charge."
9NEWS NOW's Kristin Fisher was on the 11th floor of her building in Clarendon and "felt tremendous swaying."
One person who was in an office building near 14th St. and New York Ave. told 9NEWS NOW's, "A little bit before 2 o'clock, I felt the building shaking, but it was mild, but then I felt another shake and that was strong."
The Washington Nationals have not made a decision about tonight's game and are delaying the opening of the gates.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Spokesperson Rachel Racusen issued the following statement on the earthquake that impacted the mid Atlantic Region and other states today:
"According to United States Geological Survey (USGS), the mid Atlantic Region of the United States experienced a 5.9 magnitude earthquake. FEMA, along with the entire federal family, is closely monitoring the situation and is in close contact and coordination with our partners in the National Capital Region and our state partners. Though there are no early reports of major damage or requests for assistance at this time, preliminary damage assessments are currently taking place in all affected states and we will continue to work closely with their emergency management officials.
"Due to overload of cell phone usage, there are reports of cell phone congestion. We request that members of the public use email or text messages if possible to communicate for the next few hours, except in cases of emergency, so that emergency officials can continue to receive and respond to urgent calls. We encourage everyone in the affected areas to listen to the direction of their local officials. More information will be provided as it becomes available."
In lower Manhattan, the 26-story federal courthouse in lower Manhattan, blocks from ground zero of the Sept. 11 attacks, began swaying, and hundreds of people streamed out of the building.
The New York police commissioner, Raymond Kelly, was in a meeting with top deputies planning security for the upcoming anniversary when the shaking started. Workers in the Empire State Building spilled into the streets, some having descended dozens of flights of stairs.
"I thought we'd been hit by an airplane," said one worker, Marty Wiesner.
Another, Adrian Ollivierre, an accountant, was in his office on the 60th floor when the quake struck: "I thought I was having maybe a heart attack, and I saw everybody running. I think what it is, is the paranoia that happens from 9/11, and that's why I'm still out here — because, I'm sorry, I'm not playing with my life."
Shaking was felt as far south as Charleston, S.C., and as far north and east as Martha's Vineyard, Mass., where Obama is taking summer vacation and was starting a round of golf when the quake struck at 1:51 p.m. EDT.
Obama led a conference call Tuesday afternoon on the earthquake with top administration officials, including his homeland security secretary, national security adviser and administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
A magnitude of 5.8 would make the quake among the most powerful to strike the eastern United States. In 1897, a magnitude-5.9 quake was recorded at Giles County, Va., the largest on record in that state.
East Coast earthquakes are far less common than in the West, but they tend to be felt over a broad area.
"The waves are able to reverberate and travel pretty happily out for miles," said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Susan Hough.
Amtrak said its trains along the Northeast Corridor between Baltimore and Washington were operating at reduced speeds and crews were inspecting stations and railroad infrastructure before returning to normal.
More than 12 million people live close enough to the quake's epicenter to have felt shaking, according to the Geological Survey. The agency said put the quake in its yellow alert category, meaning there was potential for local damage but relatively little economic damage.
The USGS said the quake was 3.7 miles beneath the surface.
The Virginia quake came a day after an earthquake in Colorado toppled groceries off shelves and caused minor damage to homes in the southern part of the state and in northern New Mexico. No injuries were reported as aftershocks continued Tuesday.
In Charleston, W.Va., hundreds of workers left the state Capitol building and employees at other downtown office buildings were asked to leave temporarily.
"The whole building shook," said Jennifer Bundy, a spokeswoman for the state Supreme Court. "You could feel two different shakes. Everybody just kind of came out on their own."
In Ohio, where office buildings swayed in Columbus and Cincinnati and the press box at the Cleveland Indians' Progressive Field shook. At least one building near the Statehouse was evacuated in downtown Columbus.
In downtown Baltimore, the quake sent office workers into the streets, where lamp posts swayed slightly as they called family and friends to check in.
Twitter and Facebook lit up with reports of the quake.
"People pouring out of buildings and onto the sidewalks and Into Farragut Park in downtown DC," Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist, posted on Twitter.
John Gurlach, air traffic controller at the Morgantown Municipal Airport was in a 40-foot-tall tower when the earth trembled.
"There were two of us looking at each other saying, `What's that?"' he said, even as a commuter plane was landing. "It was noticeably shaking. It felt like a B-52 unloading."
Immediately, the phone rang from the nearest airport in Clarksburg, and a computer began spitting out green strips of paper — alerts from other airports in New York and Washington issuing ground stops "due to earthquake."
This is early video from witnesses to a fire Sunday evening in Spokane, Washington that took the life of a man identified as Perry Herriman. Herriman was found on the top floor of a three-story home at 1914 West First Avenue in the Browne's Addition neighborhood. The fire was reported just before 8:00 AM. The house had been divided into about ten apartments.
Neighbors and firefighters used ladders to rescue several occupants that had escaped the fire by exiting on to the front roof of the home.
Authorities said the fire was so intense that once fire fighters reached the second floor of the home they actually had to leave and enter from another area because of safety reasons.
According to neighbors the man who died carried his wife and passed her out the window to neighbors on ladder and saved her life. Fire investigators say the building has 3 floors with a basement and 10 apartments. Firefighters report the fire started on the 2nd floor.
Pre-arrival video in Springfield, Pennsylvania (Delaware County): A house fire at 145 South Norwinden Drive around 2:30 Friday morning. News reports indicate the fire may have been started by a lightning strike. According to the description with the video. this was dispatched as a report of an odor in the home. Click here to watch an interview with a deputy chief from the Springfield Fire Company.
New details on water problems during Asheville fire that killed Capt. Jeff Bowen: The Asheville Citizen-Times has a lot of new information about the July 28th fire. In addition there is some video I shot Saturday from one of the many events and fundraisers that have been held for Captain Bowen's family. Click here for the latest.
More travels with Dave: Like many others I am in Atlanta this week for FRI. Please come see me on Friday at 10:30 for Today's PIO: Building Reputation Equity in the Digital Age. Some other events where you will find me include the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at the Westin Peachtree Plaza on Wednesday at 10:00 AM. Click here to register. I will be hosting a webcast live for NFFF on Fire Hero Radio as the climb begins (click here at 9:45 AM EDT on Wednesday to listen in). Also, the exhibit Better Angels: The Firefighters of 9/11 will be on the convention floor on Friday and Saturday. It is something you will want to see.
On my way to Atlanta I stopped in Roanoke, Virginia, famous as the home of IronFiremen.com. IronFiremen.com editor Capt. Willie Wines documented this historic visit on his blog. Click here. We will have an extremely interesting video posted soon about this very important meeting. You won't want to miss it.
Selling ladder truck to save firefighter jobs: This is the second story in the last few weeks where we have seen the proposal to sell front line fire equipment to help balance the budget. This time the Taylor, Michigan fire chief is hoping to save some firefighter positions with the cash from the sale. Here's the story.
Video from fatal fire in Vincennes, Indiana: Firefighter pulled a woman and child from the home. The child died. Click here for more.
Eight-year-old makes it 30-feet down a chimney: A strange rescue from West Valley City, Utah on Friday. A boy trying to get into a home where he had played before tried to do it the hard way. Amazingly he was uninjured. He was found when the homeowner heard his cries. Firefighters had to bust through a wall to get him. Click here.
Rowdy fire department supporters upsets mayor: The crowd that came to speak out against a Hemet, California plan to outsource the fire department and sanitation department is one reason the mayor says he is going to strictly enforce decorum at future meeting. Click here for details.
Three-alarm building fire in Maywood, Illinois: Larry Shapiro video from an August 10 fire at 326 Randolph Street. See Larry's still pictures here.
I am on a road trip with the family heading to FRI in Atlanta. Our travels brought us to Asheville, North Carolina where we quickly learned of many ongoing fundraisers by the community to benefit the family of Asheville Fire Department Capt. Jeff Bowen. Capt. Bowen was killed on July 28 in what has been identified as an intentionally set fire at 445 Biltmore Avenue.
Yesterday, before we had a chance to check out the motorcycle ride and weekend Memorial Band Jam at Mack Kell's Pub & Grill up the street from our hotel, it came to us. The many bikers, with a police and fire escort, traveled Tunnel Road as we were at a traffic light. It took almost 15 minutes before it passed our location and quite a few citizens paused to greet them. The video is above.
Also, yesterday the Asheville Citizen-Times published a very detailed article by Jeffrey Ostendorff that looks at what is known, so far, about the fire department operation at the July 28 fire. Ostendorff uses public records (including the fire incident report), fireground audio recordings released by the city under an open records request and an interview with Chief Scott Burnette.
The article provides some insight into the actions of Chief Bowen's crew and also focuses on difficulty in getting water to the fire.
Here's an excerpt:
Crews from Engine 2 went to the fourth floor to hook up to the standpipe station while Engine 1 hooked to the standpipe connection on the Biltmore Avenue side of the building.
But the water never came.
It was nearly 38 minutes before firefighters, using a hose brought in through a window from a ladder truck, got water on the fire, according to the radio recordings.
Burnette in his interview Thursday did not dispute the time frame, though he said it was still being investigated. He said it took an “extended” amount of time before firefighters were able to mount an effective interior attack.
The fire, which sent flames shooting 20 feet into the air, occurred just before 1:30 a.m. and heavily damaged the building in the Brittany Woods Apartments, which contained six apartments.
Despite the intense blaze at 443 Britton Road, only two residents suffered minor injuries, said Sam DeRosa, Monroe County fire coordinator. The two people injured were rescued at the scene by Barnard firefighters.
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