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Previous coverage of reporter Charlie LeDuff’s comments
Previous coverage of close call involving Belgian firefighter
John Hanley was the videographer out of Toronto who captured the close call in Detroit Thursday night involving the Belgian firefighter who almost fell through the roof during a two-alarm vacant warehouse fire at John R and State Fair. In the clip above is John’s additional video from the same fire and a series of other fires in Detroit last week.
You will see more of the visiting Belgian firefighters on John’s video, particularly starting at 7:25 during a fire at Colfax and Vancouver.
The vacationing firefighters from Belgium who were riding along and training with the Detroit Fire Department became somewhat of a target of WJBK-TV reporter Charlie LeDuff on Friday. In a commentary where LeDuff also took some shots at the critically acclaimed movie “Burn”, LeDuff reported the visiting firefighters were part of Commissioner Donald Austin’s “pay to spray” plan (my term) and forked over $2,000 each to the City of Detroit. STATter911.com was contacted Saturday by Marc Opstal one of the Belgian firefighters who said while the firefighters did each pay their travel expenses, they were “guests of the Detroit Fire Department and did not pay a dime for this”.
That I’ve seen, there has been no update or correction on WJBK-TV’s site. LeDuff has long fought for improvements in the Detroit Fire Department and is normally a favorite of a lot of firefighters, including many readers of STATter911.com. This time though LeDuff is taking a lot of heat in the comments section on the WJBK-TV site from people who describe themselves as fans of the reporter. Here is an example:
Charlie, please, you lost me as a huge fan on this one! You missed the boat! This film was about love, dedication, and a job well done by the DFD. If you want to go see it I will buy you a ticket for this evening. As the proud mother of a Detroit Firefighter I really to took offense to your writing.
Also on STATter911 …
- UPDATE – Belgian firefighter says TV reporter wrong that they paid $2K each for Detroit FD ride-along/training. LeDuff rains on critically acclaimed ‘Burn’ local premiere. – September 29, 2012
- Detroit’s Charlie LeDuff faces camera after drunken weekend fight. Complaint to police says reporter urinated in public & bit security guard. – March 14, 2013
- Update: Detroit’s mayor investigates Deputy Fire Commissioner Fred Wheeler’s confrontation with TV reporter Charlie Leduff. – May 31, 2012
- UPDATE: Detroit Deputy Fire Commissioner Fred Wheeler gone. Mayor Dave Bing swings axe after confrontation with reporter Charlie LeDuff. Commisioner Austin answers the questions Wheeler wouldn’t. – May 31, 2012
Comments
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AGAIN I SAY ….
GOOD GRIEF.!!!
SHAME ON YOU egomaniacal bloviating twits who are so upset with Charlie
cause he did not stroke your little ego-inflating flick.!!!
NOW, you’re upset cause he’s not amending his statements to fit your precious self-image.
GET A CLUE.!!
Charlie is not a FF and he MAY have a valid point of view from a different perspective.
Consider this my thin-skinned Brethren…
WHO ELSE in the media is going to bat for the DFD.????.!!!
WHO ELSE is attempting to get ANSWERS and IMPROVEMENTS.???.!!!
CHARLIE gets in the FACE of a twisted, broken and probably criminal city government
with the desire to make things better for the FF’s and people of Detroit.!!!
Watch his report again… 99% of it is attempting to MAKE THINGS BETTER.!!!
But NOOOOOOOO.!!! He didn’t say enough about our precious self-esteem.!!!
Thus ….
CHARLIE BAD.!!!
CHARLIE off the Mark.!!!
Charlie did not apologize for stepping on our toes … NOW CHARLIE VERY BAD.!!!
Well, maybe ya need him in your corner, DFD FF’s and so-called “DFD Supporters”.
Cause I don’t see YOU on TV, time after time, RANTING, PLEADING, SCREAMING
for positive, appropriate, professional CHANGE.!!!
Again I Say, THANK YOU CHARLIE, cause even as a non-FF you have been
sticking out your neck/career for the FFs and People of Detroit.!!!
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK ,even though ya don’t ALWAYS see everything the “FF Way”.!!!
Charlie got this one wrong and needs to give up the mea-culpa so he can move on. Bottom line, they didnt pay to ride and charlie cant prove that they did. The belgins paid for it out of their own pockets and have done this with other departments
charlie you are the DFD’s best voice get off your LeDuff and do the right thing before it gets worse
LOL
Darn Right.!!!
Charlie didn’t live up to our expectations and he’d better start apologizing.!!!!
NOT.!!!
I wonder how many of you mutts
(who have NOT stuck-out your neck/career challenging the city powers in D)
have ever Thanked Charlie or bought him a cup of coffee or a beer.
“Well, I USUALLY AGREE with him (here at KIC)
but when he didn’t give complete, gaga props to our latest “hero film”…
well, that’s just not acceptable.!!!!”
LOL
My hope that he is a bigger man than the fire-boys attacking him
cause he is the only media right in the middle of the Detroit Mess
supporting the improvement of the DFD.
But I sure would understand if he told ya all to go pound-sand.!!!
Hi Charlie, welcome to Statter911!
Well………
Looks like Charlie LeDuff is on Dave’s site.
Probably not, Bobby.K..
Read more carefully and you’ll see this quote …
…Consider this my thin-skinned Brethren…
Note the word .. Brethren.
Looks like a fireman to me…
A fireman who supports the much needed improvements for the D-FD
I agree Robert. As far as supporting Detroit’s FF’s, I fail to see how he is doing that by slandering a crew doing a ride along with out the facts and criticising a video that is supposed to help them. I suppose he is jelous because he did not do the video??? As far as the FF’s from Detroit helping themselves, I think they have their hands full and a battle with the politicians is the least of thier worries. As far as pressuring politicians to do anything, GOOD LUCK.
Exceptional camera work.
you would think real fireman of all people would realize he is trying to help. How many times have you made 99 good stops, and never heard a good word, but the one time you get it wrong, thats all you hear about? The only way to never get something wrong is to do nothing, hopefully Mr. Leduff wont take that route.
I agree. I don’t even think his comments about the Burn premier were against the firefighters, but the City of Detroit and its Administrations.
What does it matter. The main problem here is that these guys were allowed to go on the roof. Does the D’s insurance cover this? If he would have lost his life I bet his family would have had to fight with their insurance company. Firefighting isn’t a ride at the local fair. Helping pull a line or hiting the plug is one thing but going on the roof and helping make the cut is a little to far IMO. Why not put the buffs in gear and let them help? There’s very little difference.
But these weren’t a bunch of enthusiasts, these were trained firefighters. Though they were from another country, I am sure fire burns just as hot in Belgium as it does in the US. I don’t see a problem having trained firefighters from other departments ride and train and learn from each other. That’s what brotherhood is about, geographic boundaries, economic status doesn’t change the fire science. Cops do this frequently, have other departments train and ride. No matter how experienced you are, you can always learn from others
I don’t think LeDuff did or said anything that bad, anyone with thick skin would get over it in a hurry. Maybe everyone would’ve been happier with a press release from the mayor’s office saying how great the documentary is? Something worth mentioning, Hamtramck is laying off 12 of their 27 firefighters as of this past Monday. Surprised it wasn’t mentioned here, considering they have plenty of fires and that is almost half of the department. Not sure if I can post a link here, but it’s on freep.com (Detroit Free Press site). I’m sure Dave will do a follow up on that.
Maybe bunch of rich guys from Grosse Pointe will volunteer to help Hamtramck FD before a bunch of little kids get killed