Click here to follow STATter911.com on Facebook (hit “like”)
Fatma Koçak (37) and daughter (12) who threw themselves through the fourth floor window of an apartment as a result of fire broke out in their flat in Istanbul’s Atasehir district early on Friday were seriously injured and immediately taken to hospital.
Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.
Vacant commercial building crumbles during fire: Video from midwestnews of a fire Sunday at 5211 Chene Street in Detroit. According to the description with this video, “Firefighters elected to allow this building to burn it’s self out in hopes that it would no longer be a danger to the public.” Firefighters spotted the fire while cleaning up from another fire in the neighborhood. More video here.
Click here to follow STATter911.com on Facebook (hit “like”)
Taken the disciplinary process on the road: To me the most unusual story in recent days is from Johnston, Rhode Island where the fire chief, police chief and town lawyer showed up at a firefighter’s home attempting to conduct a disciplinary hearing. The firefighter has been on paid leave due to an on-the-job injury for quite a while and was arrested last week because police say marijuana was growing in his home. Here’s the story.
FDNY firefighter tells NY Post he is being ostracized because he’s a vegetarian: Another interesting one. FDNY spokesman says Anthony Harper’s claims ”are nonsense.” Harper says his problems began when he stopped taking part in firehouse meals two-years-ago. Check it out.
More from NY – 911 Center problems during Sandy: The New York Post again. This time taking on New York’s 911 Center’s handling of Sandy. The article says “911 calls rang and rang unanswered or were greeted by woefully unprepared operators” and “dispatchers from the police, fire and ambulance services feuded with one another.” Here’s more.
Airborne car flies into firehouse: And did a number to the front of the station. Here’s the story from East Pembroke, New York.
Six injured in two-alarm Detroit apartment fire: We have early video from this fire on Friday afternoon.
Raw video from Syracuse, NY: Andrew Sauve’s clips from a house fire early Saturday morning made it to STATter911.com and have been posted.
Four-alarms in Madison, NJ: Lots of fire in an apartment building on Saturday morning and lots of video.
Injured firefighters jump in to help crash victims: Despite their own injuries after a car crashed head-on into their fire truck, three Lake St. Louis, Missouri firefighters immediately jumped into to start extrication. Glenn Usdin’s FireTruckBlog.com has the story. Glenn also has the story of a tanker that ran off the road returning from a call in South Berwick, Maine on Sunday. Firefighter may have had a medical problem. Click here.
Dubai high-rise burns quite spectacularly: Firgeezer Bill Schumm has this story of how the outer decorative layer on many Dubai high-rises creates these towering infernos.
Video & audio from Snyder, NY: Don Murtha III on the scene of a house fire Thursday night.
West Coast disciplinary process: Interesting column from FireLawBlog.com’s Curt Varone on LAFD’s disciplinary philosophy.
I admit I am way late on this update: FireCritic.com’s Rhett Fleitz took over the writing of IronFiremen.com for a post about 10-days-ago that brought us up to date on the latest troubles with the former fire chief for Buchanan VFD in Botetourt County, Virginia, Billy Joe Carter. He’s the one who ended up in court over threats against Captain Willie Wines Jr. who usually writes IronFiremen.com. According to the post, Carter was recently charged with rape. Click here for the latest.
VES on FDT: Vent, enter, search is the topic of the latest post at FirstDueTackle.com.
Tomorrow’s 34th Annual FDNY Turkey Trot 5k Race to help firefighters after Sandy: Hosted by E-233 L-176 and Field Comm in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Queens, this year’s events will raise money for FDNY firefighters whose homes were destroyed or damaged by the hurricane. Here’s the Facebook page.
What goes around, comes around, but this time in a very good way: We keep hearing more and more stories of firefighters in Mississippi and Louisiana and other places hard hit by Hurricane Katrina showing up in New York and New Jersey to help out firefighters dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Here’s one of those stories from the New Jersey coast.
Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.
Dispatcher takes house fire call from son & cop dad hears his own address on the radio: In Columbia City, Indiana on Thursday evening a house fire was very much a family affair. Fifteen-year-old Wayne Smith called 911 to report his house was on fire. Wayne's mom was the call taker who answered the line. Wayne's dad, a police officer and volunteer firefighter, heard his own address on the radio. Watch the story above.
Reporter keeps digging into the files of the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department: Amy Leigh Womack has broken a lot of news for The Telegraph in connection with that prank gunman video that stirred things up in the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department. She continues to find out more about the disciplinary process and what appears to be inconsistent punishment for those who are arrested. I am hoping to have more to say about how things got to this point and some important lessons about dealing with reporters in the coming days. In the meantime, do your homework and read the latest from Womack.
See what well trained firefighters can do: An interesting video of a couple of firefighters in a Firefighter 1 & 2 class using some of their skills. See what you think.
A challenge from STATter911.com: A humorous turkey fryer safety video from State Farm starring William Shatner has me thinking that firefighters could redirect the creative energy that results in videos like the one above from the training class, and actually do something productive that is of value to firefighters and the community. But I know I'm just dreaming. Check it out.
New life for 34-year-old pumper: Glenn Usdin's FireTruckBlog.com has the story from Monmouth, Maine of a 1977 engine that will soon be put to good use at a local technical school. Click here.
Another green line critique: A multi-talented neighbor helps out at a fire and is able to shoot video of the fire, shoot video of himself, get a nice straight stream from the green line and calm the homeowner. Here's the video from Alameda County, CA.
Pre-arrival video: A house fire in Salem, Oregon.
Arrival video: Ride along with the crew from Kentland VFD to a house fire in Glenarden, MD. Click here.
It sure wasn't like this when I used to watch Divorce Court with my grandmother: Firegeezer has an interesting lesson about divorce and the digital age. Another example of what you write on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere can, and likely will, come back to haunt you. Pay attention to this one.
Picture this: My friend and avid STATter911.com reader and commenter Mike Legeros has something for all of us to think about at his Legeros Fire Blog. It's a picture of police action, but it brings up some of the same issues we have discussed many times on this forum. Make sure you check it out.
Of cowards, firefighting and Penn State: PipeNozzle.com and the former president of Penn State share some history and it wasn't pretty. Check out the latest post at PipeNozzle.com for a rather intriguing story.
Read BackstepFirstResp … I mean BackstepFirefighter: Caught myself. Don't need Ray McCormack on my back this morning after I took the oath. Bill Carey has taken what Ray has written on the topic, a few words from me (and a recap of my sordid job history) and gives us a wider view of the identity crisis issue to include "Special Forces". Check it out.
2012 firefighter calendars: That kid who runs that Fire Critic blog from Roanoke s providing much needed critical commentary and review of the firefighter calendars, both male and female, for 2012. It seems a little adult oriented for someone still in high school who we've proven isn't really a firefighter. But if calendars are your thing, here's the place.
If your name is Russ Randolph this is for you: A special shout out this morning to a STATter911.com reader who is dealing with some serious medical issues. Russ Randolph, nothing but good thoughts and wishes your way and thanks for your support.
More video from Chicago motel fire: We showed you news video Saturday of this fire at the Saville Motel in Stony Island. The fire left seven citizens and a firefighter injured. Our friend Steve Redick has daylight video of this fire. Click here.
A story that is more than just a drunk guy behind the steering wheel of an out-of-service fire engine: The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office says the driver of the fire engine was a volunteer firefighter with the Hamilton VFD who forced a deputy to head for a ditch early Saturday morning to avoid the speeding rig. But it is the passengers that make this story even more interesting. They are all volunteers in Loudoun County (or were, since the driver and two of them have since resigned). They include a 19-year-old woman, an off-duty Leesburg cop and two men who are in positions of authority in the county fire service. According to news reports all had been drinking. Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Chief W. Keith Brower, Jr. and Fire-Rescue Commission Chair Douglas G. Rambo briefed reporters on the unpleasant details yesterday afternoon. Here is our coverage from Sunday.
Born from RIT: I asked a new STATter911.com advertiser to write a guest column on his interesting product. Greg Turnell, a lieutenant in DC, invented TURK, a cart that has a number of applications, but was built to help firefighters transport all the required RIT gear to the fireground without killing yourself. Clck here to learn more.
Antique of the Week, rig hit in Massachusetts, Ohio rollover & a lot of news: Glenn Usdin goes back almost 75 years for the rig featured in the video for the latest Antique of the Week. Click here. Of course there is lots more apparatus news from FireTruckBlog.com.
Three Cleveland firefighters struck, man arrested: It happened Sunday morning on I-480 and two of the firefighters remain hospitalized. According to WKYC-TV, ”one firefighter suffered a lacerated kidney and rib injuries. The other fireman has significant lower body injuries and underwent surgery Sunday afternoon.” Here’s more.
A bad bill or just bad reporting?: I don’t know the answer for sure, but my hunch is a politician’s exaggeration of the problem and the failure to read the bill by reporters has people believing they are going to ban all photography within 500 feet of a crash scene in Illinois. I could be totally wrong, but my read from far away shows it is nothing of the sort. Check it out and tell me what you think.
A trip to EMS Today is already saving lives: Mike Ward over at Firegeezer has a wonderful story about two people we spent part of Thursday night with (no, not Rhett and Willie, yet). Take a look at how these paramedics got a free breakfast on their way home from Baltimore.
Now it’s Rhett and Willie time: Both IronFirmen.com and FireCritic.com have rundowns from the JEMS & FireEMSBlogs.com Meet-up sponsored by Physio Control Thursday night. The good news is I was able to get to some quality time in with the Roanoke crew during dinner. I even took some video of Rhett and Willie screening the movie that debuted on STATter911.com while they were driving to Baltimore. In case you missed it, the movie was a dramatization of the dinner before it even happened. Click here to watch it. Rhett seemed so pleased by it all he paid for the meal. And I thought he hated me. Here’s Rhett’s report from Baltimore and here’s Willie’s.
Firefighter spots burglary in progress: A firefighter watched as a man broke into a store across the street from a firehouse in Hooksett, New Hampshire. The firefighter’s call to police brought a quick arrest of a burglar. Here’s the story.
Chicago firefighter in classic photo retires: It is a photo of more than 30-years-ago that many of you will recognize. It shows Firefighter John Steinmetz, just two years on the job in Chicago, holding the body of a girl in the fourth floor window of a burning apartment building trying to get help. Yesterday Captain John Steinmetz was honored as he arrived for his final shift before retiring. Read the story.
Click here for contact information and to learn more about TURK
We have a new sponsor at STATter911.com this month: TURK. It’s an invention by Greg Turnell, a lieutenant and 25 year veteran with the fire department in our Nation’s Capital. Through his career Greg has been assigned to Engine 33, Rescue Squad 1, Truck 8, Engine 6, Truck 13 and Truck 11. TURK filled a need that had become evident in recent years for any company assigned to RIT on the fireground. But rather than have me explain I asked Lt. Turnell to provide a guest column about TURK. Besides giving you more info on TURK, I thought this might be helpful for any firefighter with a product they’ve come up with, or is thinking about it, to hear first hand from someone who has been in their shoes.
TURK
“There’s got to be a better way Lieu!” ………Those words were expressed more than once when my men had to deploy the RIT basket to the front of a burning building. And generally there were a few more colorful words added to the statement. Watching four of my five man truck team navigate this 150lb basket down the street, sometimes a couple blocks, seemed impractical for several reasons:
- Manpower. A one person device could free manpower to run other equipment such as ladders.
- Fatigue. I’d much rather have my men conserve their energy and stamina for an actual RIT deployment than exhausting themselves while hand carrying a basket down the street.
- Safety/Injury. In one incident we had a firefighter lose his footing and fall, subsequently bringing the basket and a few of his comrades down with him.
Our new SOPS thoroughly explained our new RIT procedures and the equipment we had to have at the ready in the event a MAYDAY was declared. How we got that equipment to the building was up to us. Identifying a capability gap is an easy thing to do; it’s done every day in the sitting room of most firehouses. However, filling that gap with a viable solution is the challenge. We toyed with different methods but they all proved to be problematic and inefficient. We had to come up with a solution that was simple to put in operation and fast to deploy. Being an avid kayaker, I remember while shark fishing at Assateague one summer, spotting a fellow pulling his kayak down the beach with a device made of PVC pipe and two tires. It appeared the device was binding with the kayak holding it in place while the unit rolled down the beach atop a set of tires. It was a simple concept that I felt with a few adjustments could be emulated and applied to a stokes basket.
Several prototypes and months later I came up with a device that I patented and named the TURK. Some thought the name derived from the 1985 movie “TURK 182”with Timothy Hutton and Kim Cattrall but it was much simpler than that: Turnell. Universal. Rescue. Kart. The TURK was evaluated by the local 36 safety committee and was accepted as a practical device to be used by the DCFD. It was during the TURKs 90 day trial period that it was put to use on the METRO train accident on June 2, 2009. Faced with the dilemma of having to move heavy hydraulic tools down the track to the train, RS-2 squad wagon driver along with T-6 technician loaded 500lbs of hydraulic tools into a stokes basket. With the TURK the two were able to move the equipment approximately 1000 feet down the track bed to the train. The TURK continues to be a proven asset on the fire ground, mass casualty incidents, and just recently in underground mines. The TURK has been a welcomed device among many fire departments and mine rescue teams because it possesses two important attributes: it’s fast and simple. The fact that firefighters continue to discover different uses for the TURK beyond the initial intention of what the device was designed to do is testimony to its simplicity. Today, watching a team deploy the RIT basket with the TURK is uplifting. However the greatest pleasure I receive is when a firefighter or miner comes to me and says, “Hey, thanks for doing this, it makes it a lot easier”. That makes it all worthwhile.
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.
PGFD house fire: A basement fire shot by Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department PIO Mark Brady yesterday at 15 Bannington Drive in the Largo area. No injuries. Damage estimated at $60,000.
IAFF backed candidates win top spots in DC and Prince George’s County: Yesterday’s elections will have significant impact on the fire service locally. Incumbent District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty lost to challenger Vincent Gray, the current City Council Chairman. It was a decisive win by Gray who had the backing of IAFF Local 36 and many other labor unions the Fenty administration clashed with. There isn’t anyone who sees the election as good news for the current leadership of the DC Fire & EMS Department.
In Prince George’s County, Maryland IAFF Local 1619 played an early and significant role in the campaign of Rushern Baker. Baker appears to have run away with the Democratic Primary. Observers expect another major shift in the balance of power between career and volunteer forces in PGFD.
Note: In the two heavily Democratic jurisdictions the primary is traditionally the important and decisive election.
Local election coverage from WUSA9.com.
Firefighter apparently caused large Colorado fire: Investigators believe a 71-year-old volunteer firefighter accidentally caused the Fourmile Canyon fire that took the firefighter’s home and many others. Click here to read and watch how it started.
Calling in sick, playing golf and posting your scores on the Internet: That’s what WFMZ-TV reports one Allentown, Pennsylvania firefighter did on three of four consecutive days that he missed work. Read the details.
Here’s another golf story from a wife who knows the score: In Chico, California a woman called the fire department to help retrieve her husband’s driver that ended up on the roof of a neighbor’s house. It slipped out of the man’s hand when he was taking some practice swings at home just before playing a round. Dorothy Cornie knew she had to act fast because when her husband returned from the golf course he would go up on that tile roof. The firefighters handled the problem keeping 91-year-old Lynn Cornie on the ground and ready to swing another day. Here’s the article.
FDNY can hire, but there’s a catch: A federal judge has given the FDNY until Friday to pick from a number of quota-like hiring procedures in order to allow a recruit class to be hired. Here’s the latest.
Now that’s some strong coffee: Sounds like there may have been a coffee BLEVE in the UK yesterday. An exploding coffee machine in a supermarket injured seven people. Click here for a picture and the story.
Do they know the way to San Jose?: Or, can they get there in times of trouble? After the San Bruno explosion another California city is questioning how it could quickly call back off-duty firefighters in case of a major emergency when so many of them live so far away. Here’s the story from San Jose.
An Emergency! emergency: Firegeezer has been a dealer of late for those old junkies trying to get their fix on the show that started many of them on this damn fire service addiction. It looks like the Geeze’s supply has dried up. But there’s some binge viewing going on just before everyone has to go cold turkey. Check out Firegeezer’a daily Emergency! before it’s too late.
Three firefighters charged with exposing themselves: In Rockland County, New York the accusations against a 29-year-old firefighter and two members of the Piermont Fire Department who are teenagers is they exposed themselves to a 16-year-old member and told him to touch their genitals. Read more.
Former fire chief is mad as hell and isn’t going to take it anymore, so he tells his own story: In Kelowna, British Columbia there has been a lot of news coverage over why and how Chief Rene Blanleil left his job. Along the way, the coverage has asked a lot of questions about money. The chief came out swinging with his own YouTube video bypassing reporters. Watch the video and read the story.
At least they don’t have that idiot who spoke last year: The 8th Professional Development Seminar of the Fairfax County Professional Fire and Rescue Officers Association is in less than a month. Lot’s of good stuff for a reasonable price in Tysons Corner, Virginia. Click here to sign up.
Dave is pitching products: Two of our loyal readers have some new fire related items to sell. One is Will Wyatt in Texas who has a wonderful book about his time in the fire service. Click here.
The other is Steve Roth from Pennsylvania. Steve’s calendar is hot off the presses. And we mean hot. Check it out.
The daring young man on the flying tower ladder: One gets the idea that Jason Nolan probably likes to work without a net. Maybe that’s why he went from trapeze artist to Decatur, Illinois firefighter. Here’s his story.
Bronx 2nd-alarm: Here’s the description with this fire from yesterday- “Box 3394 address of 2696 Marion Ave. fire on 2nd & 3rd floors of a 3 story PD., 4 lines stretched 3 in operation.”
About a month ago we told you that both the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office and Tampa Fire Rescue officials had been pushing for felony charges after their investigations into the really stupid radio station turkey fryer stunt last fall that set fire to a van and left a firefighter injured. But Hillsborough State’s Attorney Mark Ober has decided not to file charges against the people involved with M.J. Morning Show on WFLZ.
TBO.com reports that the radio crew will have to take part in a pre-trial diversion program:
Mark Ober announced that instead of facing misdemeanor charges, Todd Schnitt, host of the “The MJ Morning Show” on WFLZ, 93.3 FM, and two other members of his crew will have to enter a pre-trial diversion program for first-time offenders.
Schnitt, the two other employees and station owner Clear Channel Radio will donate at least $15,000 to Tampa Bay area charities that support fire and burn victims.
They also will engage in a four-week public service campaign to support those charities. The campaign will include five recorded announcements per day voiced by members of the show and a live broadcast from an event sponsored by or benefitting such a charity that would include interviews with victims, parents, volunteers and firefighters.
The station also will provide links to charities on its website.
Each member of the show also will have to perform 10 hours of community service at one of the charities.
Despite skating on these charges and being grateful, the attorney for the radio station went on the offensive questioning whether the Tampa firefighter was actually injured at the scene. The attorney cites conflicting reports about how the injury occurred. Maybe I don’t have enough insight into this, but I am not sure how slipping and falling and pulling a hose line are mutually exclusive. But according to WTSP-TV reporter Mike Deeson, the State’s Attorney report backs the claim from the lawyer. Deeson also says at the end of the video above that Tampa Fire Rescue officials who previously had gone public with their complaints about Ober’s handling of the case have now been “muzzled”. Here’s more:
While the WFLZ radio personalities were worried about being arrested for arson the morning of the fire, State Attorney Mark Ober says while these actions were irresponsible outrageous and offensive, it does not fit the legal definition of arson. However, Ober says it does violate the Hillsborough County Ordinance for open burning without a permit, which is a second degree misdemeanor.
We asked M.J.’s attorney, John Fitzgibbons, if this had been a John Doe, would the outcome be the same? He said, “Absolutely.”
And while internal memos show the program director of the radio station said people will either laugh or die, so it will be good on TV, Fitzgibbons and the Clear Channel attorney have been saying it was a waste of time to pursue criminal charges.
However, the State Fire Marshal’s Office disagrees. John Corbett points to the fact that a Tampa firefighter was injured in the incident. Corbett says it is not a waste of time to investigate any time a public safety official is injured.
But Fitzgibbons questions whether the firefighter was really injured. He says, in one report, the firefighter indicates he was injured while pulling out the hose. Another he indicates a different injury, which is inconsistent. In addition, Fitzgibbons says there is a video that exists that indicates the firefighter wasn’t injured. The State Attorney report agrees with Fitzgibbons.
And while the report does note a history of M.J. fire-related incidents since 2002, Fitzgibbons says his client and the station did nothing wrong. He says radio stations have been engaged in stunts for years and he maintains WFLZ took precautions, but something went wrong.
Warehouse fire in British Columbia: Fire yesterday at a kitchen cabinet business in Surrey.
Daughter wants apology over man mistakenly declared dead in Prince George’s County: When PGFD paramedics misidentified flesh eating bacteria and related signs as decomposition following death (despite a Glenarden, Maryland man still being alive), the department handled the bad news in text book fashion. Rather than wait for those pesky reporters to uncover the mistake, Chief Spokesman Mark Brady was proactive. Brady sent out a press release before there was a leak and told the story himself. The initial coverage had little shelf life and disappeared from the news rather quickly. A good lesson and reminder for all of us about a story that had the potential to linger for days.
But here’s another lesson. Candor in your efforts to get the bad news out and over with doesn’t necessarily mean you can completely control the message. Now, almost four months later the story has surfaced again because the daughter of the man (who really died the next day) says she wants an apology from the medics who made the error. Click here to watch the latest story and here to read it.
Where telling your own story may not be the best choice: London Fire Brigade Chief Ron Dobson is being criticized for using a blog post to threaten the termination of 6,000 firefighters if the work force doesn’t agree to controversial changes in their contract. According to MarketWire.com, “The Fire Brigades Union regional official Paul Embery said, ‘We’ve heard stories of companies sacking employees by text, but this must be the first time an employer has threatened to sack people by personal blog.’” Read more.
Dave wants to see them fry over radio turkey fryer stunt. Image from WTSP.
We have been wondering what happened with the radio DJ turkey fryer stunt investigation. Now we know: Do you recall our coverage of one of the most idiotic radio stunts since WKRP’s Arthur Carlson determined turkeys don’t fly? (Click here and here.) The Tampa Fire Department and Florida State Fire Marshal believe using the fryer inside a van and in turn setting the van on fire was a criminal act. You aren’t going to get an argument from me. Both agencies want to see felony charges for arson and injuring a firefighter. The Tampa Fire Department is now accusing Hillsborough State’s Attorney Mark Ober’s Office with dragging its feet in filing the charges. According to news reports, Ober’s people have had the fire marshal’s report for six months. A spokesman says these things take time, something the fire department isn’t buying. I am not a legal scholar, but maybe you just charge the radio team with being criminally stupid and arrogant? And if the State’s Attorney doesn’t see the importance of sending a message that you don’t tolerate setting things on fire just to attract a radio or Internet audience, maybe he’s the one who is stupid and arrogant. Read and watch the update.
Only you can prevent Dave: Patting myself on the back for my insensitive headline on a fire video from Oregon. Check it out for yourself.
All firefighters now home after explosion: The last of four firefighters injured in the explosion of a house in Sacramento a week ago is out of the hospital. Click here for the latest.
Letting the public decide staffing levels: Firefighters in Palo Alto, California are the latest to turn to the citizens in helping to prevent staffing cuts. Here’s their story.
Don’t forget to come by and see me in Baltimore next week: For the third year in a row, Bill “Firegeezer” Schumm and Mike “FossilMedic” Ward have invited me to share their booth at Firehouse Expo. This year we are in Booth 738. Bill was thinking ahead when he ordered a larger booth. Apparently he has turned the place into a homeless shelter for fire service bloggers. I understand THE Fire Critic (not just any Fire Critic) Rhett Fleitz and Fire Daily’s John Mitchell will be originating their award winning Firefighter Netcast from the booth (just don’t block the view of the STATter911.com sign). By the time we are done I think the name will be changed to Firefighter Nutcast.
Wednesday morning briefing on Virginia Task Force 1:
Lt. Mark Stone with the Stafford County Fire & Rescue Department is part of Virginia Task Force 1 in Haiti. Stone, retired from the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department, has been on a number of these missions around the world. He took some time yesterday afternoon to give STATter911.com an update on their work in Haiti. Click above to listen to the entire interview.
Lt. Stone says that even now, eight days after the earthquake hit. this is still very much a rescue mission. While finding people alive is not happening as frequently, there have still been success stories by search and rescue teams as recently as a few hours before our conversation. As we spoke, members of Virginia Task Force 1 were on at least one mission that had the potential to be successful. For that reason Stone expects the team will be in rescue mode for a few more days.
A recent rescue in Haiti involving Virginia Task Force 1. We are still trying to determine if this is video from last night where the Northern Virginia crew assisted French and Turkish teams with the rescue of a 25-year-old woman or the Sunday night rescue of a 21-year-old woman.
As in our interview with Captain Joe Knerr a day earlier, Stone says the team has not had to deal with the unrest and violence that we have seen in the news coverage from Port-au-Prince. But it is an issue that continues to be watched closely.
While there is enough food and water for the search and rescue team they are being conservative in the use of those resources, watching the supply closely due to restocking issues. Fuel is another commodity that is even more challenging. But Lt. Stone says they are getting where the need to go to be effective.
Stone is greatly impressed by the resiliency of the people of Haiti who had so little to start with and now have to deal with this unbelievable devastation. He expects that members of Virginia Task Force 1 will eagerly help in the humanitarian aid once their focus changes. In the meantime, he reminds us for now this continues to be very much a rescue mission.
And one more important note, Mark Stone sends along a happy birthday greeting today to his wife Terri.
Basement fire in St. Louis: Fire on Friday at 3337 Missouri Avenue. It is a described as a two-story, two-family flat. It had burglar bars on the basement windows that a firefighter aggressively attacks.
CapeCodOnline.com photo of Lt. Kelli Weeks. For the first time we are getting details on the charges against Weeks who has been at the center of a lot of drama in the department. Click the image for the latest.
Did FDNY EMS crew on break refuse to help dying pregnant woman?: That’s the claim in Brooklyn following an incident at a coffee shop near FDNY HQ. Read more.
We have heard from the NC firefighter seen with his helmet on fire: Will Gregory from Erwin, North Carolina sent us a comment about the dramatic pictures from a house fire a week ago. Gregory and another firefighter were briefly caught in a flashover but walked away with no injuries. Click here for the pictures by Brian Haney and scroll down for Gregory’s comments.
Chief Ellerbe speaks: Sarasota Chief Kenneth Ellerbe assures those in Florida he is not coming back to Washington despite still being on the DC payroll. We also hear from Joe Morgan, the critically burned firefighter who didn’t quite find it as easy to stay on the fire department’s rolls. Check it out.
Cheating scandal widens: Two Omaha, Nebraska firefighters are now implicated in the effort to give test answers to new applicants of the Papillion Fire Department. In October and November we first mentioned the cheating scandal that required officials to throw out the test and discipline some employees. Omaha World-Tribune has received a confidential report about the incident that quotes one of the firefighters saying it is part of the “brotherhood” to “help” family and friends get on the job. Click here for the update.
Chief in trouble again: Eunice, New Mexico Chief Ron Grogan and a bunch of his firefighters are charged with theft of a radar detector which was evidence at a crime scene. Grogan also made headlines in September after he was accused of fondling a woman. Click here.
Sorry, you are too late. STATter911.com again becomes a video killer. When we first spotted it late Sunday there was just one view on this video of firefighters from PGFD Station 807 being towed behind a pickup truck through the streets of Riverdale Park, Maryland. A few hundred views later and after a series of negative comments by STATter911.com readers, the video was pulled overnight. You can click the image for the comments.
What were they thinking?: It appears that Tampa’s MJ Morning Show crew got what they wanted. That would include a blazing fire from turkey fryer inside a van and a lot of publicity. But will this stunt end up giving them a little MORE than they wanted, once fire investigators finish up? Click here for our first posting on this stupid act. Then click here as Dave points out that one of the radio crew’s biggest crimes is that they weren’t even funny and constrasts it to a radio turkey stunt that was hilarious.
Fireground audio, video and pictures from triple fatal fire: Click here for the coverage from the deadly fire in Rochester on Saturday.
Geezer’s weekend stuff: Lots of entries by Bill Schumm at Firegeezer.com, but my favorite is a picture of the set up inside a vehicle that might make many a mobile command post jealous. Click here.
I’ve fallen and I can’t get up: That’s probably what Konrad would have yelled if he could. But Konrad is a horse. And this horse slipped on the ice and had a great fall (miserable winter though). A three hour drama in Connecticut ended happily after firefighters put Konrad back together again. Click here and here.
San Diego commercial fire: This is from a week ago after a two-alarm fire destroyed Blowout Video and the largest selection of DVDs in the area, along with the corporate office of Showgirls, a strip club business.
Above is probably the most famous line of the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. It was uttered by station general manager Arthur Carlson (played by the late Gordon Jump, who I once did some lame acting with in a few scenes for a radio awards banquet video) in its sixth episode, airing on October 30, 1978. It was uttered after the station’s ill fated Thanksgiving promotion where live turkeys were dropped from a plane. But, of course, that was fiction (even though it appears to be based on some real events).
Now, 31-years-later, the line should be changed to, “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fry”. This, after a real holiday stunt by a real radio station that is every bit as stupid and potentially more dangerous than what the comedy writers came up with on WKRP.
As we reported yesterday (click here for the raw video and more), this time there aren’t a lot of people laughing. Certainly not Tampa Fire Rescue whose spokesman rather bluntly blasted the radio station, WFLZ, and the program MJ Morning Show.
Tampa Fire Rescue Captain Ken Licata likely isn’t laughing either. He was treated and released from the hospital after slipping and falling at the scene. (An earlier report of a civilian injury is apparently not correct.)
Here are some the quotes from the department spokesman Captain Bill Wade as told to TBO.com:
“They wanted a fire. They had no permits, no proper safety crews. When the fire got going, they called the fire department.”
“I am very upset that this radio station chose to do this stunt in an unsafe manner, causing injury to a firefighter.”
The Florida State Fire Marshals office and the Tampa Fire Marshal are now investigating the incident.
You would think that with an injured firefighter, a van set on fire without any permits or fire crews standing by, and an investigation by people who can bring arson charges, the radio station might get the idea that not everyone is looking at this as the funny radio bit they have been portraying all day. Think again.
Under the headline “Fester’s Fire Fester Disaster!” on the station’s website is the following:
Fester finally did it! Just a few weeks ago Fester couldn’t even start a fire but this time it was a little too much. Fester let the fire get completely out of control and the fire department had to be called to extinguish the inferno.Management has released a statement about the results of this public service demonstration:
Like we’ve done several times in the past, our intent was to show how dangerous it is to cook a turkey in this type of situation. We were prepared to extinguish a modest fire. Once the fire got out of control, we quickly called the fire department.
Tommy Chuck
MJ Morning Show Program Director
The radio personality MJ (aka Todd Schnitt) apparently isn’t talking to reporters about the incident. He had plenty to say during the demonstration and on two previous turkey fryer demonstrations that were part of his radio show.
The earlier events (above and below) show that MJ and the other people involved won’t be able to use the excuse they didn’t know what would happen. In fact it seems pretty clear the burned up van is exactly what they expected and wanted to happen.
There are some obvious questions that come to mind. Did anyone at the radio station think this one through? Did the radio station just think it was perfectly fine to set things on fire? Was the Tampa Fire Marshal aware of the previous incidents and, if so, what was done about it (apparently some official warned the station in the past about burning)?.
There is very little that offends me when it comes to humor. I can laugh at an awful lot of things that aren’t politically correct or might bother other people. I tend to look for the humor in most everything and usually find it as long as it is the least bit inventive.
I just have just never found anything funny about setting things on fire. So, the way I see it, these people on the radio in Tampa not only likely broke the law and endangered people, they failed to do what they are paid to do: entertain.
I am not buying their claim this was a “public service demonstration”.
Now, if someone were to hold them accountable over this incident and even make them squirm a bit in the process, that is something that would put a smile on my face. It also would likely meet the goals of the MJ Morning Show and the suits at the radio station and provide them all with even more publicity than they received yesterday.
A firefighter and a civilian were hurt this morning during a radio station stunt in Tampa. Here are excerpts from TBO.com:
During a stunt for “The MJ Morning Show” on WFLZ, 93.3 FM, an employee put a grease fryer inside the van, which had furniture, and a fire broke out, Tampa Fire Rescue spokesman Capt. Bill Wade said.
One of the radio station’s employees was injured. A firefighter also injured his back during the incident at Clear Channel Radio, 4202 Gandy Blvd., Wade said.
Wade expressed anger over the stunt.
“They wanted a fire,” Wade said. “They had no permits, no proper safety crews. When the fire got going, they called the fire department.
The picture above by Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Battalion Chief Dave Borchardt is from a house fire at 9:30 this morning in Chillum, MD. Engine 844 was the first on the scene. The fire, started by unattended cooking, was extinguished within 15 minutes. Damage is estimated at $80,000. There were no injuries. But the story doesn’t end there.
While firefighters were able to save some Christmas presents from the basement, most everything else in the house was damaged or destroyed.
After the family was settled in a College Park motel, firefighters from Chillum decided to see what they could do to salvage some sort of holiday for the family that includes five adults and three children under the age of three.
The crew went to the Giant Food Store at 5815 Riggs Road. They talked to the store’s assistant manger, Calvin Parker. According to PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady, Parker made sure the $140 in food and personal items gathered by the firefighters was donated by Giant.
Then firefighters from the Chillum and Hyattsville Fire/EMS Stations took up a collection to purchase a $100 gift card.
Read more details from the official press release.
But that wasn’t the only good deed done this week by firefighters in Prince George’s County. On Tuesday at the Glenn Dale firehouse (Station 818), crews gathered to deliver hundreds of food baskets and turkeys to those in need. The event was sponsored by the Prince George’s County Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association and area churches.
Click here for that press release and more pictures.
Early raw video of Texas fire
Reported to be an abandoned nursing home in Paris, Texas on Wednesday.
Hazmat in Turkey
Here is the caption with this one: At 40C (104F) the road is iced! How? Oxigen(sic) truck’s valve is broken, because of this everywhere is iced. Happened at Turkey.
Old video of the day
A Doc Zaffater video from February 3, 1994, as Ace Hardware and the Morgan Lumber Company burn in Shreveport.
Watch what happens at :59 into the video. Here is the caption posted with the video on LiveLeak yesterday about a July 25 fire in Istanbul:
A group of firemen escaped a huge and unexpected blast while they were struggling with the blazes in a fire at a factory in Turkey’s largest city. Two firefighters escaped the explosion with slight burns on their hands and a worker was also slightly injured.
(Updated at 4:51 PM)
Old video of the day: Tuesday was the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth. April 4 will the 40th anniversary of his murder and the devastating riots that rocked a number of cities, including Chicago. Click the image above to see Part 1 of a film looking at how Chicago firefighters, dispatchers and others handled the unrest. It includes fire department radio transmissions. Part 2 (which apparently loses the narration in the middle of it) can be seen here.
Early view of Baltimore townhouse fire
This is from Tuesday evening in Baltimore City, the 6600 Block of Snowberry Court in Dutch Village. WJZ-TV’s chopper arrives with the first firefighters. Click the image above to see the video.
VA fire victim dies
The man burned in the natural gas explosion and fire in Seven Corners on Saturday, died the day after the incident, but the information was not released until today. The Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department reports, in an emailed press release at 11:43 AM, that 39-year-old Mark Christopher Williams died late Sunday evening. Spokesman Dan Schmidt says his office released the information as soon as it was made available by police.
The 3-alarm fire was at 6200 Wilson Boulevard. Click here and scroll down to see the original story.
FireGeezer takes the challenge and has the scoop
Bill Schumm claims he is old, but don’t let that fool you. After some recent top-notch journalism on some rather unusual fire stories, I figured the Geeze was just the guy to delve futher into the mayor/restaurant owner versus the fire chief/hair salon owner battle we told you about the other day. Make sure you read his follow-up.
Fire gear winds up in the middle of a domestic
In Kankakee, IL police are investigating the torching of a firefighter’s gear. The firefighter was not wearing it at the time. It was in his home. His wife is accused of setting fire to the gear belonging to the Kankanee Fire Department. Police are investigating. If you want to know more, click here.
Surf shop burns in Texas
A lot of fire, as a surf shop burns on South Padre Island Tuesday evening.
Cambridge, MD fire: FFs return to handle a flare up this morning
WBOC-TV’s chopper was back over the Race Street fire in Cambridge this morning as firefighters dealt with some hot spots that flared up. Click here to see the new video.
The image above is from WBOC-TV’s coverage of the fire Tuesday in Cambridge’s historical district. It destroyed two businesses dealing in antiques. It was first reported just after 10:30 AM and involved about 225 firefighters from the Eastern Shore. According to WBOC-TV:
Five firefighters were injured while fighting the fire and have been taken to Dorchester General Hospital for treatment. Two- firefighters were being treated for smoke inhalation, one for an injured leg, another suffered a heart attack and the other firefighter suffered a seizure.
Investigators have determined that the fire originated inside the Shore Bid Antiques shop. The exact cause for the fire remains under investigation. Investigators will be returning to the scene in the morning to continue with the investigation.
Click here to see STATter 911′s coverage from Tuesday morning and afternoon, along with links to WBOC-TV’s raw video from the air and ground.
Boston mayor takes on union leaders at State Of The City address. Union accuses Menino’s administration of manipulating LODD independent investigation.
In the midst of heated contract negotiations, the Boston firefighters’ union is accusing the Menino administration of trying to manipulate the findings of an independent probe into the cause of the blaze that killed two firefighters in West Roxbury. “The city is trying to manipulate the independent report, thus re-victimizing the families who have had to endure a horribly tragic event,” said Edward Kelly, president of the Firefighters Local 718 Union, this afternoon. Kelly stood outside the Strand Theatre in Dorchester where Mayor Thomas M. Menino is giving his State of the City address tonight. The blaze at a West Roxbury restaurant which killed firefighters Warren Payne and Paul Cahill has been under investigation by an independent board since the fire in August. Payne had traces of cocaine in his system while Cahill had a high blood alcohol level at the time of their deaths, according to officials briefed on the toxicology results. Kelly alleged that the city administration demanded to see what the board had compiled before the confidential report was complete – then tried to make changes to the report. The Boston firefighters union backed off a threat to picket Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s State of the City speech Tuesday night, but that did not stop a political feud between the union and the mayor from escalating. The mayor used the platform of his annual address to say he was “astounded” by the union’s aggressive negotiating positions on key reforms. He cited the union’s unwillingness to submit to random drug and alcohol testing, as well as its opposition to eliminating what he called “unethical personnel practices,” without winning a pay raise in return. “These union leaders do not seem to realize what everyone in this city knows — that it is not right to ask for pay raises as a reward for putting a stop to these abuses of the public trust,” Menino said. The mayor’s remarks drew applause, but some public officials in the audience clearly refrained from responding. The union, while canceling plans to picket the mayor’s speech at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester, held a press conference at which it leveled charges at Menino’s administration. It said the city was “engaged in a plot” to interfere with a department Board of Inquiry investigation into the death of two firefighters in August. Not much detail, but it is nicely shot. 911 recordings from tiger attack
We told you about the confusion and delay in getting help to the victims of the New Year’s Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo. Above is a story on what the first callers to 911 were saying. Click here for some of the raw audio. Teens torch SUV, get burned
In Olathe, KS, police say three teens seeking revenge, vandalized and set fire to another teenager’s SUV. Nobody apparently warned them to be real careful with the gasoline (or other flammable liquid). You need to watch until the middle of the report to see the security camera video. Apartment fire in Los Angeles
The attic of an apartment building was reported well off when L.A. firefighters arrived Tuesday afternoon. Live coverage above. FireGeezer also has some good still images from this fire.Click her to see entire State Of The City address
From the Boston Herald:
From the Boston Globe:
Truck fire in Turkey
(This entry is updated throughout the day, so please scroll down. Last update at 12:08 p.m.)
Sgt. Michael LaCore’s condition now officially upgraded
A bit of an update from the WHC Burn Unit. We have been told that Sgt. Michael LaCore was extubated on Monday, one week after being burned at a house fire on 4th Street, NE. Doctors had been checking closely in recent days to verify any swelling had gone down and now are allowing him to breath on his own.
This morning, at 8:30 a.m., WHC announced that Sgt. LaCore’s condition has been upgraded to serious.
Firefighter Charles Shyab continues to be treated at the burn unit and WHC says he is still in fair condition.
Sgt. LaCore’s mother Madeline told me on Monday that she hoped to read to him some of the messages we passed on to her from firefighters around the US and Canada. You can read them, here.
Above is BBC coverage of the three firefighter’s bodies being removed from the Warwickshire fire
Firefighters bodies recovered in UK
The Independent reports the latest on the Warwickshire tragedy:
Rescue teams have found the bodies of three firefighters who went missing during the blaze in a warehouse in Atherstone on Stour, despite the search being suspended for several hours because the wreckage had become too dangerous.
Darren Yates-Badley, 24, Ashley Stephens, 20, and John Averis, 27, had been missing and presumed dead since they entered the blazing vegetable-packing depot on Friday evening to search for anyone who may have been left inside. A fourth firefighter, Ian Reid, 44, was pulled out of the fire but died later in hospital.
More than 200 firefighters working on the search operation gave a formal guard of honour as their colleagues’ bodies were driven away at 10pm yesterday.
Speaking outside the warehouse, William Brown, the chief fire officer of Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “This fire will be marked forever in Warwickshire. Tributes are arriving from all over the world. Our hearts and our minds are with the families and we share their grief.”
The first body had been found in the early hours of yesterday morning, said Chief Superintendent Ken Lawrence, of Warwickshire Police. Members of the nine specialist search teams announced they thought they had found the others just before 8pm.
Firefighter tries to save his grandmother
In Baltimore County on Tuesday, the house fire above claimed the life of a 71-year-old woman. One of the volunteer firefighters from the English Consul VFD (Station 37) on the first engine to arrive was the woman’s grandson. See the story, here.
Propane explosion
Investigators in Baltimore have a lot of questions to ask a man burned when a propane tank exploded inside his home in Hampden. Four children were also injured. See the story, here.
Arrest in DC Good Guys case
The man suspected of setting a strip club manager on fire has been arrested. Vasile Graure, a Romanian citizen, was picked up at an Alexandria, Virginia hotel Tuesday night.
It was Saturday that the manager/bartender at Good Guys on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park was splashed with gasoline and set on fire. Police say Graure had been thrown out of the club for taking pictures of the dancers with his phone. Police sources claim that Graure walked up the street to a service station and bought a plastic can of gasoline and a lighter.
We are also learning more about the manager’s intervention in preventing a tragedy. The manager is in critical condition at the WHC Burn Unit.
As suspected, police say Graure has second-degree burns to his arms. He is being treated at a different hospital. I’ll have more here and on TV later today.
A fire on a deck, plus 50 mph winds in Michigan
No one injured in the apartment fire, above, in Spring Lake, Michigan. Fire department feels it was lucky to stop it where they did.
Getting what you pay for
In California a consultant has told the Thousand Oaks City Council that they are paying the Ventura County Fire Protection District $32 million for $26 million dollars worth of protection. Read the suggestions for closing the $6 million gap.
Not over and Dunn
The image above shows volunteer firefighters in Dunn, NC walking out of a city council meeting, unhappy with the decision to delay the purchase of new fire trucks. The question is, where any threats made to withhold services? Read and see the story, here,
I always wondered what that big button was for
According to the write-up with the video above, when a pick-up truck caught fire at a convenience store with gas pumps in Illinois on Sunday night, the clerk had no clue that there was an emergency shut-off for the pumps. Apparently it turned out not to be a factor.
Seat Belt Pledge
FireGeezer’s Morning Lineup is on vehicle collisions involving fire and EMS.
On that topic, DC Fire & EMS will have a press conference on Thursday at 2:00 p.m., at Engine 28, Truck 14 on Connecticut Avenue, to announce its participation in the National Fire Service Seat Belt Pledge.
Wear the seat belt if for no other reason than to let Burt Clark and others know their efforts are making a difference. Dr. Clark has put together the video above. That’s him, along with two firefighters from Libertytown in Frederick County, MD who wore their seat belts and survived a crash on I-270 in September.
Elsewhere around the web
WithTheCommand.com has the story of a Danville, VA firefighter who went into cardiac arrest during a drill and survived.
Firefighter Spot has photos of a collapse late last month in Manhattan and looks at the FDNY MRSA cases.
Last week it was ducks, now it’s turkeys
Not that they had much of a future anyway, 20,000 turkeys burned up in a fire in Michigan Monday night. Details, here.
Fire as entertainment
In the video above from Australia, everyone seems to be getting a nice chuckle by the apartment burning across the way. This one is caught on video in its earliest stages. A neighbor decides to play firefighter, taking a fire hose through the balcony. Part 2 is here.
Union firefighters (New Jersey, that is)
A house fire on Sunday. Here is the description with the video above:
At approximately 1940 hrs. on Sunday November 4, 2007 the Union Fire Department was dispatched to a reported working house fire at 1040 Woolley Ave. Eng 1 arriving first due found a one and half story vacant private dwelling with heavy fire showing on the D-Delta side threatening the D-Delta exposure. Engine 1 put in service an exposure line while crews from Squad 4 and Engine 7 put a quick knock down on the fire.
Ride with the London Fire Brigade in the late 1980s
In some ways the video above reminds of you of an infamous response video many of us have seen, except these guys are supposed to ride on the left side of the road. This turnout by Kensington does show a bit of a problem. There is a second video, here.
The open cab vehicle alone is worth the price of admission
Check out the above video from Singapore. I am not sure what you call the vehicle with the number 112 on it, but I want it. LightRock, if you sell this, order me two.
To Lift a Nation
Due to our technical problems we couldn’t get this one on yesterday. Above is Janet Whitlow’s photo on Firehouse.com of Monday’s ceremony in Emmitsburg. Susan Nicol Kyle has the story.
I chose death. Let's be honest, that's where the drama is.… (more)
His view is that he can get more bang for his buck using Twitter than Facebook. He goes on to say… (more)
We are just getting started with multiple races slatted for this year. Ultimately, we are… (more)
Contact Us
Get the scoop on hosting your blog or podcast here, site suggestions, questions and technical support.
Most Recent Comments