Anne Arundel County Fire Department is battling a 3-Alarm fire at a 3 story apartment building located on Rapid Water Way and Water Fountain Court in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
Fire officials tell 9NEWS NOW they responded shortly after 11 a.m. and flames were showing out of the attic as they arrived.
Anne Arundel Fire officials did not have any report of injuries or what may have caused the fire.
Shawn Coleman, freelance photographer and STATter911.com reader supplied the images below. Thanks Shawn!
Friday night on the Ohio River turns into an unexpected dinner cruise: The Covington Fire Department had to go after a run-away building when a waterfront floating restaurant decided to spread its wings and cruise. A nearby bridge kept the building from going too far. Click here to watch as firefighters brought almost 100 people to safety.
Deal reached in Deale blown engine controversy: Glenn Usdin provided some interesting insight a few weeks ago on blown engines during pump testing after a 1991 pumper owned by the Deale (MD) VFD suffered such a fate while in the hands of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department shop. Deale and the county went back and forth for a while over who was financially responsible in this case. Now an economical solution has been found. FireTruckBlog.com has the story. Click here.
Threats & other verbal attacks are now a way of life for Clark County, Nevada firefighters: The long and nasty battle over compensation for firefighters in Clark County that resulted in a probe of sick leave abuse has taken its toll. Scott Wyland in the Las Vegas Review-Journal spent time with firefighters, including some named in the probe, and describes the less than warm reception firefighters are often receiving. Here’s the article.
More image problems as the Bee stings Sac Metro FD: An editorial in the Sacramento Bee on Sunday has the title “Sac Metro salaries are a disgrace”. Overtime seems to be responsible for the high salaries. And the Bee thinks this is the problem – “Either by contract or policy, set staffing levels are maintained. If a firefighter calls in sick, another is called in on overtime. Generous overtime boosts already generous salaries.” The Bee fails to discuss or seem to care why those staffing levels are in place. Then there is this shocker – “It’s worth noting that a part of the firefighter’s work day is spent sleeping, watching TV, cooking or relaxing in the firehouse.” It should also be noted the chief of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, Bill Sponable, announced his resignation on Friday citing the current economic woes. Click here to read the editorial.
Fireworks cache takes out home: Firegeezer has the story from Blue Springs, Kansas of a man handling some of the large amount of fireworks he stored in his home. The Fourth of July came very early and the man is lucky he was left with only minor injuries. The house is a different story. Click here for the story.
Firefighters dressing in drag, showing their butts & dancing with college girls, all in the name of charity: Of course that headline can only mean one thing. Cincinnati firefighters are back in Fort Myers Beach, Florida for spring break. News-Press.com’s Chris Umpierre looks at this 28-year tradition that has on occasion raised some eyebrows. The picture to the right is by Amanda Inscore, News-Press.com. Click here for the story.
Martha’s Vineyard house fire: Firefighter Spot first posted this fire from the evening of March 5 in a house under renovation on Linton Avenue in the Town of Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts.
Early video from last week’s fire in Girardville, Pennsylvania: Firegeezer did a good job of covering Wednesday night’s fire that ran part of the block and resulted in a close call for a firefighter. Since then Coal Region Fire uploaded this video that gives you an early view of the fire and its progression. And you will find a whole bunch of pictures from the fire here.
Knowing more than the computer: If you haven’t had a chance yet to listen to the 911 call from the Nation’s Capital that WTOP/WJLA reporter Mark Segraves uncovered, you will want to do so. The director of the 911 center says the 14-minute delay in figuring out a location of a deadly incdent on a major roadway, described very well by a citizen, was a glitch in the system. I’m not buying that, and judging by the comments, few of you are. Click here for our coverage.
Glenn looks at lessons learned from the controversy over a blown engine at a Maryland pump test: The Deale VFD and the Anne Arundel County Fire Department aren’t seeing eye to eye after a 1991 pumper ended up needing a new engine. FireTruckBlog.com‘s Glenn Usdin has some interesting insight on this one and some practical advice. Click here.
Firefighter’s first fire is at a home he owns: What are the odds? Raul Thaper is a new firefighter in Greenville, North Carolina. His first fire was on Friday. That fire was in a home that Thapar owns and rents to someone else. Here’s the story.
Fractured spine for Sacramento FD captain: It was a fall from a roof at a house fire over the weekend that has put Captain Gene Dibble in the hospital. Officials say there is no paralysis but the captain is in a lot of pain. Here’ more.
Playing with fire: While I was in New York with the family in December we saw and thoroughly enjoyed the Flying Karamazov Brothers. It’s a comedy juggling act with enough stupid puns to keep me happy for weeks. In today’s City Room blog from The New York Times there is an interesting look at the Flying Karamazov Brothers putting their talents to good use with the FDNY in an unusual fire safety message. Check it out.
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Six-alarm mill fire in Woonsocket, Rhode Island: Matt Gregoire at ProvidenceFireVideos.com was on the scene yesterday afternoon as the vacant Seville Dye plant at Fairmount Street and First Avenue burned. Nearby homes were evacuated. Click here to read more about the fire.
Above is video from the 6:00 AM fire at 8402 Potomac Avenue in College Park we told you about yesterday. The video was recorded by a College Park VFD ride-along.
After a long day yesterday, Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department PIO Mark Brady started the day with a run down of the significant wind driven fires that provided the department with one of the busiest days in its history. Below is Brady’s press release and pictures:
The Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department experienced one of the busiest days in the Departments history due to high winds and dry conditions that resulted in hundreds of brush fires and structure fires. Numerous personnel have been operating at several “hot spots” overnight and into this morning. These locations include Chalk Point, Laurel and Piscataway. The fires are 90% contained and should be near extinguishment today. It is safe to say that Saturday, February 19, 2011, will be remembered as one of the busiest days in our history. The Fire/EMS Department recalled off-duty firefighters to report to work; the last time this was done was September 11, 2001. Fire/EMS Department Public Safety Communications handled 821 calls for service yesterday; a normal day average is about 350 calls. Firefighters were summoned from throughout the state and the District of Columbia to assist on incidents (a complete list of mutual aid jurisdictions is listed below). Of all the homes damaged during this wind/fire event, it is estimated that $1 million + in fire loss occurred. Another estimated $1 million + in fire loss occurred to commercial property.
Photo by PGFD’s Mark Brady showing Engine 841 in position at the Van Dusen Road fire. The crew eventually had to abandon this spot, bringing the rig to safety but losing hose. At the Chalk Point Road fire BR 836 was destroyed by the fire.
There were seven “significant” incidents that occurred yesterday:
…6 am – 8400 block of Potomac Avenue in College Park – House Fire & multiple outbuildings/Brush Fire. Family Helped by Citizens Services Unit. Event closed out at 9:30 am.
…9:30 am – Chalk Point Road, Baden – 60 Acre Brush Fire. 100 firefighters, 1 Brush Vehicle burned up in this event, 1 firefighter suffered from heat exhaustion, units operated throughout the night.
…10:59 am – 5400 block of Van Dusen Road, Beltsville/Laurel – 300 Acre Brush/Mulch Fire. 100+ firefighters, 90% contained, units operated throughout the overnight, potential for a multiple day event. Interstate 95 was closed for 4 hours due to smoke and adjacent land areas burning. Two firefighters suffered non-serious injuries during this event.
Mark Brady photo from Piscataway Road. We haven’t seen much in the way of video or pictures from this fire. It apparently did the most property damage and received the least amount of news coverage.
…11:42 am – 11900 through the 12200 block of Piscataway Road in Clinton – 250 Acre Brush/House Fire, 2 homes, 5 + outbuildings and 5 abandoned farm homes. One family assisted by Citizen Services Unit. 150 firefighters, 90% contained, units operated overnight and will continue today, potential multiple day event.
…1:06 pm – Queen Anne Road in Bowie- 15 Acre Brush Fire
…4:18 pm – 5100 block of Decatur Street, Bladensburg – 2 house fires, 2 families displaced, assisted by Citizens Services Unit
There are firefighters operating in Prince George’s County from all of our routine Mutual Aide Counties, including all of our contiguous jurisdictions, as well as through assistance coordinated by the County Emergency Operations Center and the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, from:
- St Mary’s County MD
- Calvert County MD
- Charles County MD
- Anne Arundel County MD
- Montgomery County MD
- Baltimore City MD
- Arlington County VA
- Alexandria City VA
- Fairfax County VA
- Washington DC
- Washington County MD
- Carroll County MD
- Cecil County MD
- Caroline County MD
- Queen Anne County MD
- Natural Resources
Another Brady photo. From Piscataway Road and Windbrook Drive.
The Emergency Operations Center in Landover Hills, was activated and was staffed with personnel from County Police, Fire/EMS, Central Services, Public Works, Emergency Management, Red Cross, Public Safety Communications, Homeland Security, and the County Executives Office.
There will continue to be smoke and odors from all of these fires for days. Citizens should keep their windows closed, and if they are sensitive to smoke, avoid areas impacted by these events.
Some roadways may become blocked from time to time as hoselines are stretched across roads. We did not officially evacuate anyone, nor prohibit them from returning to their homes, however people were not able to physically drive to their homes. We did close the Ice House in Beltsville/Laurel, due to the hazardous smoke and travel conditions.
Interstate 95 was closed in both directions in Laurel for approximately 4 hours.
This is a video from PropTalkMagazine’s YouTube channel of yesterday’s boat fire at Turner’s Marine in the 300 block of Chester Avenue in Eastport, Maryland (On the Chesapeake Bay just across Spa Creek from Downtown Annapolis). The fire was reported on board Monoponson II, a 45-foot Chris Craft, at 8:18 AM. It is 12-minutes of raw video, sped up and condensed to three minutes.
The Capital reports that 26 firefighters and the Annapolis fireboat responded. There were no injuries.
Newark, New Jersey house fire: Another one from allhandsgoingtowork. This is from November 17 at 414 South 18th Street. Part 2 is here.
CBS Sunday Morning crew shoots interview with Kelly Walesh and Lexus Koeser at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial on October 3, 2010.
CBS Sunday Morning looks at volunteer firefighters: Peter Greenberg, a volunteer firefighter from Long Island, gave the CBS Sunday Morning audience a look at the nation’s volunteer firefighters. In our role with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation we hooked producer Kay Lim up with Kelly Walesh and Lexus Koeser at the 2010 Memorial Weekend in October. They are the survivors of Firefighter Steven ‘Peanut’ Koeser of Wisconsin and were featured in the CBS story. If you haven’t seen it yet, click here.
Anne Arundel County, Maryland loses lieutenant in off-duty Thanksgiving Day crash: The Anne Arundel County Fire Department is in mourning following the death of Lt. Elizabeth Nahory. Lt. Nahory died on Thursday in a car crash near her home in Dublin Township, Pennsylvania. Read more here. IAFF Local 1563 has the funeral arrangements posted.
Arson at mosque attended by Oregon bomb plot suspect: A small fire was set at the Salman Alfarisi Islamic Center in Corvallis, Oregon. It is the same mosque once attended by 19-year-old Mohamed Osman Mohamud, accused in the plot to bomb the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland. Read more.
Maryland firefighters rescue dog and owner: Thanksgiving night found firefighters from both Montgomery County & Prince George’s County rescuing a Belgian Shepherd and its owner from the bottom of a ravine. Here’s the video & the story.
In the middle of all the stupid stuff there are a few gems on the topic of firefighters using social media in the latest STATter911.com animation. Click the image to check it out for yourself.
Dave enters the carnival with his social media policy & so much more (or less): This is my first entry into the First Due Blog Carnival. I figure it will be my last because they will likely ban me for life. They wanted suggestions for a fire department social media policy. I turned this one over to my animated staff. There is actually a serious policy in there somewhere. You just have to wade through the usual conflict that comes with a STATter911.com animation. On top of that there is a response from Roanoke and some investigations into STATter911.com. These have uncovered some dark secrets of my empire, including a recent visit to a Roanoke area hospital (HIPAA rules preclude me from providing more information) and some very interesting pictures from my past. Click here for a complete waste of your time.
What a picture, plus radio traffic: In case you missed it last week, we added radio traffic to the picture of the Detroit fire engine that was squashed went it went under an over pass that was a little too low. Here it is.
Firefighter says he sees dead Marine brother on his turnout coat: There is a most unusual story from Weymouth, Massachusetts. Firefighter Jason Farrar says after hanging up his dirty gear after a fire a week ago an image appeared on the back of his coat. Some may see smudges of dirt, but Farrar, his family and fellow firefighters see the image of Farrar’s brother Andrew, a Marine sergeant killed in Iraq five-years-ago. Check out the story.
Faulty chimney blamed for Hollywood Madam’s Thanksgiving Day fire: Heidi Fleiss escaped her Pahrump, Nevada home on Thursday and was seen walking around with a bird on her shoulder. Click here for the raw video and here for the local TV report.
Change of plan on stubborn debris pile fire: In Concord, North Carolina firefighters are no longer going to just let a debris pile that caught fire last week burn itself out. That could take a month. Click here to read and watch the updated plan.
Two-alarm house fire in South Bend, Indiana: A fire that was reported about 5:30 Sunday morning in the 700 block of South Bend Avenue. No injuries reported. Click here for more on the fire.
On YouTube jlenz167 has been posting 1950s and 60s films from the Baltimore area. Previous ones were from pumping contests in Anne Arundel County. This is of a Baltimore Fire Department 1965 recruit class.
One burned in San Francisco apartment fire: A neighbor’s roof top video of a fire during the noon hour in Haight Ashbury on Monday that injured an occupant of a second-floor apartment.
The STATter911.com family heads to Chicago: I guess it is appropriate that the video above is from San Francisco because that is where our journey began on August 6. Currently Sam, Hillary and Dave are in Dubuque, Iowa, heading out today for four days at Fire Rescue International in Chicago. Along the way we saw some spectacular sights and had many wonderful moments. In the coming weeks I plan to share some fire related photos and videos that I gathered during our journey, like the one on the left when San Francisco Fire Engine Tours & Adventures took us on a tour of the city in a 1955 Mack pumper. Because of the travel, as we warned, the blog postings have been reduced. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I don’t expect to get back into my usual unreliable pattern of posting until next week.
One you should attend in Chicago: If you manage a behavioral health program for a fire department or are a chief officer, peer program manager or EAP professional make sure you get to “Focus Group on New Protocol for Firefighter Behavioral Health – Initiative 13″. Its on Friday from 12:30 to 2:30 in room N230a at McCormick Place. If you need more information contact Dr. JoEllen Kelly at jkelly@everyonegoeshome.com.
New fire chief in Houston: The Houston Chronicle and other new outlets are reporting Terry Garrison will be the new chief of the Houston Fire Department. Retired after a 30-year-career in Phoenix, Chief Garrison more recently has been doing the chief thing in Oceanside, California and the Daisy Mountain Fire District in New River, Arizona. Read more.
Triple fatal fire in the Charleston, SC area: Around 9:00 last night a mother and her young twin boys died in a fire in West Ashley, a Charleston suburb. The St. Andrews Fire Department and Charleston Fire Department responded. SConFire.com is on top of the story.
Honors for Tom Carr: As many of you already know from other sources while Dave was distracted by his intimate relationship with the GPS lady, our friend Tom Carr, chief of the Charleston Fire Department (mentioned above), has been named by Fire Chief as the 2010 Career Fire Chief of the Year. A much deserved honor for a man I first met when he was a lieutenant in Montgomery County, Maryland. While we are at it, congratulations to Timothy S. Wall of the North Farms Volunteer Fire Department in North Wallingford, Connecticut who is the 2010 Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year.
Iron and Steel doesn’t make it to Washington but will come close: This weekend steel from the World Trade Center will be escorted to the Pentagon. You may recall the dispute that surfaced in June after the organizers and the DC Fire & EMS Department did not come to terms for this event (click here). The Arlington County Fire Department, under the leadership of Chief Jim Schwartz, stepped in and will host the event. Click here for the weekend schedule.
A much better view of the CNG bus burning in Maryland: We have now posted almost seven minutes of continuous raw video from Friday’s Metrobus fire in Anne Arundel County. It begins just before the first engine pulls up. Despite offering a better representation of what was there when firefighters arrived, I am not sure it is going to change too many minds in our comments section. What could have been an interesting discussion over the use of master streams in this type of situation has turned into the type of Internet free-for-all that can cause brain damage ( if taken too seriously). I just want to apologize ahead of time in case you stumble upon it. Much more interesting is the updated video.
Chief fired over disposal of stillborn babies: We have reported on fire chiefs being fired for many, many reasons, but this is one we have never heard before. WBRC-TV is reporting that in Odenville, Alabama Chief David Davis claimed he was just following protocol when he flushed twin stillborn babies down the toilet. Mayor Buck Christian fired Davis and the Odenville City Council unanimously approved that decision.
But it’s the news media’s fault in Detroit: Thank goodness for the Geezerman. At least Firegeezer Bill doesn’t leave his readers high and dry while he goes gallivanting across the country. Clearly a man with a much better work ethic than I have, Bill Schumm has been posting some great stories at Firegeezer.com. The most disturbing one comes from Detroit. On August 9 I shared the story about Mayor Dave Bing’s administration’s issues with media ride-alongs and attempts to create a new policy. You may recall in the same posting I also disagreed with a documentary producer’s opinion that the news media is the problem in Detroit (at the same time supporting the producer’s efforts to show us the firefighters of Detroit). Well, the nasty news media is at it again. This time they have the nerve to tell people that 31 of 45 ambulances are broken. A TV station shows some people, like the recently injured Detroit firefighters, who didn’t get to the hospital by ambulance. Here’s Bill’s well written look at this tragedy.
There is much debate in our comments section about the use of master streams during the CNG fueled Metrobus fire in Anne Arundel County, Maryland on Friday morning. We originally posted a short YouTube clip and still pictures provided by Chief Drew Mutch of the Cape St. Claire Volunteer Fire Company. What I missed, that a reader pointed out in our comments section yesterday, is another much longer YouTube video. It begins just before the arrival of the first engine and continuously rolls for almost seven minutes.
Rather than a serious discussion on the merits of master streams when faced with this situation, the comments have devolved, as often is the case on the Internet, into name calling and a debate over who has the bigger nozzle. Because of that I don’t recommend you take the time to read the discussion. Depending on your own mental state, doing so could cause you to either do bodily harm to yourself or sue me for wasting your valuable time.
Unlike some of our comments on this subject, the video is quite interesting and seems to give a more complete picture of the conditions to help you choose sides in this issue.
Pictures on this page courtesy Chief Drew Mutch, Cape St. Claire Volunteer Fire Company
Details on Davidsonville, Maryland bus fire from WUSA9.com:
Members of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department were called to the commuter parking lot at routes 50 and 424, Friday morning, for a report of a bus on fire.
Division Chief Michael Cox told 9News Now when firefighters arrived they found a compressed natural gas DC Metrobus fully engulfed in flames.
Cox said the bus was driven by a mechanic. A spokesperson for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said the bus was not in service and test were being conducted at the time of the incident.
There were no firefighter or civilian injuries but Cox said the fire caused damage to about 12-14 other vehicles that were parked in the immediate area.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
There was indication listening to witnesses speak about Saturday’s runaway fire engine incident in Anne Arundel County, Maryland that parents jumped aboard the rig as it rolled away with eight children on board. Now, the Annapolis Capital has confirmed that and other details from the police report. According to the report parents say they steered Engine 201 from the Lake Shore Volunteer Fire Department into a tree to avoid parked cars. Here are excerpts from the article by Lisa Beisel:
The Lake Shore Volunteer Fire Company drove its newest engine to a child’s birthday party Saturday afternoon on Edgewater Road. Eight children were on it when the truck suddenly began to roll down the hill, crossing Edgewater Road before hitting a tree. None of the children were injured.
Tim Hall, the chief of the volunteer company, said yesterday he was at the party and near the truck when it began to move. When he saw what was happening, he took off running to try to stop it.
Picture by Matt Stevens.
“I just did what I thought I had to do,” he said.
But he fell and hurt his knee before reaching the truck.
Hall said he doesn’t know how or why the truck started rolling. The brake was on and a wheel chock – a device placed in front or behind a wheel to keep it from moving – was in place, he said.
One of the parents told police investigating the crash that he heard a “loud clicking noise” right before the truck began rolling.
He and another parent ran after the engine. One of them was able to get into the rear passenger’s-side area of the fire truck and grab the steering wheel, running it into a tree at an adjacent home. County fire officials said Saturday that the engine rolled from 441 Edgewater Road to 445 Edgewater Road.
According to police, volunteer Firefighter Lisa Hall, the chief’s wife, parked the engine and put the brakes in place. She is in training to earn certification to drive the engine on calls. Their son, Timothy Hall Jr., another volunteer, also was there, police said.
He said he followed safety protocol at the scene. The engine was off, the keys weren’t in the ignition, and there were wheel chocks in place to prevent rolling.
A fire engine at a birthday party on Saturday in Anne Arundel County, Maryland started rolling away with eight children on board.
Picture by Matt Stevens via The Capital.
Witnesses tell WMAR-TV that a firefighter jumped into the driver’s seat and was able to steer the rig into a tree. That firefighter was hurt, but the children were not injured.
The Lake Shore Volunteer Fire Company had Engine 201 parked on Edgewater Road in Pasadena for a community event. Several children were on the fire engine throughout the day. At one point, the emergency brake was released and the fire engine rolled down the hill, said Battalion Chief Steve Thompson. One firefighter was injured after somehow trying to stop the engine.
“There were several children on the fire engine,” Thompson said. “They were looking at it and crawling inside.”
Baltimore Sun photo of Firefighter Justin Davidson.
Justin Davidson didn’t look like he does in that picture when he was fighting a house fire on Tuesday in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, south of Philadelphia. Then he was dressed only in a T-shirt and shorts. His tools to fight the blaze were an extinguisher, a garden shovel and water from the kitchen sink.
According to the article by Nicole Fuller in The Baltimore Sun, the off-duty Anne Arundel County firefighter had been taking a nap in his old bedroom while visiting his parents’ home. Pamela Davidson came in screaming to her son the house was on fire. Justin got his parents and their dogs outside and went to work while waiting for the local VFD. But police arrived first and that didn’t go too well. Here are excerpts from Fuller’s story:
When local police showed up to answer the 911 call — minutes before the volunteer fire company responded — they wanted everyone out, including Davidson, 28, who lives in Baltimore. Unmoved by his claims of being a firefighter, they threatened to arrest him, according to fire officials.
But Davidson, in between shouting with the police, wouldn’t quit trying to save his parents’ modest home.
“The police were threatening to drag me out,” said Davidson, a nine-year veteran assigned to Truck Company 33 in Glen Burnie, who was not injured. “They said, ‘You’re going to jail.’ At that point, it just didn’t matter; I had to save my parents’ house. This is all they have.”
Joe Lombardo Jr., chief of the Garden City Fire Company in Pennsylvania, responded to the fire and helped put out not only the one-alarm blaze but the dispute between Davidson and the officers. Lombardo, who has been chief of the volunteer company for 32 years, remembered Davidson as a cadet junior firefighter when he was in high school.
“The police were upset because they didn’t know him, but once I had a conversation with them, it was all good,” said Lombardo. “I did yell at him for being in shorts. But he’s well-trained. It was pretty much contained when we got there. He saved it from being a lot worse than it could have been.”
Police Chief Thomas Flannery of Nether Providence Township said the incident report makes no note of threats of arrest, but Flannery said he was glad that “cooler heads prevailed,” especially since Davidson is a trained professional.
“I think we showed good judgment and restraint with that,” Flannery said. “We shouldn’t be arresting people who were just trying to put a fire out.”
Chief Michael Cox, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel Fire Department, said he could not comment without knowing all the facts, but that under national firefighting standards, “we recommend that … all occupants evacuate the building and remain outside until the arrival of the fire department, and only trained and equipped firefighters should re-enter.”
“I teach classes on this,” Davidson said. “I know what to do: If your house is on fire, get out. But my natural instincts kicked in. I was born to do this.”
“We live in a small town, it’s an all-volunteer fire department and God bless them for the volunteer work that they do,” said Pamela Davidson. “But if we had waited for them, our house would have been gone. So we’re just thankful Justin was home. We’re so proud of him.”
DC Fire & EMS crew under review after toddler dies: Several first responders with the DC Fire & EMS Department have been removed from contact with patients while the care they provided to a 2-year-old girl is reviewed. The investigation centers on exactly why the girl was not taken to the hospital during the first call for trouble breathing on February 10th. Nine hours later the child was transported after a second call to 911. She died the next day. This occurred during one of the major snowstorms that hit Washington. Surae Chinn has our story. Read and watch it here.
Firefighter accused of setting his home on fire twice in an effort to get his wife pregnant: I know that is a bizarre headline, but this is a bizarre story. Investigators in Bennington, Vermont say Capt. Ralph Brown Jr. needed money to pay for surgery so his wife could have a baby and decided insurance money was the way to finance the operation. The home caught fire twice. Now Brown, the wife, and another man are facing charges. Read more.
Three dead in 3-alarm Baltimore fire: The fire was reported around 2:00 AM in the 3500 block of Woodbrook Avenue. Two people escaped the home uninjured. Watch the video. Click here for details.
New Jersey firefighter’s decision to quit IAFF brings in the comments: Cherry Hill, New Jersey firefighter Michael Schaffer’s decision to quit the IAFF, rather than face charges over his activities as a volunteer, has people talking in our comments section (Schaffer himself joins in). The response was not unexpected. The only question was how long it would take before it got nasty and personal. Not long. Click here for the story and the comments.
Home of DC/Calvert County firefighter burns: Officials with the DC Fire & EMS Department confirm the home of one of its firefighters was destroyed in a two-alarm fire in Calvert County yesterday afternoon. The fire was at the home of Paul O'Conner in Bayview Hills. The Huntingtown VFD reports O'Conner, who is a member, used his radio to report the fire. Click the image for more details from TheBayNet.com and a series of pictures by Dennis Hook. The Maryland State Fire Marshal's office says the fire was started by a space heater used to dry materials in a shed under a wooden deck.
Another I-Team discovers firefighters make overtime: Contract negotiating time when money is very tight and suddenly everyone realizes the fire department is way over its overtime budget. This has happened in jurisdiction after jurisdiction across the country since the economy went south. We have run a bunch of stories that fit the pattern. The script goes like this. Political leaders say the OT is busting their budgets and often someone leaks the details to a newspaper or TV station. The news media runs the story showing how firefighters are all the top money makers in town. Someone claims there is something fishy going on. The IAFF points out if you hire firefighters and fill all the vacant positions you can then spend less on overtime. Then there is usually the call to lower minimum staffing requirements. Some of that is now going on in Clark County, Nevada. Check it out.
TIC save in New Jersey: Firefighters from the Sayreville Fire Department are getting credit for pulling a woman out of a fire last Thursday. They were aided by a thermal imaging camera. Here’s the story.
Scrambling to safety: Video from Chile as rescuers rush out of a building because of an aftershock. Check it out.
Former firefighter sentenced for 48 false calls: Caryn Sodaro will get a few more weeks in jail and have to pay $11,000 for her series of false suicide and other EMS calls. Officials say she called them in and then listened to the responses on the radio provided to her by the fire company where she volunteered in Weld County, Colorado. Here are the details.
A man was killed Saturday afternoon when the single-engine plane he was flying crashed in the yard of a home on Warehouse Creek Lane in Anne Arundel County.
Diane Spitaliere of the Federal Aviation Administration said the plane, a Hawker Beechcraft, crashed at about 4:30 p.m. one quarter mile east of a runway at Lee Airport.
The plane caught fire and firefighters quickly extinguished it. The identity of the pilot was not released.
Airport manager Van Lee said the pilot was the only person on board as the plane was returning to the airport. Lee said the plane suddenly banked to the right and struck some trees before crashing.
Lee said a big plume of smoke was visible from the airport.
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