There is a fire inside Detroit’s massive Cobo Center, the venue for the 2010 North American International Auto Show. Smoke has filled part of the hall down to floor level. The fire alarm has sounded. Announcements are being made telling people to leave.
Getting a hand stamp on the way out of a fire.
I don’t think any of you would be surprised to learn that many of those who are supposed to be leaving are instead focusing on using their cameras on the way out. Some are actually going toward the fire to get the pictures. Their actions are as bad as TV reporters and photographers (did I really say that?). Of cpurse, this is par for the course these days.
But what you will see on the video above at about 3:35 even stuns me a little bit. Instead of making sure all of the exits are clear and there is free access out of the hall, someone got the bright idea to have the staff offer to stamp hands of those attending the event so they could get back in without paying. A generous thought, but should that be the priority?
This isn’t being done outside on the street, but inside the lobby area, slowing the exit.
Am I the only one who thinks this might not have been a real good idea from a life safety standpoint?
Whatever happened to walk, do not run to the nearest exit, and do not delay in leaving the building? Is that just too old fashioned?
Three city firefighters face possible disciplinary action for mishandling the lighting of Vineland High School’s annual bonfire, according to state fire officials.
The Nov. 25 bonfire, part of a pep rally for the school’s football match-up with Millville, exploded upon ignition, sending flaming pallets sky high.
The firefighters — Michael Cifaloglio Jr., Capt. Lou Tramontana and Brian Murray — are scheduled to appear before the Peer Review Board of the state Division of Fire Safety in Trenton this morning for a hearing. The board will determine what, if any, discipline the firefighters should receive.
Vineland Fire Chief Robert Pagnini said Monday the division’s investigation found too many pallets were used in the bonfire and no accelerants should have been used to start it.
School officials vowed the pre-Thanksgiving game rallies, including the bonfire, would continue.
VHS South Principal Tom McCann, who was just several feet from the explosion, said he met with Tramontana after the incident to ensure the safety of students at future bonfires.
Cifaloglio and Murray are volunteer city firefighters; Tramontana is a full-time, paid firefighter. Cifaloglio also is the city’s fire marshal. All three are licensed by the state to conduct fire-safety inspections.
“It’s a formality,” Cifaloglio said late Monday of today’s hearing. “We made a mistake and we’re going to address the mistake. Fortunately, we don’t make a whole lot of mistakes.”
Cifaloglio was not at the bonfire because he said he was on another assignment that evening. The Division of Fire Safety has recommended he receive a written reprimand because as city fire marshal, he was generally responsible for what occurred that night. The recommended punishment for Tramontana and Murray, who were both present during the explosion, is a 30-day suspension of their license to conduct fire-safety investigations.
Tramontana was at the bonfire in his part-time role as a district warden for the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, which issued a permit for the event, Pagnini said.
No one was seriously hurt in the explosion, which happened seconds after the pallets were lit. One firefighter suffered minor injures when he was hit in the back of the leg with flying debris. Several people at the scene sought medical attention due to hearing problems related to the high-decibel blast heard and felt throughout town.
Pagnini said a Vineland Fire Department investigation revealed fuel vapors accumulated in the bottom of a crater dug for the bonfire in the field between Johnstone Elementary School and VHS South.
Instead of dissipating, the fumes were held close to the ground by high humidity and the density of the air, authorities said. When the pallets were lit, the vapors ignited in a ball of flames.
Fire officials had visited the bonfire site earlier in the day to issue the permit for the bonfire, Vineland High School Assistant Principal Dorothy Burke said, noting they set specific rules on how the materials are assembled.
One teacher contributed some cardboard for the bonfire, Burke said, but that wasn’t used because fire officials limited the structure to pallets only.
The fire department was responsible for lighting the bonfire, Burke said.
It was lit with a combination of gasoline and diesel fuel, which the Division of Fire Safety determined was improper, Pagnini said.
A heavy fog settled on the field at the time of bonfire lighting. But that did not prompt fire officials to cancel the event, like they’ve done in the past when there’s been unfavorable weather conditions, such as high winds.
Where weather may have contributed to the explosion, it also may have kept students out of harm’s way.
Instead of marching across the muddy field, which would have put students in the direct line of flying debris, Burke directed the band, football team and cheerleaders toward the asphalt path, a less direct course to the field.
“I had a hard time sleeping for a couple days after the explosion because of how loud the explosion was,” she said. “The silhouette of those pallets is something I will never forget.”
The surveillance video is clear and in color. Police say it’s of a crook claiming to be a fire or building inspector who gets open access inside businesses.
Police are hoping to quickly close this case that has turned at least 6 businesses in the region into victims.
This case is troubling to authorities because they say the imposter is so convincing.
He’s seen carrying a flashlight and a belt pouch as if he belongs there and it’s all caught on tape.
The alleged imposter is seen wearing a blue polo shirt and talking to store owner Sophad Or.
9NEWS NOW caught up with the store owner of One Plus Convenience off Norfolk Ave. in Bethesda.
He says, ”Didn’t know he use trick like that and later on he wanted to see inside. I said okay. He said it’s dark I need a flashlight and I said okay. I got the flashlight and he tried to take wallet from coworker.”
The owner and his employee never suspected they were taken until hours later.
Sophad’s wife Min says she’s upset by the crime. She says, ”We never thought it would happen to us but it did. ”
Sophad says the crook is so convincing at his fake job he gets full range of the place.
Sophad Or says, “He act like he knew how to do the job… never suspect he’s a bad guy.”
‘The bad guy’ goes so far as to take the fire extinguisher to top off the heist and make him look even more legitimate.
Sophad Or says, ”He said okay I’ll take extinguisher this is bad and replace it with a new one.
The alleged thief has hit three places in Bethesda including Sophad’s store, a dry cleaner and the latest at a doctor’s office. He’s also hit three other businesses in Fairfax and DC.
Police want to catch this guy before the crimes escalate.
Corporal Dan Friz with Montgomery County Police says, “His intentions were to take property and leave but if he wanted to commit bodily harm he could it’s a concern not only for that but because we built our reputation with the fire department.”
Police are warning other businesses to make sure if someone claims to be an official to ask for their badge.
Most will wear a legitimate uniform with an emblem and their vehicle will also have identification.
Police say the suspect usually steals wallets and laptops.
They say if you have a concern you can always contact the authorities
South St. Louis house fire: Video above is from yesterday at 5227 Idaho Avenue.
Appeals court upholds ruling that DC erred when it fired EMT involved in Rosenbaum case: On November 20, 2008 we reported that the DC Fire & EMS Department was getting ready to bring Selena Walker, a civilian EMT, back on board the department. Walker has been fired when she drove an ambulance carrying former New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum to Howard Hospital instead of a closer facility because Howard was near Walker’s home where the EMT had an errand to run. The treatment Rosenbaum received sparked quite a controversy about the state of EMS in the Nation’s Capital. As preps were made to retrain Walker, the city instead decided to continue the fight against a ruling by the Office of Employee Appeals, and affirmed by the DC Superior Court, that the department missed a 90-day deadline to begin disciplinary procedures. Now, the DC Court of Appeals has also ruled in Walker’s favor. Click here to read the opinion. We requested, but have not received, a comment from the DC Fire & EMS Department.
Richard Singer arrested again: Another man has come forward accusing the president of Singer Associates, Dick Singer, of molesting him. The firm is one of the largest distributors of fire equipment in the Mid-Atlantic region. The man, now 20, told police he was 11 when the attacks began. Previously, two 17-year-olds told police that Singer began assaulting them when they were 10. Here are excerpts from an article by InsideNova.com’s Uriah Kiser:
Singer was jailed on the initial charges, and then released on bond. He was arrested again on the new charges Christmas eve, and was released from jail on $80,000 bond Dec. 29.
The accusers are children of family members related to Singer by marriage, Seeley said.
“These charges are completely devastating, and took all of us completely by surprise,” said Singer Equipment co-owner Sidra Seeley (Singer’s sister). “We are doing everything that we can to combat these false charges, and appreciate the support we have received from our generous customers that we have developed relationships with over the years.”
Fireground audio from mayday in Cincinnati: A firefighter was slightly hurt after taking a tumble down stairs at a house fire disloding his mask. Click here.
You can now vote every 6 hours: Rhett Fleitz is now allowing you to vote every six hours in an effort to determine your favorite fire and EMS blog. Click here to vote.
More hazards to add to the list for all-hazards fire departments: In Beaufort, South Carolina firefighters will now be doing the enforcement of nuisance codes like overgrown grass and shrubs, trash and other safety and health violations. Click here for the article from The Island Packet.
One of our postings in recent days that has drawn a few comments is the story from Sonoma, California where a 16-year-old Boy Scout Explorer was hospitalized from exhaustion. It appears the boy was involved in interior firefighting operations at house fire. An investigation is underway.
It turns out that in Wisconsin, at the site of the explosion that took the life of Firefighter Steven Koeser, a 17-year-old and a 15-year-old were injured. The younger teen, like the teenager in California, is a Boy Scout Explorer.
Capt. Adam Schuh of the St. Anna Fire Department said there were 17 firefighters on the scene when the explosion occurred at Bremer, W2002 Highway Q in St. Anna, an unincorporated community straddling the Calumet and Sheboygan county lines.
“We had the guys scattered around all over, they were manning hose lines, doing whatever they could and the explosion occurred … and we went into a triage mode,” Schuh said. “It was find our guys that were down and help them first. At that point, the fire didn’t matter any more. It was rescue and save our own.”
Six of the eight firefighters injured in the blast are in good condition, “a few of them stiff and sore yet,” Schuh said. Two firefighters that were hospitalized overnight were out of the hospital and able to attend Saturday’s funeral.
“Stiff and sore, and they were both there today and walking around and talking,” Schuh said. “It’s going to take some time for them.”
Among those injured were 17-year-old Chase Fritsch and 15-year-old Joshua Scott. Fritsch, who is Schuh’s stepson, is of legal age to serve as a firefighter, with parental permission. Scott is a fire department explorer, a training program for teens aspiring to become firefighters. Scott was never in the actual danger zone on Tuesday night, Schuh said.
Schuh said he didn’t know whether the department’s explorer program would be re-evaluated following the blast.
“I don’t want to scrap it because it’s a good way to recruit new members,” he said.
Schuh said St. Anna department members are still in a bit of shock about what happened at Bremer, and added that, “personally, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with.”
Two Modesto firefighters were injured and burned after the roof they were working on collapsed during a house fire, according to fire officials.
The fire broke out around 11:30 p.m. Friday at the home on the 2300 block of Coston Avenue in Modesto, according to Modesto Fire spokesman Battalion Chief Hugo Patino. Crews arrived and found heavy smoke from an attached garage.
From KXTV-TV.
Three firefighters were assigned to cut a hole in the roof of the structure for ventilation, Patino said. The roof then collapsed, injuring two firefighters.
Both firefighters were treated on scene and then transported to local hospitals, Patino said.
Engineer James Adams, a 24-year veteran of the department from Calaveras, was taken by police escort to the UC Davis Burn Center, Patino said. Adams, 46, suffered burns over 40 percent of his body. While the injuries were not expected to be life-threatening, Adams was still not able to see visitors at the hospital as a safety precaution.
Firefighter Jason Clevenger, 32, was transported to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto and was recovering from burns over 10 percent of his body, Patino said.
Patino said the fire appeared to have started accidentally when a woman living in the home dropped a candle being used for light as she refueled a generator.
Investigators also believe either poor construction or an alteration to the garage roof may have contributed to the unexpected failure. Patino said structural members were either removed or compromised to the point the roof was not able to withstand the effects of the fire or support the additional weight of the firefighters.
Patino said the home lacked electricity. A woman and two children who lived in the home escaped without injuries. While the home was in the midst of foreclosure proceedings, Patino said the family did apparently have permission to remain inside.
We have a winner! The very first entry into our top stories contest for 2009 correctly guessed the top story of the year. Even though the rest of that person’s top five weren’t on target, it gave me hope for you people and this contest. Once again, Statter was wrong.
Many of you were blinded by our extensive coverage of PGFD and one man in particular, who at last look was still in the Prince George’s County Detention Center. You will have to scroll way done to number 14 to find his picture on this page. Other entries, including one from a person who should know better, focused way too much on our coverage of the District of Columbia Fire & EMS Department. Only one DC story made the list (but it was a big one at number two). In fact, only eight of the top 20 were local stories from the Washington, DC area. Remember that for next year’s contest. We are global in scope here at STATter911.com (yeah, right!).
To get a winner we had to go deep down to someone who guessed two of the top five. While he had the two top stories in reverse order, author and fire service veteran from Baltimore County Chris Hawley was the only entrant to get more than one out of five. The good news is the two Baltimore boys should have lots to talk about when this one buys lunch.
Our rankings are based on the number of pageviews between January 1 and December 31, 2009 according to Google Analytics. If a story had multiple postings we only counted the top one for our list.
The interesting thing is that the bottom two stories and the 21st story were just nine clicks apart. Their rankings kept changing up until the closing hours of 2009. In the end, a somewhat odd, but newer story from Montgomery County, Maryland moved up, knocking off one of my personal favorites from earlier in the year. Number 21 is the story of Alexandria Fire Department (VA) veteran Doug Townshend who, while off duty, rescued his brother Mike from a burning home. Click here for that story.
Click the Popeye cartoon to see what used to pass for a year-end review at STATter911.com.
By the way, I did this type of year end review, rather than the more humorous (at least I thought so) version of the two previous years, because I thought it would be easier to manage. I am writing this at 4:00 AM on New Years Day, so now I am not so sure. If you miss the old one, here it is (I am sure most of it is still true today anyway).
Obviously isn’t just us taking a look back at 2009 and ahead to 2010. Other fire service sites beat us to the punch. Paul Peluso at Firehouse.com says 2009 was the year of the video (look below for proof). FireRescue1.com has a host of characters writing lots of words under its year in review banner. Billy Goldfeder has a message for the new year at FirefighterCloseCalls.com. Paul Combs has a great thought in his December cartoon at FireEngineering.com. I am sure Bill Schumm will have something to help bring in the new year Firegeezer style and so will many others who share the FireEMSBlogs.com site with this rag. .
And Rhett Fleitz at The Fire Critic, who is a great inspiration and supporter to all of us who blog, has a contest that is better than mine. Rhett is looking for the Fire/EMS Blog of the Year 2009 (now you know why I said those nice things about him). Rhett’s is better because he is promoting it as the contest with the prize where you don’t have to sit across the lunch table from Dave Statter.
Thank you to all who entered our contest. Thank you to all who read and comment each day. Thank you to all who link to STATter911.com and carry our stories. Most important, a happy and safe 2010 to all of you and especially those out there protecting us each and every day.
So, drum roll please! We present our 20 most popular stories from 2009:
This was the story that dominated 2009 on STATter911.com. Not only did the posting on May 30 (our fourth posting on the topic) bring in 43 percent more pageviews than our number two story for the year, three other stories on the confrontation would have taken places two, three, and four. When you add up the clicks for the almost 20 stories we posted on this topic they account for about five-percent of the overall traffic on the blog for 2009.
There have been more than 700 comments (actually a lot more than that, but many we couldn’t publish). A couple of comments still arrive each week.
I think the reason for the high numbers, besides being a hot topic, is that we apparently reached way beyond our normal fire and EMS service audience on this story. It helps that the YouTube video above, which has more than two million views, has our link in its description.
As much grief as I get for carrying too many negative stories on the blog, the only reason the world knew about this one is because I was trying to do a good deed and post some positive news. On Wednesday, October 7 there were two sprinkler demonstrations scheduled in the National Capital region. One at Gallaudet University and the other at the University of Maryland (at MFRI). My goal was to get to both of them, but the Maryland one was the priority because of the release of a study about Prince George’s County’s mandatory residential sprinkler law. I never made it to DC and no one said anything to me about a problem during that demonstration.
As I was about to leave work the following evening I was feeling guilty the DC sprinkler video didn’t get any play in my story the day before (there had been a photographer on the scene from LNS, the local news service run by my station and two others in Washington). I pulled the video up with the intention of editing something for the blog and possibly WUSA9.com. Of course, as I watched the video, I immediately realized there was a little bit more to this demonstration.
This entry had 128 comments. More comments came in after Chief Dennis Rubin, when talking about what he saw, used the term “comedy act”.
Firefighter Will Gregory exits the home with his PPE on fire. Photo by Brian Haney, The Daily Record.
This was a late entry for the year. It came about because FirefighterCloseCalls.com first put out the story of the close call based on the newspaper article by Brian Haney at The Daily Record in Dunn, NC. Figuring that there might be more than one photo, I called Mr. Haney and he told me he had shot 210 images from that fire. Brian sent a bunch to STATter911.com and gave us permission to use the photos.
Until a day or two ago, this was in the number three spot for the year. In my heart I wish it was number one. I was blogging away on the Friday afternoon that Ladder 26 wrecked trying to keep up with the developments from Boston. Later in the evening when we learned that Lt. Kevin Kelley was the firefighter killed, it didn’t take long to find his appearances from Firehouse USA on the web. How can you not smile when you watch these?
While I get a lot of stories and videos from your tips, this is one I found all by myself. Going through fire related YouTube videos on a Sunday evening I happened upon this clip. I usually don’t run controlled burning type training exercises, but this one looked different. After picking my jaw off the floor upon seeing the unusual PPV via the leaf blower, I decided this was one worthy of a wider audience.
You have to admit this one was different. The 160-foot Spirit of Washington squeezed the 72-foot John H. Glenn Jr., putting a big gash in the Glenn’s hull and sidelining the boat for many months. The collision also crushed a small FBI boat at an adjacent dock.
This is a rather simple story of a rescue in that it was popular despite there being no video of the event. Firefighters saving the day when it looks like that might be impossible.
Here’s how WZZM-TV’s Lambrini Lukidis described the story:
Kelysse LaBelle is full of energy today. But when fireman Scott Campau rescued her from the bottom of Fisherman’s Landing in Muskegon last week, Kelysse was purple, her eyes were gray and lifeless.
“The stroller was actually sitting up-right on its wheels on the bottom of the lake and she was unconscious,” said Campau.
“She wasn’t breathing, no heart rate,” said Battalion Chief Ken Chudy who lead the team on the call. “She was lifeless when we pulled her out of the water,” said Fireman Kevin McMillan also assisted by firemen Chad Horn and Scott Hemmeslbach.
Eight Prince George’s County firefighters were hurt when an explosion occurred while they were investigating a natural has leak at a shopping center in Forestville.
Truly one of the great stories of the year. John and Joel Rechlitz received national attention for their off-duty rescue of a young boy from a burning car. Their efforts didn’t stop after the rescue. The firefighters remained close to D.J. Harper and his family. Click here.
In December, 2008 Continental Flight 1404 ran off a runway and burst into flames at Denver International Airport. This was the audio as the airport tower controllers directed firefighters to the scene.
The fireground audio provided by Erie County Fire wire was very difficult to listen to as these two men responded to a call for help inside the burning building on Genesee Street.
Layoffs and budget cuts were THE story of 2009. We saw a lot of stories like this one, but for some reason the Flint fire got more attention than the others.
What more can I say about this frequent subject of STATter911.com stories. In the interview Jerry Engle told us all about an arson ring involving firefighters. Later in the year Engle and another former volunteer from Riverdale were both charged with the fire Jerry told us about. If you haven’t read enough about him, click here for our Jerry archive.
A touching tribute to firefighters who were lost 50-years earlier. The incident is believed to be the first time the term BLEVE was used to describe the rupture and rocketing of a flammable liquid container during a fire.
It took teamwork and a lot of guts as a dispatcher and engine company worked to save a woman trapped in an apartment fire started thanks to a neighbor’s meth lab. Video shows Chad Meyer from Engine 26 basically walking through fire to bring out Nikki Cain.
This entry from Montgomery County had to be one of the more unusual stories of the year. A firefighter’s date spent the night at the firehouse and got lost on the way to the bathroom.
What this means is that, even though Kyle Wilson died in a house fire in April, 2007 and the report was released nine-months later, firefighters are still interested in learning from this tragic situation. Enough people searched, found and apparently read that entry in 2009 to make it part of our top 20.
Raw video from scrapyard fire in Houston: This fire was reported around 10:45 AM on Sunday near the Houston Ship Channel. No injuries were reported.
Prince George’s County, Maryland staffing levels questioned on two, 3-alarm fires: Click here for a press release from IAFF Local 1619 describing multiple units that failed to respond or had only two firefighters on board as PGFD handled two, three-alarm, garden-apartment fires in as many days. Click here and here for coverage of the fires. We have requested a response from PGFD officials.
Arson spree leaves two dead in Northampton, Massachusetts. Fireground audio, video, pictures, and details: A dozen fires or attempted fires in 75 minutes with two people dead, but officials aren’t using the word arson. The fires are labeled as suspicious. We have the dramatic fireground audio as dispatchers, firefighters and police try to keep up with the fires early Sunday morning. Click here for our coverage.
Two fires are 30-hours and 1-block apart in Woonsocket, Rhode Island: We have video from both extra-alarm fires in vacant multi-family homes. Check it out.
Most popular stories contest: Figure out what were the five most popular stories on STATter911.com in 2009 and win a prize. Dave takes the winner to lunch. (”Oh yeah, he’s a prize”, Mrs. STATter911.com was heard saying.) Click here for the details.
Must see video of Saturday's water rescue in Middletown, Pennsylvania (Delaware County) of a mother and her 14-year-old daughter. Some of the rescuers were treated for hypothermia. Click the image for the video, pictures and details.
The sprinkler that said “Bah! Humbug!” right back to Scrooge: A nice Christmas story from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Please take a moment to read it.
Christmas fire roundup: We spent the holiday gathering video of those on the job for Christmas. See the videos here, here and here.
Elephant gets a better reception in the South: Suzie the elephant, who made big waves in New York, seems to be less controversial in Florida. Click here.
And Firegeezer plays Cry Me a River all day long on his Victrola: Bill still has the hots for Julie London as he discovers a cache of Emergency! episodes on the web. Check out Firegeezer.
Burning pickup crashes into home and it burns: The story from Bellevue, Nebraska. Read it. Watch it.
The damage. Courtesy Chief Greg Jakubowski, Lingohocken Fire Company.
Here’s a Christmas tale worth retelling, sent by email from Chief Greg Jakubowski of the Lingohocken Fire Company in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. With a nod to Dr. Seuss, we shall call it How the Residential Sprinkler System Saved Christmas. Maybe it will be told all through the land each holiday and legislative season:
A few minutes before 1 pm on Christmas Day, several dozen firefighters from the Lingohocken and Warwick Fire Cos. (Bucks County, PA Stations 35, 95 and 66) were dispatched to a home in the 3100 block of Rushland Road in Wrightstown Township for a report of a fire in an attached garage of a 3-year old house. An accidental fire had ignited in some storage in the garage and began to spread. There were 2 cars in the 3-bay garage, including a Ford Escape and a Mercedes CLK 320. Normally, this incident would require deploying all of these firefighters, and perhaps more, for 1-2 hours to control and fully extinguish the fire, which would have likely spread to the storage, vehicles, and tools in the garage, and possibly to the master bedroom located directly above the garage. The home is located in an area that would require firefighters to truck water in, as there are no hydrants nearby. Damage most likely would have been in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the residents would have likely had to relocate for weeks while their home was being repaired.
However, thanks to the foresight of the Wrightstown Township supervisors, and the efforts of the fire marshal’s office in Wrightstown, this home was equipped with residential sprinklers, including in the garage area. One sprinkler activated, fully extinguishing the fire prior to the fire department’s arrival, 7 minutes after the call. Instead of 30-40 firefighters being in service for several hours, a single crew of 6 firefighters was able to check for extension (there was none) and remove the damaged items from the house. A 2 liter soda bottle that was half full and located 2 feet from the point of origin, had partially melted, but never spilled the soda. The contents of the garage suffered several thousand dollars of damage, a far cry from the damage without sprinklers. There were no injuries to the residents, nor to firefighters. The volunteer firefighters returned to celebrate the holiday with their families in under 45 minutes, and the homeowner and his family were able to finish their celebration in their home after a bit of cleanup.
Pennsylvania is the first state in the country to adopt new model codes that require sprinklers in all new townhouses that will be built after January 1, 2010, and all new residences built after January 1, 2011. Several Bucks County communities already have their own ordinances in place – and these sprinklers are saving lives and property right now in these communities.
Early video of Virginia townhouse fire: You will hear a pretty good blast on this brief cip taken at a townhouse fire at 610 Olde Greenwich Circle. The early morning fire yesterday kept firefighters in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania busy. Click here for Part 2, which lasts a bit longer.
NEW – Jacksonville firefighter shot and killed overnight: In Florida police are trying to determine who killed a Jacksonville firefighter at a service station early this morning. A spokesoman for JFRD will only confirm at this point that the victim is one of the department’s firefighters. Click here for the story.
NEW – Chief’s test is a mess: Actually it isn’t the test itself that is the problem in Lynn, Massachusetts. Finding a new chief is complicated by the fact that there was already controversy because of how the current acting chief was appointed to deputy chief in 2006. That went to arbitration and the city lost in June. Read the details.
Promotions in New Haven a step closer: In a process that took 6-minutes, New Haven’s Civil Service review Board did what it did not do in 2004 and okayed the promotions of one Hispanic and 13 white firefighters. Read the latest.
Don’t panic: You may recall after the recent death of Montgomery County, Maryland’s Scott Doyle there was information about donations that can be made to the Don’t Panic Foundation. At the time I wasn’t that clear on the purpose of the group. Now, thanks to Sam Villani, I am. The Don’t Panic Foundation was formed to help public safety professionals and their families recover from injuries that occur while off duty. You may recall that Scott Doyle’s family initially had difficulty bringing him back home after he was injured while BASE jumping in Idaho. You can click here for details or go to the website at don’tpanicfoundation.org.
Decembers past: Billy Goldfeder takes a look at a month that has us remembering some tragic incidents. He focuses on 1999 and the tenth anniversaries of fires in Worcester, Massachusetts and Keokuk, Iowa that together took the lives of nine firefighters. Check out The Secret List which includes links to many stories and reports. Make sure you read the one on retired District Fire Chief Michael McNamee who made the decision not to send any more firefighters into Worcester Cold Storage and likely saved the lives of other firefighters.
Group gets what it opposes: You may recall that Habitat for Humanity International joined the National Association of Homebuilders in the opposition of residential sprinklers. Another local chapter apparently doesn’t buy that position. In Wilmington, North Carolina firefighters and Fire Technologies, Inc. teamed up to provide residential sprinklers for Habitat homes. Click here.
Not guilty plea for former Long Island chief accused of altering stats for pension: Former Hempstead Village fire chief Lester Arsell entered a not guilty plea on a 50-count indictment that accuses him of inflating the number of calls Arsell and his wife responded to as part of an effort to qualify for pension benefits. Read more.
Bank robbers get stiffed: This has nothing to do with fire and EMS, but it is a story from my colleague Scott Broom that you don’t want to miss. In Calvert County, Maryland a pair of bank robbers thought they were holding up a bank on Monday. They were about as inept as Woody Allen in the movie Take the Money and Run. Instead of a bank they found themselves inside the funeral home next door. Click here to watch the story and the interview with the funeral home manager.
Pennsylvania house fire: A second alarm was called on Saturday for a house fire in Lower Macungie Township. NewsWorking.org was on the scene and wrote this about the fire – At 1945 hours Lower Mac #30 responds to 1299 Walnut Lane for a house fire with possible entrapment. On arrival, crews find a two-story single-family Dwelling with heavy fire showing. A second-alarm was struck immediately. Tanker 25, Engines 15, 31, 7, ladder 8, Air 32 and rehab 66 respond on the 2nd alarm. Heavy fire was consuming the rear of the house and second-floor. Multiple hand lines were stretched and Truck 30 went to the roof to open up.
Vineland Fire Department’s Jeff Kraus was slightly hurt on Wednesday from an exploding bonfire. Investigators now say the blast that shook the area was caused by vapors from the fuel used to ignite the fire. An earlier article at APP.com described the fire preparations:
Firefighters prepared the bonfire with at least 15 gallons of diesel fuel, according to officials with Fire Company No. 5, and then later added another accelerant to the pile.
The bonfire explosion at Vineland High School’s pep rally Wednesday is being labeled a “freak accident,” according to investigators.
The blast that ejected a flaming pile of pallets into the sky was likely caused by damp weather conditions that “compacted” vapors from fuel applied to ignite the bonfire, according to Sgt. Tim McLaughlin of the Vineland Police Department.
Seconds after the pallets were lit, there was a explosion similar to “spontaneous combustion,” said McLaughlin, explaining the orange mushroom cloud of fire and debris and the deafening boom felt miles away from the site.
It appears vapors accumulated in the bottom of a crater dug to contain the bonfire in the field between Johnstone Elementary School and VHS South, said Kenneth Tomasso, Cumberland County Prosecutor’s chief of detectives.
Instead of dissipating, the fuel fumes were held close to the ground by high humidity and the density of the air, Tomasso said. When the bonfire was lit at 6:30 p.m., a heavy fog cloaked the field.
Firefighters doused the pallets with diesel and another accelerant to get the fire going.
Diesel fuel has high sulfur content, Tomasso said, explaining the scent is similar to gunpowder, which several investigators said they could smell immediately following the blast.
Vineland fire Capt. Robert Scarpa said Wednesday night the fire department would look into the incident.
“We will complete what the fire department calls a post-incident analysis,” he said. “Any corrective action, if warranted, will be taken.”
From Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service. Click the image for more pictures.
This is the description with the YouTube video posted yesterday of this April, 2008 fire in Manchester, England:
This fire required 10 pumps, 3 Hydraulic Platforms plus other specials. It is quite a short extract as I was only experimenting with my then new digital camera. The incident was about 3 hours old by the time I arrived. The smoke was visible from my home area some 10 miles away. NOTE: The footage on the fireground was taken by invitation and under strict fire service supervision.
As you can see in the picture to the left, the fire at John Bradshaw and Sons large storage warehouse was quite the spectacle. But it is the image below, grabbed from the video, of the Bradshaw’s next door neighbor, that caught my eye.
Storage shed with lots of hazards burns in Gary: The call came in as a brush fire yesterday morning. A shed at what appears to be a salvage yard was burning. It apparently had acetylene tanks and a few other things that go boom stored inside. You will see a glimpse of something taking off at 3:38 in the video.
Prepare to be outraged. This is a picture of John Curry, a Florida firefighter who died during a 2007 training accident. His widow wants the operator of a blog from Australia to stop using this picture to illustrate the story of a firefighter child predator. Click the image for the full story.
Not me – Boston officials refute NIOSH claim that autopsy report was denied: We told you that NIOSH says it could not get the autopsy reports for two Boston firefighters who died in a restaurant fire. This is the case where media reports indicate one firefighter was drunk and the other had cocaine in his system. Now some Boston officials are saying they didn’t tell NIOSH no. Click here for the latest.
Cop who handcuffed firefighter is reprimanded: Back in April we told you the story of a confrontation between New Haven Fire Department Lt. Filipe Cordero and Officer Newton Anderson of the police department. Cordero was trying to convince an overdose victim to go to the hospital while Anderson was berating her. It ended with Cordero in handcuffs. The police chief has now counseled the officer. More interesting may be the police internal affairs conclusions about who was in charge of the scene and related issues. Here is the article.
Fire chief accused of assaulting former member: Quentin Fowler used to be a member of West Virginia’s Bradley-Prosperity VFD. Now he’s a member of another department. Fowler claims his former chief came up to him in the parking lot of a local market on Wednesday afternoon and began hitting him. Some of it was caught on video. Click here for the story.
Philly firefighters sue their union: A group of African American firefighters in Philadelphia is suing IAFF Local 22 in federal court accusing the union of being “racially harassing and abusive” to blacks. The suit claims the firefighters have no voice in the union and that the local is being run by a white firefighters organization with the purpose of ending all quota-based hiring practices. Local 22’s president told Philly.com the allegation of the union being racist is “completely not true”. Here’s the complete story.
Color blind firefighter rejected for career service: In Australia a volunteer who has been trying to become a career firefighter is finding that his color blindness is keeping him from living his dream. Here’s the story.
Family blames Baltimore’s mayor for rotating closures: Sheila Dixon is on trial in Baltimore right now. Baltimore’s mayor is also being named by one family as the guilty party behind rotating closures they believe played a role in the loss of a loved one. WBFF-TV has the story.
Back to the drawing board on this invention from San Sebastian, Spain. The video says the demonstration was on Wednesday. The 39-year-old man who rode it down suffered injuries to both legs.
Above is an older video from Russia of what appears to be another escape device. The results were likely much more serious.
Their slogan is “Count on us, we will let you down”. Above is a promo video for the company High-Rise Escape Systems that is apparently more successful in this arena.
Police in Rialto, California shut down a “haunted house” Friday night because it was unsafe. It had been set up in a burned out home. That home, at 1460 North Lilac Avenue, caught fire on May 29. Inside the home firefighters found five-year-old Mario Sisneros and three-year-old David Sisneros. The boys died hours later.
KTLA-TV reports Irma Delgado, the boys’ grandmother, attempted to get the boys to crawl to safety.
The mother of the children is the person who turned the home into a “haunted house”. Twenty-seven-year-old Viviana Delgado says it is how she is coping with her loss.
Here are excerpts from KTLA-TV’s story:
“It’s my way of saying happy Halloween to my kids.”
Delgado says she is planning to have pony rides as a part of the “haunted house.”
Amid Halloween décor including monsters and spooky signs, a planter sits on on the lawn, filled with some Mario and David Sisneros’ toys– a scooter, a toy tractor, and stuffed animals.
In the midst of the boyhood trinkets are two plastic buckets, each holding a picture of one of the two deceased boys, as well as a crucifix.
Two tombstone decorations can be seen on the lawn.
“People don’t know what I’m going through, they don’t know how I feel,” Delgado said. “This is how we’re going to spend Halloween together.”
Though Delgado says the “haunted house” is a tribute to her boys on their favorite holiday, some neighbors consider the scene to be “ghoulish” and “macabre.”
Delgado is inviting visitors to walk the very halls where her sons attempted to crawl under the deadly smoke. She says there will be flashing lights and a Halloween soundtrack playing for effect.
“Since it’s a haunted house, it has to be some kind of scary,” she said.
A fire killed three people overnight at a house in the 200 block of Walnut Street, said Warren County Coroner Russell Uptegrove.
The home was destroyed by the blaze — with the three bodies still inside — according to Clearcreek Twp. fire department officials.
“The house is fully engulfed in flames,” a female neighbor told a dispatcher in a 2:28 a.m. phone call.
Later in the call, the woman said the fire seemed to be worsening.
“Oh, my gosh!” She said. “It’s glass breaking.”
“The power lines have fallen down on the house,” a male caller told another 911 dispatcher moments later.
Shortly after 10 a.m. today, the state fire marshal’s office announced the fire started in the lower level of the two-story home and spread to the rest of the building.
Enquirer photo by Amie Dworecki
State officials also said the building had been condemned and was slated for demolition.
Lebanon Fire Chief Michael Hannigan said they can’t tell yet if the bodies are men or women. He was told by neighbors that three men lived in the house.
When fire crews arrived on the scene, the fire was fully involved. Flames were shooting out of the back of the house.
Two bodies were found in the front room and a third body was found in another part of the three-family home built in 1900, said Fire Chief Hannigan.
“It is an old wood frame house and the fire had a substantial headway. When we got here they were probably already deceased,” Hannigan said. “There wasn’t anything we could have done to get them out and save them.”
A power line was burned, but fire officials don’t know if it happened before, during, or after the house fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Lebanon Fire Department and State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Cheryl Rapp, owner of Express Delivery Services on Walnut Street near the home said it has been a rental unit without a permanent resident for several years.
“It looked as if it needed repairs,” Rapp said.
Hannigan confirmed the home’s state of disrepair.
“It’s an older home,” Hannigan said. “Sometimes they are not kept up.”
For example, he said a tarp covered the roof. He did not know for how long or why.
Jerry Crisp, who identified himself as the owner of the home, arrived about 8 a.m. and spoke briefly with firefighters and police before leaving. He said two men lived in the home.
“It’s unbelievable,” Crisp said.
The roof had been leaking and a tarp was placed on it about a month ago, he said. The roof was going to be repaired soon, he said.
He declined to answer further questions about the building’s condition, saying he was too upset.
“Those guys were very good friends of mine,” Crisp said.
The home has a history of exterior code violations, said Lebanon City Manager Pat Clements. He did not know the details, but said the city will begin investigating today.
City and fire officials are not certain of the condition of the interior of the home prior to the blaze, Clements said.
“Our code enforcement is limited to the exterior of the building,” Clements said. “We can’t go in and inspect unless we get the owner’s permission.”
He confirmed Crisp owns the home. Crisp was formerly the Lebanon fire chief from the late 1970s until the early 80s, according to the fire department.
“There was a hole on the right side of the roof,” said neighbor Rodney Hamiel. “They had a ladder going up to it. I didn’t know anyone lived there. The house looked really run down. The outside was kind of scary looking. It needed a lot of TLC.”
“I am surprised that anyone lived there. It was just run down,” said Jim Ruff, who works at nearby Express Delivery. “One of our drivers saw one or two of those guys working on the chimney yesterday. I always saw them going down the outside steps. They have lived there about 2 years.”
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