This fire in a vacant home was on Thursday at 80 North 16th Street in East Orange. One day short of a year earlier there was a fire in a vacant house at 48 North 16th Street. Click here for pictures and to read more on that fire.
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From the AP & WUSA9.com’s George VanDaniker:
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.
Weather conditions were clear Saturday afternoon.
Click the image above by The Detroit News for STATter911.com’s previous coverage of the death of Firefighter Walter Harris.
Read complete NIOSH report
Firefighter Close Calls
Paul Bassett video from Detroit
Read article on Detroit’s firehouses & the money allocated to fix them
Two days ago we gave you some insight into the problems in Detroit, Michigan, its dilapidated firehouses and how money that was allocated to fix up the stations was squandered. Now, comes the NIOSH report on the death of Firefighter Walter Harris and its focus on other parts of the infrastructure of a very troubled city.
I happened to get up early on Saturday, November 15, 2008 and the first thing I saw on the computer was someone alerting me to a LODD in Detroit. Trying to get out as much information as I could get my hands on about Firefighter Walter Harris’ death, I have to say I was stopped in my tracks when I came across a then seven-month-old video on The Detroit News website. I think I realized it before the paper did that Walter Harris was featured in that story. What stuck me, besides the oversized personality of Harris that seemed to come right through the lens, was this quote which I originally posted that morning as a caption for the picture above:
“Breaks you heart. Breaks your heart. Breaks your heart. I am sure every guy here would say the same thing: breaks your heart. And all of these guys here man, do whatever they can for the people here in the city”. The words of Firefighter Walter Harris in an April, 2008 interview with The Detroit News on the decay, the vacant buildings and the state of the fire department.
I am sorry to say I can no longer find that video on the paper’s website or elsewhere. It gave very good insight into what the firefighters of Detroit face and how, as firefighters tend to do, they make it work despite unbelievable problems and neglect. A regular STATter911.com reader, Paul Bassett, recently put together a video of images from Detroit that focuses on the firefighters and the crumbling city.
It was one of those vacant buildings that Walt Harris talked about that took the 38-year-old firefighter’s life. With the NIOSH report. we go from the emotional and anecdotal to the clinical view of why Harris died. Click the link to read the whole report. Below, are conclusions published by NIOSH:
- ensure that the incident commander conducts a risk-versus-gain analysis prior to committingto interior operations in vacant/abandoned structures and continues the assessment throughout the operations
- ensure SOPs are developed for fighting fires in vacant/abandoned buildings
- ensure that the incident commander maintains close accountability for all personnel operating on the fireground
- ensure that a separate incident safety officer, independent from the incident commander, is appointed at each structure fire
- ensure that a respiratory protection program is in place to provide for the selection, care, maintenance, and use of respiratory protection equipment, including PASS devices.
- be aware of programs that provide assistance in obtaining alternative funding, such as grant funding, to replace or purchase fire equipment that can support critical fire department operations.
Additionally, municipalities and local authorities having jurisdiction should:
- develop strategies for the prevention of and the remediation of vacant/abandoned structures and for arson prevention.
Although there is no evidence that the following recommendations could have prevented this fatality, NIOSH investigators recommend that fire departments:
- ensure that an EMS unit is on scene and available for fire fighter emergency care at working structure fires
- develop inspection criteria to ensure that all protective ensembles meet the requirements of NFPA 1851, Standard on Selection, Care, and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles for Structural Fire Fighting and Proximity Fire Fighting
Must see video of Delaware firehouse collapse. Apparatus moved before Townsend Fire Company roof came in.
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An update on a story we brought you earlier in the day about the collapse of the roof of the Townsend Fire Company in New Castle County, Delaware. The video above is of the actual cave-in . The article below is by Deborah Gates of DelawareOnline.com:
Firefighters in this New Castle County town escaped injury and rescued emergency vehicles before the fire station roof collapsed earlier Wednesday, according to the Delaware State Police.
The collapse was just one of several throughout the region, as snow measuring a foot or more piled high and winds howled throughout the Delmarva Peninsula most of Wednesday. No injuries were reported.
The structure that houses the Delmar Fire Department reported a failing roof, although DSP Col. Robert Coupe said it did not collapse.
Roofs of commercial structures, a school and chicken houses were reported to have either collapsed or nearly collapsed from the weight of heavy wet snow, Coupe said. There were no known reports of roof damage at residential structures, he also said.
In Townsend, fire department personnel became aware of the weakening roof and removed emergency vehicles in time, Coupe said.
“They saved the trucks,” he said. “Just before the roof collapsed, they moved vehicles.”
On Wednesday, an abandoned chicken house collapsed off Mount Vernon Road just west of the town, according to Somerset County 911 Emergency Services. Overnight Tuesday, the roof at Tommy’s Auto Repair in Princess Anne collapsed, Somerset authorities also reported.
Three at a time: If you haven’t seen the raw security camera video we posted last night from the fire in the District of Columbia where three small children were rescued, you will want to. Cameras on two floors captured the action inside 1920 Naylor Road, SE as crews from Engine 15 and Rescue Squad 3 find the fire and then the children. The boy and two girls, who had been left alone in the apartment, were not breathing and one was in cardiac arrest. Rather than wait for additional help just being dispatched, firefighters put all three into one ambulance and met up with a paramedic supervisor on the way to the hospital. We also have interviews with the rescuers and the fireground audio. Click here for the video and our coverage.
Radio traffic from fire that left fire chief & five firefighters without jobs: For the first time we are hearing the fireground audio from the January 24 fire in DeKalb County, Georgia that has caused so much controversy. On Wednesday, another captain was firedover the incident. Click here for the latest.
Another, "What, and give up show business?" moment. Three cows stuck in a slurry pit and who are you going to call? Click the image for the story.
Rescues at Maryland apartment fire: Police and firefighters are being credited with getting two men out of a burning building in Hagerstown on Tuesday night. Click here for the details.
Save from 27-years-ago has new meaning: A persistent daughter helped reunite former Springfield, Massachusetts firefighter James Dion with a woman he rescued in 1972 when she was a little girl. Here’s the article.
Fire company given three month time out: Citing financial and safety concerns, Pennsylvania’s West Penn Township Board of Supervisors has suspended the Andreas Fire Company from active duty. The Schuylkill County 911 Communications Center has been notified not to dispatch the company on emergency calls. Click here for the story.
Spilled drink results in large off-duty bar brawl: The Salty Dog in Bay Ridge was the scene of a fight last weekend that is making headlines in New York. A large group of off-duty and retired FDNY members, many from one Brooklyn firehouse, were reported to be in attendance. Police and the FDNY are investigating. Security camera video is apparently part of the evidence. Read more here and here.
The answer is no on reopening Milwaukee ladder company: The attempt by one political leader to reopen Milwaukee’s Ladder 10, closed in December due to budget issues, has failed. Click here for the story.
Regional 911 center has opposition: In Gloucester, Massachusetts, police officers have mounted an effort to move 911 over to a regional call center. Here’s the story.
Man rescued accused of arson in Worcester, Massachusetts third-alarm: Click here for pictures and details of a fire on Wednesday morning at a May Street three decker that has left a16 people homeless. A man rescued from the second floor is accused of starting the fire. Above is the fireground audio from FireSceneAudio.com.
Early video of Santa Rosa fire: A neighbor captured this one, posted it to YouTube but didn’t say where the fire occurred. We were able to trace to a fire in vacant units in a Santa Rosa, California complex late Monday night. Here are details and photos of the aftermath.
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Zone911.com has the pictures from a tanker that ran off the road in Levis, Quebec. This is the same fire department that had wrecks with two quints a few weeks apart in October and November and October of last year. Click the image for more from Zone911.com
Breaking news – 3 children pulled from DC fire: A fire just before 6:30 this morning has sent three children to the hospital. DC Fire & EMS Department PIO Pete Piringer reports all three were rescued from 1920 Naylor Road, SE. At least two of the children are reported in critical condition. The fire was on the second floor in an apartment kitchen and according to Piringer is under control. The children were found in a bedroom. Check in with WUSA9.com through the morning for more. The address is a 3-story apartment building. Click here for the Google Maps Street View.
Acting chief says fire protection is wholly inadequate and tragedy is inevitable: Harsh words from Brian Murphy who took over running the Lawrence Fire Department in Massachusetts a month ago. Murphy says the city is lucky no one died in the late Monday morning fire in a three decker just six doors from the firehouse that was closed in August. Thirty-years-ago when Murphy joined the department there were 44 to 48 firefighters working each shift. Now there are about 20. Read more from Chief Murphy’s comments. Click here for video of the fire.
PGFD on the rescue beat: It has been a busy two days in Prince George’s County. We have video of a couple of unusual rescues. One involves a man who decided he just wanted to stand in the middle of a frigid waterway. It required police to suit up to help the firefighters. Prior to that it was down a 100-foot ravine to rescue a teen who had taken a tumble. You will find those stories here. Also, more information on the ravine rescue can be found in this story from WUSA9.com’s Lindsey Mastis.
By the way, many new videos will show up in the player to the right even before I get to write about them. Emily Cyr and Jillian Coyle at WUSA9.com often post fresh fire & EMS videos from the Washington, DC area and around the country. Please check them out. The player is always filled with 30 of our most recent stories.
With friends like this: In an article at AJC.com about DeKalb County’s departed chief, the point is made by some that David Foster had clashed with his bosses over staffing and was looking to leave before the scandal surrounding the January 24 fatal fire. One politician who indicates he is a Foster supporter might want to choose his words more carefully when describing the chief’s legacy-
“We learned about this after the media. We didn’t know he was going to leave,” said Commissioner Larry Johnson, the presiding officer. “Since he came in, Chief Foster built several fire stations and increased response times.”
Memphis firefighter fired: The focus of a number of news reports in the last two weeks, Memphis Fire Department’s Lawrence Batiste has been fired. A convicted felon when he took the job (after being fired from adjacent Shelby County), Batiste ran into more problems. Here’s more.
Firefighters charged in more than 20-year-old assault against colleague inside firehouse: This story is from Australia where seven firefighters are facing charges in a case from 1989 that allegedly occurred inside a Sydney fire station. A male firefighter claims he was “sexually assaulted, bullied and harassed” and superiors did nothing about it. Read more.
24-on and 48-off was a non-starter in Lancaster, Pennsylvania: We told you yesterday how the mayor pinned the layoffs of four firefighters on the union not providing concessions. Now, the union responds. Click here.
Cops say firefighters got a better deal: An interesting dynamic in Tulsa where firefighters saved 147 jobs and agreed to concessions while the police took a different route. Now police union officials say the firefighters received a better deal from the city. Click here for the story and here for an editorial on the issue from Tulsa World.
L.A. dog out of pound: Spikey has successfully complete his quarantine and is back with his owner. He’s the dog rescued from the Los Angles River by LAFD’s Joe St. George. Spikey’s teeth left the firefighter with a broken thumb and a lost fingernail (plus some great video to show the grandchildren someday). Here’s the update.
Another cop makes a poor choice in dealing with a man intent on setting himself on fire: Firegeezer recently had the story of the Portland, Oregon officer who thought she was using a fire extinguisher on a man who set himself on fire. Instead, it was a large canister of pepper spray. Now Bill takes us to Perth, Australia where a police officer was trying to subdue a man who was splashing gasoline around the house and himself. The man had gone into the kitchen for matches. He really didn’t have to bother, because a police officer used a Taser. Here’s the story.
Just some guy standing in the water. An unusual PGFD rescue. Cops don gear for safety. Pictures and video.
3 comments
Click here to see more images from PGFD’s Mark Brady
Another PGFD rescue: Video & details from teen brought out of ravine Monday night
He was just a man standing waist deep in water and no one knew exactly why. The water, of course, was partially frozen and a big concern for the firefighters and police officers responding to the Northwest Branch near the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and Piney Branch Road around 8:30 this morning.
As Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Chief Spokesman Mark Brady tells us there were also some other concerns as the crew from Engine 834 assessed the situation underneath the New Hampshire Avenue bridge. Here are excerpts from the PGFD PIO Blog:
Commands in English and Spanish were directed at the individual who did not respond and stood motionless in the water. A request for the Fire/EMS Departments Technical Rescue Team (TRT) was made to help in the removal of the individual.
As members of the TRT donned their cold weather gear and dry suits a request was made that police officers accompany firefighters due to the unstable and unpredictable condition of the male. The individual had never displayed his left hand and police could not determine if he was armed or not and was displaying an altered mental status. For the safety and well-being of everyone involved; 2 police officers donned cold weather gear dry suits and entered the water with the firefighters.
At about 9:30 AM, the combined rescue team of firefighters and police officers effected the removal of the male from the water and provided him to the care of paramedics. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment of hypothermia and other evaluation.
A dangerous return trip from the repair shop. St. Louis fire engine struck by bullet as crew drove into the line of fire.
No commentsSome St. Louis firefighters barely escaped injury after getting caught in the middle of a shooting Wednesday night in North St. Louis City.
A shooting broke out around 10:30 p.m. very close to engine house 26 in the 4200 block of Margeretta. Firefighters were on their way to their firehouse when bullets went flying.
A spokesman for the fire department said firemen were bringing a pumper truck back to the firehouse from a repair shop. As they got close to the firehouse, they heard a loud noise.
When they looked up the street, they noticed a person with a gun firing shots at a man and woman. At least one bullet is believed to have ricocheted and hit the firefighter’s pumper truck.
“They were directly in the line of fire and the noise they heard was the bullet grazing off the pumper so they immediately backed out,” said spokesman Bob Keuss.
Firefighters involved in the shooting were not injured but police say the male victim was shot in the leg, the female shot in the back. Both were taken to the hospital where they were listed in stable condition. As of Thursday night, police were still looking for the shooter.
Above is raw video from Dulles International Airport and the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department Training Academy as Virginia Task Force 1 is welcomed home by family and friends. Video by Sky9 and Greg Guise.
Click here for a slideshow of the welcome home
Pictures of some of the work by the team in Haiti
Previous coverage of the team’s mission
From Surae Chinn, WUSA9.com:
114 men and women of the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue team arrived home to their families.
They saved 16 lives after the deadly earthquake.
A huge crowd anxiously waited for them at the Fairfax academy on West Ox Road Thursday night.
Loud cheers, smiling faces and lots of hugs and kisses to go around.
It may have only been 15 days away from home but it felt like an eternity for loved ones and the heroes who saved lives in Haiti.
As the three buses, escorted by police, turned the corner to the academy the crowd erupted.
Cindy Porter was overwhelmed with emotion.
And it just so happened Cindy’s husband, Sam, was one of the first to get off the bus.
You could see children hugging their dads a little tighter not willing to let go. The group tired, but excited too.
Their hair a little shorter after staying the night and showering in Santo Domingo before the trip home.
After their emotional reunion it didn’t take long for them to start putting their requests in.
Sam Porter yells out, “I want to get a good steak dinner!”
Rebecca Knerr, who sat by Michelle Obama at the State of the Union Wednesday night, was there to greet her husband.
Knerr says, “It’s good to have him home.”
Watch Surae Chinn’s story, above.
Jim Perkins says, “I don’t like using the term hero, we were just doing our job.”
Porter says he had to throw a lot of his clothes and a pair of boots away. Most of his memories, he says, are in his mind.
Porter says, “It makes me so proud to see my family. They were there when I left and they were there when I came back. It’s breathtaking
They all said it will take some time to decompress from the 15 days of seeing all the suffering, tragedy and the miracles.
but they say they would do it again in a heartbeat.
House fire in Baltimore County: From yesterday morning on Carla Road in the Pikesville area. Video from Michael “FirePix1075″ Schwartzberg. Read details at the Pikesville VFC website.
Click the image for more pictures of Fairfax County preparing for departure to Haiti.
Fairfax County & Los Angeles County USAR teams to Haiti: Late yesterday, the U.S. Agency for International Development tapped two teams to respond to the devastating earthquake in Haiti. We now have interviews posted as the Fairfax County team prepared for its departure. Click here for details.
No fire deaths: A pretty amazing stat for 2009 considering it is the city of Boston, Massachusetts making that claim. Click here for more interesting statistics from Boston.
Volunteer deputy chief suspended for peitition drive to help save career positions: This one sure is different. Scott Kivet, the deputy chief of Monroe Township VFC #1, has been suspended for six months. After a December 29 Fire Commissioner Board meeting, where firefighters learned two career firefighters would be eliminated, Kivet decided to take action. He began circulating a petition around town last week. Chief Lonnie Pipero believes Kivet represented himself in a manner that would be interpreted as the opinion of the fire department. Read the details here.
Dash-cam video of fatal Pennsylvania ambulance wreck: Jason Fait is guilty of running a red light when driving the Penn Township ambulance back from the hospital, but was cleared of vehicular homicide. The tragic moment in 2006 was caught on video. A 46-year-old man was killed in the car hit by the ambulance . The video was released after Fait had his day in court. Watch the video and read the details. You can also click here to watch the whole story.
New boss in Frederick County, MD comes from Fairfax City, Virginia: Tom Owens has his work cut out for him as he becomes director of Frederick Fire & Rescue Services. Owens spent the last 6-years as the chief in Fairfax City, Virginia. He doesn’t get the chief title in Maryland because the political leaders decided in 2008 not to follow recommendations outlined in a consultant’s report. Career – volunteer issues await Owens on February 1 when the takes over a combined department that is suffering growing pains. Read more.
UPDATED – Disciplinary process for firefighters involved in bonfire explosion: Gasoline, diesel fuel and too many pallets brought about the pre-Thanksgiving explosion at New Jersey’s Vineland High School. It wasn’t students or teachers who set this up, it was firefighters. A local paper took the pictures of the firefighters spreading the fuel and caught the blast. Three firefighters now have to face the music. Click here for the story.
And click here for the updated story that confirms the state’s decision on discipline for the three firefighters.
Oh, and I thought it was to pick the top blog in this country: If I had fully understood that the contest to pick the best fire & EMS blog of 2009 was international in scope, of course I would have put my money on Paramedic Mark Glencorse of the UK’s North East Ambulance Service. Mark’s Medic 999 blog is the winner, beating out my man FireGeezer (clearly the best this country has to offer). Here’s more at FireCritic.com.
One we missed: This three-alarm house fire is from Belleville, New Jersey way back in 2009. December 28 to be exact. Paul Bassett sends it along. Paul writes this about the fire at 98 Division- “Fire was in a 2 1/2 story wood frame and appeared to start in the basement and race up the walls into the attic. Belleville was assisted on scene by Nutley, North Arlington, Bloomfield, Montclair and Kearny”. Paul’s still photos from the fire can be found here.
Click here to listen to the emergency radio traffic from the dumpster explosion that killed Firefighter Steven Koeser.
Emergency radio traffic from fatal dumpster explosion in Wisconsin: We have radio traffic from both the fire department and the sheriff’s department as they dealt with the dumpster fire on December 29 that killed St. Anna Firefighter Steven Koeser. Click here for our coverage.
Arbitrator rules for veteran captain after a near collision between a train & fire truck: This is a really interesting story from Billings, Montana. In November of 2008 a fire truck from Station 2 was responding on an EMS run. It was stopped at the railroad tracks to let a train pass. Once the train went by, the rig went around the gates only to find a coal train bearing down on them on the other track. It was apparently a close call, but there was no collision. Captain Ron Martin didn’t report the incident, but the railroad did. After having an assistant chief look into the matter, Chief Paul Dextras put a letter of reprimand into the captain’s file. Captain Martin and IAFF Local 521 fought the disciplinary action and won. The arbitrator sided cited a lack of fairness in how the investigation was handled. Read the details in the Billings Gazette.
You know something is wrong with the contest if this blog got nominated: The FireCritic.com Fire/EMS Blog of the Year 2009 contest showed just how low they could go. STATter911.com has been picked as one of the ten finalists. I am much like Groucho Marx and not sure I want to be a part of something that would have me. My money is still on Firegeezer. But the voting is now underway and lasts until January 12. Click here to vote.
Fire department radio traffic from Illinois plane crash: Fire crews had a tough time immediately finding the crash of a small cargo jet in Wheeling, Illinois. As more information came in, they found the wreckage in the Des Plaines River. Both crew members were dead. Click here for our coverage.
Boston firefighters catch burglar in the act at firehouse: On Monday night Boston firefighters had just returned from a fire to the quarters of Engine 42/ Rescue 2 in Roxbury when they found a visitor inside the firehouse. The man was not an invited guest and had a bag with property belonging to the firefighters. He didn’t get far and at last word was in jail. Read more. Thanks to our New England Bureau Chief Jimmy Daly for the tip.
Looking closely at the roof: In Modesto, California, where Engineer Jim Adams remains in a medically induced coma due to burns over 40% of his body, investigators were back at the scene yesterday of the New Year’s Night house fire. They are trying to figure out why the roof of the home collapsed so quickly sending Adams and Firefighter Jim Clevenger into the fire below. Here is the latest.
Arrest in deadly Northampton, Massachusetts arson spree: Firegeezer is on top of this story. While you are there check out the story that Jimmy Daly alerted me about as it was happening yesterday but I just couldn’t get to. Lynn firefighters revived a fellow firefighter who collapsed at a house fire.
And another city wrestles with overtime: Indianapolis is the latest of many places trying to figure out how to curb fire department overtime spending. Click here for the story.
Fireground audio from Detroit triple fatal: Three adults died in a Detroit house fire early yesterday morning. Click here to listen to the fireground operations.
Investigation under way into why 16-year-old Boy Scout Explorer was involved in interior firefighting. Teen briefly hospitalized for exhaustion following fire in Sonoma County, California.
21 commentsThis was the second incident in as many days where an Explorer was hurt on a fireground – click here
An investigation is under way into why California’s Glen Ellen Fire Protection District apparently allowed a Boy Scout Explorer to be involved in interior firefighting operations. Normally Fire Explorers are allowed inside for mop-up once a fire has been extinguished. The house fire in question was on Thursday on Trinity Road. The teenager was briefly hospitalized with another firefighter due to exhaustion.
Excerpts from pressdemocrat.com article by Bob Norberg:
“Under the Boy Scout rules for Fire Explorers, you can respond to an emergency but you cannot be used in an offensive fire activity,” said Mark Aston, fire chief and director of the Sonoma County Office of Emergency Services.
“Those questions need to be asked of Glen Ellen,” Aston said.
Glen Ellen Fire Chief Peter Van Fleet was unavailable Friday. An official at the station declined comment.
He (Aston) said the teen-ager and the Glen Ellen firefighter were assigned to a Glen Ellen water tender, on which the personnel were involved in the interior fighting of the fire.
“It’s serious matter that this young man was engaged in activities that may have been outside the rules of working as a Boy Scout,” Aston said. “We have to find out who was supervising them and who brought them to the incident and see what exactly took place.”
“We don’t allow firefighters under the age of 18,” Aston said. “I don’t know the rule that the Glen Ellen department has. I have not had a chance to talk to their people.”
“It’s an understanding when an agency provides aid, the people are qualified to the standards that we have established. This was a surprise to me.”
More on the death of Steven Koeser. Details on the dumpster explosion that killed the firefighter from Wisconsin’s St. Anna Fire Department.
6 commentsClick here and scroll down to the bottom of the page to watch the entire press conference from 2:00 PM on Wednesday
STATter911.com’s previous coverage of this story here and here
Article by Ben Jones postcrescent.com:
A fire captain described the scene of a deadly explosion at a foundry as “chaos” and said fellow firefighters yelled “We need ambulances” after the blast.
Photo by Sharon Cekada Post-Crescent. Click the image for more pictures.
The dumpster explosion Tuesday night outside Bremer Manufacturing near St. Anna killed volunteer firefighter Steven Koeser, 33, and injured eight others.
“I heard the boom, but to me it didn’t seem very loud,” Capt. Adam Schuh of the St. Anna Fire Department said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
Schuh was one of about 20 firefighters who arrived a short time before the blast. “I saw the flash and you could feel the wave hit you,” he said.
Authorities said water from a fire hose triggered a burning container holding metal byproducts to explode. The foundry, at W2002 County Q, is located about one mile west of the unincorporated community of St. Anna not far from Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties. The facility makes aluminum sand castings for various industries.
The injured firefighters:
Schuh said the blast damaged much of his department’s equipment, including primary and secondary pumper trucs. The crew will be out of service until early next week.
“More than anything, it’s emotional injuries for everybody,” Schuh said. “Even when we are physically ready to be up and running again, I don’t know if we are going to be emotionally ready.”
Schuh said his department has received offers of support from around the state, including help from grief counselors. Late on Wednesday morning, firefighters from the Mt. Calvary Fire Department arrived to loan equipment.
Calumet County Sheriff Jerry Pagel said the state fire marshal and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were helping investigate.
Pagel said one of his officers on patrol saw a fire on the Bremer grounds about 7:20 p.m. and called for the St. Anna Fire Department to respond. About 20 firefighters arrived at 7:41. The dumpster was one of several located about 50 feet from the highway.
No employees were at the foundry at the time of the fire.
Koeser was pronounced dead at the scene, said Calumet Sheriff’s Lt. Brett Bowe.
Koeser, nicknamed “Peanut,” had been with the volunteer force for 15 years, officials said.
“He will be missed by all firefighters and the community,” Schuh said, reading from a prepared statement Wednesday afternoon.
Bremer president Tom Dolack told The Associated Press the company was “just devastated as a result of the death of a fireman and the injuries. It’s overwhelming for us as I’m sure it is for their families. This is a very close-knit community.”
Alice Thome, who lives about a quarter mile from the foundry, said she heard an explosion some time before 8 p.m. “It sort of shook everything,” she said.
David Boll, who lives about a half mile from the site, said he heard the blast at about 7:50 p.m.
“It rocked the house,” he said.
Boll immediately drove to the scene to see what happened.
“There was a large plume of white smoke in the sky,” he said.
Boll said he left after he saw firefighters were already on the scene. He said officials blocked off about a one-mile stretch of County Q.
Bill Braun, who lives about 500 feet from the blast, said he was home with his wife, Linda Suda, at the time. He thought something had exploded inside his house.
“It just shook everything,” he said. “Things fell off the wall. It just rocked the house. It was just a bad explosion.”
Braun said he went to the blast scene and the front of the Bremer building did not appear to be damaged.
“You wouldn’t think the building would still be standing. This was a real bad explosion,” he said.
Suda said she thought a car had hit their house. “We have cracks in the wall that we didn’t have before,” she said. “It was massive.”
Suda said this event will be difficult for residents.
“It’s a really close-knit community,” she said. “Everybody knows everybody, and everyone is related.”
After the explosion, the New Holstein and Kiel fire departments relieved St. Anna firefighters at the scene. Also responding were New Holstein first responders and the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department.
UPDATED: Three-alarm fire in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Garden-apartment building burns Saturday evening.
5 commentsBrief video clip shot by neighbor.
For the second time in two days the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department sounded three-alarms for a garden-apartment building fire. Saturday evening’s fire was at 538 Wilson Bridge Drive off of Route 210, just south of the Capital Beltway in Oxon Hill.
The fire was reported around 6:00 PM. There were no reports of injuries.
The cause of the fire has not been released.
On Thursday, PGFD handled a three-alarm fire in Camp Springs at a complex near Andrews Air Force Base. Click here for the video.
UPDATE – PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady provided the following info in a Sunday morning press release:
Firefighters from Oxon Hill and surrounding communities battled a fire that damaged two apartment buildings. On Saturday, December 26, 2009, at about 5:45 PM, Fire/EMS units responded to 538 Wilson Bridge Drive, a 3-story garden style apartment building, and arrived to find heavy fire on the second floor extending to the top floor and roof. A 2ND Alarm was sounded bringing a total of 60 firefighters and paramedics to the scene. A 3RD Alarm brought additional Fire/EMS units into the area as they staged nearby in the event they were needed. The fire extended through the upper floor and roof of 538 Wilson Bridge Drive then extended into an attached apartment building at 540 Wilson Bridge Drive.
Incident commanders declared the fire under control at 7:30 PM. No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported. Fire Investigators determined that the fire was started accidentally and attributed to an unattended candle. Fire loss is estimated at $1.5 million.
The Fire/EMS Department’s Citizen Services Unit and the American Red Cross assisted 23 families that were displaced from their apartments. The displaced residents, 56 adults and 11 children, were provided temporary shelter in area hotels.
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.
All for a radar detector: Chief Ron Grogan & four firefighters charged with theft & other crimes. Grogan has been in trouble before.
1 commentIt was less than three months ago that we last told you about Eunice, New Mexico Chief Ron Grogan. Grogan had his paramedic license suspended after allegations he fondled a woman in the back of an ambulance. Grogan got to keep his job, but now he is back in the news.
From KWES-TV
The chief and four of his firefighters are accused of stealing a radar detector from a crime scene. They face charges that include burglary, tampering with evidence, and attempting to tamper with evidence.
Last time around there were accusations then that the chief was able to keep his job because he is related by marriage to the mayor of Eunice.
Now, the same city manager who made it clear in September it was his decision not to fire Chief Grogan and not the mayor’s says the chief’s future “is not very promising”.
A fire Friday night aorund 9:30 PM in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. The fire was at 311 Washington Place.
Raw video and fireground audio from deadly Chicago 5-alarm fire. Five firefighters among the injured.
2 commentsAbove is raw video from the fire. The two videos below are Part 1 and Part 2 of the fireground audio provided by the YouTube site firefighterdispatch.
From the AP:
Hundreds of Chicago firefighters worked to put out a high-rise fire that left one person dead and 12 people injured.
The fire broke out shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday, shooting flames out of the condo building. More than 200 residents ran out into the bitter cold.
The 12 people injured included five firefighters, but authorities say none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.
Authorities say the fire started on the 36th floor in the unit of the woman who died. Fire Commissioner John Brooks says she was found near the front door of the apartment, apparently trying to get out.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
Photos of the fire by Bill McNeel. Click the image to see more at thewatchdesk.com.
UPDATE: Click here for raw video of the fire from Vito Maggiolo
A building apparently housing a clothing and shoe store, was destroyed by fire on New Hampshire Avenue overnight. That same building was, for the first 40-years of its life, Takoma Park, Maryland’s Allen Theater.
Not a lot of details on this one yet. What is known from a variety of sources is the call originated on the Prince George’s County side of the 6700 or 6800 block of New Hampshire Avenue. Reports are that is was later determined the fire is actually in Takoma Park at 6822 New Hampshire.
Second and third alarms were sounded and there were reports of wall collapses. We hope to have more later.
The Allen Theater opened in 1951 and closed in 1990. You can read more about it at CinemaTreasures.org.
Read about the fire in the Sedalia Democrat
Two parts of a video from a fire last night at Deer Lake Estates outside of Sedalia Missouri. News reports indicate the fire started in the flue of a wood stove and that the homeowners initially tried to extinguish it. Firefighters from Pettis County, Green Ridge and Cole Camp were on the scene.
The fire apparently attracted the attention of a lot of drivers on nearby Highway 65 where cars were pulled over to the side of the road so people could see the blaze.
The video was done by the webmaster of a site called SedaliaBazoo.com. There are further details on that site and a bit of back and forth in the comments between a firefighter and the webmaster over how the incident was reported.
These two videos were posted on Tampa Fire Rescue’s YouTube account. Here’s the description:
In 1986 Tampa Fire Department produced a show for government access television which ran on the newest and hottest thing in home entertainment, cable TV. This show, hosted by Fire Inspector Todd Spear, gives you the Tampa Fire Department “news of the day” for 1986.
Pre-arrival video of gas explosion in Bushnell, Illinois. Blast levels house. Fire extends to exposure.
7 comments
Click the image to watch the early video from Bushnell, Illinois.
This is from Wednesday. FireCritic.com also posted this story.
In the image above the fire is spreading to the home on Side D. The exposure on Side B suffered melted siding. Click here for pictures of the aftermath.
Here are details from an article by the AP:
“Thanks to all our friends and family for all that they’ve done for us.”
Words cannot express how Bradley Thompson and his wife Megan feel after they lost everything they own when their home exploded Wednesday afternoon.
Bradley was home when he started smelling natural gas. At first he shrugged it off, because contractors were doing work right outside and the smell wasn’t so strong, but things took a turn for the worse. He said the smell got stronger, a gurgling sound was coming from his kitchen sink, and he started to get a headache.
“I decided to take the puppies and go to the garage where the odor wouldn’t be as strong,” Thompson said.
Not too long after he had reached his garage, his home exploded.
“There was an incredible force, and thankfully I was able to escape when the garage door was blown open,” he said.
“A very loud explosion.”
That’s what Bushnell fire chief and neighbor Brent Glisan heard Wednesday afternoon. Glisan lives right behind the Thompsons. He said the entire house was engulfed in a fireball and debris and household items scattered all over the lawn. The fire was so intense, it spread to a neighboring home, gutting it and damaged another. The
The town was also on alert after gas was detected in several homes, prompting an evacuation. Contractors working on a water main, cut a gas line, causing it to leak. That triggered the explosion.
Residents who lived near the Thompsons were given the all clear to return home. A representative from Bushnell’s municipal department was not available for comment. But Fire Chief Brent Glisan tells us the incident is under investigation by the Illinois commerce commission.
Explosion at bonfire sends pallets flying & injures firefighter. Fuel used by FFs to light fire behind blast that rattled Vineland, New Jersey. Pictures capture incident.
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All photos by APP.com's Craig Matthews. Click image for many more pictures.
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.
Here is the latest from DailyJournal.com:
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.”
To all, a wonderul and safe holiday.
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Convicted arsonist wins trust of fire department & becomes a member: An interesting investigative series of reports from Georgia and how a jail trustee whose job was to clean the firehouse suddenly was responding on calls. Click here to watch the stories.
A top L.A. County official gets demoted over creating fire department job for her son-in-law: In Los Angeles County the number two county official is accused of pulling some strings to get her son-in-law a fire department job at a salary 25 percent higher that the job should have paid. Sharon Harper has now been given a big demotion and salary cut for her efforts. Click here.
Is Boston’s union head facing rough waters?: As the Boston Herald puts it, Ed Kelly spent $150,000 of union money in an unsuccessful effort to unseat Tom Menino, the union is still without a contract after a three-year dispute with the mayor where the firefighters turned down a 14 percent raise over four years, and the contract goes to arbitration next month with the same mayor in place. Clearly the IAFF Local 718 president isn’t going to Disney World. The Herald is giving the indication some of the rank and file aren’t happy with the union leadership. According to the Herald, Kelly is offereing no regrets, saying, “The Boston firefighters stood together. Unfortunately our candidate did not win, but we showed that we are willing to stand up to get true reform.” Read more.
Can you hear me know?: Probably not with that siren blaring behind you. Cell phone use by a civilian may have contributed to a fire truck wreck in Christiana, Delaware. We have that story and another one from Delaware.
Jacksonville, Florida apartment fire: Video from a daylight apartment fire that trapped people and left a woman dead.
Some people who should have stayed in bed: Not a good day on the rails in Philadeplhia. Train evacuated of hundreds of commuters after it catches fire. Click here.
Fire departments closing: A look at economic and other impacts on volunteer fire departments in North Dakota.
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