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Last week’s stories on controvesy over Hillsdale, NJ firehouse bar here & here

When we brought you the stories last week about the controversy over alcohol inside New Jersey’s Hillsdale VFD many commented that bars in firehouse is really just an issue in the Northeast portion of the country. But this story is from Yuma County, Colorado and involves the long time practice of having kegs of beer stocked inside the Wauneta Volunteer Fire Department for use by the firefighters.

In New Jersey, the fire department prevailed after a city councilman/fire commissioner expressed concerns in a public meeting about the liability of firefighters drinking. The bar remains and the councilman is gone.

In Colorado, a couple who had been involved with the department and originally purchased the kegs years ago, won the battle. With the help of a Denver TV station, Dean and Sue Jarrett were able to get the leaders of the department to back down and reverse the policy of having beer in the firehouse and allowing firefighters to drink at meetings and after calls.

Dean Jarrett, who had been a 28-year member and treasurer of WVFD, told KCNC-TV investigative reporter Brian Maass, that his position on this changed when he saw volunteers drinking during a CPR class at the firehouse. Jarrett also told Maass, “Without a doubt, people have showed up visibly impaired (at fires)”.

Sue Jarrett, who made it clear she was going to fight this over the long haul, told the reporter, “And they have taken something admirable and they’ve turned it into their own personal man cave. We’re going to do what we want. Leave us alone. And they are putting people in jeopardy.”

Despite the board voting unanimously on May 7 to remove the kegs, as in Hillsdale, New Jersey, there are a lot of people who didn’t have a big problem with beer for firefighters. Among them Fire Chief Jeff Gallegos. Here’s some of what he said to the TV station:

“I don’t have a big problem with it. If we’ve had a few beers we’re not going to jump on the truck and drive it. I don’t think we have that big an issue. People don’t feel we should be told what we can and can’t do when we’re volunteering our time.”

And the policy had support from top elected officials:

State Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, who represents the area, contacted CBS4 to say he had no problem with kegs in the firehouse noting that the nearest liquor stores are in Wray, 15 miles away, making it difficult for firefighters to pick up beers after they’ve been out on a call, especially if its late at night after the liquor stores have closed.

Brophy called Jarrett and his wife “professional cranks” who had alienated the community for years. 

The TV station also contacted Ron Graton, Executive Director of the Colorado State Fire Fighters Association, who seemed to stake out some middle ground on the issue:

“We feel that having alcohol in the fire station is an issue of local control. We do feel it leads to many issues that complicate the fire fighting aspect.”

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Watch slideshow from ozarkareanetork.com showing initial attack

The video above is from Ozark Radio News of a fire at a thrift store on Tuesday in West Plains, Missouri. A collapse occurs at the 5:00 point in the video.

Ed Button, ozarkareanetwork.com:

The Ozark Treasures Thrift Store, 1026 St. Louis St. in West Plains, sustained crippling damage after an intense fire burned on Tuesday.

Firefighters from the West Plains and Howell Rural Fire Departments were called to the scene just after 4 PM on Tuesday and found excessive smoke coming from the building where the old Stanley grocery store once was. Crews with the West Plains Fire Department were still on-scene as of 9 PM. Howell Rural cleared the scene around 6:30 PM.

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CBC:

Emergency crews responded to 511 Kent Street just before 7 p.m. Monday after people spotted the blaze. The building, which has a sign outside reading Arlington Bed and Breakfast, is a rooming house.

They also rescued one man, 47, who was trapped on a balcony. He suffered minor smoke inhalation and was transported to hospital as a precaution. 

Ottawa Fire Service photo.

CTV:

Ten people have nowhere to stay after an intentionally-set fire at a central Ottawa bed and breakfast Monday night.

When they arrived they said the deck and back of the house were on fire, with flames coming through the roof.

Neighbours said a 47-year-old man was trapped on a balcony for about 15 minutes before he could be rescued and taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

1310News.com:

The blaze completely gutted the building, and damaged neighbouring homes, several bicycles and a car parked in the alley behind the building.

“Investigators eventually managed to get into the residence and they were able to confirm that it was an incendiary fire,” Ottawa Fire spokesperson Marc Messier tells 1310News. “So Ottawa police arson unit has been called in and they are taking the lead on this investigation.”

Messier says the fire started in a second floor hallway.

Ottawa Fire Service photo.

MetroNews.ca:

Ottawa fire service spokesman Marc Messier said the fire started on the second floor of the building in a hallway and spread to the exterior before moving up to the third floor and attic.

When firefighters were called smoke was billowing from the rear of the two-and-a-half storey multi-unit complex and people were reportedly trapped.

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Two videos from a fire on April 13 in Utica, New York.

UticaOD.com:

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Video posted on May 4 by the Homer City VFD assisting Coral-Graceton VFD on a house fire. Both departments are in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. No further information.

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Previous coverage here, here and here

Watch WPLG-TV story

Read Miami-Dade 33 page investigative report

WSVN-TV:

The Miami-Dade Fire Department has decided on a two-rank demotion for Brian Beckmann from fire captain to firefighter effective immediately, after a two-hour administrative meeting on Monday.

A 33-page document detailing the allegations against former captain Beckmann and the meeting claims he violated county and department policy with posts he made on his personal Facebook page having to do with the Trayvon Martin case.

In addition to his demotion, Beckmann will have to go through diversity training and have a psychological evaluation. Miami Beach Mayor Carlos Giminez supported the decision in a statement saying: “… Public servants have a responsibility to uphold the highest levels of integrity and decency, especially when you consider our multicultural, multiethnic community. There’s no such thing as being off-the clock; we are public servants 24/7 and must conduct ourselves with the utmost professionalism at all time.” 

Diana Moskovitz, Miami Herald:

Capt. Brian Beckmann’s post lambasted the prosecutor, Angela Corey, who charged George Zimmerman with second-degree murder in Martin’s death.

In the post, Beckmann suggested “urban youth” are the products of “failed, sh–bag, ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents.”      

He also brought his fellow firefighters into the post, saying: “I and my co-workers could rewrite the book on whether our urban youths are victims of racist profiling or products of their failed, sh–bag, ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents, but like Mrs. Corey, we speak only the truth.”

It ended with, “They’re just misunderstood little church-going angels and the ghetto hoodie look doesn’t have anything to do with why people wonder if they’re about to get jacked by a thug.”

WFOR-TV:

In addition to the loss of rank, the 17-year-fire department veteran’s paycheck will take a major hit because a firefighter’s salary is dramatically less than a fire captain. The amount is still unclear but CBS4 found Beckman made $125,616 as a Captain during a 2007 investigation done on firefighter salaries. 

Before returning to work Beckmann will have to undergo a psychological examination by a county doctor and be required to take diversity training courses.

Beckmann, with the help of the firefighter union, is expected to appeal the demotion.

“Today the Fire Chief demoted Brian Beckmann by two supervisory ranks back to the rank of Firefighter. As union President, I believe this discipline is excessive,” said Rowan Taylor in a statement.  “We will immediately file an appeal to an independent arbitrator.  We anticipate that the case will be heard within the next few months.  The decision of the independent arbitrator will be final and binding.”

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Miami-Dade Fire Rescue picture of Brian Beckmann.

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Previous coverage of this story here and here

Read entire Miami-Dade investigative report

UPDATED from WPLG-TV (Click here to watch story):

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez released a statement Monday saying that he supports the decision to demote Beckmann.

“The comments made by Captain Beckmann were reprehensible and will not be tolerated. We can’t have our employees, especially a supervisor, making such disparaging comments about any member of our community, much less one of our own employees,” Gimenez said.

The mayor said he has directed staff members to revise the policies connected to the issue.

“There’s no such thing as being off-the-clock; we are public servants 24/7 and must conduct ourselves with the utmost professionalism at all times,” Gimenez said.

WFOR-TV:

A Miami-Dade fire captain, under fire for his controversial Facebook comments in the Trayvon Martin case has been demoted.

Captain Brian Beckmann fell from the top of the command in his firehouse to the lowest rank of firefighter, CBS4 News has learned.

In a decision expected to be announced later Monday, the Miami-Dade Fire Department is expected to make a statement that it no longer feels comfortable with Beckmann in a supervisor position.

WPLG-TV:

In addition to the demotion, Beckmann has been ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation and diversity training. He is on paid medical leave.

Beckmann told Local 10′s Roger Lohse that the mayor wanted to fire him, but the chief and the union stood up for him.

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Busy in Indiana: Ed Malik has been posting quite a bit from his corner of Indiana. The video above is from a house fire a week ago in South Haven. We also posted one from Gary, Indiana where firefighters returned to the building twice within an hour over the weekend. The second time the joint was rockin’. Click her for that.

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Fire in the Bronx:  Good early video from a third-alarm at 2070 Grand Concourse on Saturday evening.

Fire in Brooklyn: Vito Maggiolo alerted us to some good pre-arrival video of a fire on April 29 at a Con-Ed substation.

My favorite post from recent weeks: Check out this film from 1953 of firehouse life in Austin and some of the first black firefighters hired in the state of Texas.

Five alarms, four views: There are lots of videos posted on last weeks fire that burned townhomes under construction and threatened occupied buildings in Santa Clara, CA. We pulled out four to give you views from four sides of the fire.

Reputation issue 1 - Criminal charges for new recruit initiation: A very interesting story of three 20-something firefighters arrested after what appears to be a hazing attempt of a 16-year-old cadet in Hyde Park, Vermont. Read more.

Reputation issue 2 - Much more serious criminal charges for new recruit initiation (truly disgusting): The Paris Fire Brigade has at least a dozen firefighters charged after the initiation of a new recruit. Coming back from a gymnastics competition on a bus with 30 firefighters, police say the recruit was stripped, slapped and bitten. But the recruit protested and apparently the firefighters couldn’t allow that. So, according to police, several firefighters pinned the recruit while one raped him. Of course, you want to make sure the guy never forgets this, so someone shot video on their cell phone. Oh yes, news reports indicate a fire officer was there and failed to intervene. So sad. Here’s the story.

Reputation issue 3 - More details on the councilman versus the firefighters in Hillsdale, New Jersey: In case you missed our follow-up posting, as we figured there was more to the story between Hillsdale VFD and the councilman/fire commissioner who resigned after making comments about firefighters drinking. Check here for the departments policy on use of the firehouse bar and the details of the allegations.

Reputation issue 4 - Union VP in Hialeah, Florida speaks out on TV & STATter911.com about his Facebook page: Last week we posted the story about the complaints over, and investigation of, the personal Facebook postings of Eric Johnson. Not only has Firefighter Johnson gone on TV to defend his right to do his opinion off the clock, he has written a comment to STATter911.com saying he expects that the investigation will find that he has served the citizens of Hialeah well. Click here and scroll down.

Watch out for this, it could be coming to a city near you: We have pointed out on numerous occasions the trend across the country of city leaders suddenly claiming overtime abuse, even when there really is none, just because firefighters in many jurisdictions are legally making lots of extra money to provide minimum staffing. While there have been documented cases of abuse, often it has been because city leaders find it cheaper than hiring another firefighter. In Cleveland there has been some variation of this and a real close look and changing of policy on shift trading. But the latest newspaper story takes things a step further. It focuses on the part time jobs held by firefighters in the city and looks at how the rules are being followed. I have seen a definite pattern of these stories spawning similar ones in other jurisdictions. As I suggested long ago with the OT issue, it is probably a good idea to make sure your house is in order on secondary employment before the politicians and reporters come knocking. Here’s the Cleveland story.

New fire truck doesn’t fit in the old firehouse: We have seen this story before and it has happened again. Check out the details of a problem at an Alabama firehouse courtesy of Glenn Usdin’s FireTruckBlog.com.

Saying goodbye: Thanks to Mike Villanova for making sure we had video from Friday’s funeral for 12-year-old Kyle McGetrick of Barnegat, New Jersey. Kyle’s story touched firefighters all over the world. Click out.

The Oak Ridge boys’ video: A house fire in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Geezer on cougars & kittens: My friend the Firegeezer may have a tiger by the tail with this story from Fort Worth, Texas. Or at least some other cats. Bill is trying to get to the bottom of a vehicle that has the trappings of an ambulance, is registered to a chiropractor, has the name DFW Cougar & Kitten Rescue on the outside and a dance pole on the inside. Check it out.

Intentional radio interference may have delayed mutual aid: In Lebanon, Maine officials say they have been dealing with what appears to be intentional jamming of radio traffic. On Saturday it appears to have delayed notification of mutual aid for a fire. Click here.

Another look at the Deutsche Bank fire: In August it will be five years since FDNY’s Robert Beddia and Joseph Graffagnino died. Martin J. Steadman in Eve’s Magazine is the latest to look at the twists and turns of this investigation and trial and makes his case on who is really to blame for this tragedy. Read the story.

New chief in Charleston: We alerted you Friday afternoon that Eugene, Oregon Deputy Chief Karen Brack is the new chief of the Charleston Fire Department. Grant Mishoe’s SCONFIRE.com has more.

Getting the bird from THE Fire Critic: That happens to me quite frequently. But this is an actual bird and an interesting rescue by LAFD caught on video. Click here.

Eight-year-old Batman moves from crime fighting to firefighting: It isn’t Bruce Wayne after all. Luke Purcell is really Batman. The boy was doing what he does most days after school, patrolling his Layton, Utah neighborhood in his Batman costume and his version of the Batmobile (his bike) when he saw smoke coming from the roof of a house. He’s credited with saving the day. Here’s the story.

Settlement in Baltimore fatal fire truck collision: This was the one where three civilians died on Park Heights Avenue after their vehicle was hit by Truck 27. Curt Varone at FireLawBlog.com has the details.

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AP:

 A judicial official says four firefighters in the French capital have been preliminarily charged with gang raping a colleague. Eight other firefighters received preliminary charges of aggravated violence.

The incident purportedly happened on a bus ride back from an athletic competition on May 6. A second firefighter has also alleged he was attacked.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity citing fire department policy, said Saturday that one of those charged remains in custody.

The official says the accused have claimed they were carrying out an initiation ritual common with new recruits and deny there was any sexual aggression.

Nicolas Cellupica, a lawyer for the two plaintiffs, has called for other firefighters who have suffered similar rituals to come forward.

BBC:

As part of the alleged hazing incident, the young man was stripped and bitten, according to Le Parisien newspaper.

When he protested, several other young firemen pinned him down while one man sexually assaulted him. According to the claims, an officer was present but did not intervene.

Commentators say the affair threatens to damage the reputation of the Paris brigade, which has an 8,500-strong staff of men and women. Firefighting is one of France’s best-regarded professions and the Paris brigade is highly thought of. 

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Ed Malik with some daytime footage from Gary, Indiana, visiting the 3800 block of Massachusetts Avenue twice within an hour yesterday.

Here’s some of  Ed’s description:

At around 11:30 am crews were dispatched to a reported fire in the 3800 block of Massachusetts. Crews found a working fire in the rear of a vacant house and brought the fire under control quickly with tank water. About 30 minutes later a rekindle was called in and a single engine was dispatched. Seconds later a full still was dispatched for a working fire and multiple crews reported heavy smoke showing from miles away.

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