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A house fire this morning on Walnut Street in McNeil, Arkansas.
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Firefighter vs police: Arkansas volunteer arrested after meeting off duty cop on the road. Flashing lights & speed are at issue.
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An off-duty police officer in a Corvette. A volunteer firefighter on his way home from hazmat training in what apparently is his POV with lights & radios. What happened between the two around 10:00 Friday night on a Bauxite, Arkansas road appears to be a he said – he said. The only other witness may be a female the firefighters says was in the cop’s car. The confrontation ended with Rockport Firefighter Westley Steinert arrested.
While the officer told KATV-TV he couldn’t comment, his boss Police Chief Ron Parsons did. Parsons believes Steinert could have killed someone, claiming the firefighter was driving 90 miles-per-hour.
Here’s part of Steinert’s story via KATV-TV:
“Very unprofessional, very unprofessional.” Westley Steinert says for about 3-miles he was followed by a driver in a Corvette riding his bumper, at times feeling chased. When the driver began flashing his high beams, Westley gave in. He says, “As a first responder I thought maybe they’re trying to get my attention for a more important reason.”
That’s when he says he pulled over and flashed his light rack, to acknowledge the driver of the Corvette.
Both men got out of their cars. Neither showed credentials. “Before I could even say hey, what’s up? What do you need? He screamed at me, you’re going to jail, I’m an off duty police officer.”
He continues, “He indicated I was impersonating a police officer because I flashed my rear deck lights at him.”
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News reports: Driver intentionally hit & killed Jacksonville, Arkansas Captain Donald Jones. Firefighter Jason Bowmaster & police officer critical.
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Bryce Allen, charged with second-degree murder.
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Video from crash scene
Captain Donald Jones, a 31 year veteran of Arkansas’ Jacksonville Fire Department, was killed late last night when a man drove his vehicle into firefighters and police at a crash scene on Highway 161. Police are saying the actions of Bryce Allen were intentional. Firefighter Jason Bowmaster and a police officer are listed in critical condition.
Jacksonville police say they now believe a driver intentionally sped up and hit and killed a firefighter and injured two other emergency personnel Monday night in Jacksonville.
The vehicle had left the roadway and struck a gas main. A Jacksonville police officer and two Jacksonville firefighters were working the scene when a van left the roadway and struck all three.
Captain Donald Jones.
One firefighter, Capt. Donald Jones was pronounced dead at the scene. The other firefighter, Jason Bowmaster was med-flighted to a Little Rock hospital while the police officer was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Both are in critical condition at the time of this release.
Crews were called to the scene in the 8400 block of Highway 161 South around 11:00 Monday night after a car crashed, causing a gas main break. While emergency crews were clearing the accident, a van veered off the road, hitting three — two firefighters and a police officer.
Capt. Kenny Boyd with Jacksonville PD has identified the driver of the van that killed the firefighter as 47-year-old Bryce Allen of Jacksonville. He has been charged with 2nd degree murder and two counts of criminal intent to commit 2nd degree murder because he allegedly did not try to stop.
Boyd has also identified Allen as the son of Thelma Allen, the driver of the original car that crashed and caused the gas main break.
Statement from Jacksonville Fire Department Chief John Vanderhoof:
A Fire Chiefs worst nightmare is the loss of a Fellow Firefighter, that has been killed in the Line of Duty. Captain Donald Jones was killed in the Line of Duty while engaged in Firefighting activities on March 19,2012.
He started his career with the Jacksonville Fire Department on December 24, 1980. He served for 31 years of dedicated service with the Jacksonville Fire Department.
He will be missed by his family as well as his Firefighting Family. He will always be in our hearts and memories.
Please pray for his family, his brother firefighter and police officer that was injured at the same time, and his other fellow firefighters.
Helmet-cam videos: Two from rural areas in the South – Flippin, Arkansas & Florala, Alabama.
16 commentsSometimes we concentrate too much on the big cities or the more urban areas in the videos we show on this site. Today, I came across a pair of recently posted helmet-cam videos from some smaller communities in the South.
Above is a house fire shot by a member of the Flippin Fire Department on a mutual aid run. There is no indication when the fire occurred. It is labeled "Summit Fire". Flippin, Arkansas, population 1357 (2000 Census), is in Marion County in the Ozarks. Here's a description of Flippin FD from the department website.
The department is currently a volunteer department with a Full Time Paid Fire Chief. Department personnel currently consists of 16 personnel, which include men and women trained in Fire, EMS, Rescue, and Haz-Mat. The personnel of the department not only respond to emergency calls but also assist with community events and public services.
The video below is from a shed fire on Saturday handled by the Florala Fire Department. Florala, Alabama is in Covington County and, according to the 2000 Census, has a population of 1964. I didn't find a website, but Florala FD is on Facebook where I found this description:
The Florala Fire Department is a fully volunteer fire department in extreme south Alabama. We have 24 active volunteers and run out of one station. We have two engines (Engine 5: 2010 Crimson Rescue Pumper and Engine 2: 1988 FMC/Ford Pumper), one mini-pumper (Truck 4: 1991 E-One/Ford Mini Rescue Pumper), and one chief's car (2004 Chevrolet Impala). We have around 2500 people that we protect in our district, which is approximately 81 square miles. We average around 100-150 calls per year.
A house fire yesterday during an ice storm in Rogers, Arkansas. No further information.
20 dead, 40 missing in Arkansas flash flooding. Rising waters trapped hundreds of campers.
1 commentKARK-TV coverage
Watch view from helicopter over flooded area
Gov. Mike Beebe says the death toll from flash flooding along a pair of Arkansas rivers has risen to 20. Rescue teams are also searching for more than 40 people reported missing.
Heavy rains triggered flooding early Friday along the Caddo and Little Missouri rivers in the southwest portion of the state.
The worst damage was at the Albert Pike Recreation Area in the Ouachita National Forest, where hundreds of people were camping.
Floodwaters rose 20 feet overnight after more than a half-foot of rain fell on the region. Anxious families are gathered near a command post for word about their loved ones.
Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler says the bodies are being moved to funeral homes in Mena.
“We don’t know who was in there last night,” State Police spokesman Bill Sadler said. “This is a very wide area.”
Searchers worked along the Little Missouri River in Montgomery and Pike counties, while along the Caddo River at Glenwood police and fire crews monitored debris moving beneath the U.S. 70 bridge.
The National Guard dispatched helicopters to help in the rescue because much of the area was inaccessible by land. Tracy Farley of the U.S. Forest Service said the floods eroded some road beds and knocked trees across roads. Crews with bulldozers and chain saws were sent to the area.
At that time of night, many campers were likely still asleep when their tents began to fill with water, she said.
UPDATED: Fire station severely damaged as deadly tornadoes move through Arkansas this evening.
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Images from KARK-TV.
The East Eden fire station in Saline County, Arkansas was one of many buildings suffering heavy damage from severe storms Friday evening. Here’s more from the AP:
Several tornadoes that ripped through central Arkansas killed at least one person and injured two dozen others, destroying homes and leaving officials scrambling to clear debris even as they braced for more severe weather.
Damage assessments were under way in the community of Scotland as day broke in Van Buren County, about 75 miles north of Little Rock, where authorities said at least one person died in Friday night storms. A sheriff’s department dispatcher said details were expected to be released later Saturday.
At least two dozen other people were hurt across Van Buren and several other counties, state Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Renee Preslar said. Officials in many counties referred questions to the state agency, but Preslar said local authorities who provide her with updates hadn’t released details about the severity of the injuries.
More storms — including tornadoes — could hit the state Saturday, said meteorologist Brian Smith with the National Weather Service in Little Rock.
“We have a lot of warm air over the area, warm and moist air. The atmosphere has a very high amount of wind energy available and a lot of instability, and as the day gets warming, that’s all we need,” Smith said.
Search teams Friday night located a person believed missing in the wreckage of a home in Center Ridge, while extensive property damage was reported across central Arkansas, Preslar said.
Tornado sightings were reported just a few miles north in Culpepper, according to Arkansas State Police. A sheriff’s dispatcher said a sighting also was reported in the Oakland area, near the Missouri border. Trees and power lines blocked major roadways in both areas.
South of Little Rock in Saline County, high winds and heavy rains left nearly 3,000 people without power and forced about 100 to take shelter at an elementary school in East End late Friday, officials said.
Article by Faith Abubey, todaysthv.com:
A Little Rock woman dies two days after paramedics thought she was dead when in fact she was alive.
The Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) executive director says he has full confidence in his medics and isn’t ready to place fault. That’s why he’s launched an investigation.
Pamela Harper died around 2:30 Sunday afternoon.
“It never happened before that we judged a person to be deceased and they were not,” said Jon Swanson, MEMS executive director.
Swanson calls it an unusual story about life and death, which now has two of his paramedics on paid suspension and under investigation.
The first emergency call came Friday morning around 6:30. Authorities say Harper was lying half-naked outside a family member’s Little Rock home on Hunters Grove Drive.
“Unit responded, paramedics assessed the patient and determined that it was not appropriate to transport,” Swanson said.
He adds that the emergency crews left after the first assessment. But when investigators arrived, they believed the 52 year-old was still alive and called paramedics back.
“We have two very experienced paramedics who responded to the same situation and determined they evaluated it the same way,” Swanson said.
However, Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper says, “It was evident with us that she was alive.”
Camper explains that his office called emergency crews back a third time to take Harper to the emergency room.
“It had been reported that there was a debate between us and EMS, there was never a debate. We knew that Mrs. Harper showed signs of life,” Camper said.
Because of privacy laws, neither the hospital, Camper nor MEMS is releasing details about why Harper needed medical attention yet.
In the meantime, Swanson says his ambulance service is looking into why it took nearly three hours after the initial call before the patient was finally taken to the hospital.
“This is a very unusual situation. One that we’ve never encountered before,” he said.
Since Pamela Harper’s death, the Pulaski County Coroner’s office has launched its own death investigation.
“We were astonished at what we saw,” explained Camper.
3-alarms in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ: This house fire was late Sunday night at 27 Columbus Avenue. FirefightingNews.com has still pictures and details.
Lt. David Curlin, Pine Bluff Fire Department, is in serious condition after Sunday's wall collapse.
Prayers for Arkansas firefighter caught in wall collapse during commercial building fire: Firefighters and others gathered Monday night to offer prayers and support for Pine Bluff Fire Department’s Lt. David Curlin. TodaysTHV.com reports Lt. Curlin and others were on their way back out of the Clemments Office Center early Sunday morning when the wall of the second story collapsed, pinning Curlin under a heavy metal beam. The hose he manned is still trapped under the debris. Lt. Shauwn Howell told reporters, “Fellow firefighters had to come to his rescue using everything they could get their hands on, the jaws of life, shovels, scoops, hands, just doing everything they can to free him from the entrapment up under the debris.” Lt. Curlin is listed in serious condition with a broken leg and arm and several internal injuries. Watch the story here. Read more here and here.
Polls close at 3:00 PM: You read my choice yesterday (Firegeezer), now make your choice in FireCritic.com’s Fire/EMS Blog of the Year of 2009 contest. You can email your vote to firecritic@firecritic.com.
Mayor defends placing campaign manager in top fire department position: We first mentioned this issue from Rochester, New York back in late October. Yesterday, Chief John Caufield said he never really considered anyone other than Molly Clifford for the job of director of fire administration. The job used to be held by a sworn deputy chief. DemocratandChronicle.com’s Brian Sharp reports Clifford will have oversight of code enforcement, community outreach, administrative services such as budget, the supply depot and of planning and research. Fire investigations has been transferred to a deputy chief. The union is charging Clifford, with no fire service experience, is not qualified. Cifford had worked as assistant general manager at Rural/Metro ambulance service. Monroe County Fire Wire has the video from the press conference and a few documents.
Emergency radio traffic from Las Vegas shootout: It isn’t our normal beat, but we have the police radio traffic from yesterday morning’s deadly shootout at the federal courthouse in Las Vegas. Click here.
Sexpert advice for firefighters: A sex doctor indicates firefighters have a leg up in the fantasy world. Read more. A warning: the comments on this post may be more than some can handle.
Photo by Christopher Evans at BostonHerald.com. Click the image to see video of the fire from Evans.
Fireground audio & video from Boston 3-alarm house fire: Three firefighters suffered minor injuries last night at a three-alarm fire at a three-family home in Roxbury. Click here for Part 1 of the fireground audio and here for Part 2 (courtesy FireSceneAudio.com). Details and video are here.
Update from Modesto, CA: The Modesto Bee has been doing a good job of keeping tabs on the status of two firefighters who fell through the roof of a burning home New Year’s Night. Jim Adams has second and third degree burns over 40-percent of his body. Adams is currently in a medically induced coma and is expected to be at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento for as long as a month. Jason Clevenger, with burns over 10-percent of his body, could be released from Doctors Medical Center within a day or two. Read more.
Florida fire may be related to suicide attempt: Click here for details, video and pictures from a large apartment complex fire in Ocoee last night.
Fireground audio and video from Dallas fourth-alarm: Click here for the fire yesterday morning at a floor covering business.
Frozen hydrants: The problem delayed efforts during a restaurant fire in Indianapolis. Click here for the story and the video.
New Year’s Eve fire in Lower Towamensing Township, Pennsylvania: Jason Thomas has been coming back swinging after a few technical setbacks with Firefighter Spot. This fire from Carbon County is one of many videos he has been posting in recent days. Read more about the fire.
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