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Caught on video: News chopper crashes in front of firefighters at emergency scene.

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The video above shows two views of a news helicopter crashing to the ground in front of firefighters east of Perth, Australia. It happened at the scene of a wreck involving the rollover of a truck on Saturday.

One view shows the perspective of the videographer aboard the chopper who was rolling on the way down and was thown from the wreckage. The other is from a camera on the ground. Both the pilot and cameraman Adam Delmage survived the crash with relatively minor injuries. The incident has been described as an emergency landing by the pilot.

Radio Australia:

Radio communication from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services reveals the pilot acted quickly to prevent a fire.

“The helicopter pilot has asked us to put foam on the aircraft … while turbines are still running. Helicopter on its side – we are taking shelter behind the embankment.”

Mr Delmage says he only knew to brace for the impact because he had recently completed a helicopter safety course.

“If I didn’t do my HUET course and it wasn’t so fresh in my memory I wouldn’t have thought to do that,” he said.

“But I knew I had to brace myself and prepare myself for the worst.

“The way the chopper hit, then it rolled, I kind of got flung out of the cabin and was hanging over the door.

If it had of rolled one more time I wouldn’t be here.”

On strike: In Australia, New South Wales firefighters & medic refused to respond for five hours. Fire trucks massed at State Parliament.

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New Castle Herald:

About a thousand firefighters in the Hunter, Sydney and Illawarra regions went on strike for five hours yesterday (Thursday) afternoon over the changes that the O’Farrell government wants pushed through NSW Parliament to reduce costs for WorkCover.

Police and other rescue workers have been exempted from the cuts to travel coverage, and a deal struck yesterday with Christian Democrat MP Fred Nile appeared to have added the firefighters to that list during the day.

But Fire Brigade Employees Union sub-branch secretary Luke Russell said he did not believe Mr Nile’s proposals helped firefighters or ambulance officers – who were also exposed to the changes – in any meaningful way.

Mr Russell said the union executive would meet in the coming days to work out its next move.

ABC Sydney:

About 250 stations around the state are closed in the first general strike since 1956.

Fire trucks lined up outside State Parliament after the industrial action began at 1:00pm (AEST), with crews also spraying the building with their hoses.

Firefighters say they will not respond to emergency calls.

The secretary of the Fire Brigade Employees’ Union, Jim Casey, says unfortunately, the dispute may be long and bruising.

thewest.com.au:

A man says he is disgusted that his Sydney house burned while firefighters were striking over changes to the workers compensation scheme.

Kym Loutfy’s wife and grandson were rescued from the burning house by a passer-by on Thursday, while firefighters were turning their hoses on Parliament House during a protest.

Firefighters in Sydney, Newcastle and the Central Coast went on strike for five hours at 1pm (AEST) on Thursday, to protest reforms to workers compensation they say treat them poorly compared to exempt colleagues in the Rural Fire Service (RFS) and police force.

NSW Fire and Rescue said in a statement that crews arrived at the scene within seven minutes of receiving a call from police.

It said local crews on their way to the protest responded to the call and carried out search and rescue operations.

However, they went on to join the protest after the arrival of the Airports Rescue and Firefighting Service.

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Attack on pricey yacht fire falls way short in many ways but gives some Aussies a laugh. Still, fighting fire in this fishbowl clearly illustrates a significant lack of waterfront resources for the Metropolitan Fire Brigade.

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These videos remind us once again that no matter where you are there will be someone with a video camera poised to share it with the world when your efforts fail (yes, I know some will say that’s the theory my entire career in TV news was based on). In this case the fire might as well have been in the middle of an arena with spectators in the stands gathered to watch and record it and a TV network providing live multi-camera coverage. On this page are just a sampling of the many videos so far on YouTube from the multi-million dollar yacht fire today (Wednesday) at Docklands in Melbourne, Australia (where it is already Thursday).

The top video shows the reaction of some of the crowd to what appears to be wishful thinking on the part of one group of firefighters trying to reach the fire from a bit of a distance. I imagine the main purpose of the firefighters being in that position was to protect those mocking them in case the big boat broke free and drifted toward that side of the harbor.

It appears from the videos the only thing their colleagues who were much closer to the burning ship could muster were a pair of over-matched hand-lines on the dock and in a small boat. As you might imagine, exposure protection seemed to be their priority. And they were successful (or possibly lucky) that there was no other property damage.

Still the transparent nature of this operation, in a place for all of the world to see the inability of the fire department to effectively attack the fire, is probably a good thing.  Why, you may ask? Because already citizens, the news media and some key stakeholders are asking questions about the firefighting capability on the extensive waterfront in Melbourne.

Actually, as my friend Bill Schumm at Firegeezer already noted, it’s an issue that’s been on the radar screen of the labor organization representing firefighters. From the Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday:

The blaze is likely to renew calls for firefighters to be better equipped to deal with marine emergencies.

The Age reported in January that the United Firefighters Union was concerned that billions of dollars worth of vessels that use Port Phillip and Melbourne’s waterways were virtually unprotected in the event of large fires.

More than 100,000 hectares of port waters are reliant on two four-metre aluminium boats fitted with petrol-powered pump hoses, and two aluminium dinghies.  Fire officers must request the support of commercially-operated tugs in large fires.

Here’s more on the topic from a Thursday morning SMH article:

MFB West Melbourne station officer Joff Spencer, who was off duty yesterday,  said marine response officers were incapable of containing  the fire from the  water because their four-metre aluminium boat with a  pump-powered hose lacked  the capability. ”There was no way in the world  a four-metre tinnie with a  200-litre pump was going to put that fire  out,” Mr Spencer said.

In November 2010, the MFB secured $9.8 million for a large firefighting  boat.  But moves to acquire one have been delayed while it assessed  whether to buy or  lease a vessel.

As Firegeezer also noted, the fire pointed out another significant failure. That boat had been purchased Wednesday morning and was in flames by 4:30 PM, leaving three workers to jump into the water to escape.

The first video below is the earliest clip I could find with smoke showing from the vessel. At the bottom is a news report with chopper shots showing the layout of the fireground more clearly.

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Must see video: Sometimes the fire just gets away from you. Australia firefighters have to chase burning box truck.

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Two other runaway burning truck videos herehere

This happened last Monday in Nedlands in Perth, Australia.

From 9 News:

A blazing truck rolled into oncoming traffic on a busy Perth highway yesterday when the heat of the fire caused its brakes to fail.

The truck caught alight in a street off the Stirling Highway in the western suburb of Nedlands yesterday before the brakes stopped working and it rolled backwards into the oncoming highway traffic.

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Raw video: House fire in Australia.

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A recent house fire on Lawrence Street in Wodonga in Australia. No further information.

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Printing company fire in Chatsworth, California: Fire consumed a printing company yesterday evening. The fire was reported at 5:59 PM in the 100 X 80 building. Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey has a very detailed account, pictures & more video at the LAFD blog. Here’s an excerpt- “Forcing their way through rolling steel and entry doors, firefighters discovered extreme fire conditions throughout a graphics design and direct mail marketing firm heavily loaded with combustible printing and printed materials. The offensive interior attack on the fire proved short lived as flames roared through the roof, compromising the structure within ten minutes of the 9-1-1 call that brought scores of Los Angeles Firefighters to the scene.” Click here for more video

Election woes: In Stockton, California firefighters are quite worried over the passage of Measure H which gives the city new ways to control staffing and cut costs. Read and watch the story.  

Crane rescue: Continuing with our California theme, click here for pictures and details of the rescue of two people injured on top of a 200-foot tall construction crane in Long Beach. 

Neil Sedaka was wrong! Not everyone loves the calendar girl. Controversy has stalled the release of a calendar in Australia that features pictures of female firefighters from ACT Rural Fire Service. If it is delayed too long the calendar's only use may be those pictures. Click the image for more.

Virginia department adds positions because of volunteer shortage: Four part time firefighters will be hired in Warren County due to concerns over the dwindling number of volunteers. Here’s the story

One dead in overnight two-alarm fire in Baltimore: Early details from a 2:30 AM fire that damaged three townhomes in the 7000 block of McClean Boulevard in Northeast Baltimore. One man was found dead inside. Click here for more

Union head fights suspension over talking to the press: In Ottawa a disciplinary hearing is underway as Stéphane Noël, president of the union in Gatineau tries to overturn a six-month suspension for telling reporters about water pressure issues following a church fire. Here’s more

6:30 AM “home inspection” leads to arrest of man claiming to be firefighter: In Adams County, Pennsylvania a strange story of a man claiming to be a firefighter walking into the bedroom of a man’s home. Read more.  

911 not that important: The mayor of Alsip, Illinois, a former firefighter, is stunned voters failed to approve a fifty-cent per month surcharge on their phone bills to help fund 911. The mayor points out you can’t buy a Coke for that price. Check it out

Strike update from the Firegeezer crew: Mike Ward and Bill Schumm continue to keep us up to date on the labor dispute involving the London Fire Brigade. Click here and scroll down for multiple stories.

Woman says she wasn’t about to jump but was sure was glad to see firefighters: In the video above, WUSA9.com talked to a young woman who was on the phone with here sister doubtful that DC firefighters would be able to get to her as smoke filled her 10th floor apartment on Tuesday. Along with the previous raw video and fireground audio, we have added interviews with some of the firefighters who helped in the rescues during Tuesday’s fire at 1444 Rhode Island Avenue, NW. The firefighters tell the story of a commercial vehicle that was jammed into a dumpster in an effort to get rear position for a ladder truck. Click here. Also, click here for a slideshow

Quick Takes

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Early video from Edmonton house fire: A neighbor got to the scene with a camera before firefighters arrived at this house fire on Manning Drive in Miller. Click here for Part 2 which shows the initial attack.

Virginia USAR dog is injured and dies during training: The news just came out yesterday about an incident Friday during training of Virginia Task Force 2. A search dog known as Win received a puncture wound while looking for a “live” victim. Win died later in the day. Here’s the sad story

Fire Station One just opened in Silver Spring, Maryland. It is the old firehouse at 8131 Georgia Avenue (the new one is across the street). The restaurant held a fundraiser last night for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). Click the image to read more about the eatery & brewery that is the dream of Jeremy Gruber, a retired Montgomery County Firefighter/Paramedic. Full disclosure- In his "retirement" Dave is doing work for NFFF. More on that later.

Fire & explosion cuts power for thousands: Lights flickered all over Denver Monday evening. We have news coverage and home video from the electrical substation explosion and fire. Click here.

Dramatic rescue video: A TV news crew was rolling when citizens and a rescue team got a man out of an SUV in the Nisqually River in Mt. Rainier National Park. Watch the rescue.

Florida firefighter isn’t good around lightning, or is he?: We mentioned this yesterday, but you can now listen to the story of Mike Brasol a Volusia County firefighter who for the second time in his life had a close call with lightning. Watch the story.

Demotion after claiming female firefighters are ”OTWOS”: That stands for “oxygen-thieving wastes of space” and it is why a part time station officer in Whyalla, Australia was demoted. George Dunbar lost his appeal. Here is an excerpt from WhyallaNewsOnline-

He was also reported to have referred to women as “cannon fodder”, made remarks about the size of their bottoms and allegedly stated that they should “self-explode at a certain age”.

Flying hydrant: In Meyersdale, Pennsylvania the message came over the radio during a house fire yesterday, “I lost the hydrant, she blew boys”. It was one of two holes in the ground from a main near the fire on High Street. No one was injured from the airborne hydrant. Click here to read the story.

No hydrants, flying or otherwise: Firegeezer Bill Schumm takes a look at the water-supply problems in Booneville, Iowa during a fire Sunday night. Read Bill’s story and watch the video.

And it continues: The Boston Globe is urging the City Council to hang tough against firefighters and vote against anything that has the city paying for the right to do random drug testing. Click here for the editorial. The impasse continues in this four year journey for a contract. Here’s the latest.

More lawsuits in Charleston: As the third anniversary of the Sofa Super Store fire approaches four more former firefighters file suit over the trauma of losing their nine colleagues. Glenn Smith has the latest in the Post and Courier.

Quick Takes

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Apartment fire: This is from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan yesterday afternoon. You can read more about the fire here, but try not to laugh too heard when you get to the line, “A pumper truck high in the sky sprayed water onto the three-storey brick building.” Maybe Mike Wilbur can teach me how to drive one them things.

Memo from the DC Chief Rubin points out harm in councilmember’s overtime cuts: I can’t tell if it is a good thing or a bad thing, but a memo to the DC Fire & EMS Department from Chief Dennis Rubin includes a link to STATter911.com. The memo has Chief Rubin explaining the error of Councilmember Phil Mendelson’s ways in cutting overtime expenditures and changing rules over who can get OT and how much they can earn. Here is the latest in the battle between the chief and the committee chairman.

Alibi-cam: Besides providing some very early video of an Austin, Texas building fire, these YouTube clips attempt to make clear that the person who found the fire had nothing to do with it starting. Check it out.

PGFD FF/PM meets man she helped save: Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Firefighter/Paramedic Kathleen Murphy meets Chris Larsen for a second time. At their last meeting in Oxon Hill Larsen didn’t look too good with a truck sitting on top of him. Murphy was recognized for her life-saving actions yesterday. Click here to watch the story.

Firefighter helps save cop: An on-duty Camden, New Jersey firefighter saw a police officer being attacked and rushed over to offer a hand. According to news reports, after hitting him in the face the man tried to grab the officer’s gun. Firefighter Gamalier Rivera helped get the situation under control. Here’s the story.

They are back and they are busy: Firefighters returning to the Flint Fire Department after lay-offs found little rest this past weekend. Watch the story.

Fascinating video from Down Under: Check out Firegeezer’s story of the video showing how a split-second reaction by a dad in Sydney saved a baby’s life.

If you don’t pay we don’t play: That’s the word from Nova Scotia’s Hubbards VFD to its neighbors across the line at Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service. Halifax says it will not triple its payment to Hubbards which runs about half of its calls in Halifax. Click here to read more.

Volunteers say no to consolidation in North Carolina: Many volunteer firefighters are trying to fight plans in New Hanover County to cut stations,  have one chief and make them county volunteers. Read the story.

On the cutting edge: My co-worker James Hash lets the public in on a problem most of you already know about. Above is his report on how auto extrication has been made more difficult by tougher steel being used to make many new cars.

Quick Takes

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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

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.

Quick Takes

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PGFD second-alarm: Despite all of the controversy, they still fight fires in Prince George’s County, Maryland. This is Chief Spokesman Mark Brady’s video of a fire yesterday afternoon at a storage facility in Landover Hills. The report was for smoke coming from a storage locker in the 3800 block of 64th Avenue. Brady says the firefighters found heavy smoke coming from a whole row of lockers. Two firefighters injured their hands during overhaul. One was sent to Baltimore for a hospital that specializes in hand trauma.

You will want to read this – Father & son, chief & assistant chief, both arrested during fire at son’s home: The man whose house was on fire Sunday in the Village of Powell in Monroe Township, Pennsylvania was not happy with the way firefighters were going about their business. That man ended up on the wrong end of a state trooper’s stun gun and was arrested. So was his father. The two men are the ranking officers of a neighboring fire company. Check it out.

An amazingly tragic series of events: I will let you be the judge of whether justice was served with the rapid fire news that keeps coming out of DeKalb County, Georgia. From, by all accounts so far, a very flawed response to an elderly woman’s call for help, to a report by fire officials, to the termination of three officers and a firefighter, to the immediate resignation of the fire chief took just eight days. I am sure there is something, but nothing comes immediately to mind of any other fire service incidents that compare to how quickly and severely this one was handled. We have the latest from Georgia with yesterday afternoon’s sudden departure of Chief David Foster. Click here.

Steve Skipton once again on the scene: Click the image for Steve's series of pictures at PhillyFireNews.com of a fire yesterday afternoon at 768 Division Street in Camden, New Jersey.

Steve Skipton once again on the scene: Click the image for Steve's series of pictures at PhillyFireNews.com of a fire yesterday afternoon at 768 Division Street in Camden, New Jersey.

A must see interview with an injured firefighter: We mentioned this yesterday, but hadn’t yet watch the video from our sister-station. Click here to watch the interview from Cory Broich’s hospital bed. The Clearwater, Minnesota firefighter has been hospitalized since last week after being struck by a vehicle on I-94. The firefighter has a number of operations ahead on his badly mangled legs before he will be able to attempt walking again. He talks about trying to crawl away to avoid being hit again. You will also see Firefighter Broich with his five children who can’t wait for daddy to be home again (could be three weeks).

Command “badly let down” firefighters: That’s one of the conclusions of the investigation in Australia of the deadly “Black Saturday” fires from a year ago in Marysville. Read the latest.

Mayor says he didn’t do it: In Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mayor Rick Gray says the standoff with firefighters about layoffs is “not my decision”. He puts that at the feet of firefighters. Read more.

Mayor says he did it: In Chillicothe, Ohio, Mayor Joe Sulzer says he ordered Chief Bruce Vaughn to reprimand two firefighters who spoke up about issues at a council meeting. The mayor says speaking in such forums about policy issues is “a management right”. The firefighters say it is also a union right. Read more about the dispute.

Drugs and alcohol in Boston: Random testing is still at the center of a long contract dispute, but there already is a more limited program in place for Boston firefighters. One TV station investigated and shows the results from the drug and alcohol screening of new employees and those who show signs of impairment. Click here.

Same problem in Pittsburgh: The mayor and the union are pointing fingers at each other over missing a deadline for a new drug and alcohol policy after some high profile incidents. Here’s the latest. Click here for our previous coverage.

Watching the axe swing in New York: City Council members aren’t sure this time they will be able to restore what could be drastic cuts for FDNY. They are talking about the possibility of 20 companies and 500 firefighters. Click here for a good summary of the politics by The New York Times. And here for a little history lesson from FossilMedic Mike Ward that includes a classic newspaper headline.

And, similar budget issues at the other end of the country: In the City of Los Angeles they are studying the possibility of fire department layoffs. Read more.

His kind of town: We finally added Steve Redick’s second video of a busy Sunday night in Chicago. Two extra-alarm fires about two-hours apart destroyed a church and a restaurant. Redick, who dispatches those fire trucks when he isn’t chasing them, also has two books on fire rigs in and around Chicago. Click here to watch the video, listen to the fireground audio and read the details. Also, Firegeezer adds his own views of the two fires with Larry Shapiro’s fine photos.

More from East St. Louis, Illinois: The firefighters make their case about furloughs and budget cuts in an already thin department. Click here. You may recall our recent posting, with video, of just how thin they are running in East St. Louis.

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House fire in Norwich, Connecticut: This fire on Prospect Street was reported around 7:00 PM on Saturday. No injuries, but 23 people have been displaced. The home housed a substance-abuse recovery program for women. Read the details.

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NEW – Timing is everything: Read the Un-Official Howard County (MD) Fire Blog story on the luckiest man in Columbia. He couldn’t have picked a better moment to fall through the ice while trying to retrieve his dog.

Firefighter rap sheets making the news in two cities: We summarize the coverage from two cities as TV reporters look closely at how the fire departments in Memphis and Pittsburgh are handling firefighters who get arrested.  Alcohol and drugs are behind many of the arrests, both directly and indirectly.  

Related to all of this is one case in Memphis where there was an unintentional swap between two fire departments that is quite interesting and somewhat ironic. Click here for the details and the TV coverage.

It’s not just the firefighters Part 1 – Read statements from firefighters about chief who showed up to fatal fire after a few drinks: Tarpon Springs, Florida Chief Stephen Moreno has been suspended after allegations he arrived at a fire after a few drinks, gave orders without checking in with the IC, and had no radio or gear. On top of that, his wife was walking around the fire scene. Read the paperwork, watch and read the story.

It’s not just the firefighters Part 2 – Kentucky chief under investigation resigns: Firegeezer has the story on Chief Paul Barth who has resigned from the McMahan Fire District in Jefferson County. Barth has been suspended since November 24 over money issues that now involve the U.S. Secret Service.

A Steve Skipton photo of Sunday morning's 5-alarm vacant warehouse fire in Gloucester City, New Jersey. Click the image for more pictures from Steve and Ted Aurig at PhillyFireNews.com.

A Steve Skipton photo of Sunday morning's 5-alarm vacant warehouse fire in Gloucester City, New Jersey. Click the image for more pictures from Steve and Ted Aurig at PhillyFireNews.com.

Overtime issue in DC: Another in the regular oversight hearings on overtime expenditures by the DC Fire & EMS Department. There were no fireworks between Chairman Phil Mendelson and Chief Dennis Rubin this time. One reason is that the chief didn’t make the hearing (which did not make the councilmember happy). Read Michael Neibauer’s article in The Examiner last week. Watch the hearing

Town divided over possible return of firefighters involved in costly gay bashing lawsuit: The possibility of three firefighters returning to the Secaucus Volunteer Fire Department after the town lost an almost $5 million lawsuit by a gay couple who lived next door to Engine Co. 2/ Rescue Co. 1 has brought mixed reaction. The trio resigned after the couple won the suit and are now looking to be reinstated. Read the details.

Fireground audio, video & pictures from tanker truck fire on LIE: A large overhead signed collapsed early on after a gasoline tanker truck crashed and burned Saturday on the Long Island Expressway. Click here for the before and after picture and the rest of our coverage.

They blew the #@!* out of the package: That was the case on November 6 in Longview, Washington. A bomb squad disrupted a suspicious package outside City Hall only to find it was full of feces. Now, officials say a retired firefighter left it and tried to blame it on another firefighter. Here are the details.

Firefighters save only ashes and a woman thinks they are heroes: In Albury, Australia a burning restaurant was pretty much a total loss. But it wasn’t quite at that point when the decision was made to send two firefighters in to make a recovery while the fire burned above. All the firefighters returned with were ashes and to a restaurant worker that was just perfect. Click here for the answer to this riddle.

Everyone wants to be a fire dispatcher: In Lockport, New York, both the police department and the Niagara County sheriff are eager to take over dispatching duties for the fire department. It is part of an effort to free up a firefighter each shift. Click here for the story

Station 54 where are you?: Actually it should be where is the crew? A shake-up at the Houston fire station at the center of the scandal that helped push Phil Boriskie out of the chief’s office and back into a fire station. Read more.

Firefighter recovering from dog bites following river rescue: LAFD mounted a significant effort from the air and ground to save a dog floating down the Los Angeles River. It took a firefighter dropping from a chopper to save the dog. In the process, Joe St. Georges received some significant punctures on his arm and hand. Read our coverage here and click here for interviews with the firefighter.

Take the bus, but don’t leave the driving to him: There was a major rescue effort in the Nova Scotia River Saturday night after an Acadian Lines bus fell off a bridge in whiteout conditions. The most experienced person involved in this type of rescue operation was likely the bus driver. Driver Ken Mitchell was at the wheel of another Acadian Lines bus that skidded off a bridge into the Baddeck River last February. Read and watch the story.

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Rescuing a blind and deaf Chief (we don’t mean the guy in the picture above): Chief in this case is a 30-year-old horse. Chief fell into a sinkhole yesterday afternoon in Frederick County, Maryland. It took firefighters six hours to bring Chief to safety. Watch the story above, or click here to read more.

NOTE: Don’t forget the player at the right where there are new videos from Haiti and the work of the USAR teams. Also, the aftermath of a Germantown, Maryland two-alarm apartment fire where Montgomery County crews brought numerous people to safety down ladders. (Click here for more details from the fire.)

NEW- Houston fire chief out after botched sensitivity/grievance session: At 7:00 this morning Houston firefighters were notified that Chief Phil Boriskie would be stepping down. At 8:30 the chief gathered the press to say he was stepping aside and returning to the firehouse after six-years as chief. Certainly not a bit of a surprise after last week’s gathering the chief ran at Station 54 to welcome back Firefighter Jane Draycott. Draycott is the firefighter who reported some not so nice graffiti in the women’s locker room and then became the target of the investigation. What was apparently someone’s idea that there should be “a can’t we all get along” type meeting attended by the chief blew up as a station captain and two other firefighters read letters saying why they didn’t want Draycott at their firehouse. Talk about making a bad situation worse.

The Houston Chronicle has this quote from IAFF Local 341 President Jeff Caynon: “The truth is, Chief Boriskie was a victim of his good nature and management style, both of which left him vulnerable to political attack. For the past year, the opportunist politicians, extremist activists and disgruntled city employees who recklessly stereotyped local firefighters also treated the chief despicably.”

Houston’s mayor is expected to have her briefing on the fire chief situation later today.

In case you missed it, click the image to view the flashover video and close call from Gary, Indiana.

In case you missed it, click the image to view the flashover video and close call from Gary, Indiana.

Just trust me and click where I tell you: You will want to see this picture from a Schenectady, New York apartment fire. Plus there is good fireground audio from FireSceneAudio.com. So what are you waiting for? Click here

A phone call from Haiti: Captain Joe Knerr from the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department took a few minutes away from his vital work in Haiti to give STATter911.com a call yesterday afternoon with the latest on Virginia Task Force 1. The team has assisted in 15 rescues since its arrival last week. You can listen to the entire interview with Captain Knerr and see some close-up video of the team’s work during the very first rescue last Thursday. Click here for our coverage.

A close call even before arriving in Haiti: Read the story of a Natick, Massachusetts firefighter’s trip to help earthquake victims. A near collision brought on some other problems with the plane that was taking firefighters to Haiti.

This is Travis Mosher the former Manassas Park, Virginia police captain accused of stealing a fire chief's buggy. InsideNova.com now reports a radio transmission from that vehicle gave a report of shots fired at an IKEA store. Click the image for the latest information.

This is Travis Mosher the former Manassas Park, Virginia police captain accused of stealing a fire chief's buggy. InsideNova.com now reports a radio transmission from that vehicle gave a report of shots fired at an IKEA store. Click the image for the latest information.

“A sneak peak into hell”: That’s what an Austin firefighter calls a fire ten-years-ago that almost killed a captain. John Butz lost a thumb, had burns over much of his body and suffered a heart attack because of the fire. He is now a battalion chief. Chief Butz and the firefighters who saved him talk about their experience. Click here.

170-year-old church burns: History destroyed in Cummington, Massachusetts. Community Congregational Church has been on the scene in the town of 1500 since 1840. Check out the video and the pictures from a man who goes back almost as far, Firegeezer.

Laid off firefighter is first arriving at house fire: Jason Harris is one of the firefighters who was laid off in December from New York’s Canandaigua Fire Rescue. But that didn’t stop Harris when fire broke out in his neighborhood. Read the details.

She looked flushed: ”Ying Chao was relieved in more ways than one when volunteer firefighters came to her rescue at a Blenheim public toilet last night.” That’s the first line of the story about the poor woman in Australia who dialed 111 when she had trouble making a getaway from the bathroom. It turned out she really didn’t need much help. Read more.

Historic hotel burns: This was the 96-year-old Fort Hotel that burned in the city of Fort Saskatchewan in Alberta, Canada yesterday afternoon. As you will see in this report, the fire apparently started in the restaurant and spread to the second and third floors. From CTV, Edmonton- “Halfway through their [fire crews] search on the second floor they came across where the fire had spread and it was too hot for the crews to continue,” said Deputy Fire Chief James Clark.” Incident command made the decision to go defensive so it was safe for all the firefighters.” Click here for more video.

Quick Takes

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Lots of fire and lots of video: A Sunday afternoon fire that burned well into Sunday evening in Jonesville, Michigan. The fire spread from a restaurant to a furniture store. Click here for much more video.

James R. Beavers of Elgin, Illinois after his run-in with firefighters and the man who took this picture, Bill O'Neill at Elginet.com. Truly a story you don't want to miss.

James R. Beavers of Elgin, Illinois after his run-in with firefighters and the man who took this picture, Bill O'Neill at Elginet.com. Truly a story you don't want to miss.

Must see video of accused arsonist fighting with firefighters who just saved his child: Firefighters in Elgin, Illinois rescued a toddler who was in a high chair inside a burning home. The child’s dad, James Beavers, is seen on the video giving grief to firefighters as and after the kid was brought out of the home. Firefighters appeared quite restrained as Beavers started doing a little pushing and shoving. Police arrested Beavers and then charged him with arson. Click here for our coverage.

More must see video – Workers caught in explosion at Utah refinery: The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has shut down the Silver Eagle plant. They released multiple videos of the blast. Click here to watch the clips.

Three-year-old boy pulled his burned sister from a fire: Pretty unbelievable story. The mother of the children died in the same blaze in Arizona. Click here to read the story.

Things changing quickly in New York: The deadly fire was on Wednesday in Crown Heights, killing a father and his two children. By Thursday morning union leaders were again blasting city officials for a delay in the dispatch, calling it another example of what happens when you cut fire dispatchers out of the call taking process and leave it to the police. They called for the 911 recordings to be released. The city denied there was a problem and released the audio on Friday. By Friday afternoon it was announced fire dispatchers would be brought back into the process to “consult” with police department workers who were taking the 911 calls. This concept begins tomorrow. The New York Times has a report and Billy Goldfeder gives his analysis at FirefighterCloseCalls.com.

Pharaoh curses firefighters: At least it probably seemed that way to a group of Australian firefighters and their families. They were part of an annual event at Melbourne’s Luna Park when they became trapped upside down on the ride Pharaohs Curse. The firefighter’s on-duty colleagues were called, but the ride eventually decided to cooperate and brought them down after about six-minutes. Read the story.

Have you seen me? This Dalamation has been missing from Sacramento Fire Station 2 for three days. It isn't possible the pooch left on its own. Click the image to read more about the missing dog at SacramentoPress.com

Have you seen me? This Dalamation has been missing from Sacramento Fire Station 2 for three days. It isn't possible the pooch left on its own. Click the image to read more about the missing dog at SacramentoPress.com

I wonder if he fights with himself at the scene about whether to clear the roadway?: The new fire chief for South Carolina’s Clearwater Fire Department is Aiken County Sheriff Michael Hunt. Read more.

Definition of firefighter came into play as killer gets life sentence: In case you missed it on Friday, a judge has found Joseph Taye guilty of first degree murder. Taye, a paraplegic, ran down Firefighter Michelle Smith at the scene of an accident in Delaware last year and left the scene. Because the judge ruled that Smith was a firefighter at the time, even though she was handling EMS duties, it is a mandatory life sentence for Mr. Taye. Read the latest.

Video from DC second-alarm: Chris Oliphant sent us video from Saturday’s house fire on 47th Street, NW. Click here.

Philly fire injures 14: Five-alarms needed for the large apartment buildingfire Sunday morning in Lawncrest. Check it out.

Just aim for the lights: Firegeezer has the story of a suspected drunken driver hitting an ambulance head-on. No one was hurt in the Knoxville, Tennessee collision.

A late reminder: I totally missed last week’s installment from Ray McCormack at thehousewatch.com. Click here for Tactical Safety: Shortcutting the Stretch Eventually Stings.

Boardwalk blaze: Click here for video and pictures of a three-alarm fire on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City. (But it took the better eyesight of Firegeezer Bill Schumm to notice the business next to the one with all of the red stuff coming out of it had a sign saying Hot Spot.)

Three, including a former fire chief, are charged in connection with forged training documents in Colorado: Click here for the story from Sheridan and Federal Heights.

Connecting with STATter911.com: Besides our web address, www.STATter911.com, you can find us lots of other ways. Join our a fan page on Facebook. We are on Twitter. We are part of FireEMSBlogs.com and FirefighterNation.com. You can also get the home delivery version

Frustration in Maine over firefighter/arsonists: We told you about two firefighters in Maine charged with arson a few days apart. WCSH-TV takes a look at the bigger picture.

Quick Takes

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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.

Must see video of firetruck crash: Click here to watch the incident from Saturday in Russia.

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.

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.

Oklahoma fire chief charged: An update on the story we told you about on Saturday where the fire chief of Cashion, Oklahoma and his wife, the town treasurer, have been under investigation. News reports indicate Chief Danny Clark has now been charged with conspiracy along with the town’s former police chief. More investigations are underway. You may recall the tragic story last month where  Danny and Stephanie Clark were the first to arrive after an SUV hit a tree south of town. Their daughter was dead on the scene. Click here for the latest.

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.

Topless coffee shop is back: You may recall this story when Maine’s Grand View restaurant burned in June. Click here to read and watch the update.

Raw video from Oregon fire: This is from Tuesday morning’s fire at a Portland school.

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.

Secondary crash turns over ambulance: Firegeezer on top of a story in Jacksonville, Florida where a delivery truck invaded an accident scene.

What’s wrong with this picture? Plenty. Firefighter’s widow wants blogger to do the right thing.

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UPDATE- The firefighter's picture and the story have nothing to do with each other. Efforts by firefighters and FireEngineering.com have since had this image removed from the Australian blog.
UPDATE- The firefighter’s picture and the story have nothing to do with each other. Efforts by firefighters and FireEngineering.com have since had this image removed from the Australian blog.

Watch interview with Kristen Curry

UPDATE: Fire service online community gets image removed

Regular STATter911.com readers will likely recognize the man in the picture above. We have run the picture a number of times. He was John Curry, a Volusia County, Florida firefighter who was killed when a tree fell on him during a training accident in 2007.

A blogger in Australia apparently thinks it is okay to use this firefighter’s image to illustrate an unrelated news story that was posted on September 13. Not just any story mind you, but a story about an Australian firefighter who was sent to jail for 20 years after selling naked photos of his daughter and granddaughter.

Kristen Curry told WFTV-TV, “To link such a good man, honorable man, to pornography and rape is just awful.”  I doubt there are many people who would disagree with her.

The blog is called Velociraptor on Zebra. It isn’t like the person running the blog doesn’t know that the person in the picture has nothing to do with the news story. The blogger wrote under the picture: “General picture of a fire-fighter not of the man himself. ”

Okay, nice disclaimer, but did you ever think about the person in the photo and how they might feel about their image illustrating a story about a sexual predator? Or in this case, how the relatives and friends of a fallen firefighter might feel?

The name of the person associated with the website is David Harris. If any of you know David Harris, you might want to contact him. Please let Harris know there’s a woman in Florida who is desperately trying to find him. She is also trying to hold on to an image that is dear to her.

Read more about this story at WFTV.com.

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Chester City Firefighter Bob Butler. Photo by Rikard Larma via Metro International. Click the image to read his story.

Chester City Firefighter Bob Butler. Photo by Rikard Larma via Metro International. Click the image to read his story.


The American flag controversy deepens:
One firefighter, James Krapf,  has been suspended for two days (so far) because he won’t obey the Marine veteran fire commissioner’s order to take the flag sticker off of his locker. Another firefighter, Bob Butler, wears the stars and stripes upside down on his cap.

What is going on in Chester City, Pennsylvania? Click here to find out.

The comments on this one are divided. Most think Firefighter Krapf is doing what is right and standing up for our flag and our country. There is also strong opinion that the firefighter should be following orders, including this one.

In his commentary, Billy Goldfeder makes the point that this may really be about other issues within the department. Either way he worries that the distraction and national attention will impact the job that these firefighters are there to do.  Check out his thoughts.

Chief Reason agrees it may not really be about red, white and blue, but instead, black and white.

There is a rally to support Firefighter Krapf this morning at 9:00.

The story that never ends – Read IG report into how Montgomery County handled assistant chief’s wreck: Remember the case of former Montgomery County, Maryland Assistant Chief Greg DeHaven. The crash of the fire department SUV he was operating into a police car and three other vehicles on the side of I-270 continues to make news almost a year after it happened. The controversy stems from police officers not charging Chief DeHaven with impaired driving despite testing ordered by the fire department showing his blood-alcohol level at .143 three hours after the crash. Now an IG’s report says investigators for the fire department never interviewed the six witnesses on the scene who all suspected alcohol use. The IG is also expected to report on the police department’s role.  The police chief has said an internal report, not publicly released, showed his officers handled the situation properly. Miranda Spivack has the latest story from The Washington Post. Click here to read the report and the recommendations for the Montgomery County Department of Fire & Rescue Service.

Water not a problem at this Chain Bridge Road fire: PIO Pete Piringer made it clear in his Tweets from the scene that the water supply was not a problem at a house fire Saturday on DC’s Chain Bridge Road, NW. Just up the street on July 30 the mansion of a former school board president was destroyed as firefighters spent the better part of two hours trying to get an adequate water supply.  Mayor Adrian Fenty, Chief Dennis Rubin and WASA Chairman William Walker will give an update and release the investigative report from the mayor’s office  looking at the first Chain Bridge Road this morning at Engine 20 in Tenleytown. The last two times the chief and the chairman got together to talk publicly about these same issues it left some council members quite frustrated.

Rescue in Cumberland: My old friend Jeff Alderton at the Cumberland Times-News has a story worth reading on the rescue of a woman from her burning home Friday morning. An off-duty lieutenant spotted the fire and along with others tried to get in. On-duty crews got there and made the grab. The woman is in critical condition.

Early video, lots of rescues, two badly burned in weekend apartment fire in Prince George’s County: PGFD crews plucked a lot of people off balconies, including a man and a woman who were seriously burned, during Saturday’s fire in what used to be called Springhill Lake. Also, a family of six jumped to safety. There is some early video along with still pictures and details. There are also lots of comments, including one writer who was quite critical of your editor, his motivations and the blog’s content. Click here for everything.

Well, they are advertised as high visibility: The NSW Rural Fire Service in Australia ordered the yellow T-shirts for safety, so the firefighters can be seen. Female firefighters in Australia say they are being seen alright, just not in the way they would like. Clearly the shirts were ordered by a man. Check it out

Ladder overturns: Lots of pictures from Quebec where four firefighters were slightly hurt after their truck tipped on its side on a curve while responding to an alarm.

Bone drill: When you can’t find the vein there are other options. Firegeezer looks at the bone drills being used by a Nebraska fire department.

Now Dave is just being silly: More than a year-and-a-half after I discovered it, the Gregson Street Guillotine in Durham still gets my attention. We revisit the box truck killer.

Other new videos: Two-alarm house fire in Wood-Ridge, NJ; House fire in Shelton, Connecticut

911 director resigns over call taker’s nap: A high-profile murder case put the spotlight on this issue in Warren County, Ohio.

Firefighters make too much money: That’s the contention of some in Lee County, Florida.

Wet T-shirt controversy: Female firefighters in Australia say new tops become see-through when wet. Shirts were issued for safety.

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Picture by Adam Ward at Daily Telegraph

Picture by Adam Ward at Daily Telegraph

Excerpts from an article by Gemma Jones at the Daily Telegraph:

A WET T-shirt controversy has broken out among female firefighters who have complained their new Rural Fire Service shirts become see-through when wet.

More than 600 volunteers joined a Facebook petition to object to the issuing of the bright yellow shirts to replace existing navy blue ones.

Women complained that when they sweat, handle leaking hoses, wash or fill their trucks and even when it rains, their male colleagues can see through their new shirts, The Daily Telegraph reports.

“Most women aren’t too happy about it. We’re not doing the job to be glamorous. We’re not sex objects,” Sydney volunteer Maryann Berndt, 34, said yesterday.

An RFS spokesman said the shirts would be issued to volunteers free, unlike the navy ones which members have to pay for and which will remain for sale.

He added that while first yellow shirts issued were of thinner fabric, the next ones due to be issued would have pockets over the chest and would not be see through when wet.

“The colour yellow has been used due to its high visibility. Also, during independent testing in Alberta, Canada, it has been identified that the blue coloured clothing absorbs more heat,” he said.