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Quick Takes

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A Gary house fire: The photographer and the first engine caught this house fire early. It was in the 2600 block of East 22nd. No date given.

Firefighters accused of sharing medical records of chief’s wife: From Jackson Township, Ohio, three firefighters are facing internal charges after records from a call where the fire chief’s wife said she was being choked were distributed. Here’s the story

Chief says firefighters did everything possible in double fatal fire: Chief Stan Smoke in Wenatchee, Washington says an internal investigation backs the actions of firefighters at an apartment fire earlier this month where two elderly woman died. The family of 87-year-old Elsie Reiswig has been wondering why a firefighter who climbed a ladder and talked to the woman at her window didn’t immediately take her down that ladder. Instead, the firefighter apparently climbed back down to drop off tools, “conferred with other firefighters about what to do and then climbed back up the ladder to start taking Reiswig out the window.” By then the woman had walked out through the hallway. She died the next day of a heart attack. Click here for more on Chief Smoke’s findings from the Wenatchee World.

Nanny twice walks barefoot through fire to save child: A pretty remarkable story from Shelby County, Kentucky. Make sure you take a moment to read it.

Fear in Flint: No overnight report yet on Flint, Michigan, a day after a series of nine fires in vacant building. The fires came hours before the first layoffs of 23 firefighters took place. The two firefighters injured in those blazes were among those on the layoff list. Two firehouses are scheduled to close today, leaving just four stations. The mayor reacts to the fires saying they appear to have been set for some ”perverted political purpose”. With fewer firefighters and police to deal with an arsonist on the loose, residents aren’t happy. Read the story here and here. Watch the story.

Firefighters and mayor battle it out in Wilkes-Barre, PA: The latest on the reduction of minimum staffing and closing of companies as the two sides square off very publicly at a city council meeting. Here’s the story.

Sex, fire and presidential politics all come together in North Carolina: A significant fire has hit the courthouse in Chatham County which has been the site of a dispute over a video purportedly showing John Edwards in a sexual encounter. Even though his story doesn’t mention that fact, you know Firegeezer had a gut feeling there was something sleazy in there (he finds those stories even when he isn’t trying). Most important is that Bill has the video and the fire details. Click here

Deputy chief awakened from daylight nap shoots woman: Police say the woman tried to burglarize the home of Philadelphia Fire Department Deputy Chief Robert Wilkins yesterday. Apparently not understanding that some people work shift work and sleep during the day, the woman soon was on the receiving end of the chief’s gun. Click here for the story

F-bombs by chief officer to other chief officer found offensive and lead to discipline: In Clearwater, Florida, Division Chief Richard Riley, formerly of the Washington, DC area, gets three days off for they way he handled a problem with another chief officer. But it is clear by the article in the St. Petersburg Times that problems run a little deeper than a few four letter words in a department that has long had some well publicized unrest. Here’s the latest.

Another firm apparently turned down medical flight that led to crash: Click here for coverage of yesterday’s helicopter crash that killed a crew of three in Brownsville, Tennessee.

PALS recert records lead to firings in Trenton: We forgot to give you this one yesterday, but there is trouble for a group of paramedics who are being accused of falsifying pediatric ALS certifications and have been fired by Capital Health Emergency Medical Services. Read the details.

This is different: It is a time lapse video of a day in the life of the Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company in Loudoun County, Virginia. It was put together by Photo 601 Steve Kusterer.

Quick takes

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From the STATter911.com archives: This is a little DCFD action I came across recently. It is the October 15, 1984 fire at the U.S. Postal Service Headquarters building at 475 L’Enfant Plaza, Southwest (20260-2200, if anyone cares). 

Lt. Kelli Weeks is at the center of the mysterious investigation at the Bourne Fire Department. Click the image for the latest.

Lt. Kelli Weeks is at the center of the mysterious investigation at the Bourne Fire Department. Click the image for the latest.

Bourne’s identity is in crisis: The Bourne Fire Department in Massachusetts seems to be more like a soap opera than a place providing emergency services. A deputy chief is on full duty status while a rape charge goes through the courts. His wife, a lieutenant who posed for a charity calendar, is under investigation for something. Firefighters are being interviewed at the police station about the lieutenant. Town officials refuse to shed any light on what is going on and apparently have accused a firefighter of leaking information to the press. That firefighter is now off duty because of stress issues. And there’s more. Click here for our rundown.

A battle in New Jersey over the effective closing of a volunteer company: We have a detailed article from the Courier-Post’s Jane Roh showing both sides of the fight in Cherry Hill, New Jersey over orders from the chief of the Cherry Hill Fire Department that forced the VFC to close. Interesting stuff that is well worth reading. Click here.

Man arrested for fire at place where 9/11 remains are held: Craven and contemptible is how New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg describes someone who would do this act. Read the story

Better late than never I: Three days after it occurred, we finally reported on a two-alarm fire a few miles from STATter911.com’s World Headquarters. The fire was Thursday in Alexandria, Virginia and an alert regular reader found some early video. Click here.

Better late than never II: The Wenatchee World is a lot slower than STATter911.com. On Friday, the paper posted a story about a member of the Wenatchee Fire Department who was terminated in July. Apparently the paper only recently noticed that a woman, heralded as the first-ever female firefighter in Wenatchee when she was hired in May, 2008, was missing from the 36 member department. It turns out that Kari Paulson had her probation period extended after a c0-worker filed a complaint (a rather tardy filing) after being sent more than 50 sexually suggestive text messages while on duty. The paper reports, while on the extended probation, Paulson called in sick. On that sick day she was spotted at a Coldplay concert (I admit I had to look it up to find out they are an English alternative rock band). Read the story.

In Marathon County, Wisconsin firefighters train with new radios that have been drawing complaints. The Wausau Daily Herald's Brian Reisinger takes a look at the history and concerns about the radio system. Click the picture by the paper's Corey Schjoth to read the story.

In Marathon County, Wisconsin firefighters train with new radios that have been drawing complaints. The Wausau Daily Herald's Brian Reisinger takes a look at the history and concerns about the radio system. Click the picture by the paper's Corey Schjoth to read the story.

Actions of medics are focus of lawsuit: A story from Ohio on the Bainbridge Township Fire Department. A lawsuit has been filed saying that medics did not provide the proper treatment to a woman in cardiac arrest and changed their story about what was and wasn’t done. WKYC-TV reports word from Bainbridge officials is that appropriate care was provided. At the same time the TV station reports the two paramedics were given remedial training, protocols were changed and the medical director replaced. Click here for the story.

Joy ride in FD vehicle: Police in Massachusetts have arrested a 39-year-old man for stealing a Crown Vic belonging to the Lowell Fire Department. Click here for details.

5-alarms in the Bronx: Firegeezer has the details, pictures and more from the fire that destroyed 14 businesses Saturday morning.

Fire in Delaware: Early video from a fire Friday in Glasgow.

The long road to become a firefighter: A very interesting article about a 40-something who decided to become a firefighter after a career as a chef , on the water and both.

Housekeeping: Some of you who subscribe to home delivery of STATter911.com may not be getting that service now that we have moved. There is a convenient place to re-subscribe (or be a new subscriber) in the right hand column near the top. Also, if you have a site that has been running an RSS feed of STATter911.com, thank you! If you haven’t updated it to our new blog the address is simple- http://statter911.com/feed/ .  Don’t forget you can follow STATter911.com on Twitter, our Facebook fan page, on LinkedIn and Firefighter Nation. If none of those work, just send me your number and I will read STATter911.com to you over the phone.

4-alarm house fire: Sunday evening in West Caldwell, New Jersey. Description with the video indicates water issues with the initial companies.