PA LODD Arrangements; A339 is in service!!!; STATter quotes “The Godfather”; New Videos; Chief 7 email; Judge: beards OK
Click the images above to learn more about the partnership between STATter 911 and Firehouse.com providing live coverage on the web of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Memorial Weekend, October 6 and 7.
Photo by Dave Statter
Sunday Evening Update: After more than 7 months of negotiations and confrontations, a basic life support ambulance began running this morning out of Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Station 33, the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department. The unit has already run its first call. Ambulance 339 (soon to be Ambulance 833) is staffed by two, PGFD career firefighter/EMTs (none of them related to Chief 33) and is scheduled to operate from 0700 to 2300 daily.
According to Kentland officials, A339 ran its first call at 0733 to nearby Dodge Park Road. As of 1900 hours they had run approximately 6 calls. Half of those calls were in Kentland’s first-due response area. While A339 was on calls, Mini-pumper 33 ran 6 calls in Kentland’s first-due.
“Just when I thought that I was out they pull me back in”
You may think that’s Michael Corleone talking. Actually its Dave Statter assessing the Kentland VFD/PGFD situation. With the Ambulance 339 apparently settled for now, maybe I was naive to think things would calm down a bit in Prince George’s County.
Obviously they didn’t. This time the controversy puts D.C. Fire & EMS in the middle of the battle. Details on the mutual aid controversy and and many comments are here.
Update on teen burned in Riverdale firehouse
Riverdale VFD Chief Vince Harrison writes in to our comment section about the teen who was set on fire inside his firehouse. Chief Harrison says he will be at a Riverdale Park (that is what they call the town these days?) town meeting Monday evening to answer questions about this incident.
Arrangements for Firefighter Michael Reagan
The Sharon Hill, PA Fire Company has announced funeral arrangements. Click here for details. You can read more about 19-year-old Michael Reagan, here.
Video of the day
Click above to see raw video of a commercial building fire in Miami. No date on the fire, but good close up video, including of a crew clearly ready for rehab.
Not one, but two vehicles on fire on the highway
The fuel fed fire only grows larger as crews work on the flames coming from a tow truck and a van on Philadelphia’s Platt Bridge on Friday morning.
$1.4 million dollars doesn’t make one firefighter happy
The recent settlement of the Los Angeles Fire Department dog food case hasn’t settled things in Tennie Pierce’s mind. He told a local radio station, “Justice wasn’t done for a black fireman or a minority fireman.” More here.
All hazards fire department down under … and we mean down under
Thanks to Sam Statter for looking over my shoulder and catching the above video. My son wondered what this one was all about. As usual, firefighters to the rescue when people don’t use their heads (or almost lose them).
Woman critical after cigarette sparks fire
Click the image above to see video of a fire Thursday in Palisades Park, NJ. Details here.
Judge okays beards in D.C.
Another long running story is the battle over facial hair in the District of Columbia. The AP reports that Friday, “A federal judge on Friday struck down a requirement that firefighters in the District of Columbia be clean-shaven”.
Reaction from D.C. Fire & EMS:
Alan Etter, a spokesman for D.C. Fire and EMS, said he was not aware of the ruling but said the department would comply. However, he criticized the idea that a bearded firefighter would be safe. He said some of the plaintiffs had already left the department and those who had not were in non-firefighting roles.
“This fire department will never endanger the lives of firefighters, and this is essentially what this is doing,” he said.
Update on the ordeal of burned Missouri firefighter Cindy Shuenke
That’s a St. Louis Post-Dispatch graphic of the house where Cindy Shuenke almost died in March, 2006. In fact, some firefighters thought she was dead, trapped inside the home where the mother of another firefighter lived. The paper, and its website STLtoday.com, have a very detailed look at the battle Firefighter-Paramedic Shuenke, of the Community Fire District, has been through.
A child was burned in this Chicago natur
al gas explosion. A fire department spokesman is letting the public know how this could have been avoided.
FireGeezer on top of breaking news
Working on the details for Emmitsburg next weekend has taken so much time that I have been sticking to my first due a bit (self imposed restriction, not punishment) and haven’t linked as much to some of the other wonderful sites. FireGeezer has been first arriving on a lot of breaking news including the gas explosion at a Chicago apartment, limited access to a fire in Toronto and a Fort Wayne hazmat. Bill does such a good job I never mind picking up the plug for him (how corny).
I also missed plugging Jim Featherstone’s look at modern pumpers.
Also, I am holding my own after the Geeze picked up my challenge for a 50s TV trivia quiz. But it’s early and he’s older.
WithTheCommand.com
A lot of stories on WithTheCommand.com: firefighters in Canada forced to saw off a man’s arm; fire at a university; 8 firefighters injured in Worcester, MA during a rescue attempt. Ron is always helping spread the word when we have exclusive stories on STATter 911.
Firefighter Nation
While there is so much to look on Firefighter Nation, I like the reaction of the Houston fire captain to the snake in the grass. Lots of videos.
DCFD.com
John Mullen, newly appointed honorary Local 36 member, has Elliot Goodman’s pictures from D.C.’s 4-alarm fire.
DCFD.com also has an update on our friend Steve Reid who had to go back into the hospital.
VAFireNews.com
Rhett Fleitz, the wearer of many hats, somehow keeps on top of the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. VAFireNews.com has stories on the tactical communications grant announced by Governor Kaine, a fatal Richmond fire and much more.
Firefighter Close Call and The Secret List
The man who sleeps less than I do is Chief Billy Goldfeder. As usual, he has updates on firefighter fatalities and injuries along with good lesson for everyone.
From the South
Jay has probably written more words on the Charleston tragedy. Now he speaks them with his Internet radio program.
SConFire.com helped inspire VAFireNews.com and others. If it has SC attached to it, Grant is usually on it.
FireNews.net has details of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum visit to Raleigh and much more.
Fairfax County Fire Department 5th Battalion Training
This picture from SteelValleyFire.com is the basis of a lesson on the site A Shift runs.
Firefighter Spot
Maryland Fire News
Spencer has Newburg VFD’s pictures of a van overturned and on fire.
Tin Helmet.com
Charles Bailey’s tinhelmet.com has a new article today by Bill Carey called “What Am I Getting Into?”
And finally, from Seattle
This was Saturday’s Red Bull Soap Box Race.
