Quick takes
In just ten days you won’t see this: FDNY’s Ladder 53 soon won’t be operating at 3:50 AM like it did Tuesday morning. The City Island company is among those that will not be staffed in the evenings and overnight beginning January 17. This photo, by ludici for The Daily News, accompanies an article that points out the second due ladder arrived eight minutes behind Ladder 53. Three residents of the apartment building and five firefighters suffered smoke inhalation. There is video here.
How many chiefs does it take to handle a tanker crash?: For a while there were only chiefs on the scene of a tanker accident on a major Prince George’s County, Maryland highway. Click here for the video and the story.
Stolen ambo quickly recovered: An ambulance from Charles County vanished from Southern Maryland Hospital around midnight. Prince George’s County police found it and the man driving the ambulance a few miles away and made an arrest.
Assistant chief’s wreck prompts another probe: The crash of a fire department vehicle into a police car following a football game already has an investigation on going by the IG for Montgomery County, MD. Now the collision involving Assistant Chief Greg DeHaven has the police chief ordering an internal probe into the actions of his officers. Read the details.
Drive two rigs to the scene but only use one: That’s the plan to handle budget cuts in Camden, NJ. Instead of paying straight time to meet minimum staffing, Chief Joseph Marini proposes that short companies pair up at the scene. The union is fighting it. From the Courier Post–
Marini said the task force system shouldn’t compromise public safety unless firefighters have to deal with more than one blaze at the same time.
He acknowledged task-force firefighters taking two trucks to a scene would lack the manpower to use both vehicles, but that they’d be able to choose which one to use.
Normally, he said, firefighters initially pump water on a blaze with an engine truck, but they may get to the scene and realize a ladder truck is needed for a rescue.
Bullets and flames in PA: SWAT covered firefighters in Erie, PA early Tuesday after a man fired shots at police. Two homes were destroyed and it appears the gunman also burned up. Read more.
Tribute to fallen firefighter: Ken McMahon sent along a lovely video in honor of Delaware City’s Michelle Smith who was buried on Monday. Click here to see it.
Sad anniversary in PA: Tuesday was one year since the electrocution of Scranton Fire Department Captain James Robeson. Read about his family and friends.
More on Arlington, VA apartment fire and rescues: Here is our original story on the Tuesday morning fire in Rosslyn. Click here for a video report from 9NEWS NOW’s Phyllis Armstrong. There is also a run down of the fire from ACFD3.com.
Arsonist wants a secure retirement: Remember Jeffrey Boyle the Chicago firefighter who got 6 years for arson? He’s fighting for his pension.
Suing over the fireground commander’s decisions: A volunteer firefighter from Minnesota is suing the city of Owatonna claiming a fireground commander at a church fire is responsible for his injuries after a wall fell at a church fire. Read and watch the story.
I wonder if it was an electrical fire?: It is among the first buildings wired for electric lighting because it was used as a boarding house for employees of some guy named Edison. The historic 70s home (as in 1870s) had been moved from Menlo Park, NJ to Dearborn, MI. It burned on Monday. Read more here and here.
Sprinklers for Maryland county: Anne Arundel’s council voted to require sprinklers for new homes. Read the story. Watch the story.
Four-alarms near Fenway: Video and stories from yesterday’s fire that damaged stores in Boston.
A little history lesson: Nothing earth shattering here. Just a nice look back to 1963 when Florida’s Lehigh Acres fire department began. Click here.
At least I played nice, not so the Geezer: I thought I showed great restraint during a delicate but tragic story we ran from Australia yesterday. Personally, I think FireGeezer is piling on with the puns in an uplifting story from Vail, Colorado. Click here if you think you can handle it.
And if that isn’t enough for you, Mike Legeros at the Raleigh/Wake Firefighting Blog un-Vails his sense of humor. I am shocked that my blogging brothers would stoop so low. Just be lucky you are reading STATter 911 where we don’t expose you to such trivial matters.
On second thought, let the Geezer or Legeros try to top this for unusal stories: A 36 foot red truck with the lights, ladders and sirens of a fire engine was parked at the south end of Joshua Tree National Park in California. It had no tags, it wasn’t registered and there were no firefighters around. There were three people inside, including one described as a hitchiker. There were also dead animals in the truck, including owls, hawks, an elk’s head and a baby skunk. Now there is an answer to what this was all about that almost makes sense. Click here to find out for yourself.
Historic theater burns in Florida: The Imogene Theater, dating back to 1912, was heavily damaged and nearby businesses were destroyed in a wind blown fire in Milton. Watch raw video. See more pictures by Katie King and read details from the Pensacola News Journal.
