Quick takes
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Raw video & pictures of dramatic rescue at Virginia dam: The boat these two men had been fishing from is 75-feet below at the bottom of the Occoquan River dam. Two helicopter crews came in and rescued the men from their very precarious perch. The picture and video come from the O.W.L. VFD. Click here to see our coverage.
Air France plane missing: Contact was lost with the jet over the Atlantic on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. It is Air France Flight 447, an Airbus A330, with 228 people on board. Check out WUSA9.com for the latest.
FF accused of slugging politician over possible layoffs: In Bridgewater, Massachusetts on Friday morning, a 44-year-old firefighter and a 26-year-old town selectman were in Barrett’s Ale House. One of them came out with a welt on his check. It wasn’t the firefighter. Apparently a discussion over possible firefighter layoffs didn’t go well. Since our original post on this story the firefighter has admitted he threw the punch and is apologizing. Click here for all of the details.
The latest from the Oklahoma incident: It seems to be THE most talked about topic at the moment in the world of EMS and law enforcement. We have posted about 200 comments and that is small potatoes compared to the more than 7,000 comments on a YouTube video of last Sunday’s confrontation in Peden, Oklahoma. That video had about 300 views when I embedded it Wednesday morning after learning about the incident from Firefighter Close Calls. It is now near 1 million views. I’d like to credit STATter911.com with providing the sizable viewing audience, but it is really the other way around. The person who uploaded the video provided links to STATter911.com on Friday and since then we have been seeing some record traffic passing through the blog. The most recent information is from our Friday night posting where the two OHP troopers were officially identified and Paramedic Maurice White Jr. wrote a comment to a TV station website. Click here.
Fire department shut down after claims of gay bashing and hazing: This story is from the San Antonio, Texas area. Bexar County has suspended the Camelot VFD after allegations from a former member who says he is gay. The chief says the man was terminated for stealing and not because of his sexual orientation. The department had previously been in trouble after allegations of hazing surfaced. Click here for details.
Remembering two firefighters from Washington, DC: On Sunday May 30, 1999 we were hosting a party for my brother-in-law’s graduation from law school. I had to leave the wife to handle all the set-up and details after getting an early morning phone call that a firefighter had died and others were critically burned at 3146 Cherry Lane, NE. Firefighter Anthony Phillips of Engine 10, known as “Sauce”, was pronounced dead shortly after the 12:17 AM fire. I was standing inside Engine 10 Monday afternoon when the announcement came over the vocal alarm that Firefighter Louis Matthews of Engine 26 had also died. Firefighter Joseph Morgan, who allowed me to later chronicle some of his recovery and battles with the bureaucracy, was given a 50-50 chance of survival. On Saturday, firefighters, family and friends gathered to remember Firefighters Phillips and Matthews. Click here for pictures, links to coverage from 1999 and the 258-page reconstruction committee report.
Motorcycles hit ladder truck in Maryland: The four bikes were leaving an event on Saturday for injured soldiers at Whites Ferry when Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Department Truck 31 came around the corner in the opposite direction. The lead motorcyclist hit the truck and then everyone went down. The truck was heading non-emergency to set up a helicopter landing zone for the event. They ended up needing a landing zone to medevac the biker who hit the truck. Two others were treated and released at a local hospital. There is minor damage to the rig, but it was routinely impounded for the investigation. Read more.
MD VFD confined to its first due: In case you missed it, the Boulevard Heights Volunteer Fire Department has been confined to its first due area. PGFD says the department’s responses are inadequate and it is not following the rules. Click here for our coverage.
Arson in New Hampshire: Firegeezer has a look at a busy weekend for firefighters in Manchester, NH with three separate set fires. Check it out.
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