Quick takes
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Another “before” picture of ill-fated aerial: An image of New Eagle VFD’s Ladder 14 before its collapse on the fireground in Monongahela, Pennsylvania on Sunday. The best information is that there was only one person at the tip during ladder pipe operations at the time of the collapse. That firefighter was treated and released. We have dozens of photographs of Ladder 14 from the fire thanks to Wayne E. Ray. A few taken while it was in operation and many more after the ladder came crashing down. Click here for that, plus details, links and videos.
District chief & car collide while going to the same place: In Boston on Sunday a district chief heading to a house fire collided with a car. It turns out both vehicles were on the way to the same burning house. The driver of the car was the owner of the house. Apparently the house didn’t suffer serious damage. The chief and his aide ended up at the hospital after their SUV came to a stop against the steps of a church. Click here to watch the story.
Firefighter charged with arson & murder after two house fires: Two homes, one-mile apart, burned on Highway 9 in Union County, Mississippi early Saturday morning. An 88-year-old woman in one of the homes died. Now, a 22-year-old volunteer firefighter is in jail. Read the story.
She fell head over heels for her man, literally. Watch video of a dangerous proposal: A little romance went haywire on Sunday. A man popped the question to his girl Sunday near Great Falls in Maryland. She apparently said yes and then took a bad tumble down a rock face. It took firefighters and a U.S. Park Police helicopter to get her out of there. She has serious but not life threatening injuries. Click here for the story and here for the helicopter video.
On Labor Day more firefighters got paid to stay home than ever before: Another money saving measure by Prince George’s County drastically cut the number of career firefighters working on Labor Day. In an effort to avoid paying holiday pay (double time), about 50 slots went unfilled compared to previous years. This included battalion chiefs, EMS supervisors, a safety officer and all the shift work firefighters at eight fire stations. Volunteer crews were expected to fill the void. Click here for the details.
Also, IAFF Local 1619 is having off-duty firefighters gather in District Heights this morning. They will be going door to door with fire safety messages and talking to residents about the impact of staffing cutbacks.
More labor pains: For the holiday weekend I looked at three recent stories focusing on the relationship between labor and management in the fire service. Click here.
Battalion chief demotes self to lieutenant over email: Nothing lewd or crude. The email was an attempt by Art Zern to rally the troops against budget cuts. Instead, the email left the former Chief Zern with some personal budget cutting. The email did not sit well with city leaders. Read the details.
Firehouse closes after thieves make off with equipment: The fire trucks are still there, but a lot of what was on them is gone. The Central Crossing Fire District in Missouri was hit by thieves at a new rural station. The loss is estimated at $30,000. Here’s the story.
Survivor story: Check out Firegeezer’s account of how crews got to the lone survivor after a car ended up in the bottom of a Tulsa quarry. He has the 911 audio and much more as call takers tried to figure out where the young woman was calling from. Click here for Bill’s coverage.
Lots of fire in Allentown: A three-alarm factory blaze very early Sunday morning. Click here to see the video from NewsWorking.org.
Old fire engine goes to college: New life for a 1967 Ward LaFrance pump on the campus of ODU. The rig has joined a fraternity. Check it out.
Two from Detroit: Dennis Walus had a busy Labor Day. Click here to see his photos from a house fire early Monday at Barlow and E. McNichols. Another house fire from early Monday was at Glenfield and Coplin. Click here.
Back in business: Jason at Firefighter Spot has had a rough couple of weeks with technical difficulties beyond his control (we all hate when that happens). He is back in business with lots of new videos. Make sure you check out the site.
3-alarm house fire in Massachusetts: Ken LaBelle of NRI Fire Photos has more than 80 photos of this house fire early Sunday morning in Dudley. Click here for the images and details.
