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Paint store burns in Chicago: A 2-11 alarm at 2350 South Pulaski on Monday. This is from Steve Redick and here’s his brief description – A paint store..high winds caused the smoke to remain close to the ground…2 towers, a snorkel and some multiversals.
20-years-ago in Catlett, Virginia: I was in Charleston, South Carolina 20-years-ago this morning, on a return trip to cover the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo, after riding out the storm in Charleston one week earlier. I was in my hotel room getting ready to start the day when I saw Channel 9’s pictures on the CBS Morning News of a fire engine obliterated by an Amtrak train in Catlett, Virginia the night before. Yesterday, the firefighters in Catlett remembered Mark Miller and Matthew Smith who were killed in the collision between Wagon 7 and the “Crescent”. Click here to read more about that crash and the lessons learned.
Help honor the nation’s fallen firefighters: One way you can help honor fallen firefighters is to make as many people aware of the events this weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland. If you have a website or blog, please link to the streaming of the Memorial Weekend ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday. Contact your local news media and ask them to do the same on TV station and newspaper websites. There are also ways for the TV stations and cable operators to get the events for free via satellite.
This year the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation will be honoring 103 firefighters killed in the line of duty in 2008 and 19 others from previous years.
I will be hosting the telecast as I have since 1996. My wife, Hillary Howard from WTOP Radio, will join me. The Candlelight Service on Saturday evening and the Memorial Service on Sunday morning will be streamed live here at STATter911.com and at Firehouse.com. If you need any information to assist a website or media outlet in doing the same, please provide this link to NFFF’s press kit. They can also send me an email at dstatter@wusa9.com.
97 Hollis Avenue is on fire? That’s my house?: That’s pretty much how it went for Quincy, Massachusetts 911 worker Mike Bowes. Bowes took the call reporting his own home was burning. Read all of the details here.
Water issues, the big picture: Christopher Naum has taken note of our recent coverage of DC’s water woes. He steps back and takes a more general view of what fire departments need to think about when making sure the water flow you need will be there. Check out his Taking it to the Streets blog.
FDNY calendar cover boy finds himself on the gossip pages: Do you recall in 2007 when FDNY Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta banned the charity fund-raising calendars where firefighters do the posing? The FDNY member at the center of that controversy was Ladder 131’s Michael Biserta. Biserta also caused a little scandal due to a 2004 video titled “guys Gone Wild (before his FDNY days) where he apparently appeared without his bunker pants. Well Michael Biserta is making steamy headlines again. This time he has surfaced as the “other man” in the divorce proceedings of a reality show contestant who stabbed her husband. If you really want to know more, click here.
Tampa’s new fire boat arrives after running aground: On its journey from Ontario, the new Tampa Fire Rescue boat ran aground in St. Augustine last Wednesday. After getting out of that mess the boat arrived in Tampa yesterday. Read more about the boat and its journey.
The 1920s: Check out this firefighting film of long ago.
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Water issues at this Gary, Indiana fire: Here’s the description of the video titled Conditions Go From Bad To Worse For Gary Firefighters – GFD was dispatched to a reported still alarm in the area of Ridge and Whitcomb, on arrival Truck 13 advised of a working trailer fire. Due to the lack of hydrants in the trailer park Lake Ridge FD was requested. Crews initiated an interior attack until they ran out of water, when Lake Ridge arrived with their tanker the fire was brought under control. Nobody was hurt at the fire scene and investigators were on scene working.
