Wonder Woman finds body; 911 storm stats; Dave gives two thumbs down in his Hollywood review; Buyouts instead of layoffs; Help Loudoun’s John Early

(Updated at 11:36 AM)

Wonder Woman finds body in Potomac

The guy who gave me this scoop thought Wonder Woman was Lindsay Wagner. No, I said, that would be Lynda Carter, who lives in the DC area with her businessman husband Robert Altman. Lindsay Wagner was the Bionic Woman. If you are going to give me a news tip, at least keep your 1970s female superheroes straight.

And yes it was Lynda Carter, best known for her role as TV’s Wonder Woman, who found a body in the Potomac River on Tuesday. Carter was in a canoe in the area of Three Sisters Island when she saw a woman’s body floating on the river. Carter called 911.

DC Police say they may need help from the public to identify the dead woman.

Arriving rescue crews said Lynda Carter was quite shaken by the ordeal.

All I know about Lynda Carter is this. For the last 5 years or so I have covered the Kennedy Center Honors. Each year Lynda Carter and her husband attend the event. Each year Ms. Carter looks stunning and is always charming as she answers my inane questions. She turns 57 in July.

Fairfax 911

My neighborhood near 7 Corners in Fairfax County looks a bit different this morning. A lot of trees and tree limbs down. A neighbors house was smashed by one of the trees. Power is still out. The wife, who has driven around in the daylight, thinks its possible we could have had a tornado skipping around here.

I know we are not alone and there are a lot of neighborhoods with bigger troubles. Two of my former colleagues from OHVFD made sure yesterday that we were aware of the damage in Chesapeake Beach, MD.

I don’t recall hearing so many tornado warnings in our area in one afternoon. It will be interesting to see just how many are verified by the National Weather Service and how many were only rotation showing up on Doppler.

Just how busy was it? Here is a sample. Steve Souder, the director of Fairfax County’s Department of Public Safety Communications, tells me that between 2:30 and 5:00 yesterday afternoon there were more than 1,000 calls received. That is more than triple the call volume the 911 center handled during the same time period the previous day. (I think I have that right. My notes are little water logged and they are hard to read.)

What’s wrong with these headlines?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7pwL53RVCM&hl=en]

Hollywood studios have long history of fires

That’s the headline of an article yesterday in the Los Angeles Times. Now look at the sub-head.

Improved safety procedures are being reviewed in wake of the most recent Universal blaze.

I don’t want to seem to harsh, but Universal Studios has had at least 5 fires since the late 1950s (see 1957 fire in the video above). I believe this was the third time New York Street burned.

Other studios have had major fires including one on the Warner Bros. back lot that had Burt Lancaster and Ray Bolger helping out the firemen. (Note for the younger set: Lancaster and Bolger were actors. Among other famous roles, Lancaster was the Birdman of Alcatraz and Bolger is best known as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. Yes, I know the Scarecrow was very fearful of fire. But it was just a movie.)

I guess I could see you might not get the message after the first or second fire. Maybe even the third. But does it really have to take a conflagration like the one Sunday before someone in charge wakes up and says, “Hollywood, we have a problem”?

Yes, I know Universal put in a special water system and redid sprinkler systems after the 1990 fire. But is someone taking a hard look at the everyday practices that can lead to these disasters?

For example, read the points FireGeezer makes about workers with torches in his Tuesday Morning Lineup.

Those weren’t actors breathing in all that plastic smoke and standing near buildings that were collapsing on Sunday. And that wasn’t the special effects department behind those things flying through the air near the people holding the hose lines. So how about a little basic prevention and just save the fires for the silver screen?

The Los Angeles County Fire Department says it will help out by writing a report on Sunday’s fire they hope will provide lessons for other studios and production facilities. It may not be Academy Award winning material, but if it prevents another sequel to Sunday’s horror film, it will be well worth it.

Ready when you are C.B.

Buyouts instead of layoffs

That’s the direction Youngstown, Ohio is moving in. Officials say they need 15 senior firefighters to take the buyout in order to save jobs. Under the plan, the firefighters who leave will be replaced by newer and cheaper firefighters.

Read more.

Help out Loudoun’s John Earley

While the Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management has not officially identified any of its firefighters injured on May 25, the most seriously injured has been named as part of fundraising efforts.

Firefighter John Earley is a career firefighter and is also a member of the Leesburg VFC. Leesburg Chief Ian Buchanan has asked STATter 911 to help get the word out about the John Earley Relief Fund. It is an effort to help FF Earley and his family during the long recovery that’s ahead.

Checks can be mailed to:

The John Earley Relief Fund
c/o Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company
P.O. Box 23
Leesburg, VA 20178

If you go to the Leesburgfire.org you will find a way to pay by credit card.

On the site you will find details about a June 28 dance where the proceeds will go to the fund.

Also, there is a June 21 blood drive at Station 1 from 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM.

Making divots for a good cause

While we have mentioned the DC Metro Area component of the annual golf tournaments that have been cropping up all over the nation in an effort to raise money for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, we failed to mention the main tournament. T
hese are pictures from the 4th Annual Memorial Golf Tournament last June in Fairfield, PA.

This year’s tournament is Friday, June 13. Click here to learn about this one and all of the tournaments around the country.

Eileen Winston has promised us pictures and more details from the event.