February 21, 2012
SCBA Company Stands Behind Their Product
The CEO who runs the company that is getting a lot of criticism from DeKalb County firefighters said he stands behind his product.
An investigation exposed problems with the Drager air packs, or breathing equipment, a couple of years ago.
On Monday, a firefighter's mouthpiece fell apart while he was battling a fire inside a home on Key Road late last week.
Nathan Leota, the president of the DeKalb County's firefighter's union, said his members want new equipment.
"I think it reiterates the seriousness of the matter and the time-sensitive matter, dealing with life safety," Leota said.
Representatives from Drager plan to meet with DeKalb's fire chief on Tuesday.
"One of our highest priorities is the safety of those using our products, especially in a profession dedicated to saving lives. We stand behind our products and remain confident that they protect first responders in the toughest of conditions. Drager is doing, and will continue to do everything in our power to work with the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department and address their concerns, no matter their source," said Drager CEO Ralf Drews in a statement.
Drews said his company has sold more than a million air packs worldwide and the problems he is hearing about in DeKalb County are inconsistent with what he's heard from other users.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 21, 2012
Firefighter injured while responding to a brush fire - MO
A firefighter was injured while responding to a brush fire near Blue Eye Monday night.
According to a release from the Southern Stone County Fire Protection District, units responded to a brush fire at Cow Creek Road and Nature Trail Road in Blue Eye at 6:15 p.m.
The first truck arrived to find a rubbish pile with nearly an acre of brush, while the second truck found a firefighter unconscious after he had been struck by a falling tree top, the release said.
A medical helicopter was requested, but was reportedly unable to fly due to the weather. The firefighter was transported to Mercy Hospital-Springfield and is currently listed in stable condition, according to the release.
Chief David Gyger is currently with the injured firefighter and the department is checking with the family before releasing the name of the firefigher, according to an update from the department around 9:15 p.m.
UPDATE: According to an update from the department, the firefighter, Terry Coker, remains in stable condition at Mercy Hospital-Springfield. Gyger said he was doing well.
bransontrilakesnews.com / Staff reports
February 21, 2012
Portsmouth Firefighters Question Cancer Rate - VA
Troy Tippin recorded his memories of fire-fighting in a thin, red volume that had been published to commemorate the city's department. Under a 1964 picture of two firemen half-carrying a third through a scattering of rocks and planks, he wrote, Steve was burned on the roof by hot roofing tar. Next to a 1987 photo of two engines surrounded by a tangle of hoses, Tippin scribbled the names of the streets -- Detroit and Mount Vernon -- and noted with a tinge of disappointment: "I just went off duty."
"A good friend as well as boss," he scrawled at the top of a page dedicated to retired Chief Odell Benton. Benton's name appeared again on the last page. There, Tippin wrote the names of every firefighter he knew who had been diagnosed with cancer.
"He just documented everything about the fire department," Tippin's wife, Joyce, said. "That was his whole life." Tippin's love of firefighting bordered on obsession.
He collected plates, pictures, newspaper articles, books. Toy fire engines decorated most flat surfaces in his Boyd Street home and, for a long time, an old red fire alarm served as the Tippins' mailbox. The family dog was a Dalmatian named Sparky.
He worked at all of the city's stations but one, building a reputation as an enthusiastic firefighter, one who would never leave anyone in a burning building. He kept a police scanner by his front door.
In 1992, high blood pressure forced Tippin into retirement after 33 years. He polished his golf game and spent more time bowling but continued showing up at the station houses.
And he kept adding to his list. By August 2001, the column of names reached the bottom of the page.
"Hey, there's a problem here," Tippin would tell other members of the Portsmouth Retired Police and Fire Fighters Association at their monthly meetings.
People listened. The problem was, no one knew what to do.
In summer 2003, Tippin started feeling run-down. Joyce told him maybe he needed to stop doing so much. "You're not as young as you used to be," she said.
Things got worse. Tippin didn't want to eat. His skin turned yellow. Doctors thought maybe something was wrong with his gallbladder. They ran a test and results came back.
Pancreatic cancer.
Tippin asked the doctor if it had anything to do with being a firefighter. The answer: "We really don't know." He underwent surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. He lost more than 40 pounds and grew weak. The cancer spread to his liver.
Troy Tippin died on March 21, 2004, at the age of 72.
Joyce wrote his name in his book.
He was No. 29.
Newell Whitehead was No. 6.
As a boy, he'd never aspired to be a firefighter, even though two of his uncles were. He'd seen them at fires with ice hanging off their faces or where it was hot as a furnace. He didn't want to work in such extreme conditions.
But at 21, Whitehead needed a paycheck, so he took a job with the department in 1965. He thought it would be temporary. "For the first time, I really felt like I was doing something worthwhile," Whitehead said. "You don't have to have somebody patting you on the back to tell you you did a good job. You know when you did."
The pay wasn't great, so Whitehead decided to seek promotions.
He was a captain in 1994, when he was first diagnosed with prostate cancer.
"You've got to be kidding me," Whitehead told his doctor. "I'm 51 years old."
He had always known he'd chosen a risky profession. You easily could get killed in a fire or on the way to one. And even in the 1960s, people knew firefighters were more susceptible to heart and lung diseases.
Whitehead started hearing about a possible cancer connection in the 1980s. By the time of his diagnosis, Virginia legislators had acknowledged the association, passing a law that allowed firefighters with some forms of cancer to receive workers' compensation benefits. Whitehead's union asked him to be the first to file a claim.
He dug through old logbooks and memories, and began to think about toxins.
"We were called 'smoke-eaters' for a reason," he thought. When Whitehead joined, firefighters used masks to filter the air. But they clogged easily if a room got steamy, so the men often took them off.
Next, firefighters got a type of mask that included a tank of oxygen in the early years and later a tank of compressed air. But those devices released air only when the men inhaled, which meant they also could breathe in smoke through the mask's imperfect seal.
In the 1960s, firefighters wore long jackets and tall boots that left a gap, where they were protected only by their blue jeans.
The only way to clean off the soot was to hose the gear down and hope it dried by the time you answered another call. The list went on and on. At the firehouse, diesel exhaust from the engines blew over their gear and even onto their food. Fires at the old wood treatment yard by the Jordan Bridge could have exposed them to carcinogens. So could sloshing through toxic goo when they answered calls to put out fires from blown transformers.
Whitehead was pretty sure his cancer came from his job -- there was no history in his family. He just didn't know the exact cause.
"I can't say on this date, on this call, I was around this material," he said. "I think it's an accumulation." The Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission denied Whitehead's claim, saying he hadn't proven that exposure to carcinogens caused his cancer. Since then, state law has been changed to presume that certain forms of the disease are related to firefighting and to require employers to prove otherwise.
Research backs up some of Whitehead's suspicions.
The most definitive report a review of 32 studies came from University of Cincinnati researchers in 2006.
They concluded that there was probably an association between firefighting and four types of cancers: prostate, testicular, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma, which is a cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow. The research showed a possible connection to eight other cancers, including diseases affecting the brain, rectum, stomach and colon. Other researchers have determined that burning buildings release gases containing chemicals known to cause cancer.
Firefighters may breathe in the toxins while they're extinguishing smoldering embers because they sometimes remove their masks at that point. The carcinogens also may be absorbed through their skin.
Different cities could present different risks, depending on firefighting equipment and what the burning buildings and furniture were made of.
"They're exposed to so many darn carcinogens," said Dr. Thomas Hales, senior medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. "How do you protect from that?" Hales and others are in the midst of research they hope will bring more answers. They're examining cancer incidence in more than 30,000 firefighters over six decades in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco. The study -- sponsored by the U.S. Fire Administration, the National Cancer Institute and the CDC -- is scheduled to be completed in 2014.
Meanwhile, Tippin's list grows.
Whitehead remembers discussing it with his former colleague.
"It's getting to be quite a few of us, getting the cancer," Tippin would say.
"Troy, that's part of the job, I guess, nowadays."
Whitehead believes conditions for Portsmouth firefighters have greatly improved over the past three decades. Fire department leaders have brought in better masks and protective clothing, hooked up washing machines and dryers for gear, and installed diesel-exhaust ventilation systems at the stations.
Additionally, firefighters are required to wear masks until gas meters show that carbon dioxide, oxygen and combustible gases and vapors have fallen to levels considered safe, said Capt. Rusty Quillin, president of Local 539 of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
Today's firefighters are constantly reminded about safety measures, he said. They do what they can to protect themselves but don't dwell on the risk.
"Those guys back then, they dealt with a whole different animal, as far as standards for safety equipment," said Quillin, a firefighter for more than 16 years. "We have it a ton better nowadays."
Whitehead, who retired in 2009, has fought the disease three times.
It came back in 2004, nine years after the operation. He beat that with two months of radiation treatments. The next year, after he'd been named chief, blood appeared in Whitehead's urine. His doctor discovered bladder cancer and removed the polyp.
At 68, Whitehead is cancer-free for now.
"I figure sooner or later it's going to get me."
Less than a year after Whitehead's most recent diagnosis, retired police officer Rick Gaddis got a frightened phone call from the president of the Portsmouth Retired Police and Fire Fighters Association.
The former firefighter told Gaddis that his excrement was white.
The man went straight to the doctor, and within days, learned his diagnosis: pancreatic cancer. In a short time, Gaddis watched him transform from robust and jolly to weak and brittle. The friend died in June 2007, at 66.
He was No. 32.
Another name on Troy's list. That was when Gaddis decided to take a look at the book.
Both he and his wife, Beverley, had led the retiree association several times over nearly two decades. They'd met on the force in the 1970s he was her training officer.
Gaddis had risen to the rank of lieutenant, in charge of vice and narcotics. Beverley retired as a detective in internal affairs.
They tended to get wrapped up in causes, to speak out and to try to make things happen.
The cancer thing bothered them. They'd been to too many funerals.
They copied Tippin's list, adding more names as they asked around.
At least three firefighters died of cancer for every one police officer who died of any cause, according to their calculations. About every fire chief in the past four decades had suffered from cancer, and the disease was showing up in firefighters' lungs, livers, stomachs, throats, prostates and testicles. Some had two, three kinds.
Gaddis wanted someone official to study the situation. He called Old Dominion University, the Environmental Protection Agency, a workers' rights group and the American Cancer Society. He and Beverley met with Portsmouth city officials and corresponded with U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va. They decided they at least wanted to inform all retired Portsmouth firefighters and their families of the seemingly high number of cancer diagnoses and deaths. They wanted to encourage regular cancer screenings.
In February 2009, Gaddis received a letter with disappointing news. Portsmouth officials said federal law wouldn't allow the city to share names and addresses of current or former employees.
Beverley, then the association's president, asked the members what they wanted to do next. They couldn't think of anything else. It seemed too big.
She handed off the information to the firefighters' union.
Nearly two years passed.
One morning, when Beverley was doing her regular walk around Chesapeake Square Mall, something told her to go directly to a friend's house. She knew Patsy Lamb from church; they were in the same Sunday school class.
Patsy's husband, Billy, a former firefighter, had been suffering from cancer "from his head down to his toe" for four years.
"I believe this is the day that Billy's going to pass away," Patsy told Beverley after she arrived, and Beverley noticed that his breathing was labored.
The two women sat with him. Beverley started singing religious songs -- it was all she knew to do -- and she was with Billy Lamb when he died on Nov. 24, 2010, at the age of 73.
After that, Beverley wanted the association to take up the issue again. The members asked her to put something in the newsletter. She wrote:
"I'm concerned because so many of our retired fire fighters have been diagnosed with cancer and so many have died. I'm asking all of you to get regular medical check-ups and please follow-up, if your doctor says you need to! Maybe this will save your life!"
By then, without Troy around, Joyce Tippin was hearing less about retired firefighters. But she knew Patsy Lamb and she heard about Billy.
She added his name to the list.
Written by The Virginian-Pilot
February 21, 2012
Drunk driving suspect crashes into EMS unit - TX
(Photo courtesy of Schertz Police Department)
SCHERTZ, Texas -- Police in Schertz arrested a suspected drunk driver after they say he crashed his car into the back of an EMS unit and then sped off.
The EMS crew told police they spotted a white car stopped in the right lane of Interstate 35 under the Olympia Parkway Bridge around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. The crew said they were forced to move into the exit-only lane to avoid hitting the car, and called the Schertz Police Department to report a possible intoxicated driver. They said that minutes later, they noticed the car coming up behind them and drifting into other lanes as it approached. The car then slammed into the back of the EMS unit. Although the car was damaged in the collision, the driver swerved around the EMS unit and sped off, exiting onto FM 3009. The crew followed the car, but lost sight of it a short time later.
A Schertz Police Department officer then spotted a white KIA Optima with front end damage traveling north on Interstate 35 near FM 1103 at a high rate of speed. The officer caught up with the car and activated his lights and siren. The driver eventually stopped near Engle Road in Comal County.
The officers said the driver, identified as Mario Alberto Torres, appeared to be intoxicated. After getting checked out by EMS, Torres was taken to the Schertz Police Department where officers say he failed a field sobriety test and refused to take a 'breath test.' He was then taken to the Guadalupe County Jail and will be charged with "Accident Involving Damage To Vehicle (Greater Than $200.00) and DWI.
www.woai.com
February 21, 2012
Close call as Vanderbilt LifeFlight makes emergency landing here after striking a duck in flight - TN
A close encounter with a duck resulted in an emergency landing for the pilot and crew of a LifeFlight helicopter Friday night in Henry County.
According to Jerry Jones, public affairs manager with Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s LifeFlight service, the helicopter had just flown over the Tennessee River at about 6:15 p.m. on its way from Nashville to Henry County Medical Center to pick up a patient when the aircraft struck a lone duck in flight.
Jones said the impact shattered the entire front windshield of the helicopter, forcing pilot Tom Adams to make a quick descent from an altitude of 2,000 feet to land in a field beside Poplar Grove Road in Springville.
According to Jones, Adams landed the aircraft safely, and neither Adams nor his two crew members suffered any injuries.
The duck, however, did not survive the incident.
“Bird strikes are not uncommon in this part of the country,” Jones said. “It’s LifeFlight policy to make an emergency landing whenever a bird strike occurs. Considering that the whole front wieldshield was gone, it was definitely necessary in this case.”
The patient was carried to Vanderbilt by another copter
Adams and his crew were driven back to Nashville.
Jones said the damaged helicopter was loaded onto a tractor trailer Sunday and transported to a facility in Clarksville for repairs.
Jones estimated the aircraft — a brand new EC-130 — is worth about $5 million.
“We’re happy there wasn’t more damage,” Jones said.
parispi.ne
February 21, 2012
Firefighter hospitalized after garage fire - CA
CASTRO VALLEY, Calif. — A firefighter went to the hospital for heat exhaustion from an early-morning fire today that burned a garage housing tortoises, which escaped slowly but surely, the Alameda County Fire Department said.
The single-alarm fire was reported at 3 a.m. at a detached garage in the 17400 block of Almond Road.
It was extinguished within 10 minutes. A firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion but was not seriously injured and was expected to be treated and released, officials said.
No one was occupying the garage when it caught fire, and the two African tortoises inside got out safely, the fire department said. It appears that a heating pad used to warm the animals and an extension cord that funneled power to the garage are the likely culprits for the fire, which caused about $50,000 in damage. By Robert Salonga / The Contra Costa Times
February 21, 2012
Fire station closed over cracks in walls - PA
LOWBER, Pa. — A Sewickley Township fire station that serves a 7-square-mile area is closed after engineers deemed the building unsafe because of stress cracks found in multiple walls.
Lowber fire Chief Brian Nicholls said a piece of concrete fell from the ceiling of a basement office, hitting a firefighter Thursday night. Nicholls said the station was out of service for about 8 hours late Thursday into Friday. He said early reports that the station partially collapsed were wrong.
Nicholls said the company is responding to calls, and equipment is being housed in private facilities near the village. He said officials are working to find a temporary station while they await a determination on the building, which was constructed in the 1940s.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
February 20, 2012
Nine firefighters injured in Jersey City five-alarm blaze, officials say - NJ
A five-alarm fire tore through a wood-framed, two-story building in the Bergen-Lafayette section of Jersey City today, injuring nine firefighters and displacing several tenants.
Jersey City firefighters were called to the building at Monticello and Fairmount avenues at 5 p.m., Fire Director Armando Roman said.
When they got there, they saw flames shooting through the eaves as smoke billowed from the building, he said. At several points, an ornamental dome on the roof of the building became engulfed in flames.
The building houses four ground-floor commercial businesses, including Monticello Laundry and El Pilon Restaurant.
Jersey City firefighters could be seen using chainsaws to cut away burning timber and hosing down the wall of an adjacent building at 256 Fairmount Ave. to prevent the fire from completely engulfing that structure.
Naoko Tani, 49, the owner of 256 Fairmount, and her tenant, were displaced from the house due to water and fire damage.
Tani, whose cat was missing, said she was working on her computer when she saw smoke outside a window.
"I was surprised. I came out and saw a lot of smoke. It was supposed to be just a peaceful Sunday afternoon," Tani said. "I am now just worried about my cat. I think she is hiding."
Fire officials were not sure how many residents were displaced from the main fire building, but said the property had six to eight second-floor residential units.
Several firefighters could be seen standing on the roof of another adjacent property at 253 Monticello Ave. trying to prevent the blaze from spreading to that property.
Mike Shaikh, 26, whose father owns an adjacent two-family house at 253 Monticello Ave. said he was taking his German shepherd Susann, for a walk at 5 p.m. when he stepped outside and smelled smoke. He said that seven men and one woman were evacuated from the property.
Maria "La Tia" Rivera, 48, who has owned of El Pilon Restaurant at 250 Fairmount Ave. for three years, said 10 people were inside her restaurant when fire alarms sounded.
Cosmore Christie, 30, who lives above the restaurant said he heard a "big boom" and then heard fire alarms.
"I saw smoke so I just got out of the apartment," Christie said.
Binte Sow, 20, said she was in the Monticello Laundry washing her clothes when she smelled smoke. She told the manager and they saw smoke coming out of a vent in the back room.
"After we came out everything exploded," said Sow, explaining that she heard a loud noise coming from inside the public laundry. "It was like a boom from inside If we were there for a few seconds more we would have been in there when the thing exploded."
Brian Palms, 22, who lives in the apartment above the laundry with his girlfriend, Asha Herbert, 22, said he saw smoke coming up from the floor and then heard the alarms.
Fire Capt. John Arvanitis of Engine 18, was standing on short roof, just above the awning of the B&B Barber shop at 254 Fairmount Ave. when he was struck on his head and shoulders by roofing material he and other firefighters were trying to remove. Arvanitis was treated at the scene and taken to Jersey City Medical Center, Roman said.
Fire Capt. John Melfa as well as Firefighters Robert Morreli, Richard Niersted, Jason Kane, William Infante, Raymond Spellmyer, John Bouer, Alberto Enriquez were treated for exhaustion at the Medical Center, Roman said.
North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue, Bayonne and Kearny and Harrison fire departments responded to the scene, Roman said. The fire was declared under control shortly before at 7:45 p.m.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
By Charles Hack/The Jersey Journal The Jersey Journal
February 20, 2012
Firefighter Hurt, Families Displaced In Cicero Fire - IL
A Cicero firefighter was injured and two families were displaced after an afternoon fire today in the west suburb, officials said. According to Cicero town spokesman Ray Hanania, the firefighter was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was treated for minor burns and was released. No one else was injured.
Firefighters were called to the 2-flat in the 1500 block of S. 48th Court about 3:30 p.m. today, Hanania said, and they arrived minutes later. Within the hour the department had cleared the scene, he said. The building was not liveable, he said.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, and the investigation will continue tomorrow, Hanania said.
Hanania did not know how many individuals were displaced, just that it was two families. He said they were able to find places to stay with relatives.
Written by Chicago Tribune
February 20, 2012
One Firefighter Injured in East Baltimore Fire - IL
Just after 8pm, units responded to a dwelling fire at E 24th St & Barclay St, East Baltimore. Firefighters encountered a two story, middle of the row dwelling, with the entire second floor fully involved in fire. During operations, one Firefighter fell into the basement where he was briefly trapped, causing him to transmit a mayday distress call. With the assistance of other Firefighters, he was removed from the dwelling and turned over to Paramedics for care. It took 47 Firefighters on 17 pieces of apparatus 44 minutes to bring the fire under control. The injured Firefighter was transported to Shock Trauma in stable condition for a precautionary evaluation after a long fall, he had no apparent injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation by Fire Investigators.
baltimorefirefighters.net
February 20, 2012
Multiple Rescues And A Firefighter Runs Out Of Oxygen At An Apartment Building Fire - IN
Crew from Merrillville Stations 4 and 1 were dispatched to a possible apartment fire at 320 w 59th, pd confirmed a working fire. Station 2 was requested to the scene along with Lake Ridge with an engine at that point. PD advised 3 people were on the 3rd floor and 2 on the 2nd floor. All rescues were made quickly and without incident. The crews quickly brought the fire under control and searched the remaining apartments for possible victims. One firefighter was transported for smoke inhalation due to running out of oxygen in the fire. Awesome job by all
youtube.com
February 19, 2012
5-alarm fire blazes through Jersey City apartments - NY
Firefighters battled a 5-alarm fire in Jersey City Sunday night.
It burned through a laundromat on Fairmount and Monticello Avenues and spread to at least two other buildings.
There are apartments above the laundromat.
At least 6 families have been displaced by the fire.
Fire departments from Bayonne and Kearney helped bring the fire under control.
One Jersey City firefighter suffered minor injuries.
The cause is under investigation.
Eyewitness News / abclocal.go.com
February 19, 2012
Firefighter candidate saved after heart stops during CPAT - IL
A man participating in a firefighter candidate physical ability test had a heart attack and collapsed — but was saved by firefighter/paramedics on the scene.
It happened last week in Indian Head Park at the Chicago Roofers Apprentice Training Center. The 46-year-old man's heart stopped halfway through the ability test.
Lt. John Tabisz and firefighter/paramedic Jen Phillips of the Darien-Woodridge Fire District, along with three members of the Pleasantview Fire District, saved the man's life with CPR and by using a defibrillator.
Chicago Sun-Times
February 19, 2012
Buffalo fire truck collides with SUV - NY
One of the Buffalo Fire Department's rigs is temporarily out of commission, after colliding with an SUV Saturday evening.
Ladder 7 was responding to a 911 call on Kensington Avenue at around 7:16 PM, when the accident occurred near the intersection of East Amherst Street and Parkridge Avenue.
The fire commissioner himself was called to the scene.
"We have two civilians in the vehicle that went to ECMC, and we also had two other firefighter injuries, who also went to ECMC. And the other two persons on the crew also went, just for a precaution," Commissioner Garnell Whitfield told News 4.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. But Whitfield said to his knowledge, Ladder 7 had its lights and sirens activated.
"The Fire Department vehicle was responding to an emergency, a report of an oven fire, lights and sirens. They followed all SOPs [standard operating procedures], to my understanding," Whitfield said at the scene.
Although no one's injuries are serious, the crash still was.
Ladder 7 will have to be taken out of service, temporarily. Another truck had to pick up the call on Kensington. Several more fire department rigs were tied up at the accident scene for over an hour.
"So, when these things happen," Whitfield noted, "they deplete our resources. We have to send crews for this now, and they're not available for other emergencies in the city. So it has a very serious impact on our operations."
Looking at the position of the fire truck and the SUV relative to each other, it was obvious to Whitfield that the two missed "t-boning" each other by just a few inches more.
"It could've been [a] much different scene," the Commissioner observed. "So we just advise people to make sure that they pay attention, keep the music down, keep focused on the road and watch out for emergency vehicles."
Buffalo firefighters are trained in defensive driving maneuvers when they learn to drive the trucks, according to Whitfield.
So far, no charges have been filed in connection with this accident.
Rachel Kingston / wivb.com
February 19, 2012
Entire Rescue Squad Indicted - VA
THE ENTIRE SALTVILLE (VIRGINIA) RESCUE SQUAD was indicted earlier this month on Medicare fraud charges. Virtually the entire membership, officers and directors were involved in schemes to defraud the federal government.
The Tri-Cities News continues:
The Saltville Rescue Squad is accused of falsifying doctor’s signatures and sending $2.65 million worth of fraudulent billing slips to insurance companies in a federal indictment unsealed Thursday.
Federal prosecutors allege that for nearly six years the squad chauffeured three able-bodied patients to dialysis treatment despite Medicare regulations that limit the service only to people in need of a stretcher.
In all, prosecutors hope to recoup from the squad $800,000, any vehicles bought with fraudulent proceeds, and 40 acres of rescue squad property, documents show. The indictment targets the entire rescue squad, its board of directors, business manager Eddie Wayne Louthian Sr., 59, of Saltville, and squad employee Monica Jane Hicks, of Meadowview, as the responsible parties.
Court documents state that the non-profit squad falsified the paperwork to transfer three patients to dialysis treatment from December 2005 until September 2011.
Investigators watched as the supposed invalid patients walked from their homes out to the ambulance where they were then loaded on the stretcher to be carried away. The indictment also says that the rescue squad held special meetings for the sole purpose of planning how best to commit fraudulent acts.
As part of the prosecution, the federal authorities put a freeze on the squad's $300,000 bank account which effectively has shut them down leaving the area without emergency ambulance service.
Louthian faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in federal prison and Hicks could serve 25 years if found guilty of allegations that they sent $2.65 million worth of fraudulent billing slips to insurance companies from December 2010 until September 2011.
CLICK HERE to read the entire 19-page indictment (.pdf).
firegeezer.com
February 18, 2012
Lessons Learned:
Watch the explosion rip through attic during house fire in New Chicago - IN.
I agree. Water on the fire did not seem to be a priority here.
youtube.com
February 18, 2012
Rescue copter crash kills rescuer and snowmobiler - WY
JACKSON, Wyo. — Federal authorities on Thursday were investigating the crash of a search-and-rescue helicopter in northwest Wyoming that killed a crew member who was trying to help an injured snowmobiler who also died.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were looking into Wednesday's crash of the Bell 407 helicopter in Wyoming's Teton County, said FAA spokesman Mike Fergus.
County sheriff's officials said the crew had reached the injured snowmobiler and his party and were taking off to get more help when the crash occurred.
The rescuer killed was identified as Ray Shriver, 63. The snowmobiler, Steven Anderson, 53, of Morris, Minn., also died.
The pilot and another rescuer were injured.
It went down on Togwotee Pass, about 50 miles northeast of Jackson.
The helicopter was built in 2008 and is registered to Hillsboro Aviation of Hillsboro, Wash. A company executive didn't immediately return a telephone call.
Sheriff's officials had said earlier that a failed rear rotor might have caused the crash.
The Associated Press
February 18, 2012
1 critically injured, 12 displaced, in fire at 3-story Uptown building - IL
Firefighters at an Uptown-area apartment building where a man was rescued but critically injured.
(WGN-TV)
A three-story building caught fire about 7 a.m. this morning in the Uptown neighborhood, critically injuring one resident and slightly injuring a firefighter, officials said.
Each floor of the building on the 1200 block of West Lawrence Avenue caught fire, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman said.
One man, about 40 years old, was "very critical" with "heavy smoke inhalation," and was taken to Weiss Memorial Hospital, the spokesman said on the Fire Department media office's Twitter account. He was later transfered to Stroger Hospital for treatment.
One firefighter received a cut on his head and was taken to Weiss in good-to-fair condition, according to the Fire Department.
Fire crews saw the victim at a window on the third floor, waving, but he fell back into the apartment before firefighters ascending a ladder were able to reach him, according to the Fire Department. Firefighters using the ladder were able to enter the apartment through a window and rescue him.
Twelve adults were displaced by the fire, the spokesman said. Traffic was blocked on Lawrence as smoke billowed from the building and crews fought the fire, which was brought under control about 7:40 a.m.
chicagotribune.com
February 17, 2012
CHICAGO FF SUFFERS LEG INJURY AT APT FIRE - IL
A Chicago firefighter was hurt battling a fire on the West Side early Friday morning.
It happened in the 2900-block of West Fillmore in a three-story apartment building. The fire started just after 1 a.m.
One firefighter suffered a leg injury and did go to the hospital, but was treated and released.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 17, 2012
MAYDAY - FIREFIGHTER HURT - FALL THRU COVERED SKYLIGHT - MINOR INJURIES WASHINGTON DC
A large 2 alarm fire went down today at Anacostia Senior High School. During the fire, FF James Bobo fell through a sky light (that had been covered up), thus a MAYDAY being declared. He was quickly and swiftly removed from the collapse. He injured his right shoulder and is currently hospitalized at MedStar hospital. More to follow as required.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 17, 2012
Firefighter Responding to Crash Finds Twin Brother Hurt - MD
A Bowie volunteer firefighter arriving at the scene of a crash wound up rescuing his twin brother.
A car veered off the road and hit a tree near Stonehaven Lane and Stoneybrook Drive in Bowie early Wednesday morning, trapping two men inside.
When firefighter Travis Murdoch arrived and tried to free the occupants, he quickly realized the driver was his twin brother, Chris, who's also a member of the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department.
According to a press release, Chris had surgery Wednesday night and remains in critical but stable condition.
nbcwashington.com
February 17, 2012
St. Louis Firefighters Sue City Over Pension Bills - MO
In the most recent skirmish over fire pensions, city firefighters sued two city leaders today to stop, or at least delay, the potential dismantling of their retirement system. Firefighters Local 73 filed a restraining order against the city, Mayor Francis Slay and Alderman Craig Schmid. Slay and Schmid proposed two bills last Friday that would close the current Firemen's Retirement System of St. Louis and start a new pension plan, with markedly lower benefits.
Schmid sponsored the bills, and, as chair of the Board of Aldermen's public employees committee, held a hearing on the issue Monday.
But not everyone agreed that Schmid had the authority to discuss them. Aldermanic President Lewis Reed had not then and still has not assigned them to the committee.
Schmid said then that he had the right to discuss the issues involved. But others brought up concerns.
Jeff Glorioso, Local 73's secretary-treasurer, said the union sued to stop Schmid from holding another "improper" hearing. "You can't just self-assign board bills to your committee," he said. "I think what they did Monday was inappropriate."
Aldermen need time to read and digest the bills, Glorioso said, before they make a decision.
Written by St. Louis Post-Dispatch
February 17, 2012
Attached garage fire in Mechanicsville - MD
At 1716 hours, Engine Companies 2, 22, 5, 1, Charles 2, Truck 1, EMS Stations 29, and Charles 2 were alerted to 26616 Lawrence Adams Drive for the reported garage fire. Chief 2B(Bellevou) arrived first, moments after dispatch and advised he had a two story split level house, with an attached garage fully involved with extension into the basement and attic.
Engine 23(Lt. Colvin) arrived four minutes after dispatch, laying out the 4" LDH from the hydrant. The crew forced the front door, as no one was home, and advanced a 1.75" crosslay to the basement. Once in the basement, crews found the fire to be rolling out from the garage access and forced that door as well.
Firefighters extinguished the fire that was impeading on the basement then relocated the attack line to the second floor and extinguished the bulk of the fire on the second floor.
Engine 24(FF Copsey) arrived and assisted Engine 23 by advancing a second handline thus bringing the fire under control in ten minutes. Rescue Squad 2(Capt. Barnes) arrived completed searches and opened up.
With the fire under control, Command scaled the incident back and held the units from Station 2 and Engine 54 for short time.
One firefighter sustained a minor injury and was taken to St. Mary's Hospital.
Chief 2B (Bellevou) held the "Lawrence Adams Drive Command" and units operated on the scene for over three hours.
By Firefighter/EMT Ryan Raley / http://mvfd.com
February 17, 2012
Injury, Death and Destruction Follow Shooting, Major Emergency Fire - CA
HOLLYWOOD - Gun-shots fired in a relatively quiet neighborhood today, resulted in multiple victims, a Major Emergency Structure Fire and two deaths. No Fire or Police were injured.
February 16, 2012
Attleboro ambulance in crash - MA
Attleboro Police Detective Sgt. James McDonald photographs the crashed ambulance.
(Photo by Stu Skerker)
ATTLEBORO - A fire department ambulance responding to a medical call late Sunday afternoon was severely damaged in a two-vehicle crash.
No one was injured in either vehicle, despite heavy damage to both Rescue 2, a GMC housed at the South Attleboro fire station, and a Toyota Rav 4 sports utility vehicle.
The SUV driver was identified as Corrine Kershner of Attleboro.
The crash was reported at 3:59 p.m. at South Avenue and Tiffany Street. Police shut down a section of South Avenue (Route 123) for more than an hour as they investigated the accident.
Firefighters inside the rescue said they were responding to a call and had their lights and siren on and were blowing the air horn through the intersection at the time of the crash. One paramedic, Gregg Priest, said had he not been wearing his seat belt, he believes he would have gone through the windshield due to the impact of the crash. Firefighters brought a backup ambulance to the scene and transferred equipment into it.
BY STU SKERKER FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE
February 16, 2012
2 FFs INJURED AT MANCHESTER BLAZE - NH
Two firefighters were burned and seven people rescued, including a young mother and her infant daughter who suffered smoke inhalation, in a four-alarm blaze Thursday morning at an Eastern Avenue condominium complex.
“It was quite the heroic effort and you can quote me on that,” said District Chief Michael Gamache.
The fire was reported just before 1 a.m. at 90/92 Eastern Ave. at the Deerhaven Preserve condominium complex. Gamache called in a second alarm as fire trucks headed to the blaze after reports came in of people trapped on the second and third floors.
At Mammoth Road and Bridge Street, firefighters could see flames from the burning building.
Nate Burdick, who lives on the second floor, had just finished packing - he's heading to the Bahamas today - when he opened a door to the stairwell and the alarm sounded.
"I thought I did something wrong," he said, and headed back to his apartment. Not seeing anything - but the alarms still going off - he headed down the stairwell and outside to see flames encasing the middle front porches of the building on all three floors.
"They were raging, raging in flames," he said. "I was the first one outside and the fire was all the way up to the third floor."
People started coming out but Burdick ran back up the stairwell to his unit to alert his roommate, Kelley Rowe, to the danger and get his dog, Max.
"We got outside and it was wild. It was like what you see in a movie. People were screaming, there was confusion, panic. People were trapped on a balcony in the back."
His roommate, who fled without any shoes, tried to climb up to the third floor balcony to help some people stranded there but only made it to the second floor. By then, Burdick said, fire trucks started rolling in.
Everyone was trying to help, directing the fire crews to where people were trapped.
"It was very strange and overwhelming," Burdick said.
When fire fighters arrived, flames were shooting 50 feet above the roof of the three-story, 24-unit building, Gamache said.
People were hanging out windows, gasping for fresh air because of the heavy smoke, while others were trapped on second and third floor balconies, waiting to be rescued, including a young couple and their infant daughter, according to Gamache. The mother and baby were taken to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.
Simultaneously, a dispatcher was on the phone with another woman who was trapped in her third floor apartment and unable to see because of heavy smoke. Gamache said the dispatcher instructed her to put a wet towel under the door, to try to limit the amount of smoke getting into the apartment, and then to get to a window. The dispatcher stayed on the phone with the woman, directing fire fighters to the trapped tenant who was rescued.
Gamache said the fire, which started outside in the patio area of a first floor apartment in the middle of the building, was going for a while, not unusual for a blaze in the middle of the night when people are sleeping.
Fire crews immediately went to work, with one four-man team heading into the burning building to evacuate residents, while others grabbed ground ladders and headed for tenants hanging out windows and standing on balconies. Seven people were physically trapped and firefighters used ladders to get them to safety.
Two firefighters suffered burns from heat and flames that penetrated their gear, Gamache said. Lt. Andy Parent was burned on his arms and shoulders, while firefighter Robert Plantier was burned on his face.
Every available piece of fire fighting equipment was at the scene within 7 minutes of the call coming in, Gamache said, and all off-duty firefighters were called in to help. Police officers also helped in the evacuation. Mutual aid was provided by surrounding towns at the scene and to cover the city's fire stations.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 16, 2012
HOSE LINE STRIKES FIREFIGHTER - TX
A 3-alarm fire Wednesday morning gutted portions of an apartment complex in north Harris County and left three people injured.
The fire ripped through 10-12 units at the Monticello on Cranbrook apartment homes, 13913 Ella, about 6:20 a.m., according to the Little York Volunteer Fire Department.
Officials said two residents and a Spring volunteer firefighter were taken to a nearby hospital. The residents had smoke-related issues. The firefighter was hurt when a hose snapped and hit him. The injuries were not-life threatening.
It appeared the blaze started in the apartment of a woman who uses oxygen, said Lt. Chad Shaw, an investigator with the Harris County fire marshal's office.
Shaw said the oxygen line landed on a burner of the stove after the woman woke up to make coffee. The line melted and ignited the fire.
The roof over second-floor apartments collapsed.
Houston police and some residents knocked on neighbors' doors to warn them to get out.
Residents near the gutted apartments said they woke and saw flames.
DaShawn Thomas, 18, who lives near the burned building, said the flames were huge. When he walked outside, he said he was stunned by the blaze. Glowing embers fell through the air.
"It was terrifying." Thomas said. "I was really scared."
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 16, 2012
Major Emergency Structure Fire in Van Nuys Injures 2 LA Firefighters - CA
Over 125 Los Angeles Firefighters extinguished an enormous fire in a 150' x 100' one-story commercial building in just under two hours, where two Los Angeles Firefighters were injured.
Just after 5:00 pm on Wednesday February 15th 2012, firefighters arrived to find fire blowing out one unit of a strip mall, located at 6600 North Van Nuys Boulevard. Waves of additional firefighters were requested.
Extensive amounts of smoke could be seen for miles as it lingered low to the ground due to a heavy marine layer and slowly pushed south by light winds.
The structure located was of older construction with a conventional roof, parapet, and a common attic space. The open area under the roof allowed fire to rapidly spread across the tops of three business before hitting large division walls, halting the advancement of the flames.
Shortly into the extended battle, firefighters switched into a defensive attack. Truck Companies quickly finished cutting holes on the roof with chainsaws. Fire blew through the roof forcing firefighters to rapidly exit. Firefighters on the ground used large 2 1/2" hose-lines along with ladder pipe operations, where copious amounts of water was sprayed from the end of extended aerial ladder trucks, capable of 2000 gallons per minute, into the structure.
Three separate stores were damaged, doing business as: First Bargin Center, Birrieria Luita, and El Pantalon.
The blaze was fully extinguished in one hour and 53 minutes before any adjacent buildings were damaged.
Two firefighters received minor injuries and were transported to local hospitals in fair condition.
The dollar loss is still being tabulated and the cause is under active investigation.
February 16, 2012
Update:
Firefighters Punished For Saving Lives? - PA
Are Philadelphia firefighters being punished for saving lives? That's the claim by some who have been injured in the line of duty and they say it could be putting you at risk.
So how does this affect you? It's all about saving lives and saving property. If firefighters fear a transfer the more reluctant they'll be to run into a burning building.
The firefighter’s union local 22 claims since last July, all 6 rank and file firefighters who suffered facial or neck burns were shipped off to other departments. They say it's punishment to discourage other firefighters from reporting dangerous injuries.
The fire department says the transfers are all about improving safety. The reason for the transfers are that firefighters failing to properly wear protective gear. In a statement they tell us the goal of a transfer they say is to "send them to quieter station for a period of time to retrain on department policies.
Fire commissioner Lloyd Ayres was not available to go on camera for this story but tells over the phone the department does not have a policy to transfer injured firefighters. He also tells us firefighters can request a transfer back to their original station.
myfoxphilly.com
February 15, 2012
MAYDAY FOR FF DOWN IN POOL - NY
In the overnight hours, Tanker 577 and Rescue 581 (FAST Team) were alerted to respond to a working house fire in the Town of Goshen. Tanker 577 responded to fulfill water supply obligations and with numerous 2nd alarm companies being put to work, the FAST team was requested to respond later into the incident. As Rescue 581 responded, Car 3 (Hearn) gave a size up advising of a large farm house with heavy fire being attempted to be knocked on multiple floors, with command opting to make a knock with the tower ladder master streams before using interior lines to fight the fire present in the attic area. As on-scene companies began interior operations once more, 581 arrived on scene, at which time a mayday was transmitted. The crew quickly assembled its gear and headed toward the scene, during which time the mayday was cancelled, as a member having fallen into an in-ground pool was assisted and handed over to EMS. The crew positioned itself on the ½ side and noting members operating on several floors, went about placing several additional portable ladders including 18’s, a 24’ and assisting in the raising of a 35’ to the attic where line crews were encountering heavy fire. Once complete, the crew stood fast during the duration of interior operations. At 6:30 AM the FAST team was released with 577 remaining on scene.
Washingtonville Fire Department
February 15, 2012
Learjet Ambulance Damaged, Aborts Take Off - FL
The Learjet was about 2,000 feet down the Hernando County Airport runway when, for some reason, it pulled hard to the left. The pilot aborted the takeoff as the plane sped off the strip. Just south of the runway, the jet's nose wheel folded under and the aircraft stopped.
No one was injured and no fuel was spilled in the incident, which occurred late Monday evening, officials said. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.
The plane belonged to Jet ICU Air Ambulance Service. A company representative declined to say what he believed caused the mishap or if the aircraft was transporting anything or anyone when the wreck occurred.
Tuesday morning, under FAA supervision, a crane lifted the nose of the plane, and a heavy-duty boat trailer was used to tow the aircraft to a hangar for repairs. It was unclear how much damage the plane sustained.
"We get about one of these a year," said Rob Mills, airport supervisor. "Hopefully this is ours for 2012."
JOHN WOODROW COX, WILL VRAGOVIC, Times Staff Writers Source: Tampa Bay Times
February 15, 2012
Update:
Driver Gets Ticket for Striking, Killing Firefighter - IA
A driver suspected of striking and killing an Iowa firefighter last year has been issued a ticket for operating without proper registration.
David Thies, 44, is accused of hitting Michael Collins, who was directing traffic at a collision last September, according to The Telegraph Herald.
The Iowa State Patrol said a car driven by David Thies, 44, of Ames, went around other vehicles that had slowed down and hit Collins.
Court records show Thies was ticketed in January and ordered to pay a fine and court costs totaling $127, the paper reported.
Firehouse.com News
February 15, 2012
Firefighter Injured in Fall While Rappelling - TX
A Texas firefighter was injured about 11 a.m. Tuesday during a rappelling training exercise.
"Our first concern is for our injured firefighter," Victoria Fire Chief Taner Drake told reporters at the Victoria Advocate. "The injury appears to be serious, but not life-threatening."
The training was part of a re-certification exercise for members of the High Angle Rescue Team.
The firefighter fell an estimated 30 feet while rappelling down the side of a building. He was treated immediately by other firefighters who were on hand and rushed to DeTar Hospital Navarro, the paper reported.
"We will evaluate our techniques and safety procedures during rappelling exercises to prevent this from happening again, but for now, our thoughts and concerns are with our injured fireman," Drake said.
Additional information, including the firefighter's name and length of employment, were not released by the department.
Firehouse.com News
February 15, 2012
EMS Goes Private; 17 Firefighters Lose Jobs - MI
Emergency medical services will shift from the Taylor Fire Department to a private company on Friday.
As a result, 17 firefighters were notified Tuesday that they'll be out of a job Friday morning when HealthLink takes over the services.
The move is being made out of financial necessity, said Taylor Mayor Jeffrey Lamarand. The shift is expected to save about $1 million to $2 million annually in coming years, he said.
"The city is running out of money, and we have run out of time," Lamarand said in a statement. "The decision had to be made for the city's financial well-being."
Lamarand estimated that at least 85% of the fire department's 8,000 annual calls are for medical emergencies. Firefighters still will respond to fires and accidents.
The city and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1252, which represents Taylor firefighters, are negotiating a contract and have been unable to come to an agreement.
The mayor said employee retiree costs increasingly are consuming general fund revenues, and drastic changes have to be made.
Stan Pochron, president of Local 1252, said the union has offered concessions in pensions, health care and salaries. "It's a very disappointing time at the Taylor Fire Department right now," he said.
The previous contract expired June 30, 2011, but contains a clause requiring it to be followed until a new contract is ratified, Lamarand said.
The contract states the city needs to maintain a minimum of 53 firefighters to transport people by ambulance, but layoffs dropped that number to 41. The number is down from 61 firefighters when Lamarand took office in 2009.
After Friday, there will be 24 firefighters -- three of those administrative positions, Fire Chief Bob Tompos said.
Tompos is concerned that the department's ability to effectively fight fires will be diminished by staffing. Instead of going inside structures to battle fires, firefighters may have to stay outside and pour water on flames, he said.
In the department's new role, firefighters won't handle transport, but will back up the private company if they have a delayed response.
Elisha Anderson / Detroit Free Press
February 15, 2012
Man Tries to Kill EMS Crew by Ramming Ambulance With Truck - CA
After allegedly trying to kill two paramedics and an emergency medical technician by crashing his truck into the ambulance they occupied outside Mercy Medical Center, a Cottonwood man ended up being treated by one of the men he tried to harm, police said Sunday.
At 9:21 p.m. Saturday, officers received a call reporting that someone was ramming a pickup into a parked ambulance near Mercy's emergency room, said Cpl. Jon Poletski with the Redding Police Department.
When officers arrived at the hospital, they found that a gray 2003 Toyota Tundra had crashed into the ambulance containing medical personnel, Poletski said. Officers determined 26-year-old Joel Michael Haller was the driver of the pickup, Poletski said.
While the incident was being investigated, officers determined Haller intentionally accelerated in the direction of the ambulance with the intention of killing the three men inside it, Poletski said.
"It was totally intentional," said Sgt. Mike Wood with the Redding Police Department. "There's no doubt this guy did this on purpose."
The men in the ambulance were Gregg Franz Herrman, 26, an emergency medical technician from Redding; Drew Alan Barnett, a 29-yearold paramedic from Redding; and Ryan Michael Samuelson, a 35-year-old paramedic from Fortuna, Poletski said.
"It's just a strange incident," Wood said. "It doesn't happen every day ... They're just siting out there and minding their own business ... It was definitely intentional, though."
Wood said one of the men inside the ambulance got out and helped Haller, who sustained minor injuries in the crash, after he reportedly tried to kill them.
"They went out and started treating this guy," he said. "One of them started doing an examination (on Haller)." Haller was then booked into Shasta County jail in lieu of $1 million bail on suspicion of attempted murder.
Both the pickup and ambulance received major damage from the impact, Poletski said. Wood said an on-call judge was called to enhance Haller's bail to make sure he isn't released early. "The judge elected to go ahead and increase the bail to help keep him in custody, just because of him being a danger to the community," Wood said.
Herrman was treated for back pain, while Barnett and Samuelson weren't injured, Poletski said.
In November, Haller was arrested by Tehama County deputies on suspicion of battering a peace officer while deputies conducted a welfare check on him at his Cottonwood home, the Record Searchlight has reported.
Around 7:49 p.m. on Nov. 3, two Tehama County deputies were checking on Haller's welfare when he threw a rock at them, but missed, according to the Tehama County Sheriff' s Department. Haller also kicked shut a cruiser door as another deputy was trying to get out of the car, deputies said.
Alayna Shulman Source: Record Searchlight (Redding, California)
February 15, 2012
Update:
Architect charged with death of LA firefighter - CA
This video is from the orginal fire February 17, 2011
The architect of a Hollywood Hills mansion where a ceiling collapsed and killed a firefighter during a blaze was charged Wednesday with involuntary manslaughter as a result of his shoddy work, prosecutors said.
Gerhard Becker, a German citizen, was charged after investigators found grossly negligent construction at the newly built, 12,500-square-foot (1,161-square-meter) home, where the reality TV show "Germany's Next Top Model" had been set to film, authorities said.
Becker, 48, left the United States after last year's fire and was arrested when he flew from Spain to Los Angeles on Saturday. He remained jailed and, if convicted, could be sentenced to up to four years in state prison.
It could not be immediately determined if Becker had a lawyer.
Becker was the designer and main contractor for the three-story home that caught fire on Feb. 16, 2011.
The blaze was started by a fireplace inside the home that was designed only for outdoor use, prosecutors said. The flames burned through a plastic sprinkler pipe and filled the attic with water until the ceiling collapsed on 61-year-old firefighter Glen Allen. Five other firefighters also were injured.
Allen died two days later. The firefighter-paramedic had nearly 40 years with the department and was less than a year away from retirement.
Allen was the first city firefighter to be killed in the line of duty since March 2008, when Brent Lovrien died in an explosion near Los Angeles International Airport as he investigated an earlier blast that blew manhole covers into the air.
The Associated Press / firerescue1.com
February 15, 2012
Firefighter allegedly tried to poison lieutenant - FL
A Fla. firefighter was arrested Tuesday for allegedly poisoning a lieutenant's canteen.
Titusville Firefighter-paramedic Randy Moore, 40, admitted to putting Gunk, an aerosol cleaner-degreaser, in Fire Lt. Phil Jones's canteen after a series of attempts to embarrass and antagonize him, according to Florida Today.
Other acts included putting spices in Lt. Jones's coffee, writing derogatory statements about him and tampering with his files, according to police.
Lt. Jones noticed the odd-smelling, flammable substance in a canteen stored inside a gear bag used for brush fires and then told supervisors, who called police.
Police said Firefighter Moore claimed he did not want to kill Jones but was "upset over other issues and it went too far," said the Orlando Sentinel.
Firefighter Moore is in jail without bond and suspended with pay until the fire department finishes an internal investigation. He has also been charged with aggravating stalking in the case.
Police are reviewing charges against another firefighter who allegedly watched Firefighter Moore poison the canteen.
"I'm totally in shock," Firefighter Moore's former neighbor, who asked not to be named, told WKMG. "He's a good-hearted, decent human-being. He's not a begrudging person. He's very much a joker. A silly, funny, happy guy."
firerescue1.com
February 14, 2012
Suspect in assault on Redding medical personnel arrested - CA
A Cottonwood man who authorities say intentionally rammed his pickup into an occupied ambulance parked at Mercy Medical Center in Redding on Saturday night has been arrested, Redding authorities said today.
Joel Michael Haller was booked into the Shasta County Jail for investigation of attempted murder, police reported in a news statement.
The statement said that shortly after 9 p.m., Haller intentionally accelerated his gray 2003 Toyota Tundra toward the ambulance, ramming it in attempt to kill its occupants all of them medical personnel.
Officers identified the occupants of the vehicle as a paramedic and an emergency medical technician from Redding and another paramedic from Fortuna.
The Redding EMT was treated at the hospital for back pain. The suspect was treated for minor injuries, police said.
Both vehicles received major damage.
Haller was jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.
Posted by Loretta Kalb / sacbee.com
February 14, 2012
ENGINE SUFFERS DAMAGE AT LARGE SKI LODGE FIRE - PA
A Somerset County fire truck sustained minor damage while assisting Fayette County units at a fire Sunday night at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.
The fire broke out around 8 p.m. at Mystic Mountain ski lodge at the resort in Farmington, officials said. A resort spokesman said the building was engulfed just minutes after the blaze was reported.
All employees made it out of the building safely, but two firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation, officials told The Associated Press.
Addison and Confluence fire departments were called to assist at the scene. Addison fire Chief Gary Compton said the blaze was the worst he has seen in 43 years of firefighting.
"I've been to some big fires," he said. "I've never been to one this enormous."
Compton explained that six holes were burned in the top of the department's hosebed tarp. The tarp protects the supply hose on top of the engine. There was also a small hole burned in an air line on the parking brake, which was fixed Monday morning.
He said a "shower of embers" rained down on their equipment.
"The fire was in the air and it started coming back over us," he said. "I was expecting the paint to start bubbling on the side of the engine at any time."
He said Addison's damage is minor compared to other fire departments, which have cracked windshields and damaged hoses. He said one fire engine from Fayette County had to be quickly moved further from the structure as the flames spread.
None of the injured firefighters were from Somerset County, Compton said. The cold weather also caused problems for firefighters. Compton said the hose they were using froze and needed to be transported back to Addison in the bed of a pickup truck because it could not be rolled up. They had to put another hose on their fire truck and work on getting the original hose line thawed out. They returned to station at 1:30 a.m., but some firefighters were there until 3 a.m. getting the truck back in working order.
"It was quite a night," he said. "Forty-three years of this and I was amazed."
General manager Chris Plummer told The Associated Press that the resort is already working to set up replacement operations for guests, including ski rentals and food and beverage service.
Anna Weltz, spokeswoman for Seven Springs Mountain Resort, said the resort is giving Nemacolin 250 pairs of skis and boots and between 25 and 50 snowboards and boots.
"We're just happy we can help," she said. "After all, we are in the same business and connected in so many ways. We know they would do the same for us and wish them the best of luck in their recovery and rebuilding efforts."
The ski lodge is part of the 2,000-acre Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Fayette County. The resort includes two golf courses, hotels, dining and a private airstrip.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 14, 2012
Miami firefighter injured in fall through roof - FL
A Miami firefighter is recovering in the hospital after falling from the second floor of a South Florida pharmacy.
The incident occurred at about 12:36 a.m. Tuesday at the Navarro Pharmacy along Southwest Eighth Street and 12th Avenue in Little Havana.
Crews arrived on scene to find smoke billowing from one of the doors. Crews entered the empty building and noticed smoke coming from the back of the store. Within an hour, more than 40 firefighters gained control of the fire.
As crews checked for hot spots on the second floor of the building, a fire captain fell about 20 feet and injured his leg.
firerescue1.com
February 14, 2012
Lessons Learned:
Medics' alleged mistakes in Chicago girl's death likely to cost $1.75M - IL
Chicago taxpayers will likely spend $1.75 million to compensate the family of a 13-year-old girl who died of bronchial asthma in 2002 after a string of alleged mistakes made by Chicago Fire Department paramedics.
Arielle Starks died at Advocate Trinity Hospital after an ambulance carrying her to the hospital collided with a car at 87th and Langley. Another ambulance picked up Arielle and took her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
If not for a series of "mistakes" made by the four paramedics who treated Starks on that fateful day, attorney Brian Murphy argued that the girl would be alive today.
The first mistake was that the child was "intubated through the esophagus that leads to the stomach instead of through the trachea that leads to her lungs," Murphy said. The second mistake involved ignoring a "standing medical order" issued by the Fire Department. According to Murphy, it states that if a patient's condition worsens, paramedics are to look into the patient's mouth to "visually observe where the breathing tube was placed."
The third mistake involved the "fender-bender" that delayed Starks' trip to the hospital. Instead of proceeding after determining that the driver of the other vehicle was not injured, the paramedics chose to follow what Murphy called a "ridiculous general order" that states that if you're in an accident involving property damage, you remain on the scene.
By Fran Spielman / The Chicago Sun-Times
February 13, 2012
Lessons Learned:
San Francisco Fire Department faces fines over firefighter deaths - CA
OSHA has cited the San Francisco Fire Department in the wake of a house fire last summer that killed two firefighters.
Firefighter/paramedic Anthony Valerio, 53, and Lt. Vincent Perez, 48, both of Engine 26, died from injuries suffered during a flashover at the building June 2.
The state division of OSHA issued three serious citations and one general citation against the department, saying it failed to follow safety procedures for workers entering a life-threatening environment during and before the response.
The proposed penalties total $21,000.
The citation document said during the incident, there was a period of time in which the radio communication between Engine 26 and the outside incident command was left unresponded to.
In addition, at one point a battalion chief entered the structure alone and did not remain in contact with the firefighters inside. OSHA rules require firefighters to enter at least in pairs and to remain in visual or voice contact with another at all times.
The final serious violation focused on the three-man crew of Engine 26, which was the first to arrive on the scene.
"When the first arriving unit responded at the scene, 2 of the 3-man crew went inside the house to locate and fight the fire," according to the report.
"The 3rd and only firefighter was left outside monitoring and handling the pumps from the engine and was setting up the hoseline.
"There was no second firefighter available and the one who was present was not available to perform assistance or rescue activities without jeopardizing the safety or health of any firefighter working at the scene."
The state agency also determined the department was responsible for a general violation in failing to ensure that its employees complied with its injury and illness prevention program.
By FireRescue1 Staff
February 13, 2012
FF TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL AFTER TRAINING - FL
A Lake County firefighter who was playing the role of an injured firefighter in a training exercise this morning was taken in an ambulance to the hospital after his heart rate increased and could not be lowered, Lake Assistant Fire Chief Jim Dickerson said.
It's unclear what caused the firefighter's irregular heart rate during the training in an old Kmart building on U.S. Highway 27-441. The firefighter, whose name and age was not released, was waiting in the building for "rescuers" to find him.
"The only thing he was doing was laying there," Dickerson said.
The firefighter, who has been with the department for at least a decade, remained under observation at the Leesburg Regional Medical Center, Dickerson said.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 13, 2012
Medics, Patient Hurt, Ambulance Rollover - OK
Two medics and a patient they were transporting were injured when a southbound ambulance rolled at U.S. 169 and 46th Street North on Sunday night.
An Oolagah-Talala ambulance rolled after either swerving to miss a large hay bale in the roadway or striking the hay bale, said Capt. Dave Roberts with the Tulsa Police Department.
Officers were en route to remove the hay bale after receiving several calls when dispatchers were alerted to the wreck shortly before 6 p.m.
EMSA medics treated and transported the Oolagah-Talala medics and their patient to St. John Medical Center with injuries that were not life-threatening, Roberts said.
Further details about the injured were not available and no other vehicles were involved.
Southbound traffic on U.S. 169 near the wreck was reduced to one lane as traffic investigators were called to the scene. Police expected the closed lane to reopen at about 8 p.m.
emsnetwork.org
February 13, 2012
LODD:
Frederick Firefighter killed in morning crash - VA
Frederick County Fire and Rescure Department officials confirmed that a 21-year-old firefighter died early this morning.
Zachary Whitacre died when he was ejected from the fire truck he was riding in as it crashed just after 4 a.m. Frederick County Fire and Rescue Chief Dennis Linaburg released the information this afternoon.
A Greene County Paramedic was injured this morning in a crash in the town of Jewett on Rt 296. The Paramedic was reportedly on the job and driving a medic vehicle at the time, but was not en route to the scene of an emergency. She was airlifted to Albany Medical Center. The paramedic, who was heading north on Route 296, clipped another car after it blew a stop sign as it was heading east on Route 23C. In swerving to avoid a collision, she went off the road and struck a utility pole.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 12, 2012
Ambulance strikes car in Clinton Twp. - OH
An ambulance transporting a patient to a hospital struck a car attempting to turn at SR 101 and TR 15 in Clinton Township Saturday afternoon.
Deputy Denny Wilkinson of Seneca County Sheriff's Office said a 1997 Ford F-350 ambulance, which is county-owned and used by Green Springs EMS, was traveling southbound on SR 101 while making a non-emergency transport to Mercy Tiffin Hospital.
The ambulance, driven by John C. Minich, 19, of Fremont, was following a 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier driven by Ridge D. Bevis, 16, of Clyde. Bevis' vehicle stopped to make a left turn onto TR 15 and was struck in the rear by the ambulance, Wilkinson said.
Minich, a volunteer for Green Springs EMS, did not stop in time because of the snow- and ice-covered roadway, Wilkinson said. Seneca County was under a Level 1 snow emergency at the time of the crash. The advisory was lifted at 2:21 p.m. Saturday, according to information from the sheriff's office.
Bevis and his passenger, Spencer M. Keegan, 16, of Fremont, were not injured and were wearing seat belts, Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson said Minich was wearing a seat belt, and a second EMT, Jeff DeVore of Tiffin, was in the back of the ambulance with the patient. No one in the ambulance was injured, he said. Tiffin EMS was called to transport the patient to Mercy Tiffin Hospital.
Wilkinson said the vehicles sustained minor damage. A citation was pending and the accident was under investigation Saturday afternoon.
Personnel from Clinton Township Volunteer Fire Department, Seneca County's Echo unit, Seneca County Sheriff's Office and Tiffin Fire and Rescue Division responded to the scene. The accident occurred at 12:15 p.m., and the scene was cleared around 1 p.m.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 12, 2012
Fire Crews Battle Concord Restaurant Blaze - NH
A four-alarm fire heavily damaged the Endicott Hotel and Green Martini Restaurant and sent four Concord firefighters to a nearby hospital Sunday morning.
Firefighters said the fire started just before 7:30 a.m. in the restaurant under the hotel.
First-responders found heavy smoke and fire showing from the building. Officials said there were several apartments located above the restauarant, but all were vacant due to renovation work. Several firefighters suffered minor injuries at the scene due to slips and falls.
Officials said the cold temperatures caused the water they sprayed to freeze, leading to slippery conditions at the scene.
Four Concord fire fighters were taken to Concord Hospital with injuries ranging from back strains, to smoke inhalation, to hand and ankle injuries. All four had been released by early Sunday afternoon.
The fire forced crews to shut down a major portion of downtown Concord. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The fire chief said he believed the building was salvageable.
The building had been vacated in anticipation of renovation work, fire officials said.
New Hampshire News
February 12, 2012
Firefighter Hurt While Battling Omaha House Fire - NE
A firefighter suffered a knee injury Saturday afternoon while battling a house fire in Omaha.
Authorities with the Omaha Fire Department said the blaze ignited about 3:45 p.m. at a house near 35th Street and Dewey Avenue.
Flames and smoke could be seen shooting from the house as firefighters worked to extinguish the fire. Firefighters said they also faced another enemy in the form of ice.
"Everything that you do is just 10 times harder," said Omaha Assistant Fire Chief Dan Stolinski. "You try to watch every step you take because once water hits the ground, it freezes."
Officials said there was no word on damage.
The injured firefighter was taken to Creighton University Medical Center, and officials said the injury was not serious. Stolinski said the firefighter probably slipped on ice.
"It's a very steep roof back there. (It's) a roof that's very icy, and so it's very difficult for the guys to get up there and make those cuts," Stolinski said.
Creighton University senior Tony Revolinski lives in the rental house.
"I was studying for a test (when I) got a call. (They said), 'Hey, your house is on fire,'" Revolinski said. "I went running out of the library and actually ran back to get my keys out of my jacket. I didn't want to believe it was actually my house on fire."
Revolinski stood outside his home, watching most of his belongings burn.
"What do I do? Where do I get all my stuff? What do I do for classes?" Revolinski said.
Volunteers with the Red Cross didn't let the freeze frighten them off.
"You cannot imagine the self-satisfaction of getting out and helping people in need. It's just an amazingly warm feeling," said Red Cross volunteer Bill Dreyfus.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Omaha News
February 12, 2012
Tulsa Firefighters Getting Hurt in Variety of Ways - OK
Firefighters are unique among city employees or just about any kind of employee, for that matter.
Not only is their work dangerous, but it requires them to literally live the job, eating and sleeping at their stations for days at a time.
That can lead to some interesting workers compensation claims.
Weight-lifting injuries. A cooking accident. A heart attack while walking on a track. A bad back blamed on "dumping a mop bucket."
The Tulsa World studied cases in which a workers compensation court order was issued between January 2010 and November 2011. Records are not precise, but about 20 of the 72 Fire Department-related files included in the study of the city's workers compensation claims appear to be attributed to injuries suffered at fires or other emergencies to which the claimant had been dispatched. Those included falls on ice, ladder climbing, collapsing floors and at least one heart attack.
By comparison, 13 cases were attributed to training activities of some kind, including running, swimming, tying knots, lifting weights and "pulling hose."
The frequency of such injuries seems to make the Fire Department a candidate for what city physician Dr. Phillip Berry called "overtraining." Yet the general public might be surprised to learn the city has 300-pound firefighters.
"We do have some big guys," said TFD Administrative Chief Jeremy Moore. "Some 300-pound guys are solid as a rock, some are not."
Firefighters hired before 1995 are exempt from the department's annual fitness test, which in any event is "not very strenuous in my opinion," said Berry.
According to court files, one 300-pound firefighter was injured playing basketball with children after a left knee replacement and four surgeries on his right knee.
Another, listed at 326 pounds in medical records, slipped on ice getting out of a department vehicle.
Still another, listed as 5 feet 4 inches tall and 337 pounds, "slipped on water spot at station."
But it's not just the size of firefighters that can present problems.
Several injuries were attributed to lifting overweight people including a 400-pounder in emergencies.
Moore said first responders are seeing "quite a few" people over 350 pounds, causing the department to develop policies on their handling.
Examination of the case files suggests many injuries directly attributed to nonemergency and even nontraining events may in fact stem from earlier work-related injuries or general wear and tear.
But workers compensation, at least in theory, does not cover general wear and tear, and cumulative or repetitive-use cases are more difficult to win than single-event claims.
Firefighters and police are different from other city workers in that they receive what amounts to full wages, as opposed to three-quarters pay or less, while on temporary total disability.
Firefighters are unique in at least one other respect. Unlike other municipal workers, including police, their disability pensions -- as opposed to regular pensions are exempt from state income tax.
"Whether they want to admit or not, there does seem to be a little uptick (of firefighters) who want to be evaluated just before they retire," said Berry.
"From the Fire Department's perspective," said Moore, "our employees' main causes of injuries are due to the nature of our business. That tends to compound as they get older."
Firefighters workers compensation By the numbers
72 Number of cases involving firefighters in which a workers compensation court order was issued between January 2010 and November 2011
5 Number of multiple claimants
28 Percent of cases against the City of Tulsa that were filed by firefighters
$1,535,289.09 Total value of firefighters' claims
25 Percent of total claim value for city that came from firefighters' claims
$21,623.79 Average value of a firefighters' claim *Numbers taken from 251 cases in which a City of Tulsa workers compensation court order was issued between January 2010 and November 2011
Randy Krehbiel Source: Tulsa World, Okla.
February 12, 2012
Boston Firefighters Battle Four-Alarmer - MA
Boston Fire Dept. Photo
Boston Fire Dept. Photo
Boston Fire Dept. Photo
Some 120 firefighters have been battling a four-alarm conflagration in a one-story, brick strip mall on Chestnut Hill Avenue in Brighton approximately one mile from the campus of Boston College that has already destroyed four businesses, including a caterer, cleaning supply company, a Laundromat and pizza parlor, officials said.
The blaze started near the pizzaria in frigid single-digit temperatures and was still burning five hours after it was called in just after 5:45 a.m., said Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald. Its cause is yet unknown.
MacDonald said initial damage estimates could exceed $4 million.
"The building's completely destroyed and in all probability will be torn down. The roof is collapsed in," MacDonald said.
Firefighters have been utilizing video of the scene transmitted from a state police helicopter to help plan their exterior attack of the flames. "It's been a helpful tool to have all day," MacDonald said.
Two firefighters have suffered non-life-threatening injuries one for his shoulder, the other for an eye.
Upon arrival, first responders "had heavy smoke and the chief automatically ordered a second alarm to get more manpower there. The fire was going pretty well up in the roof area," MacDonald said.
Traffic has been banned from South Street to Brighton Center, he said
Laurel J. Sweet / Boston Herald
February 12, 2012
Firetruck Monitors Unnerve Firefighters - VA
Think of it as a black box for firetrucks. The Richmond Fire Department is installing a new road-safety system on seven recently purchased vehicles as part of an effort to ensure driver safety.
The devices track everything from braking speed to whether passengers are buckled in. If a driver violates the pre-set driving parameters, an alarm erupts in the cab and grows progressively louder until the activity ceases. The ZOLL road safety system also allows department officials to compile scored data reports for each driver.
"It's really about safety," says Richmond Fire Chief Robert Creecy. "It helps us modify driver behavior. It helps protect citizens and lower the city's liability in case of an accident."
So why are some members of the Richmond Fire Department unhappy about it? It's about money.
At a time when officials are being told that the department can't pay staffers overtime, hundreds of thousands of dollars are being spent on the ZOLL system, says Keith Andes, president of Richmond Fire Fighters Association Local 995.
Adding the cost of installation and the purchase totals for the seven new vehicles, Creecy says, the Richmond Fire Department has spent around $5 million.
"I just think we could have accomplished the same thing that this system does, but done at a cheaper price," Andes says.
The flap went public at a recent City Council Public Safety Committee meeting. Gathered with other members of the union, Andes complained to council members of equipment failures at a recent rescue operation on the James River. Divers and other officials were served Meals Ready to Eat, military-style rations not known for their taste, from the department's emergency stockpile, instead of being given hot food during the hours-long operation, Andes reports.
The safety system will pay for itself, Creecy says. "We pay out of pocket for all vehicle damage that occurs," he says. "So if we can reduce the cost of that, we can save money."
Creecy says the new program will bring the fire department in line with industry standards while it begins to replace an aging fleet of emergency-response vehicles. The system has been used by the Richmond Ambulance Authority for a decade.
Asked about its effectiveness, the ambulance authority's chief operating officer, Rob Lawrence, says, "The system is a tool to help coach drivers in driving safely; we have no complaints."
styleweekly.com
February 12, 2012
Multiple frozen hydrants hamper Milwaukee firefighters at house fire. - WI
According to fire officials at the scene, the fire started in the third floor attic area of the building. When the Milwaukee Fire Department arrived on scene, the first three hydrants they tried to use were frozen.
February 11, 2012
Lessons Learned:
FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate Shares 3 Lessons from 2011
Photo courtesy of Brittany Trotter/FEMA
2011 was a memorable year for those of us in the emergency management field — and for the many Americans impacted by disasters.
Massive blizzards simultaneously blanketed dozens of states across the country. As snow melted, parts of the Midwest and upper Midwest experienced severe flooding. Texas and other states fought dangerous wildfires for months.
Last spring, our nation was devastated by the deadliest outbreak of tornadoes since the 1950s, with multiple instances over just a few weeks. In August, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck Virginia and was felt as far as New York City — just one of the 5,017 earthquakes experienced in 2011, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
And as expected, the 2011 hurricane season didn’t give us a break. We had 19 tropical storms, the third-highest total since records began. Irene became the first hurricane to make landfall since 2008. Days later, Tropical Storm Lee proved that storms don’t have to be hurricane strength to cause significant damage. Then there are the thousands of smaller disasters that communities handled every day, out of the media glare.
So as we reflect on the past year, many wonder, what lessons did we learn?
First, not all disasters come with warnings — and we all need to be ready. Last year, various areas of the U.S. were hit with different types of disasters. Some, like the floods along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, were well forecast. Others, however, came with little to no warning. And even with some events, such as Hurricane Irene, we may have had advance warning, but there wasn’t great certainty of forecast.
Ultimately we all are vulnerable to these hazards. It’s very difficult to prepare for them at the last minute. If we all take away one lesson from 2011, I hope it’s that we all have a responsibility to be prepared.
Second, we can’t underestimate the importance of the entire team. For a long time, we’ve talked about planning for the needs of the whole community and leveraging the resources of the whole community to meet those needs. We saw it in action repeatedly — in the southeast after the tornadoes, in Joplin, Mo., in May and in Vermont after Irene.
All of these response and recovery efforts engaged the entire team, including federal, state and local officials, the private sector, nonprofits, the faith-based community, volunteer groups and most importantly, the public. And it made a remarkable difference.
Third, 2011 further proved that we must prepare for worst-case scenarios or “maximum of maximums.” Japan’s tragic earthquake, resulting tsunami and power plant meltdown was a big wake-up call for all of us. We need to get serious about planning for incidents that involve significant loss of life, destruction of property and threats to our power grid or other infrastructure.
In many ways, 2011 reinforced what we already know: Disasters can strike anytime, anywhere; it takes the entire team working together to effectively serve communities and survivors; and we must continue to plan for and test ourselves for the maximum of maximums.
As we begin 2012, let’s apply those lessons and do our part to help the team by getting prepared.
By: Craig Fugate / emergencymgmt.com
February 11, 2012
Vehicle runs red light, hits ambulance - IA
BELLEVUE, Iowa — A Bellevue, Iowa, man was cited after running a red light and striking an ambulance on an emergency call, police said.
According to police reports, Randall P. Rodgers, 53, was traveling southbound on South Locust Street, approaching Dodge Street, when he violated the red light and entered the intersection, colliding with an ambulance that had emergency lights and siren engaged while traveling westbound on Dodge Street. The ambulance was carrying four occupants.
Brenda M. Weatherwax, 50, of Dyersville, Iowa, was transported to the Mercy Medical Center-Dubuque by a different ambulance after the accident. She was not listed as a patient as of Wednesday afternoon.
Police cited Rodgers with a red-light violation.
Telegraph Herald / ems1.com
February 11, 2012
2 Hurt In Fire Truck Crash - NC
Two firefighters were hurt when their fire truck was involved in a crash Friday evening.
Authorities in Surry County said the truck was traveling down Zephyr Mountain Park Road, when it traveled onto a soft shoulder of the road.
Investigators said the truck tipped over onto its side when the driver tried to correct the vehicle.
The two injured firefighters were taken to a hospital, and authorities said they were in stable condition.
wxii12.com
February 11, 2012
TOLEDO FF SUFFERS BURNS TO LEGS AT HOUSE FIRE - OH
A firefighter is in the hospital after suffering first and second degree burns to his legs while responding to a vacant house fire at 386 Richardson Drive in Toledo on Sunday morning.
Toledo Fire Lieutenant Matthew Hertzfeld states that the firefighter is part of Engine Company 17, but is not releasing a name at this time.
The firefighter was taken to Mercy Saint Vincent's Hospital and there is no word on a condition or the extent of his injuries.
The fire caused around 20,000-30,000 dollars worth of damage and the cause is under investigation.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 11, 2012
DON'T LEAVE THE KEYS IN YOUR FD VEHICLE - AZ
A simple mistake in the supermarket parking lot may cost a Bisbee firefighter a few thousand dollars. Police say an alleged drug dealer took off with his department vehicle, after the firefighter left the keys inside.
It happened Superbowl Sunday at the Safeway parking lot off Highway 92. On call firefighter Matthew Fimbres was on his way back from a routine call. "Unfortunately when he got out of his vehicle at Safeway he neglected to pull the keys out of the ignition and left the car unlocked," Bisbee City Manager Stephen Pauken says.
When Fimbres returned, the car was gone. One day later Douglas Police tracked it down. Inside they found the driver with 150 pounds of marijuana and a suspected illegal immigrant, now in border patrol custody. "The car is currently impounded in Douglas, under the custody of ICE," Pauken says.
The Bisbee Fire Department managed to get back all of its equipment inside the car, except for a protective fire suit, worth about $2,000. "If anyone in Douglas happens to see somebody walking down the street with a big orange jacket that says "Bisbee Fire" on the back, we'd certainly like that back," Pauken says.
Bisbee Police charged the alleged thief for stealing public property. "There will also be other federal charges which will probably be coming from ICE for possession and transportation of an illegal substance," Pauken says.
Fimbres, who has been with the department for almost two years and serves as the union president, will also face consequences. According to city rules and regulations that could mean reimbursing the city for any damages or loss of property. "While it is an unfortunate lapse of judgement on his part, we're required to meet out the appropriate discipline," Pauken says.
It's a case of a good firefighter, Pauken says, whose simple mistake brought him some bad luck.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 11, 2012
RATS TAKING OVER FIREHOUSE - FL
A rat infestation just cost Leesburg taxpayers $2,000. The rodents had overrun Fire Station No. 1 on Canal Street.
The rats apparently got in through a hole in the roof and went straight to the kitchen. The last straw for firefighters was a stolen package of Oreos.
The crew at the station is obviously trained to battle fires, not rodents.
"It was a daily battle. We were fighting them pretty much every day," firefighter and local union President Allen Shaffer said.
Shaffer said rats were roaming around in the ceiling, the cupboards and behind the dishwasher.
"In this situation, they had taken over," Shaffer said.
There were too many for firefighters to kill off on their own, so the city sent in a crew to tear out and replace 300 ceiling tiles and most of the kitchen baseboards.
An outside firm was hired to clean up the droppings and remove what firefighters believe were rodent nests. The city's contracted exterminator set new traps around the building.
"Yeah, it's pretty well guarded. I think they're pretty well covered as far as any threats from rodents coming on the property," city spokesman Robert Sargent said.
Officials believe the rats may have been living around a vacant house a few feet from the station's kitchen window.
The rats likely climbed a palm tree to get onto the roof and into the building. The palm has been cut down. Shaffer says they knew they had a problem the night they left an unopened package of Oreos on the kitchen table.
"The next morning, we got up and there was a little piece of the wrapper on the table. The whole rest of it had been dragged to the cabinet. The cookies were opened, and there were crumbs everywhere. The package was there, and the cookies were gone," Shaffer said.
A city spokesman says just one rat and one mouse were found the day the ceiling was removed, but firefighters insist there were lots of them.
Most of them may have been caught in the new traps. Since the cleanup, no rats have been spotted.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 11, 2012
City To Investigate 90-Minute House Fire Response - CO
Channel 9 also filed this video report:
The Denver Fire Department is reviewing its policies after a fire truck was dispatched nearly 90 minutes after a neighbor called 911 and reported smelling smoke.
The fire heavily damaged the home at 2634 Ivanhoe St.
7NEWS has learned the city will investigate the slow response time on the fire.
"Clearly 90 minutes is unacceptable," City Council Member Chris Herndon told 7NEWS reporter Marc Stewart.
"I absolutely know a thorough investigation will be done so it doesn't happen again," Herndon added.
Denver resident Torry Hughes told 7NEWS he received a call from his adult son around 4 a.m. The son, who lives a block away from Hughes, told him that he was getting ready for work when he smelled smoke in the neighborhood.
Hughes said he went out to walk the dog around 5:30 a.m. when he, too, smelled the smoke. He said it was dark so he couldn't see it.
"I smelled this heavy smoke. It smelled like something burning and I knew it was not a fireplace… It smelled like a house burning, so I immediately went and called the fire department," Hughes said.
He said he told the fire dispatcher that he smelled a house burning but he didn't know where it coming from.
"He told me I was the only one that had called and that they got no other calls and if I saw anything like a fire to call back," Hughes said.
“That allegation is under investigation,” said Fire Department spokesman Phil Champagne.
Champagne acknowledges that dispatch received an early morning call.
“Denver Fire has always been forthright and upfront,” he said. “The bottom line is … it appears that a call originated around 5:30. They smelled smoke in the area. They didn’t see smoke. They didn’t see flames.”
Champagne said the caller told the dispatcher that the smoke might be a fireplace but he thought it was a house fire.
“Our dispatcher screened the call and in essence made a discretionary decision,” Champagne said. “No fire truck was sent.”
Champagne said that was abnormal.
“Traditionally we like to send fire trucks to investigate for us. The caveat to that is that even if we had sent a fire truck, there’s a small likelihood that we wouldn’t have found the fire.”
When neighbors noticed specifically where the smoke and fire were coming from, around 7 a.m., they called the fire Department.
When firefighters arrived, the house was engulfed in flames.
“We don’t make any excuses,” Champagne said. “We strive to be perfect. Do we fall short on occasion? Absolutely. This is one of those cases where we could have done a better job.”
Video from Airtracker 7 showed smoke billowing out of all four sides of the home around 7:15 a.m. As firefighters tried to remove bars from the windows on the back of the home, intense flames could be seen sweeping through the basement.
"It makes me very disturbed. I'm very upset about it because I called," Hughes said. "My neighbors all said they smelled it but nobody called. They just said they smelled smoke but couldn't see anything, but I knew something had to be on fire."
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Champagne said it may have originated in the basement and smoldered for some time before burning through the ground floor.
He said no one was home when the blaze broke out and no one was injured.
When asked about the breakdown in response, Champagne said the department will look at possible changes in policy.
“We might take away the discretion and put it in writing that whenever a call comes in about smoke, a crew is sent to check it out,” he said.
When asked if they’ve ever been sent out on calls where no fire was found, Champagne responded, “You know, I can’t even count the number of times where that has happened.”
He said they’ll review Friday’s events with firefighters and dispatchers in an effort to keep this from happening again.
By Lance Hernandez and Kim Nguyen / Denver News
February 10, 2012
Authorities probe 911 response to Josh Powell's home - UT
(CNN) -- Authorities have launched an investigation into how dispatchers handled 911 calls from those seeking help before, they say, Josh Powell killed his sons and himself in his Washington home.
Critics have said it took too long for dispatchers to grasp the danger of the situation and alert police.
February 10, 2012
Chain of Lakes Fire Dept. Frustrates Minnesota Towns - MN
RICHMOND, Minn. - What if your community decided to break off from a long standing relationship with its volunteer fire department and created its own unit? Would you feel safe with volunteers who have no real experience?
That's what happened in the town of Richmond, Minn. outside of St. Cloud, about five miles from Cold Spring.
It could easily happen in your city.
Ron Terhaar started building his retirement workshop a decade ago in the back of his Richmond home. In recent years, he’s spent every day gardening, welding and fixing up cars..
”That's where I lived,” he said. “That's my…they say home away from home.”
Today it's all gone. But should at least some of it been saved?
”I worked so hard to get to that point and all of a sudden within minutes it's gone,” Terhaar said. “You come on site and don't what you are doing. That's really not good.”
That’s the opinion Terhaar has when it comes to the Chain of Lakes Fire Department, which services his area. Today, he says he's thankful he wasn't inside this fire.
”I'd be dead,” Terhaar said. “I wouldn't be here.”
City administrators in Richmond share the same opinion.
”It was a disaster,” said Martin Bode, Richmond City administrator.
To understand how we got here, we must go back to a debate between the city of Richmond and five surrounding townships.
For 157 years Richmond provided fire protection for those areas, but after a financial dispute the townships broke off and created their own volunteer department called the Chain of Lakes Fire Department.
The Chain of Lakes went online Deb. 30, taking responsibility for protecting more than 3,600 residents the Richmond Fire Department served for years. On Jan. 13, just two weeks later, the department responded to their very first fire.
”I think the fire was way advanced before they got there and there was little they could do,” Fire Chief Jerry Vossen said.
The Chain of Lakes Fire Department is made up of 25 volunteers. While all are trained and certified, only one of them -- Chief Vossen -- has any real firefighting experience. And he wasn't at this fire.
“I think we have a department that is incredibly well-trained,” said Larry Lahr, Chain of Lakes administrator. “They have been through an incredible amount of drills in the time they have been on this department.”
It took the Chain of Lakes crew 10 minutes to get to the fire even though Ron Terhaar’s property is just a mile from the firehouse. Richmond Fire Chief Chuck Merten says in 2011 they arrived to the majority of their calls within five minutes or less.
So what happened after firefighters arrived on scene?
Police video obtained by FOX 9 shows a light amount of smoke coming from the building when the Chain of Lakes crew arrives. Two independent witnesses, in addition to the homeowners, say it took a minimum of 15 minutes maybe more to get any significant amount of water on the fire.
But Chain of Lakes Assistant Fire Chief Dean Holthaus disputes the claim, saying three to four minutes into the fire his team was spraying water inside the building.
”You don't see any water on the video because the hose line was on the south side of the building,” Holthaus said. “That's where we started our attack on the south side of the building through the service door.”
“The guys were inside the building in the smoke,” Chief Vossen said. “They went in the door. You can't see them.”
But Terhaar and a neighbor say they were watching the door. Both say the firefighters went inside and came back out within 10 seconds and never went back in.
”He might not have been watching what we were watching,” Holthaus said. “I can't say what he saw but I know as a fact that there was water in that building.
Although Chief Vossen was not at the fire, he says he can tell three minutes into the video there was water on the fire.
”See how it's getting bigger and bigger and back here and really curling way out?” he explains. “That tells me they are putting water on it, definitely.”
After several minutes the fire escalates and at that time Holthaus calls for help -- his first call to Cold Spring five miles away, not Richmond less than a mile away.
“It was a first time experience for myself so I was pretty overwhelmed with the decisions that already had to be made,” Hotlhaus said. “That was at the tip of my tongue. It was my first reaction. It was to call Cold Spring.”
The Richmond administrator says it was a political decision, but Holthaus disputes that claim.
When Cold Spring arrived, now 20 to 25 minutes after the Chain first got on scene, flames are now apparent. Cold Spring’s fire chief said the portable water tank was half empty, but no water was currently being put on the fire because the Chain of Lakes team was having trouble with it's pump. The chief said if water was put on the fire, they certainly didn't do a good job.
By the end, the fire is out of control. The workshop was a total loss, but Cold Spring's fire chief says if done right, some of the structure and possessions could have been saved.
”I would say that a more experienced fire department might have done some different things, or may have done them in a different order,” Holthaus said. “I believe that the outcome would've still been the same. “
”They need more training and they need a shadowing program going or something,” Richmond Fire Chief Merten said. “They need somebody to help them along someone with experience.”
Before going online Dec. 30, the city of Richmond offered their counterparts a shadowing program -- in essence, Richmond giving hands-on training to Chain of Lakes until the two felt the new department could operate on its own...
The offer was turned down.
According to the city of Richmond, the program was $2,000 a month.
”Why would you turn down a shadow program,” the Richmond administrator said. “Why would you turn down a on a job training? Good grief, man, these are your family too.”
In this case, the Chain of Lakes fire chief agrees.
”I would have like to seen it but it didn't happen,” Vossen said. “A dollar figure when it comes to saving lives -- should there be a price on that? No. Should be no price. Should pay it and do it.
That lack of experience is causing major concern for many in this community.
“People are calling and asking if they can request Richmond fire and rescue service, and the answer is no, they cannot,” Richmond Mayor Jim Hemmesch said.
Even neighboring city Cold Spring voiced it's concerns at a city council meeting saying: “It is the opinion of CSFD that the Chain of Lakes Fire District is simply not ready to go online on their proposed date, their training, equipment and experience is not to the standard it needs to be at to provide stand alone service."
Also concerned is Jerry Stang, recently voted in as a supervisor of Munson Township, who's fighting the new department.
”It's like a train wreck waiting to happen,” Stang said. “As a supervisor I have to be responsible to try to get it back on track before we have any casualties. Just have to wait and see what we can do. Hope for the best.
The city of Richmond has come to accept the new fire department is here to stay, saying the offer for a shadowing program still stands.
As for Ron Terhaar, he can't bring back his shed but hopes his loss can help future calls.
”I just wish them good luck,” he said. “live in this community, I love this area. A lot of us want to feel safe in this area, so your job is to get better and help each other.”
Since that first fire, Chain of Lakes created a policy where they must call for help from their neighbors immediately when they reach the fire hall to go on a call.
As for a shadowing program, Chain of Lakes says it has an informal one with two nearby communities.
by Scott Wasserman / FOX 9 News
February 10, 2012
Firefighter Hurt in House Fire - NY
A Hampton Bays house fire Thursday shut down roads and delayed a train for hours, said Southampton Town police.
Four residents, plus a cat and dog, were evacuated safely from a corner house at Fanning and Ponquogue avenues, which had three apartments, all occupied at the time, police said.
Southampton detectives and the town fire marshal are looking for the cause of the 3:12 p.m. fire, but believe it started outside the building, police said.
One firefighter with chest pains was taken to Southampton Hospital and his condition was not known Thursday night, Southampton police said.
The roadways were closed in both directions, police said, and the westbound 2:51 Long Island Rail Road train out of Montauk was held up west of the Southampton station.
Police from the town and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority worked to close off the railroad tracks. At about 3:30 p.m., Suffolk County officials requested the LIRR shut down power between Hampton Bays and Southampton, an LIRR spokesman said.
By 5:15 p.m., local roads were being reopened, police said, and trains were starting to run again.
The Montauk train was expected to delay its 5:50 p.m. arrival at Jamaica by more than 70 minutes, the LIRR website said.
No eastbound trains were affected, the LIRR spokesman said.
Police said five fire departments responded: Hampton Bays, East Quogue, Quogue, Southampton Village and Flanders. Flanders Ambulance was also at the scene, police said.
Ellen Yan and Patricia Kitchen / Newsday, Melville, N.Y.
February 10, 2012
LODD:
Firefighter Who Contracted HIV Ruled an LODD - WA
A South King Fire and Rescue veteran who died in 2006 as a result of contracting HIV on the job years earlier, will finally be honored by the state in April for his sacrifice in the line of duty.
Firefighter J. Douglas Waller began his life as a firefighter in 1976 with the Federal Way Fire Department – now South King Fire and Rescue. When he retired in 2001, he had no clue that one day on the job would ultimately lead to his death years later.
While working on an emergency response one day, Waller provided medical assistance to a bleeding man, according to South King County Fire and Rescue. The man later alerted firefighters that he was HIV-positive, but the warning would not save Waller.
After the exposure, Waller was tested and came back negative for the infection. He then retired in 2000. Six years into retirement, however, he tested positive for HIV, and two months later he died.
"To our knowledge, he was never diagnosed with an exposure caused disease until just before his death in 2006," said Gordon Olson, the assistant chief at South King Fire and Rescue. "Ultimately, because exposure diseases don't really present themselves with symptoms for many years, his claim was approved post five years."
Waller's recognition as a firefighter who died in the line of duty has been a long process, due to the unique nature of his death, according to South King Fire and Rescue. He wasn't killed inside a flaming home, or suffer from life-threatening injuries after inhaling smoke. It had to be proven to the state that he did in fact contract HIV while on the job.
After Waller's cause of death was discovered, subsequent research pinpointed his exposure, and a Labor & Industries investigation approved his line of duty death in 2008.
"The process took a while because the 5 years presumptive rule had been passed," Waller said. "With Firefighter Waller's unusual situation of being retired for several years, the process took even longer."
Waller's death has helped put post-exposure follow-ups in place for future incidents like his, to prevent the spread of HIV after exposure to firefighters.
"The biggest change has been the addition of antivirals, given at the scene, which if administered within the first three hours after an exposure can help prevent the spread of disease," according to South King Fire and Rescue.
In September, Waller received his first recognition when his name was added to the International Association of Fire Fighters Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Colorado Springs, Colo.
In November, the Washington State Department of Labor officially recognized Waller's death as being job related, and on April 22, Waller will be honored at the Washington State Fallen Firefighters' Memorial in Olympia.
Next year, he will be honored at the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial on the campus of the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md.
By Jill Blocker / Courtesy of KOMO-TV
February 10, 2012
First-Due Odor Chases Firefighters Away - WI
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, FIRE STATION 9 is temporarily closed and all equipment and firefighters relocated. A strong smell began growing in the firehouse and eventually got so strong that it became untenable in there.
February 10, 2012
Two Firefighters Injured Battling Fire - CT
Two firefighters were burned in a flashover, a sudden ignition of all combustible material in a room, while battling a residential fire on Thursday. The flashover occurred when firefighters entered 1643 East Main St., shortly after 3:11 p.m. The firefighters were taken to Bridgeport Hospital.
Lt. Peter Morotto was treated for second-degree burns to his right shoulder and bicep. He was released Thursday, officials said.
Firefighter Patrick Burlinson sustained burns on his left and right hands. He was kept at the hospital for observation overnight.
A woman who was inside of the home at the time was suffering from severe to moderate smoke inhalation. She was also taken to Bridgeport Hospital, and was reported to be in the emergency room Thursday night.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Written by The Hartford Courant
February 10, 2012
Chicago firefighters forget to turn off stove, spark fire at station - IL
CHICAGO — Just because they battle blazes doesn't mean firefighters are immune to the occasional smoky mishap.
Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, Chicago Fire Department crews from the station at 76th and Pulaski in the Ashburn neighborhood went out to respond to a pin-in accident, department spokesman Rich Rosado said.
When they returned, a passerby reported smoke coming from the firehouse, Rosado said. Apparently a pot of meat was left cooking while the crews were responding to the accident, and it produced smoke but no flames.
The smoke was extinguished with a small hand pump, and no injuries were reported, he said. No word on whether the firefighters had to call out for lunch.
By James Scalzitti / The Chicago Sun-Times
February 09, 2012
Two firefighters injured in Bridgeport blaze - CT
A Bridgeport firefighter works at the scene of a house fire at 1647 East Main St. in Bridgeport, Conn. Feb. 9th, 2012.
Photo: Ned Gerard / CT
The scene of a house fire at 1647 East Main St. in Bridgeport, Conn. Feb. 9th, 2012.
Photo: Ned Gerard / CT
Two firefighters and one woman were hospitalized Thursday afternoon after a fire broke out on East Main Street.
Lt. Peter Morotto and firefighter Pat Burlinson, of Ladder 10, were listed in stable condition at Bridgeport Hospital. The female resident, whose name and condition were not immediately known, suffered "minor smoke inhalation," according to Assistant Fire Chief Ismael Pomales.
The fire broke erupted about 3 p.m. on the first floor of 1643 East Main St., a 2.5-story wood-frame house that housed one woman in the first floor but no one upstairs. The woman, who fire officials and neighbors said is in her early to mid 30s, was found in the backyard, wrapped in a blanket without shoes, Pomales said. She was in shock but conscious.
Morotto and Burlinson had just broken through the front door of the first floor and entered the house to search for people inside. Steps into the hallway, the fire in the neighboring living room "flashed over," which means that everything combustible in an enclosed case ignites at once.
Morotto and Burlinson received first- and second-degree burns to their hands and face, Pomales said. They retreated from the burning house on their own feet.
"They wanted to run back in," said Pomale, sweaty and sooty in the face about 4 p.m., as reinforcements were taking over for the tired first responders. "Tough guys."
By then, the bulk of the fire had been extinguished, but smoke continued to billow out the roof. Firefighters, looking for hot spots, hacked away at window frames and the base of the attic. Others shot water out of hoses that snaked from the street upstairs to the second floor. Still were climbing ladders to and from the roof. Dozens of people crowded behind the police tape that cordoned off the stretch of East Main Street from Silliman Place to Autumn Street.
Witnesses said the fire poured out of first-floor windows, climbing the exterior to the second floor and gutters that ran along the roof. A neighbor called 911.
About 4:20 p.m., the homeowner, Dr. Jonathan Konecny, 56, stood watching from across the street at his smoldering house. Konecny, a back- and neck-pain specialist, has owned the home for about 10 years, he said.
He stood hands in his pockets, shaking his head.
"Terrible. Some nice hard wood floors," he said. "Perfect."
"Price of owning a home in Bridgeport," he added. "Hundred-year-old wood."
Tim Loh / ctpost.com
February 09, 2012
FF SUFFERS BACK INJURY AT HOUSE FIRE - IL
A firefighter was injured in a fire this morning that caused an estimated $60,000 in damage to a two-story house at 535 Houston St. in Batavia.
The occupants were able to escape and were ouside the home when Batavia firefighters arrived at 8:10 a.m., according to a release from the department. But a firefighter sustained a back injury during the initial fire attack, and was taken to Delnor Hospital for care.
The fire started inside a dryer, and then spread to the laundry room and other rooms on the first floor, the release stated. When firefighters arrived, they found part of the first floor on fire. The laundry room, bedroom and living room all had extensive fire and smoke damage,.
The fire was brought under control at 8:30 a.m. Damage was estimated at $40,000 to the building, and another $20,000 to the contents.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 09, 2012
FFs MAKE RESCUE AT HOUSE FIRE - 1 FF FALLS FROM ROOF - MN
Star Tribune Photo
Two youngsters fell into the waiting arms of neighbors from a second-story window of a burning duplex in St. Paul before dawn Thursday.
The blaze in the 1000 block of Marion Street is believed to be an act of arson, said St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard. The fire was set in the back and blocked the only stairs from the upper level.
Injuries were limited to the children's 27-year-old mother, who hurt her ankle coming down a ladder, and a firefighter who was slightly hurt in a fall from the roof, Zaccard said.
"When someone intentionally sets fire to an occupied residence like this, blocking their escape, they're trying to kill someone," Zaccard said. "Arson is not just a crime against property, it's most certainly a crime against innocent people, too."
Neighbors, awakened by the crackle of the fire, put mattresses on the ground and caught 7-year-old Alexana and 4-year-old Thomas from the second-story window, the fire marshal said. Firefighters placed a ladder to the window and rescued the woman, Allison Haslach, and her fiance.
Laura Haslach, who lives on the first level and is the mother of the woman and the kids' grandmother, said she heard a strange pounding at about 4:30 a.m. and feared someone was trying to break in.
She went around to the back, saw the flames and tried to douse them with a garden hose, but no water came out.
"I was screaming [Allison Haslach's] name, and then I started throwing things" at the window, such as a flower pot and other items.
"It was going pretty good," she said. "By the time we got them out, the whole back of the house was on fire."
One of the neighbors who arrived at the scene pulled a mattress over before the kids were lowered and then let go into the arms of their waiting rescuers.
"My neighbors are heroes," the grandmother said.
Zaccard declined to say how authorities have determined that the fire was an act of arson "because we are still looking for suspects."
Laura Haslach said she has no idea what could have led anyone to set the duplex on fire and recalled nothing unusual of late that could be tied to the fire.
Both levels of the duplex are uninhabitable, the fire marshal said. Living downstairs was the mother of the woman who fled from above.
Zaccard said the tenants above "lost virtually everything" in the blaze, which was put out in about 20 minutes and did about $120,000 in damage.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 09, 2012
Firefighter Burned on Neck, Chest During Firefight - NY
One firefighter was transported to a local hospital Thursday with second-degree burns to the neck and upper chest area suffered while fighting a fire in Mastic Beach, officials said.
Suffolk County fire and police officials said it was not immediately clear what department the firefighter served with, but one fire official characterized the injuries as not severe.
Three departments Mastic, Mastic Beach and Brookhaven responded to the scene on King Road following a 911 call at 11:33 a.m. Arson Squad investigators also were called to the scene, but it was not immediately clear if that was routine procedure.
Fire officials said the fire was under control at 12:15 p.m.
John Valenti / Newsday, Melville, N.Y.
February 09, 2012
AMBULANCE COLLIDED WITH a delivery truck - NC
February 09, 2012
Lessons Learned:
NIOSH recommends clear SOPs for roadway emergencies
This photo shows parked apparatus locations at the scene. Both apparatus were facing eastbound.
Photo S.C. State Patrol/NIOSH
A firefighter fatality along an S.C. interstate highlights the need for clearly defined standard operating procedures specific to roadway emergencies, according to a NIOSH report.
Firefighter Chance Hyatt Zobel, 23, was killed as he was responding to a brush fire Nov. 13, 2010. Firefighter Larry Irvin was injured in the crash.
Firefighter Zobel's engine as well as a quint were dispatched to the scene, according to the report released Feb. 6. The engine pulled into the passing lane and parked next to the median to provide a protected work area for the firefighters. The quint then parked next to the engine near the guardrail, creating a traffic block.
A car and a van were both driving in the passing lane toward the parked fire truck when the van rear-ended the car. The car traveled onto the shoulder, passed between both apparatus and the guardrail, and then hit the two firefighters, who were both wearing retro-reflective vests.
Firefighter Zobel was launched onto the road shoulder, the report said. Fellow firefighters began emergency care immediately. He was taken to a local trauma center, where he was pronounced dead.
Troopers with the South Carolina Highway Patrol charged the driver of the van with driving too fast for conditions.
As a result of the fatality, NIOSH investigators recommended that fire departments, in conjunction with public safety agencies, traffic management organizations and private sector responders develop pre-incident plans regarding response protocols, scene safety, and traffic control for roadway emergency work zones. NFPA 1620 provides guidance to assist fire departments in establishing them.
Investigators also recommended developing, training on and enforcing standard operating procedures for all types, locations and durations of emergency roadway incidents. Special attention should be giving to positioning apparatus to protect workers from oncoming traffic.
"The department involved in this incident had a SOP on roadway operations that was revised following the incident to incorporate more definitive guidance on methods to protect emergency responders who are attending to a roadway incident," the report said.
Another key recommendation calls for developing and training members on a situational awareness program that addresses hazards specific to roadways. The fatality emphasizes the need to prepare for the worst-case scenario when working near traffic.
"Regardless of implemented prevention strategies, unpredictable events can occur within minutes of arriving on the scene, and danger is always present when operating in roadway emergency work zones where moving traffic is present," the report said.
By Sarah M. Smart / FireRescue1 Staff
February 09, 2012
Update:
LODD: Joshua Weissman, Alexandria Fire Dept Paramedic, Dies After Fall From I-395 Overpass Into Four Mile Run Creek - VA
To see full coverage of this event go to 9NEWS NOW.
February 08, 2012
KayCee City Manager Wants To Lay Off Firefighters, Use Savings To Give Other City Employees Raises - MO
For the first time in many years, Kansas City’s firefighters could feel the heat of layoffs under a $1.3 billion budget proposal submitted Tuesday by City Manager Troy Schulte.
Those personnel cuts would help free up about $7.6 million — money that could go toward raises for other city employees. Many of them haven’t had a pay increase in three years.
February 08, 2012
FIRE DEPARTMENT PARAMEDIC CRITICAL AFTER FALL FROM INTERSTATE - VA
An Alexandria (VA) FD Paramedic operating at a car fire this evening, fell from I-395 in Shirlington into Four Mile Run Creek, according to an Alexandria Fire Department spokesperson. Fire companies from both Arlington and Alexandria were initially sent to the scene of the car fire, which was on I-395 Northbound. The fire was out, but the Paramedic from Alexandria reportedly fell between an open area on I-395 NB into the Four Mile Run Creek below. Last reports were that the Paramedic sustained critical injuries and is now being treated at Washington DC MedStar.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 08, 2012
POLE SNAPS DURING EXTRICATION - WIRE LANDS ON AERIAL - MA
A one-car accident early Tuesday morning sent two people to the hospital and knocked out power in West Barnstable after a utility pole struck in the crash collapsed mid-rescue, endangering everyone on scene.Around 12:15 a.m., the West Barnstable Fire Department and Barnstable Police Department responded to a vehicle rollover along Route 132, near Cape Cod Community College.
The vehicle, reported to be a 1982 Cadillac, was traveling north when it jumped a curb and rolled over into a tree and a utility pole, Sgt. David Myett said.
Rescue workers found a woman out of the car and the driver, Ethan Adams, 22, of West Barnstable, pinned under it.
The woman was transported to Cape Cod Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Rescuers had to use a hydraulic tool to extricate Adams.
Midway through the extrication, the utility pole collapsed, possibly because of tension from the power lines, and a live wire fell on the fire department's ladder truck, causing sparks to fly and flames to shoot out from the tires.
"I've never seen anything quite like that. Amazingly no one got hurt," West Barnstable Fire Chief Joe Maruca said. "Our equipment crashed, started glowing and then caught fire."
An NStar spokeswoman said 686 customers in the area were without power for a little more than an hour early Tuesday morning. The pole was replaced later that morning.
Adams was taken by MedFlight helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital for potentially life-threatening injuries. He was released after being treated in the emergency room, said a public affairs officer at the hospital.
The accident is still under investigation, and Adams is being summonsed to face charges of operating to endanger and marked lanes violation.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 08, 2012
Firefighter hurt battling house fire - NJ
NEWARK (WABC) -- One firefighter was injured battling a second-alarm house fire in New Jersey early Wednesday.
Heavy flames shot through the three-story home on Summer Avenue in Newark just after 4 a.m.
The firefighter was treated at the scene for non-life threatening injuries.
No residents were believed to be hurt.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
7 Eyewitness News
February 08, 2012
4 FDNY STATEN ISLAND FFs INJURED AT HOUSE FIRE - NY
Four firefighters suffered minor injuries tonight while battling a fire inside a two-story home in Rosebank that area residents said has been abandoned for over two decades.
The injured firefighters were taken to Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, according to officials on the scene.
The injured came from Engine 152, Ladder 77, Ladder 81 and Engine 153.
The blaze started at 6:20 p.m. on the second floor of 42 Hylan Blvd., according to Deputy Chief William Tanzosh.
"The fire started on the second floor area and went straight up into the attic," he said. The blaze caused extensive damage to the entire second floor and the attic areas. It was under control at 7:20 p.m.
The house at 44 Hylan Blvd., had some exposure to the roof, but firefighters were able to get in under control before it spread, Tanzosh said.
Cathy Muldoon, who lives at 40 Hylan Blvd., said she was home at the time of the incident with two of her children, when her neighbor Jackie Steiner came knocking on the door.
"She told me the house next door was on fire and we should get out," said Ms. Muldoon, who quickly got herself and her children out.
Her daughter, Jenna, 11, said she was listening to music on YouTube when her mother called her and was glad her family was able to get out in time.
Neighbors said they saw flames and heavy black smoke coming from the home that many said has long since been abandoned.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 08, 2012
IBM report suggests fewer San Jose cops and firefighters needed - CA
While San Jose residents and leaders alike are fretting over recent police and fire staffing cuts to fill budget holes, a new IBM analysis requested by Mayor Chuck Reed suggests the city's public safety departments are overstaffed and inefficient.
Reed has scheduled a discussion of the report Wednesday at the City Council agenda-setting committee he leads. He wants the committee to have the city manager and auditor look it over and use the analysis to develop budget recommendations for the council.
"The IBM analysis will be of great interest and value as we attempt to restore some of the services that have been cut over the last decade," Reed said. "In my review of the report, it is clear that, as we restore services, we should not assume that we will rebuild our organization exactly as it was before the cuts."
But officers and firefighters blasted the report's suggestions, which come as Reed and other city leaders are preparing for a battle with employee unions over a June ballot measure on reducing future increases in pension benefits, a key driver of city budget deficits.
"Our staffing is the lowest it's been in decades, and it's insane to think we can go lower," said Jim Unland, president of the San Jose Police Officers' Association, whose ranks were reduced last year by the layoff of 66 officers and a rash of retirements of cops whose positions faced cuts.
February 08, 2012
Two Dead, Firefighter Injured in Fire - PA
Neighbors tried but failed to reach a Friendship woman who died in an apartment fire that authorities believe a child may have started early this morning.
Firefighters found the woman and an unidentified man in her apartment on the third floor of a house subdivided into apartments in the 100 block of South Graham Street, Pittsburgh fire Chief Darryl Jones said.
The man died at West Penn Hospital and the woman died at the scene, a spokesman with the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said. Official identification of the two is pending notification of next of kin.
The fire was reported at about 1:45 a.m. and appears to have started in the second-floor apartment, Jones said.
Rozalyn Jackson, 64, who lives in the first-floor apartment, was told by the woman in the second-floor apartment that her 6-year-old son started the fire. Jackson tried to call the mother when she heard noises upstairs early this morning, and left her apartment to ring the mother's bell when she couldn't reach her by phone.
"She was coming down the stairs with her kids and said she had called the fire department," Jackson said. "I looked out and that's when I saw all the fire coming out."
Jackson said both women tried to reach their neighbor on the third floor, but couldn't.
"We tried to ring her bell," she said through tears. "Her bell didn't work. We tried to get her. We couldn't get her."
Jackson described the third-floor tenant as a nice woman who worked every day.
"She was friendly," Jackson said. "She didn't bother nobody."
Property owner Robert Dax said the woman moved to Pittsburgh from Togo, a country on the western coast of Africa, and had lived in the apartment for more than six years, he said.
"She just came and thought things were going to be better here," Dax said. "She was a great tenant."
One firefighter suffered a leg injury, Jones said. He said the injury was not life-threatening but didn't know the firefighter's condition.
Margaret Harding / The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
February 08, 2012
Lessons Learned:
NIOSH Issues Report on Firefighter Fatality - SC
A South Carolina firefighter struck and killed along a highway in 2010 had no time to react to the vehicle that hit him.
Following a probe, NIOSH investigators also noted that Columbia Firefighter Chance H. Zobel, 23, was wearing a reflective vest as required and apparatus had been placed to block traffic.
About 2 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2010, the Columbia Fire Department was dispatched for a grass fire along an interstate highway. They found the small blaze was nearly out.
The engine driver advised the quint operator that they could cancel because the fire was nearly out.
However, the quint driver said he would continue to help block traffic along the highway. NIOSH investigators noted that the vehicles were positioned in a manner to protect the firefighters.
Following interviews with firefighters and troopers who investigated the incident, they wrote: “A car and a van were travelling eastbound toward the parked fire apparatus. Both vehicles were in the passing lane when the van hit the back of the car. Following the collision, the van drove on the shoulder of the passing lane and stopped before reaching E4 (the quint). The car travelled onto the left shoulder of the highway passing between both apparatus and the guardrail before striking the two firefighters…”
The victim landed on the shoulder, while the injured firefighter was thrown into the median. Another jumped out of the way at the last second.
Zobel was pronounced dead at a local hospital. He sustained multiple traumatic injuries.
The Columbia Fire Department had a policy for protecting firefighters working along the road, and they’ve been updated.
NIOSH suggests that all include roadside emergency work zone SOPs include specific direction on:
establishing incident command
performing initial scene size-up and continual assessment of risks,
training on the need and methods for maintaining on-scene situational awareness
safe travel response protocols, apparatus placement at the scene, and markings to increase visibility
requirements for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
safe placement of advance warning signs and transition areas.
February 08, 2012
Firefighter's home damaged by fire - TX
TYE, Texas — The city of Tye is collecting donations for one of its own volunteer firefighters after his north Abilene home was heavily damaged by fire last weekend.
At about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, firefighters responded to a possible structure fire in the 1800 block of North Seventh Street, where the Jeremy Linn family resided. There, they found heavy smoke and residents of the home standing in the front yard. Damages totaled to $40,000, and family pets — a dog and two hamsters — were lost in the blaze.
Donations of clothing, furniture, money and appliances, as well as toys can be taken to Tye City Hall, located at 205 North St.
Jeremy Linn has been a volunteer firefighter in Tye for the past eight months, said the city's Fire Chief Shawn Hicks. "He's been one of our top hands," Hicks said about Linn's service to the volunteer department. Linn, he said, travels back and forth from Abilene to Tye on fire calls, especially wildfires.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. On Monday, Lt. Greg Goettsch of the Abilene Fire Department said investigators have been able to conclude only that the fire began on a living room sofa. AFD has not been able to determine the source of ignition, he said.
By Denise Blaz / The Abilene Reporter-News
February 07, 2012
Valdosta Police and ambulance crash - GA
Valdosta, Georgia - A Valdosta Police SUV and an ambulance collided while responding to a shooting.
Police say the ambulance ran a red light at the intersection of Gordon and Ashley Street Saturday afternoon around one o'clock.
Police couldn't give us more details Monday.
The shooting happened in the 400 Block of Lee Street.
22-year old Octavius Raiford told police he was shot in the leg possibly during a robbery attempt.
Police say the victim is not being cooperative.
By Jade Bulecza / walb.com
February 07, 2012
FIREFIGHTERS FIND WORKING HOUSE FIRE-WITH AMMO EXPLODING AS THEY ATTACKED THE FIRE - OH
City of Hamilton Firefighter/Paramedics had just taken care of a medical emergency at a home across the street when they noticed a fire in the 700 block of Cleveland Avenue, a news release said, so they called to report the fire around 9:25 a.m. Tuesday.
“Firefighters had to deal with live ammunition exploding around them as they extinguished the fire,” the news release said – though no one was hurt.
Deputy Chief Lawrence Gassert said the bullets apparently were being stored away from a weapon in the bedroom where the fire started, and the heat from the fire caused the bullets to explode. Fire crews brought the blaze under control within 10 minutes or so, containing it to a single bedroom and hallway. However, the rest of the house sustained heat and smoke damage. No one was home at the time of the fire in the single-family ranch; it remains under investigation.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 07, 2012
FF FALLS THROUGH FLOOR AT MAJOR APT. FIRE - PA
NBC Philly Video
A fire tore through a Chester apartment complex early Monday morning.
It happened just before 1 a.m. at the Wallingford Apartments on Madison Street.
The Chester Fire Department arrived at the scene and controlled the fire quickly, but not before it destroyed many of the apartment units and caused significant smoke and water damage.
No residents were hurt though one firefighter was injured after falling through the floor.
"It was horrible," said apartment resident Aisha Lewis who awoke to a fire alarm. "All I could remember was this black smoke."
Fire Chief Charles Hopkins said the cause of the fire is unknown, but hopes to have a better idea after investigating.
About 55 people were displaced. Most are staying with friends or family while others checked into hotels.
The Red Cross of Southeastern PA is working to help out those who are now without homes. They have assisted four families who had nowhere to go with lodging and supplied 21 families with money for food, clothing and winter coats.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 07, 2012
LP TANKER EXPLOSION - WI
The clip has been edited due to some of the language heard on the original video.
Rock County sheriff's officials said that the first report came in at about 3:11 p.m. that a propane tanker truck exploded at Landmark Services Coop, located in the 12000 block of East Highway 59 in Lima Township, which is just west of Whitewater.
They said the tanker and one building were on fire when fire crews arrived. Sheriff's Capt. Jude Maurer said that 13 fire agencies responded and the fire was under control in about an hour.
Mauer said that nobody was hurt in the explosion and fire. Initial reports of multiple buildings on fire at the farm aren't true, he said. The facility's office building was damaged in the fire.
Mauer said the blast tore holes in the sides of a metal building where a worker was transferring propane from a storage tank to a delivery tanker. The worker was able to run out of the building before the explosion. Mauer said the worker realized there was problem when the filling tube became disconnected from the tanker and propane started spraying all over. The worker said he knew it was going to ignite so he ran away.
According to the Rock County Sheriff's Office, an unknown source ignited the propane, which caused the explosion.
Wisconsin Emergency Management officials said that the truck was carrying about 3,500 gallons of propane and was engulfed in flames. They said it's unknown how much was in the larger supply tank or if it was involved in the explosion.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 07, 2012
Mantua house fires injures three people - NJ
Firefighters battle blaze in Monroe Avenue residence in Mantua Township Tuesday morning.
Staff photo by Tim Hawk
Rescuers carry woman who suffered burns from house fire on Monroe Avenue in Mantua Township Tuesday.
Staff photo by Tim Hawk
MANTUA TWP. — A resident and two firefighters were injured in a house fire in the unit block of West Monroe Avenue here Tuesday morning.
The fire was reported at about 10 a.m. Dispatchers reported that someone might be inside the building.
Authorities report a resident was severely injured and two firefighters were injured.
The resident was taken to Crozer Chester Medical Center in Upland, Pa.
The two firefighters who were injured getting the resident out of the house were taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.
Firefighters were still at the scene at 11:15 a.m.
The cause and origin of the fire have not been determined. The investigation is being conducted by Mantua police, the Prosecutor's Office Arson Unit, Major Crimes and Crime Scene units and the county Fire Marshal's Office.
By Gloucester County Times
February 06, 2012
Chicago Firefighter Trapped in Elevator Rescuing Man - IL
A man--and then the firefighter who rescued him--were trapped in Loop condo high-rise elevators for some 3 hours Sunday night.
Firefighters were called to the Park Monroe Condominiums, 65 E. Monroe St. near Millennium Park, about 9:15 p.m. to rescue a man who was trapped in a stalled elevator between the 21st and 22nd floor of the 49-story building, said Chief Kevin McGregor, a fire department spokesman.
A firefighter went up in another elevator in an adjoining shaft, exited through the ceiling hatch to get to the other elevator's hatch to transfer the trapped man and bring him down.
But after the transfer was made, the second elevator stalled and wouldn't come down, McGregor said.
Firefighters considered breaking through a brick wall to get into the elevator through the shaft and using ropes to bring the trapped men out, but didn't have to after an Otis Elevator Co. engineer was able to reset the elevator switch from the roof, put it in "inspection mode" and operate it manually, McGregor said.
"We were working late at night in a dark elevator shaft--it was dangerous work," McGregor said.
He said firefighters were in communication pretty much the whole time with the trapped building resident, a man in his 20s.
The problems with both elevators appeared to be electrical and were being addressed by Otis, McGregor said.
No one was injured.
Chicago Tribune
February 06, 2012
Fire Destroys Plains Twp. Home; Two Firefighters Hospitalized - PA
Joe Rogalski paced, then pressed his hand to his forehead as he watched the flames engulf his Henry Street home Saturday afternoon. I spent 20 years building this house, the 55-year-old Rogalski said, adding he renovated it several times and lived there since he was a child. "I don't even know where I'm going to start."
The fire gutted the home and left two township firefighters hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Debris from a first-floor ceiling collapse struck firefighter Andy Shedlock in the head while Frank Colonna suffered chest pains during the fire, Plains Township Deputy Fire Chief Mark Ritsick said.
Shedlock was taken to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township, while Colonna was taken to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, Ritsick said. While he didn't know their exact condition, Ritsick said "they're OK" and that they were undergoing tests.
A state fire marshal arrived Saturday night to inspect the scene, but Ritsick did not yet know the cause of the fire or where it began as of 9:30 p.m., he said.
The fire started at about 4 p.m., while Rogalski's wife, Nancy Osterman, and her father were in the home with the family's three dogs. Everyone made it out safely, Rogalski said as he took refuge in a garage with his wife and pets.
Rogalski's parents had the home since the 1960s, he said. The family will likely stay with Osterman's father in the interim, Rogalski said.
As the fire peaked, flames rolled from an upstairs window and thick white smoke billowed into the sky. Firefighters from Plains Township, Kingston, Laflin and West Pittston needed about two hours to bring the blaze under control, and the fire left the home almost completely charred.
The situation intensified after the first floor ceiling collapsed, injuring Shedlock. Firefighters rushed a stretcher toward the house and returned shortly after carrying Shedlock toward a waiting ambulance. The injured firefighter moved his arms while on the stretcher.
Narrow alley access to the home proved a challenge to firefighters, who had to douse flames on multiple sides of the home, Ritsick said.
As firefighters worked, a crowd gathered on the hill above the home, several of them filming the scene with their cellphones.
Written by The Citizens Voice
February 05, 2012
Lessons Learned:
Fire Chief: 'Complacency' led to missed body. Those involved are reprimanded, training is stepped up. - CA
Complacency among firefighters led to the Pasadena Fire Department’s failure to find a woman’s body in a torched laundry room in July. At a meeting of the Pasadena (Calif) City Council’s Public Safety Committee, Fire Chief Calvin Wells provided more details about the July 31 fire.
Firefighters were called to a home on South San Marino Avenue twice on July 31, he said. The first call was in response to the initial blaze, and the second was to douse a rekindled fire at the detached garage.
It wasn’t until Aug. 2 that an insurance investigator discovered the remains of Yolanda Marie Sapetto, a transient.
Wells, who became head of the department months after the blaze, blamed “complacency on the part of responders” for the failure to spot Sapetto's body. “However, we are assured that what happened on July 31 is not the norm,” he said. Wells also said he believed the woman died before the fire started in the early morning hours.
Sapetto had a history of breaking into people’s homes and turning on the gas, Wells said. About 30 days before the fire, she broke into a different Pasadena home, turned on the gas from the stove and laid down on a bed.
Two outdoor grill gas tanks, with the valves open, were found at the San Marino Avenue fire site. Wells said an autopsy revealed it was likely the woman died from carbon monoxide poisoning before the fire broke out.
“The victim was most probably deceased prior to the fire,” Wells said. “But as part of our life-saving priorities, we want to find and remove any body in the event it might be in a condition we can save.”
The same four-person crew conducted both searches of the fire site but didn’t search the small laundry room beyond “eyeballing” it, Wells said. He said the lapse is contrary to the department’s procedures.
“If you had followed [procedures], do you think the body would’ve been found initially?” asked City Councilwoman Margaret McAustin.
“I believe there was a high probability the body would’ve been found if standard operating procedures had been followed,” Wells said. “Very disappointing. Not your finest hour,” McAustin said later.
The firefighters involved were reprimanded, Wells said. Saying it is a personnel matter, he declined to elaborate, other than to say the firefighters have received additional training.
Over the years, firefighters have taken shortcuts on what he called “bread-and-butter calls” due to years of experience, Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Costa told the committee. But it becomes a problem when younger firefighters take those shortcuts, he said. The Pasadena Fire Department recently has seen several retirements and the average age and years of experience of firefighters has fallen.
The fire department is reviewing and conducting field exercises for rescue and extraction operations, as well as protecting fire-scene evidence. Since the July 2011 fire, there have been 55 structure fires in Pasadena.
Each one has been reviewed to make sure the department is complying with its standards, Wells said.
By Adolfo Flores, LATimes
February 05, 2012
EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED PERSON CHARGES FIREFIGHTERS WITH MACHETE - NC
Police charged a man with threatening Raleigh (NC) Firefighters and Wake County EMS workers with a machete Friday when they answered a call in a parking lot at 1823 Capital Blvd. Grady Lee Smith, 55, was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, being intoxicated and disruptive and going to the terror of the people.
Smith came at the emergency personnel with the machete and shouted, “You better leave my wife alone,” according to an arrest warrant filed by police officers who rushed to the scene when the fire and medical workers called for help. The warrant also charges that Smith challenged a fire department captain to a fight. A Wake County magistrate set Smith’s bail at $3,000.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 05, 2012
Blaze Injures Firefighter, Displaces 5 - IL
Boston Fire Department
BOSTON -- A two-alarm blaze injured a firefighter and displaced five people in Dorchester Saturday morning.
Firefighters responded to the blaze on Maxwell Street at 9:14 a.m. Authorities said the fire had started on the second floor of the home and extended to the third.
Five residents safely escaped, but one firefighter was taken to Carney Hospital for a head injury.
Fire officials believe an electrical short circuit in a second floor bedroom was to blame.
Damage to the home was estimated at $200,000. The American Red Cross was assisting the displaced residents.
Boston News / thebostonchannel.com
February 05, 2012
Lessons Learned:
Report: Victim's Unit Went Unsearched During Toledo Apartment Fire - OH
A report from the Toledo Fire Department on a fatal West Toledo fire last month states that the apartment where a man died and where his body was found in the rubble of the demolished building wasn't searched until after an evacuation order was given.
The three-page report, made available Friday, states that residents of the 12-unit building who were interviewed at the onset of the Jan. 13 fire told authorities that everyone was out of the three-story building.
"We rely on primarily the folks that live in that structure or neighbors nearby," said Toledo fire Lt. Matthew Hertzfeld. "That's our best resource to gather that information."
The fire started on the second floor of the building at 3125 Meadowbrook Ct. about 3:45 a.m. The third and second floors were searched, as was part of the first, but at 4:07 a.m., one minute after a crew was sent to search the first floor, the evacuation order was given, leaving apartments 37 and 38 unsearched, according to the report.
Delano Fleming, 35, whose body was found Jan. 14 in the building after its demolition, lived in apartment 38, on the first floor, said Mr. Fleming's sister, Sandra Brown.
While the building was still burning, crews were told that "someone may be in the apartment on the left," which was apartment 37.
Two firefighters and the on-scene commander went into the building to search 37. One firefighter went into 38 -- which had an open door, the report states.
"It was dark and he [the firefighter] felt some heat in the hall near the bedrooms. He was unable to see any furniture from his position due to the darkness," the report, prepared by Deputy Chief Gary Martin, states. "He did not search the apartment because of the belief that everyone was accounted for and they were inside to check apartment 37."
"At that time, we still didn't have any information that anyone else was missing, other than to go back after they were pulled out to check 37," said Lieutenant Hertzfeld.
The door to Mr. Fleming's apartment may have been open for a glance into the apartment at the time of evacuation, Lieutenant Hertzfeld said.
"I can tell you from experience, that when we get pulled out of buildings, as you're exiting, you're popping doors and taking quick looks. What's happened, and it's happened to me personally, you find a lot of people attempting to leave structures on their own and I've found people six or seven feet from a doorway or three feet from a window because that's where they've succumbed to the smoke."
Ms. Brown said she understands the report and "I respect their ability to have investigated, and their findings, but it still doesn't matter to me. Regardless of what they say, they cannot tell me anything that will make me believe why they couldn't get him in the first apartment on the first floor."
The Lucas County Coroner's Office has said that Mr. Fleming died of smoke inhalation and officially ruled the death an accident.
On Friday, Lieutenant Hertzfeld said the cause of the fire had not yet been determined.
The fire department's report found that "crews performed well considering the many functions that had to be considered" and the search of the building was "textbook."
There were communication issues, the report found, because of face-to-face conversations opposed to instructions broadcast over the radio.
"Therefore, the other crews on the scene were unaware of their locations and duties," the report states.
"It's difficult to say [if things could have been done differently]," Lieutenant Hertzfeld said. "To say if something was done wrong, it's not a matter of right or wrong, it's is there a faster or smoother way to do it."
Adam Loukx, the city's law director, who was the recipient of the report, declined to comment, but said "I don't see any liability here."
Ms. Brown said the family has not considered whether to file suit.
By Taylor Dungjen / The Blade, Toledo, Ohio
February 05, 2012
Firefighter Injured in Ceiling Collapse - PA
PLAINS TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Joe Rogalski paced, then pressed his hand to his forehead as he watched the flames engulf his Henry Street home Saturday afternoon.
"I spent 20 years building this house," the 55-year-old Rogalski said, adding he renovated it several times and lived there since he was a child. "I don't even know where I'm going to start."
The fire gutted the home and left two township firefighters hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Debris from a first-floor ceiling collapse struck firefighter Andy Shedlock in the head while Frank Colonna suffered chest pains during the fire, Plains Township Deputy Fire Chief Mark Ritsick said.
Shedlock was taken to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township, while Colonna was taken to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, Ritsick said. While he didn't know their exact condition, Ritsick said "they're OK" and that they were undergoing tests.
A state fire marshal arrived Saturday night to inspect the scene, but Ritsick did not yet know the cause of the fire or where it began as of 9:30 p.m., he said.
The fire started at about 4 p.m., while Rogalski's wife, Nancy Osterman, and her father were in the home with the family's three dogs. Everyone made it out safely, Rogalski said as he took refuge in a garage with his wife and pets.
Rogalski's parents had the home since the 1960s, he said. The family will likely stay with Osterman's father in the interim, Rogalski said.
As the fire peaked, flames rolled from an upstairs window and thick white smoke billowed into the sky. Firefighters from Plains Township, Kingston, Laflin and West Pittston needed about two hours to bring the blaze under control, and the fire left the home almost completely charred.
The situation intensified after the first floor ceiling collapsed, injuring Shedlock. Firefighters rushed a stretcher toward the house and returned shortly after carrying Shedlock toward a waiting ambulance. The injured firefighter moved his arms while on the stretcher.
Narrow alley access to the home proved a challenge to firefighters, who had to douse flames on multiple sides of the home, Ritsick said.
As firefighters worked, a crowd gathered on the hill above the home, several of them filming the scene with their cellphones.
By Andrew Staub / The Citizens' Voice, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
February 05, 2012
3 Firefighters, 4 Residents Injured In Early Morning House Fire In North Philadelphia - PA
Philadelphia (CBS) – An early morning fire in North Philadelphia injures three firefighters and four others.
According to Philadelphia Fire Deputy Chief Michael Wahl, the call for the house fire came in at 5:58 a.m. at 1618 North 20th Street. Upon arrival initial reports were of heavy smoke and a couple trapped inside.
Upon entering the home, firefighters rescued two people while two others escaped on their own. Three women and one child were taken to Hahnemann hospital for treatment and were in stable condition.
During the rescue, three firefighters were also injured. One firefighter is in critical but stable condition and was transferred to Temple Burn Center. The other two firefighters are in stable condition at Hahnemann.
Fire officials say the home did have working smoke detectors–and without that, this fire could have easily claimed several lives.
The fire is under investigation by the fire marshal’s office at this time.
By Stasia DeMarco And Suzanne Monaghan / http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com
February 04, 2012
Ambulance involved in collision on US 119 - KN
GOODY, Ky. - A trip to a local hospital took an unexpected turn for the patient and crew of a Quest Care EMS ambulance Thursday evening, when they found themselves involved in a two-vehicle collision on U.S. 119 at the intersection near Appalachian Tobacco and CVS Pharmacy.
According to information from Kentucky State Trooper Shannon Jones, the drivers of both the ambulance and the Ford F-150 pickup, Claude Preston, 80, of McVeigh, Ky., said to him that they each had the green light before proceeding through the intersection.
The emergency vehicle was reportedly traveling north on 119 and continued through the light, striking Preston and his wife, who was a passenger in the vehicle.
While speaking with numerous eye-witnesses at the scene, many gave the same statement, saying that the ambulance did not, at any time, sound the emergency siren when approaching the three-way stop.
They also told the Daily News that Preston’s lane of traffic had the green light, not the emergency vehicle, as the Quest Care driver had said.
A supervisor for Quest Care, Cyrus Hess, arrived shortly after the accident occurred, but refused to give a statement until after he concluded his own investigation.
He did comment, however; that the patient in the ambulance was taken on to South Williamson Appalachian Regional Hospital by Appalachian First Response, as well as the EMT that was in the back with the patient.
Hess also said that the ambulance driver would be transported to ARH to make sure he had suffered no injuries.
Preston was taken to the Pikeville Medical Center by family members to have a contusion and small laceration to his left arm evaluated.
“I stopped and looked before I pulled out onto the four-lane even though my light was green,” said Preston. “As I was about halfway into the turn, I saw the ambulance coming. There was nothing I could do. It was moving on; it never slowed down, it just kept coming right at me.
“If I would have been another two or three feet farther out, he would have t-boned my truck and you wouldn’t be standing here talking to me right now.”
Preston said that the ambulance driver swerved to try to miss him, but was unsuccessful.
The Daily News made numerous attempts to speak with someone at Quest Care to get a statement concerning the accident, but received no reply.
Members of the Belfry Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene, along with additional law enforcement. The accident is still under investigation by Jones. No citations have been issued at this time.
By RACHEL C. DOVE Staff Writer / williamsondailynews.com
February 04, 2012
Two brought to hospital after County Ambulance, Volvo collision - MA
A crash at the intersection of Valentine Road and Lakeway Drive on Friday afternoon flipped an ambulance that was transporting a patient, sending at least two people, including the patient, to Berkshire Medical Center.
Pittsfield Police Officer Marc Maddalena said a green Volvo station wagon traveling west on Lakeway Drive drove through a stop sign and broadsided a County Ambulance unit that was headed south on Valentine.
Members of the Pittsfield Fire Department removed the patient from the ambulance. The injured woman clutched a Teddy bear to her chest as she was loaded into a waiting ambulance and driven away from the scene.
A man wearing a County Ambulance uniform appeared to have suffered a leg injury. He was also transported from the scene.
The driver of the Volvo did not appear to be injured.
Maddalena said the ambulance was on a routine transfer, not an emergency call, when it was struck.
He said he was still investigating the crash. Police hadn't identified the injured parties at the scene, but said their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.
County Ambulance personnel on the scene declined to comment on the crash.
By Ned Oliver / firefighterclosecalls.com
February 04, 2012
DIRT BAG TOSSES CEMENT CHUNK ONTO RESPONDING RESCUE TRUCK - FL
A Clearwater fire truck was responding to an emergency when it had to screech to a halt because a big concrete rock slammed into the windshield. And it was no accident someone deliberately threw it.
"We're not talking about a pebble here, we're talking about a large chunk of concrete," said Elizabeth Watts with the City of Clearwater.
Watts said the emergency call was halted by the flying chunk of concrete.
"Big enough to fill the palm of your hand, so he got some momentum going," she said.
It happened during a busy Friday morning commute, in the 2300 block of Gulf To Bay Boulevard around 7:20 a.m. Clearwater Fire Rescue #49 was responding to a call, with their lights and sirens blaring.
"It was a problem breathing, and it was a medical call," said Watts, who added that the crew saw a man walking toward them.
"They noticed him, they thought maybe he was doing something a little suspicious," said Watts.
So it wasn't a total surprise. The driver said they saw what they thought was a man skipping on the sidewalk.
"Kind of skipping before he's getting ready to throw," Watts explained.
The man was really rearing back to get momentum, to hurl that piece of concrete right into their windshield.
"The glass shattered throughout the cabin," said Watts. "Covering both the driver and the passenger."
No one was seriously hurt. They tried to circle back, but the man had already slipped away.
Another unit was close by, so there was no delay in getting care to the person who was having trouble breathing.
But the outcome could have been much different.
"What if there wasn't another unit that was close enough to get there in time? But also, our personnel and their safety," Watts said. "They're out there trying to do their jobs, trying to help people, trying to save lives."
It was disturbing for Vanessa Durbin, who walks her son along that stretch of Gulf To Bay all the time.
"There are some crazies around here," said Durbin. "But I didn't know they were that crazy!"
The windshield has been replaced, but the truck is not back in service yet. It's just like one we found at Rescue #45 across town.
The suspect is described as a white male, around 30 to 40 years old, 5'10" with a medium build.
His face was unshaven and he was last seen wearing a blue shirt and jeans.
If you think you saw anyone matching that description on Gulf To Bay Boulevard Friday morning, call the Clearwater Police Department.
Throwing an object, in this case, hurling a piece of concrete at an ambulance, is a felony.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 04, 2012
FIREFIGHTER SERIOUSLY INJURED IN FALL OFF A LADDER AT DWELLING FIRE - PA
A Penn Forest Township (Carbon County, PA) Volunteer Firefighter was transported by air to St Luke's trauma center after sustaining multiple serious injuries from falling off a ladder at a dwelling fire. The fire was located on Mountain Road in Penn Forest Township and the injury happened around 1830 hours.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 04, 2012
Suicides Spur Renewed Focus On Behavioral Health
Recent suicides of responders have thrust officials to push the importance of emotional fitness.
Just as being physically fit is vital for fighting fires, providing EMS care and performing rescues, authorities say it's just as important for personnel to have their heads in the game.
Firefighters have the second most stressful job in the nation, according to a study released last month by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Soldiers were found to have the most stressful job.
Learning to deal with stress will involve a culture change, says Jeff Dill, a licensed counselor and founder of Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance.
Dill says his research shows there have been about 170 responder suicides in recent years including a number in fire departments in Phoenix, Chicago and Philadelphia.
"It's really difficult to get a handle on the exact number of suicides," he said. "But, we're losing good people. We really need to do what we can do prevent these deaths."
It's not only active firefighters who are taking their lives. Dill says retirees also are vulnerable and need attention.
"It's culture shock for retirees. That's why it's important for them to be prepared for the lifestyle changes ahead, and to stay connected," he said adding that he counsels and provides information for firefighters who are about to or who have hung up their gear. "It's very important to pre-plan."
Dill says the focus on emotional well-being needs to start in the academy. Promoting fitness above the shoulders is just as important, but doesn't always get the proper attention.
Responders too often keep things bottled up. "Unfortunately, firefighters are entrenched not to show weakness. They will call a Mayday when they are in trouble in a building, but they often suffer in silence. They don't want to appear weak. If we ask for help on the fire ground, we should feel comfortable asking for help at the firehouse."
When Dill, a battalion chief at Palatine Rural Fire Protection District in Illinois, emphasizes that early prevention is vital. Someone who hints about taking their life shouldn't be ignored.
And, he was quick to add that the suicidal person may not have shown any outward warning signs.
Last week, Ralston, Neb. Fire Chief Kyle Ienn participated in the Chief Brunacini Leadership Conference in Arizona. On Tuesday, he was found hanging from a bridge in his hometown.
His death has his colleagues grieving and seeking answers.
Billy Hayes, vice-president of marketing and outreach at Columbia Southern University, a friend who spent time with Ienn at the conference, said it's been a rough week for those who knew him.
He remembered Ienn as someone who went out of his way to console the families and colleagues of fallen heroes. "Kyle's death is a tremendous loss to his family, his community and the entire fire service. He was a good friend."
As a state advocate for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation's Everyone Goes Home program, Ienn not only taught but promoted the Courage to Be Safe courses.
"This shows no one really knows," he said adding that nothing seemed out of the ordinary last week.
The importance of behavioral fitness was listed as one of the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives. It states: "Firefighters and their families must have access to counseling and psychological support."
NFFF Executive Director Ron Siarnicki said his team has reached out to fire service personnel during this sad time.
He said Ienn touched many during his years as a volunteer with the Foundation.
"It's important right now that we take care of our own. There are many out there grieving."
Siarnicki said during a teleconference with fire service media on Thursday that the NFFF remains committed to helping responders and their families seek psychological help.
Last summer, the NFFF held a two-day symposium to discuss depression and suicides in the fire service. After hearing from experts in the field, and discussing the issue, a White Paper was developed and recently released.
Among the recommendations are:
*The limited state of current empirical information and understanding regarding suicide in the fire service should be clearly acknowledged in all discussions and presentations on the subject, no regardless of source, audience, or objective
*NFFF and other fire service constituency organizations should advocate for funding and support of empirically sound epidemiologic study of fire service suicide to provide a solid basis for understanding and action.
*Researchers working on military projects should be specifically recruited, encouraged, and supported to translate salient elements of that research to investigate suicide in the civilian fire service.
*NFFF and other fire service constituency organizations should advocate funding and support for similar empirically sound epidemiologic study in fire service populations of conditions known to interact with and/or exacerbate suicide risk (e.g., depression, PTSD, conduct disorders, and substance abuse), where speculation regarding prevalence is widespread but data are presently limited.
*Advocates for action should be admonished to couch presentations regarding perceived incidence, presumed causal factors, potential interventions, and such cautiously and conservatively, sticking closely to established.
Susan Nicol Source: EMSWorld.com News
Suicide Surveillance, Prevention, and Intervention Measures for the US Fire Service
February 04, 2012
Firefighters Accidentally Spark Blaze at Warehouse - MA
ROCKLAND, Mass. -- Rockland firefighters got some unexpected practice Thursday morning after a training exercise sparked flames on a nearby warehouse roof.
Chief Scott Duffey said an additional ladder truck was sent to 136 Weymouth St. at about 10 a.m. Thursday to help put out the fire, which occurred when sparks from a saw caused insulation to catch fire. He said it took firefighters about 20 minutes to extinguish the flames.
Firefighters from Abington and Rockland had already spent several days doing training exercises at the building, which is slated to be demolished next week to make way for a new roadway that will serve SouthField, the massive redevelopment of the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station. Duffey said firefighters from both departments helped put out the fire.
"It was good to have the guys from both towns there," the chief said. "We had enough manpower to take care of the situation."
Duffey said firefighters plan to continue training exercises on the building next week.
The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, MA)
February 04, 2012
Firefighter, Two Residents Injured in Blaze - KS
Two residents and a firefighter were treated at Salina Regional Health Center for injuries they suffered in a house fire at 503 N. 13th St. early Friday morning.
The house was expected to be a total loss.
According to Salina Fire Marshal Roger Williams, firefighters were called shortly before 2 a.m. and found the one-story house filled with heavy smoke and flames.
Williams said firefighters were hampered in fighting the blaze by the "exuberant amount of personal belongings" inside the house.
The two residents, a man and woman in their mid-50s, were already out of the burning building when firefighters arrived. They both were taken to Salina Regional with minor burns and smoke inhalation. The woman was treated in the hospital emergency department and released, while the man was kept overnight and released Friday morning.
One firefighter also was taken to Salina Regional for evaluation but was quickly released.
There were no smoke detectors in the house; Williams said two dogs alerted the homeowners to the fire. The dogs also got out safely.
Williams said the house, which had not had natural gas service since 2008, was being heated with electric space heaters powered by a "multitude of extension cords."
He said an exact cause of the fire had not been determined.
The Salina Journal, Kan. / The Salina Journal, Kan.
February 04, 2012
Lessons Learned: Fire Chief Nearly Loses Eye During Overhaul - IN
Typical mop-up work after a fire changed in an instant for West Point (Indiana) Fire Chief Gary Cheesman.
"The instant it happened, 'oh my goodness, I just lost an eye for a vacant house'," Cheesman said.
The fire with suspicious origins broke out January 23 near Attica. West Point Volunteer Firefighters fought the fire from the outside because it was vacant.
Chief Cheesman said the house had hundreds of rounds of ammunition inside. Firefighters had heard bullets explode as they worked the fire, but thought none of the possible projectiles were traveling beyond the structure.
The fire was knocked down and he had walked to the back of the house to discuss what firefighters should do next. Because he was running the pumper and was wearing a radio headset around his head, he wasn't wearing his helmet. That's when it happened.
"There was a bang that went off," Cheesman said. "It felt like someone punched me." A primer cap from a .223 caliber bullet entered in the corner of his eye by his nose and lodged behind the eyeball.
"I thought I lost it," Cheesman said. "I thought 'this old house, that's worth nothing, and I lose an eye over it'."
Anywhere else on his face and doctors think he would have had just a scratch. Paramedics rushed Chief Cheesman to the hospital.
Surgery last week has helped improve the Chiefs vision as it's getting better, but it's still blurry. Doc's told the Chief they are hopeful his vision will clear completely in 4 to 8 weeks and he'll be back on the job.
Chief Cheesman said he's been overwhelmed by the response sincerity fighters and friends since January 23. He hopes his story serves as a reminder to everyone who work in potentially dangerous situations, to always wear all of your protective gear-including eye protection.
February 04, 2012
Local firefighters bet on Super Bowl - RI/NY
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - A group of local firefighters are making a friendly wager over the Super Bowl.
A New York firehouse issued a challenge to the Providence Fire Department.
If the Patriots win the Super Bowl, the Providence firefighters will receive 25 t-shirts from New York.
But if the Giants win, the Providence firefighters will have to send 25 t-shirts to the Big Apple.
By Jeremy Brown / Field Reporting by Steve Nielsen / wpri.com
February 03, 2012
City Sues Firefighters Over Overtime Question - WV
Charleston WV, overtime issue
February 03, 2012
LODD: Fire chief killed in crash - PA
EDINBORO, Pa. — A fire chief died from his injuries during a car accident as he was returning to his Pa. fire department Thursday.
Chief David M. Flint, 49, was a 31-year veteran with the Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department in Edinboro, Pa.
A vehicle coming from the opposite direction collided with Chief Flint's vehicle when it crossed over the center line.
Assistant Fire Chief Sharon Petri was riding with Flint at the time of the accident and is hospitalized.
By FireRescue1 Staff
February 02, 2012
Artemus firefighters battle apartment blaze - NY
Before noon Thursday firefighters continued to battle a blaze at an Artemus apartment building that left one man severely burned and two others an infant and a firefighter suffering from smoke inhalation, according to Artemus Volunteer Fire Department Chief John Bays.
The fire at the 99-year-old building near the intersection of KY 225 and 930 started about midnight.
The building contained several apartments and Bays said firefighters helped to evacuate some residents, including a man who was found in his bed. The man suffered severe burns, Bays said.
The cause of of the fire isn't known but Bays said it is believed to be accidental.
Bays said firefighters expect to remain at the scene for hours to come while they try to extinguish the fire.
CORBIN — Times-Tribune
February 02, 2012
Firefighter Injured in Mill Plant Fire - NC
Firefighter injured in Rowan County mill fire.
One firefighter was injured during a mill plant fire early Thursday morning in Rowan County.
WCNC.com
February 02, 2012
2 firefighters, 2 others hurt in collision - CA
A San Bernardino County fire ambulance was involved in a collision today as it responded to a medical call in Hesperia.
The ambulance was traveling north on U.S. Highway 395 when it was hit about 2:15 p.m. by another vehicle at Main Street, said Tracey Martinez, spokeswoman for the Fire Department.
The two firefighter/paramedics in the ambulance suffered minor injuries and were taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, Martinez said.
The two people in the other vehicle suffered moderate injuries and were taken to Desert Valley Medical Center in Victorville, she said.
Sheriff’s traffic investigators are looking into the collision, she said.
BY STEVEN BARRIE / pe.com
February 02, 2012
Paramedics encounter knifed man at local QuikTrip - OK
TULSA - EMSA spokesman Chris Stevens says a man pulled a knife on two paramedics around 10:30 last night outside an 11th and Utica QuikTrip.
Posted in the area, the paramedics asked to respond to a man-down behind the local store.
The man, Johnny Wheeler, was unconscious but awoke upon the paramedic's arrival.
After refusing medical attention, Wheeler, followed the paramedics back to their vehicle and brandished a knife.
The paramedics were able to subdue Wheeler and hold him until police arrived.
Wheeler was arrested for assault and battery on medical personnel and public intoxication. Wheeler had slurred speech and smelled of alcohol, according to the jail's booking report.
The paramedics say they don't know why the man approached them. No one was hurt in the incident.
kjrh.com
February 02, 2012
Union Raises Issues After Locust St. Fire - NY
Rochester, N.Y. --- The union representing city firefighters blames recent cuts and a reorganization plan for putting lives and safety at risk on Locust Street last week.
The fire last Thursday at 105 Locust Street destroyed a family's home and left one firefighter recovering from first and second-degree burns. Three other firefighters were evaluated for minor injuries at the scene and four people inside the home were taken to the hospital.
In a letter to City Council and Rochester Mayor Tom Richards, the President of the Rochester Fire Fighters Association Local 1071 IAFF said the negative effect of budget cuts and department-wide reorganization were illustrated at that Locust Street fire. President Jim McTiernan went on to detail various fire units that were out of service at the time that this fire was called in as well as the location of a Battalion Chief who had to respond from South Avenue because another Battalion Chief post was recently eliminated.
McTiernan's letter also detailed the need for a round-the-clock Group Safety Officer that happened to be present at this fire scene but had been cutback on various shifts due to budgetary restraints. A letter McTiernan sent to those same city leaders last week argued the union's objections and concerns to cuts that lowered the number of on-duty firefighters from 99 to 86 over Fire Chief Caufield's 4-Year Plan.
"These kind of closing of companies for training and the reduction of companies and putting companies out of service, this is going to cause problems continually," McTiernan said. "This is just to put them (the City) on notice and know that they were the ones responsible for this, that we've told them and that we're going to keep holding them responsible for what is going to inevitably happen."
Fire Chief Caufield fired back late Wednesday with a response of his own during an interview with 13WHAM News. Chief Caufield said he disputes nearly every word of McTiernan's letter and said that 13 firefighters were on-scene at Locust Street in four minutes and a total of 26 were on scene in eight minutes. Caufield also pointed to a report from a senior officer, and a union member, who was at the fire scene and applauded the efforts and decisions of the firefighters that day.
"It was an unbelievably heroic effort that all those firefighters performed that day including the officers," Chief Caufield said. "We had a fantastic outcome, we did have a firefighter burned but his protection, his training, his gear, his crew integrity, his safety was protected at all times and that's our goal."
This week Caufield said he went to Mayor Richards' office and lobbied for him to again fund a round-the-clock Group Safety Officer position. He provided 13WHAM News with a copy of his administrative order that re-established that position immediately.
"Can we do it better and smarter? Absolutely, but in this case we far exceeded any standards even our own expectations to be honest," Chief Caufield said. "This was a really difficult fire and it's unfortunate that somebody's going to point to the efforts that our officers and our firefighters performed at that particular fire to advance a political agenda."
13wham.com
February 02, 2012
Firefighter Hurt In 3-Alarm Rowan Fire - NC
One firefighter was injured Thursday morning in a three-alarm fire at an old textile mill building in Rowan County. The fire was reported about 4:30 a.m. at the old Parkdale Mills plant, on Meriah Street in Landis, according to Rowan County authorities. Firefighters found flames coming from the roof when they arrived, and a second alarm was sounded a short time later.
A third alarm was sounded about 6 a.m., but crews brought the blaze under control about 6:30 a.m.
Authorities report the injured firefighter suffered heat exhaustion, and officials rotated in several crews of firefighters to deal with the blaze.
Their effort to control the fire was hampered because the sprinkler system did not operate in the part of the building that caught fire.
Rowan County authorities said part of the building was used by retail businesses, but the part that burned was not in use.
Written by The Charlotte Observer
February 02, 2012
SUV collides with ambulance near Ferndale; 2 firefighters, driver hospitalized - WA
ANDY BRONSON | THE BELLINGHAM HERALD - Seen through the window of a wrecked car, fire crews examine a North Whatcom Fire & Rescue ambulance as it lies in a ditch after being struck by the car at the corner of Kickerville and Bay roads on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012 in Bellingham.
Bellingham Herald
Bellingham Herald
An SUV crashed into an ambulance Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 1, near Ferndale, sending both firefighters and the SUV driver to the hospital.
The North Whatcom Fire and Rescue ambulance was returning from a call about 3:25 p.m. when a Ford Edge ran through a stop sign at the intersection of Kickerville and Bay roads, clipping the ambulance, said North Whatcom Division Chief Henry Hollander.
The collision whipped the ambulance 180 degrees and sent it careening into a ditch on Bay Road. The crash crumpled the driver's side of the SUV and smashed its windshield.
"To me it sounded like a cannon going off," said Larry Seigman, who lives in a house a few hundred feet south of the intersection.
The Ford driver, 56-year-old Timothy Howe of Blaine, was bleeding from the head, witnesses reported. Firefighters had to cut him from the SUV to free him. He was taken to St. Joseph hospital, but it wasn't immediately clear how serious his injuries were.
The ambulance driver, 37-year-old Anthony Esser of Bellingham, and the other firefighter on board, 30-year-old Joel Sellinger of Blaine, also were injured and taken to the hospital. Their injuries were not life-threatening, Hollander said.
The SUV was travelling southbound on Kickerville, where the speed limit is 35 mph. It went through the stop sign at Bay, where the speed limit is 50 mph, and struck the ambulance that was westbound on Bay, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Howe will be cited for failure to stop, according to Washington State Patrol.
Both he and the men in the ambulance were wearing seat belts. Alcohol was not a factor in the crash, according to state patrol.
Reach CALEB HUTTON at caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2276.
February 02, 2012
Firefighter Taken To Hospital After Electrical Shock - MD
BELTSVILLE, Md. (WUSA) -- Fire spokesperson Mark Brady says that a Prince George's County Firefighter is hospitalized in "good" condition after receiving an electrical shock at a Fire/EMS Station on Wednesday.
According to Brady, the firefighter was unplugging a shoreline, a heavy-duty electrical cord connected from an outlet to a fire engine, at the Beltsville Fire/EMS Station 831. The shoreline is used when a unit is off but needs a continuous electric charge to maintain the heavy-duty battery system and for electrical components on-board, explained Brady.
Brady said it appears the wires pulled away from the protective housing and the exposed wires came in contact with the firefighter's arm. That produced an electrical shock that threw him to the floor.
Advanced Life Support paramedics responded and they and Beltsville Fire/EMS Station #831 personnel transported the firefighter to the Burn Unit at Washington Hospital Center where he currently remains.
The firefighter was unable to move his right hand, and was disoriented. He remains hospitalized at least through Thursday night because he still has not regained feeling in his hand and arm, says Brady. His condition will be re-assessed Friday morning.
Written by / 9NEWS NOW
February 02, 2012
Fire company to turn off siren - PA
LITTLESTOWN, Pa. - Modern technology is rendering the traditional fire siren obsolete.
Littlestown's Alpha Fire Co. No. 1 will be the latest Adams County company to stop using its siren to call volunteers to emergencies.
Alpha plans to discontinue its use of the siren and exclusively use pagers to contact members, Alpha officials said.
"We don't feel a need for it anymore because we have pagers," Alpha Fire Chief Scott Small told the borough council during his annual report to board members at the Jan. 24 meeting.
Small said the company's decision was also a financial one.
"The cost of that (siren) is astronomical," he said.
According to Small, the company uses a motor to keep the siren operational 24 hours a day because three-phase electric, which would typically be used for the siren, was not extended to the East King Street station during renovation of the square several years ago.
Alpha officials estimated it cost the company between $6,000 and $10,000 annually to maintain the siren.
"We're not going to continue to pay that outrageous electric bill," Alpha company trustee Bill Sheely said.
Small offered to turn the siren over to the borough to use for emergency notifications. The siren also has been used over the years to alert residents of emergencies, such as tornado warnings and storms.
"That part of the siren is in the borough's hands," Small said.
Littlestown Police Chief Charles Kellar asked the fire company to hold off shutting down the siren until he had a chance to investigate other options for emergency alerts.
Alpha officials originally planned to discontinue using the siren Wednesday, but Sheely agreed to "work" with the borough and delay the deactivation of the siren until the chief can report back to council at its Feb. 14 meeting.
Kellar, who is also interim borough manager, said he would check what other municipalities do for emergency alerts and whether the siren could be moved to the borough building.
Public Works Director Tim Topper said the borough building could possibly handle the siren with some rewiring.
Adams County Emergency Services Director John Eline said his department encourages municipalities "to take over the responsibility to maintain the siren. The Emergency Services department has an encoder that sends a radio signal that sets off the sirens, alerting residents to emergencies."
Eline said Greenmount Fire Dept. in Freedom Township and United Hook and Ladder in New Oxford and Abbottstown no longer use their sirens.
Gettysburg and SAVES fire companies do not use their sirens overnight, Eline said.
Also during his report, Small said Alpha responded to 69 fire calls in the borough last year, a number equaling 30.5 percent of its total fire calls.
The ambulance company responded to 390 calls in the borough, or 49 percent of its overall responses.
"It just reiterates our earlier request for an increase in funding (from the borough)," Small said. "Hopefully, we can work for better monetary funding in the coming year."
By Craig K. Paskoski / The Evening Sun
February 01, 2012
Ambulance crash leaves 1 dead in Beaufort Co. - SC
BEAUFORT COUNTY, SC (WCSC) - One person was killed and three others were sent to the hospital Tuesday after an ambulance crash in Beaufort County.
According to South Carolina Highway Patrol, the ambulance was traveling north on Old Sheldon Church Road when the vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway, the driver overcorrected and struck a tree.
The Beaufort County Coroner's Office identified the victim as 56-year-old Blandelle Gary, from the from the Yemassee area. She was riding in the passenger seat of the ambulance and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The collision is under investigation by the highway patrol and the patrol's multidisciplinary accident investigation team. The crash occurred about a half a mile down the road off of Highway 17 near a curve.
There were four people in the vehicle, including the driver and a passenger in the front of the ambulance along with a patient and medical worker in the back.
One person was taken to Beaufort Memorial Hospital and the other two were flown to a Savannah hospital.
The conditions of the other victims is unknown at this time.
By Alex Kreitman / live5news.com
February 01, 2012
Two firefighters in hospital after battling brushfire in Kendall - FL
Two firefighters were sent to the hospital Tuesday morning after battling a brushfire in West Kendall near 137th Avenue and 112th Street, according to the Miami-Dade Fire Department.
They were sent to Baptist Hospital in West Kendall because of smoke inhalation, officials said.
A 911 call came in at 1:05 a.m. after the fire had sparked Monday afternoon. Officials don’t think the fire was started intentionally.
No homes were evacuated Tuesday morning but people are urged to stay indoors and keep their windows and doors shut.
“It is not under control, however we do have a perimeter set up,” said Erik Della Catena, a Miami-Dade fire spokesman. “There is no forward progress, but our main concern is that it does not affect any homes.”
The fire, in the 30-acre Boystown Pineland County Park and Camp Matecumbe, is near a Boy Scout camp , apartment complex, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish and School and Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport. More than 60 firefighters were on the scene Tuesday morning.
Authorities say 15 mph winds caused the fire to spread.
About 700 homes in the area were without power after fire officials asked Florida Power & Light to turn the power off, according to the utility.
“The fire department asked us to deenergize the affected area so that it affects the minimum amount of people possible,” said Alys Daly, an FPL spokeswoman.
Authorities told CBS4 they are watching the wind and hoping for rain.
According to the National Weather Service in Miami-Dade, winds will increase through the day and could reach 15-20 mph. There is smoke in the area and burning embers are of concern.
“As long as we protect people’s lives, we are good,” Della Catena said “But right now it’s not being wound down. It is still at its peak.”
Although Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Elementary School was announced to be closed, the 792 polling precinct at the Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 11291 SW 142 Ave., remains open for GOP primary.
firefighterclosecalls.com
February 01, 2012
Man Charged With Assaulting EMT - PA
A Bullskin Township man has been charged with attacking a Fayette EMS worker.
State police at Uniontown reported that Robert Shaner, 58, was charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, resisting arrest, harassment and public drunkenness.
The charges stem from an incident at 10:22 p.m. Sunday in the 2700 block of Memorial Boulevard in Bullskin, where the alleged victim, a 29-year-old emergency medical technician, called to report he was attempting to make contact with a woman in an apartment in the building. Shaner emerged from another apartment and allegedly began cursing and swinging a shovel at the man. The EMT told police that Shaner was threatening to get a gun and shoot him.
It was then that the EMT and a coworker gained entry into the woman's apartment, where they locked themselves inside until police arrived.
Shaner refused a request by police to show both hands when he answered the door. He was physically restrained and placed in handcuffs.
Police reported that Shaner had alcohol on his breath and appeared highly intoxicated.
Shaner will be arraigned and a hearing will be held at a later date.
Mark Hofmann Source: The Daily Courier, Connellsville, Pa.
February 01, 2012
Man Arrested for Trying to Move Ambulance - TN
Police in Tennessee said they arrested a man who allegedly tried to move an ambulance on an emergency call because it was blocking his car.
Mount Juliet police said the Wilson County ambulance was parked on 300 block of Killian Way Saturday as the crew responded to a medical emergency and the paramedics heard the vehicle's engine start while they were preparing the patient for transport, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported Tuesday.
The crew found Warren Melamed, 65, preparing to move the ambulance and were able to stop him, police said. Melamed told police he became angry when he saw the ambulance was blocking his car so he decided to move it out of his way.
Melamed was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle.
emsnetwork.org
February 01, 2012
Firefighters Save Themselves From Axe - WA
As expected, Tacoma's City Council accepted $1.6 million of concessions Tuesday from the city's fire union aimed to help spare 44 firefighters from a first round of layoffs amid an ongoing budget crisis.
But, just as they did when striking a similar deal with the police union last week, several council members stressed that public-safety jobs remain at risk amid more budget cuts still to come.
"We're not through this situation in any way, shape or form," Councilman Jake Fey said. "We've still got some distance to go."
Still facing an estimated $13 million general fund shortfall, the city already is planning for a second round of cuts by March 31. The council also is now considering a variety of longer-term measures that, if approved, would impose some new city taxes and fees.
Most of the fire union's concessions come from an agreement to defer until 2013 a 3.6 percent cost-of-living raise due to more than 360 fire employees this year.
The union also agreed to waive any unused city matching contributions made in 2011 and 2012 to firefighters' deferred-compensation accounts.
The firefighters' concessions are nearly identical to those approved last week for Tacoma's rank-and-file police officers. One big difference: officers also gave up a 1 percent payment for retroactive pay, a benefit firefighters don't get.
Also like police, the fire union included a condition on its concessions: Should the city lay off even a single firefighter by year's end, it must immediately pay the deferred raises to all union members.
City labor relations manager John Dryer told the council Tuesday that both unions remain committed to ongoing "mitigation efforts" to deal with the city's next round of budget cuts.
Amid an outcry that a first round of public-safety layoffs proposed in December would put the city at risk, the council agreed to postpone job cuts to 100 police and fire employees for up to 30 days, giving the unions and city more time to negotiate concessions.
In all, the city now has made more than $20 million of adjustments to address a projected $33 million gap in the 2011-12 general fund. That still leaves a $13 million hole.
As Interim City Manager Rey Arellano prepares a second round of proposed cuts, the council also is considering several controversial measures to generate revenue. The proposals include imposing a new $20 car-tab fee, implementing a 5 percent ticket-admissions tax for some nonprofit events and eliminating a tax exemption for health care nonprofits. The council has yet to firmly commit to any of the measures.
In the meantime, public safety remains a likely target during the next round of cuts, simply because it makes up about 70 percent of the general fund, officials have said.
City records show gross pay and benefits for all of Tacoma's police and fire personnel -- including top administrators -- climbed annually from 2007 to 2010, before each dipped in 2011. Total police compensation rose from $40.8 million in 2007 to $45.9 million in 2010, while fire rose from $43.9 million to $48 million over the same time.
Excluding overtime pay and benefits, base wages for Tacoma's fire union now range from $45,677 for an entry-level firefighter to $124,883 for a top-tier medical services officer. At least half of the fire union's members are firefighters, Matt Frank, the fire union's vice president, said Tuesday.
The union's concessions mark the second consecutive year Tacoma's firefighters have postponed their 3.6 percent COLA raise. The union's last general pay raise 1 percent came in 2010, though firefighters have continued to receive annual city STEP increases based on tenure.
Under their current contract, firefighters also will be eligible to receive up to a 5 percent market-based raise in 2013. That hike would kick in only if Tacoma's firefighters aren't paid the second-highest among comparable departments, including Central Pierce, Bellevue, Everett, Kent and Spokane.
"But we might not get anything," Frank said.
Lewis Kamb: 253-597-8542 / lewis.kamb@thenewstribune.com / Twitter: @lkamb
February 01, 2012
Rowhouse fire in Baltimore. - MD
This is a fire yesterday in the 1500 blk Sheffield Avenue in Northeast Baltimore, Maryland. IAFF Local 734 reports the closest engine company was closed for the day. The union also reports three firefighters suffered minor burns.
statter911.com
February 01, 2012
Man charged with drunken driving in fire truck crash - IL
Fire truck strikes car: 10 hurt, including 4 firefighters
A Dolton man has been charged with drunken driving in a collision between a Chicago fire truck and a carload of people in the West Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side that injured 10 people Tuesday.
None of the victims including three children and four Chicago firefighters suffered life-threatening injuries when the truck, responding to a fire call, collided with a mid-size sedan at Halsted and 128th streets, police said. A female passenger did suffer a broken neck, authorities said.
Christopher Caston, 18, faces a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge, and was cited with failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, failure to stop at a stop sign and driving without insurance, police said. Investigators are seeking to have the DUI charge against Caston, of the 15300 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in Dolton, upgraded to a felony, police said.
Engine No. 62 was southbound on Halsted with its lights and sirens activated, on its way to a call nearby, around 6:20 p.m. Tuesday, Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said just after the crash.
Firefighters saw a car stop as they approached 128th Place, Langford said. "They assumed it was stopped for them," he said.
But the car started moving again and the truck could not stop in time – broadsiding the car on the passenger’s side, Langford said.
Rescue crews worked to free five people trapped inside the crumpled vehicle. Those five victims were all hospitalized, but later were determined to have suffered no serious injuries, police said. All four firefighters, including a lieutenant, were taken in good condition to MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island.
The car was left mangled and "caved in" on its passenger side from the wreck, according to a police spokesman.
A photograph of Caston was unavailable this afternoon, because Chicago Police do not release photos of suspected charged with misdemeanors.
chicagobreaking@tribune.com
February 01, 2012
LODD: St. Charles firefighter dies of apparent natural causes at firehouse - MO
Douglas Haase, firefighter/paramedic/engineer with the St. Charles Fire Department, was found dead Wednesday morning in bed at a St. Charles firehouse. He died of apparent natural causes.
Funeral services are pending for a St. Charles firefighter who was found dead in his bed this morning at a firehouse.
Douglas "Doug" Haase, 60, of Troy, Mo., apparently died of natural causes.
Haase went to bed late last night after running a call, and his shift was supposed to end at 7:30 this morning, said fire department spokesman Dan Casey. His fellow firefighters found him slumped in his bed shortly before 7 a.m.
Haase was a firefighter/paramedic/engineer and had his own room at the firehouse, at 1550 South Main Street in St. Charles.
Casey said Haase had no apparent health issues.
"It was a big shock to everybody," he said. "He was an all-around good guy."
Haase worked for the department for 27 years. He also served as chief of the Lincoln County Fire Protection District from 1982 to 1984. He also served with the Lincoln County Ambulance District from 1980 to 1995.
Batallion Chief David Lewis said Haase was a calming presence and was the voice of reason during stressful times, and would help firefighters deal with stressful calls.
"He was our Papa Smurf," Lewis said. "He'd always have an ear for you, always have fatherly advice."
BY VALERIE SCHREMP HAHN • vhahn@post-dispatch.com > 636-255-7210 STLtoday.com
