ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY HAS TEAMED up with the Mesa Fire Dept. to do an in-depth look at firefighter fatigue and how it affects perfomance.

Firegeezer says:  This is an interesting article and it looks like they are exploring the right areas.  But what concerns me is the statement that Mesa needs four more stations and is refusing to build them.  Also, they have 5 trucks that are overdue for replacement.  FF fatigue will always be increased by overworking the troops from not keeping up with the growth of the community.  Once again, as Firegeezer repeatedly points out, this is a case of the local government spending its money on other things.  It’s not a shortage of money, but a shortage of concern for public safety and the firefighters’ health.

THE SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN CITY COUNCIL has decided to move the responsibility of providing ambulance service to the fire department.  They have been contracting out the service for the past 30 years, but after a contentious period of debate within the town they voted 11-5 to make the change.  They were primarily motivated by the idea that they would save money by doing this.

The Sheboygan Fire Dept. already provides first-responder coverage from its 5 fire stations with all members certified as first responder, EMT or paramedic with an average 3-minute response time for the engine cos.

TRIAL HAS BEGUN FOR A PARAMEDIC  who is being charged with the sexual assault of a drug-affected patient in the back of an ambulance last November.  The prosecution’s key witness is the ambulance driver.

LAST WEEK WE REPORTED ON THE DEATH of a former FDNY firefighter here, and here.  It wasn’t until a forensic examination disclosed that the decomposed body had been murdered that the police began the homicide investigation.  The suspected murderer killed himself when he was surrounded by sheriff’s deputies in California.  Now the police have established a motive and pieced together the events here.  It was all about robbery.

Dario Franchitti holds the Borg-Warner trophy
Indianapolis Star photo

DESPITE HIS ITALIAN NAME, INDY 500 WINNER DARIO FRANCHITTI is a born and bred Scotsman.  His driver-hero is the late Jim Clark, another Scot who won the 500 in 1965.  Dario is as happy as can be and very proud to join Clark on the Borg-Warner trophy.  An excellent article about Dario and his day is here. 

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THREE YEARS, a Wisconsin man has been arrested for stealing girls’ shoes from local high schools.  Police found 1,500 pairs at his home.

THE MAYOR OF A SMALL TOWN IN NEWFOUNDLAND caused an uproar recently when he confiscated all the booze from the local fire hall.  16 of the town’s 18 volunteer firefighters immediately quit and most of the town’s 600 residents demanded the city council resign.  Last week the
mayor tossed in the towel and quit his office.  The firefighters say that it has nothing at all to do with booze.  Their side of the story is here.   (CBC photo)

FOLLOWING THE FIRE AT THE Georgetown Public Library last month, it was disclosed that the two hydrants closest to the building were out of order.  The FD then reported that they have been spot-checking the hydrants around the city for two years and found that 10% of them are out of service.

The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority disputed the claim, but said that they would speed up repairs.  Now the Chief says that the 10% represents the number that are completely 10/7 and another 15% are in urgent need of repair.

Firegeezer says:  This is so typical of what is going on in the large cities these days.  The politicians use the city agencies as patronage dumping grounds and hold nobody accountable for their failures.  The only things that ever get fixed are the things that are clearly visible to the voters.  Once again, it’s a case of putting their political careers ahead of what is good for the citizens.

IN EASTERN VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, an infant was severely burned when her cot was set ablaze by her siblings who were playing with matches.

WITHIN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY of western Oregon, there are at least 8 fire chief vacancies.  And announced retirements will add another half-dozen in the next month.

This sudden plethora of job openings is partly the result of the rapid expansion of FD’s in the 1970’s.  All the people who came to work during that period are now retiring and there is concern about maintaining the leadership at the chief officer level.

This is a nation-wide situation caused by the earlier influx of the “Baby Boomer” generation when they came of age and moved into formerly rural areas bringing demands for more public services.  Now, as they are retiring, Fire & Rescue departments everywhere are scrambling to recruit replacements.  Fairfax County, Virginia is preparing to hire 100 firefighter/paramedics every year for the foreseeable future.

All of this competition to fill vacancies, coupled with ever-increasing standards for employment, will cause two things to happen.  First, entry-level pay scales Continue Reading »

AN OREGON MAN WHO WAS unhappy about being foreclosed, locked three pigs in the house without food or water and left town.  The sheriff is looking for him.

IN AN ANNUAL SURVEY TAKEN IN New Zealand, Ambulance Officer was the second-most trusted profession in  the country.  They are frequently in the top three each year.