FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS OR SO, the pleasing sound of a baseball coming off of a wooden bat has been missing from sandlots around the country.  With the exception of the upper major leagues and a couple of developmental leagues, everybody switched to aluminum back in the ’70’s.

The idea was to save money, lots of money, by using bats that wouldn’t break.  But it increased the hazards of the game because the ball comes off the bat at a higher velocity and the larger “sweet spot” on the metal bat increases the hits.

Now there’s a movement in New York State to bring back the ol’ Louisville Slugger.  High schools in New York City are mandated to go back to wood next year and the amateur leagues are anxious to join them.

Read the full story at Albany channel 13 HERE.

OVER IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY of Virginia, the McGaheysville VFD’s first pumper has been brought back to town.  One of the department’s members now owns the truck, a 1942 Diamond-T, and presents it at local parades.

The Virginia Fire News blog is carrying the complete story HERE.

SWEDEN’S TABLOID NEWSPAPER EXPRESSEN is reporting that Sweden’s medical negligence board, HSAN, is to investigate the case of a boy who had a six centimetre lollipop stick up his nose for eleven months. None of the seven doctors who examined him in that time managed to find it.  The stick was not found until the spring, when it was discovered embedded in inflamed tissue.

“A series of unfortunate circumstances meant that it wasn’t discovered earlier,” said Finn Jörgensen, head of Halmstad hospital’s ear, nose and throat clinic.

“Clearly there has been a failing in the follow-up, but the inquiry will tell us more,” he added.

THIS TIME IN SURREY, ENGLAND.  A group of citizens is up in arms about reports that one in every three calls is handled by EMT’s only and no paramedic on board.

Apparently the county ambulance service is putting more paramedics on motorbikes and one-man response cars in order to “stop the clock” by arriving on the scene quicker.  But they are limited to what service they can provide when they are alone and end up waiting for an ambulance along with the patient.

The Surrey Advertiser has the full STORY.

MORE THAN 4,000 ATTENDED THE JOINT MEMORIAL SERVICE for Contra Costa County firefighters Capt. Matt Burton and Eng. Scott Desmond yesterday.  A procession of 130 engines preceded the service.

The San Jose Mercury News has very good coverage of the service HERE.
KGO Channel 7 has a VIDEO.

AMIDST THE FLOODWATERS OF WESTERN ENGLAND a faux firefighter donned a home-made uniform, put a flashing blue light on his car, called HQ to have an engine dispatched to a certain location, and then tried to set about directing emergency operations in the flood zone.

A real fire officer spotted the creep on tv and alerted the police who then ended the  imposter’s career as quickly as it started.

The Reuters report is HERE.

Menu Selection

FIREHOUSE COOKS NEED to pay attention to an article from the National Geographic News Service.  They are reporting that a species of 100-pound predatory squid previously confined to more tropical climates has taken up residence in coastal California waters.  Now this invasion of these jumbo squid is putting a noticable dent in the local population of hake, which is also known as Pacific whiting.  The hake harvests are becoming much lower lately.

What does this have to do with firehouse cookery?  Well, hake is the fish used for spiced chopped fish foods.  That’s right, we’re talking fish sticks!  Every shift has one guy who, when it’s his turn to do the cooking, is limited to that old American standby….Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks and a pan of Ore-Ida Tater Tots.  You know who I’m talking about.  First thing on the table is a catsup bottle.  It’s time to start teaching this guy how to cook because when the fish stick prices start to soar, you don’t want to see him unwrapping a pack of boloney and heating up Mexican hats.

Now let’s get the equipment checked out and I’ll see you at the coffee table.

JANET WILMOTH OF FIRE CHIEF MAGAZINE has an article today about the State of Arizona’s program to have fire and rescue departments switch over from CPR to CCR…. Cardio-Cerebral Rescusitaton. 

Under the program, 38 Arizona fire departments have been instructed in cardio-cerebral resuscitation, a method for use only on adults. Dr. Bentley J. Bobrow presented the statistics based on the switch to CCR this week at the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association’s annual meeting. [……]

CPR calls for two mouth-to-mouth breaths after 30 chest compressions. CCR is 200 chest compressions immediately followed with shock and the sequence is repeated. “We have a tremendous tendency to over ventilate people,” Bobrow said. “It’s the kiss of death. Focus on chest compressions … 200 chest compressions, uninterrupted by pulse checks.”

Early indications are showing a marked improvement in patient survival rates.  Now there is enough statistical generation in Arizona to begin keeping more detailed records and to document the survival rates.

Read her article HERE.

EARLIER THIS WEEK IT WAS announced that the City of Charleston had set up a “panel” of inquiry and put both the mayor and the fire chief on it to investigate themselves.  While many of us snickered over the apparent cover-up, Jay Lowry at FirefighterHourly.com takes a different view of it.  He’s right down there in the lion’s den and he tells us that it is a good thing they are doing this.  And he has a good point.

Read his explanation HERE.
While you’re there, click back to the home page and review his daily training tip on flashover.

FIRST IT WAS CROWS IN SWEDEN (See below), and now it’s bobcats in California.  Bob O’Connor at California Fire News is reporting on a “vegetation fire” in Calaveras County:

According to CAL FIRE Fire Investigator Dennis Townsend the fire was caused when a bobcat caught a rabbit, went up a power pole, made contact with a line, was executed and fell into the vegetation. Townsend labeled it a first in his many years with CAL FIRE.

Keep your pets inside today folks.
Read the Calif. Fire News report HERE.

THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE CHIEFS announced yesterday the formation and inaugural meeting of The International Fire Service Research Center and Policy Institute (The Institute). The Institute was born out of a National Policy Center task force, originally conceived in 2002.

The full press release is HERE.

IN SWEDEN ALL TELEPHONE CALLS FOR EMERGENCY services are handled by a private contract firm.  The company, SOS Alarm, has reported that currently 70% of all incoming calls are now being made from mobile (cell) phones.  Yet only one of the several mobile phone service providers has the equipment in place to identify the location of the caller.  Which means that for over half of the emergency calls people will have to do what they’ve been doing for the past 3,000 years……look around to see where they are and then tell the call-taker.

Sweden’s The Local news service has the STORY.