EARLY THIS MORNING IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, FIRE was reported at an abandoned building near the old waterfront area.  The 3-story building had been used as a “residential” hotel until this past May when a fire burned out a major portion of it.

When the FD arrived on the scene there was large fire showing on the second floor.  Realizing that the building could be housing some squatters, they called for a 2nd and a 3rd as a precaution.  However, nobody was inside and the fire was handled easily, being extinguished in an hour.

TV station KTVU has the story and a VIDEO.

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, THERE WILL BE  live streaming web coverage of the annual Candelight Service and Memorial Service held at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland next month.

As many of you know, our friend Dave Statter of STATter911.com, is a beat reporter for Washington, D. C. tv channel 9.  Dave and Channel 9 are teaming up with Firehouse.com to produce live tv coverage and will be live-stream broadcasting the  services over the internet.

It will begin with the candlelight service at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton on Saturday evening October 6th from 6 pm until 9 pm.  The web streaming continues on Sunday October 7th from 10 am to 1:30 pm at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, the official national monument to all fallen firefighters. 

The live event can be seen on both http://www.statter911.com/ and http://www.firehouse.com/memorial2007

THE SHANGHAI DAILY NEWS REPORTS:

A Chinese woman who killed her lover with a rat poison-laced kiss when she suspected him of being unfaithful has been sentenced to death.

Xia Xinfeng, from Maolou in the central province of Henan, passed a capsule with rat poison from her mouth to her long-time lover, Mao Ansheng, during a kiss, the Shanghai Daily said. Mao swallowed the capsule and died soon afterwards. “The couple had said that if either one of them cheated on the other, he or she would have to die,” the paper said in explaining the deadly kiss.

Xia found Mao had been “talking” with another woman and deemed that he had broken their promise.

Sometimes you have to take your promises pretty seriously.

THE RECENT WILDFIRES IN GREECE, MOST NOTABLY in the Peloponnese, have left a devastation that will take as many as 20 years to recover from.

After studying satellite images and visiting the stricken areas, various government and environmental groups have issued preliminary reports on the damage.

In six weeks the flames consumed roughly one-tenth of the country’s forests (and 2% of the entire surface area), with large swaths of land inside EU-protected areas also being burned. Among the designated areas was Mount Taygetos, one of Greece’s most spectacular nature reserves, which had just begun to recover from devastating blazes in 1998.

67 people died in the fires and more than 6,000 have been made homeless.

A new problem springing up is the attempts of illicit land speculating in the scorched areas along the coast line.  The UK Guardian reports:

Greeks have been incensed by evidence that investors, scenting profit, are moving in to the Peloponnese, one of the last parts of Greece to have escaped mass tourism.

Ecologists point to a deal that paves the way for construction on up to 10 miles of virgin coastline around the southern seaside town of Zacharo. The deal, signed by the former deputy finance minister Petros Doukas and the mayor of Zacharo, Pantazis Chronopoulos, appears to have gone through, despite the region being on a list of protected sites drawn up by the EU.

Another major concern is to strong possibility of land erosion when the rainy season begins.  Also, environment experts fear the singed ground will not be able to absorb rain, raising concerns of flash floods. Hundreds of lumberjacks are working in the affected areas setting up wooden blocks to prevent flooding.

This morning I just have some odds ‘n’ ends that have been floating around:

For those of you who have been following our “Plastic and Glue” housing stories, this snippet from a California newspaper will bring a nod:
“The vinyl siding on the neighboring home melted. Further damage was limited because the wall had stucco beneath the vinyl and because the garage fire was knocked down quickly,”
Besides the fact that a home-builder actually built fire safety into his houses, I took notice that having your siding melt away has become such a ho-hum happening that it’s just casually mentioned.

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During recent discussions about difficulties in recruiting new volunteers, we failed to mention another obstacle that people don’t like to talk about.  Namely, the ever-increasing standards demanded for participation.  There needs to be a threshold for physical standards in order to complete the basic tasks.  But what about “knowledge and skills” standards that are usually only acquired through extended academic work?  In the case of volunteer participation, just how many people can we expect to be willing to spend 9 months or a year traveling to a remote place several times weekly to take paramedic training?

While it’s desirable to have paramedic-level people on every unit, should it be a necessity?  I’m wondering if our desire for ultimate quality is overriding our ability to deliver.  We’re going to be addressing that more later.

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Those loons in the advertising industry who make TV ads seem to go through follow-the-leader fads in their productions.  The current one is to zoom in to the actor’s mouth while they’re gaping at the product being pitched.  Ever since camera lens design has improved to the point of being able to show every speck, they’ve been obsessed with this virtual invasiveness.  I don’t want to see the sweat on somebody’s gums.  It’s disgusting.  And it certainly doesn’t make me want to drop everything and buy whatever they’re pitching.

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For the first 1,970 years of the A.D. calendar, the Christmas shopping season began on the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Then some retailers began what’s known as “Christmas creep” as they started peddling their seasonal merchandise earlier and earlier each year.  This led to a pundit proposing the establishment of a “Save the 4th of July From Christmas” committee to try and stop this foolishness.

It looks like we’re still losing the battle.  COSTCO, the “warehouse” retailer that charges admission just to shop there, put their Christmas lights, ornaments and related products out during the second week of September this year.  Ridiculous.  Where do I go to join that committee?

Ok, folks, it’s shift-change time.  Let’s get the equipment checked out now.  I’ll start the coffee machine.

*  The Roanoke Firefighter has figured out how to get the money to buy a whole bunch of fire trucks…and where they should go HERE.

*  Firefighter Hourly has been documenting how the citizens of Charleston have been given short shrift because the Fire Chief refuses to participate in mutual-aid pacts.  The latest example is HERE.

*  STATter911 has the latest in the ongoing soap opera in Kentland, Maryland.  The ambulance just might go in service this weekend….but not at night (when the calls usually pick up) HERE.

*  FirefighterBlog just got transported into the nether world of big-time video gaming (by his teen-age sons) and now he doesn’t know how to get out of HERE.

*  FireNewsNet is loaded with stuff from No. Carolina today, including two fatals.  The STORIES.

*  Firefighter Spot has some good vintage pix of a 1976 fire in Brooklyn that came in as a dumpster, but went out after 4 alarms HERE.

*  FireRescue1 has the story of an entertaining PSA from Switzerland.  It seems that a change in phone numbers left people confused and they were dialing the emergency dispatch when they wanted directory assistance.  So the fire brigade made a tongue-in-cheek rap video.  The have the story and the VIDEO.

OK, TAILGATERS…..HERE IT IS!  The last word in tailgating hospitality.  It’s time to upgrade to the Gameday Customs Ultimate Tailgater.

This trailer comes packed with everything you need to have the best tailgating party in town, with features like a 26″ LCD TV, satellite dish, CD/DVD player, 1000 watt generator, 10 gallon fresh water system, 5 gallon holding tank, draft beer system, electrical outlets, a toilet, sink, and more. Pull up, set up, and enjoy.

That’s right, it comes with the satellite dish to feed your hi-def TV.  (you go in the rear door for the toilet) You can order them in a variety of configurations HERE.

YESTERDAY AFTERNOON A LOS ANGELES CITY ambulance was stolen from the ER ramp at Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital.

Surveillance camera show ambulance leaving the hospital lot.

It was spotted about four hours later near Paso Robles, more than 200 miles away.  After a brief chase by the Highway Patrol, it was stopped by a spike strip and the driver was arrested.  Surveillance video places him in the lobby of the hospital shortly before the theft.

KSBY Ch. 6 in San Luis Obispo has the STORY.
KCBS Ch. 2 in Los Angeles has the better VIDEO.

The ambulance after the tires were shredded by the spike strip.