Skip to content

Archives for

See all posts in the network tagged with

“Controversial” EMT Training

15 comments

One reason FossilMedic has been scarce on Firegeezer is because I have been preparing to teach an EMT-basic course on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the university.

I was a state EMT instructor for 25 years. Ran a fire academy EMT training program for two years, completing 26 initial certification and 60 refresher courses in two years. Including the infamous simultaneous recruit schools: teaching EMT from 3 pm to 11 pm … generating memories of a toga party, medic mouse and a “greater alarm” landfill fire.

Since changing careers, I have covered clinical lecture and lab sessions about once a month. But it has been five years since I ran an EMT course as the primary lecturer.

A DIFFERENT STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC

These students are taking EMT because it is a “challenging and fun” course.  About 40% are pre-professional, more than half will complete a graduate or professional program  (lawyer, PhD, or physician).

Very few will choose a paramedic or public safety career.  A few want to ride their hometown rescue squad or fire department in the summer and on school breaks.  Some join the student-staffed university ambulance service.  Only 30% will recertify in two years.

Like ALL EMT students, they want to get certified.  What will be on the test?

Airway-stationCHANGE OF TEACHING FOCUS

As an old-school EMT instructor I was focused to get the student to pass the state or National Registry certification exam. A “vocational” teach-to-the-test approach to student performance.

Teaching university EMS management courses, I purposely ask questions or create scenarios that generate controversy and emotion. It works great for experienced adults and facilitates learning.

If I use the same technique in an undergraduate EMT course it may creating chaos in students who just want an A in the class and to pass the EMT certification exam!

THE EMS WAVE OF CHANGE

Should I share the Bledsoe presentation that Oxygen is Bad for You?

Should I point out that the mandatory AHA CPR procedures are changing next year? Peter C., writing in Street Watch: Notes of a Paramedic provides a great preview HERE.

chroniclesblog-200x150Should I incorporate the discussion about EMS 2.0 as articulated by Chris Kaiser in Life Under The Lights?

Should I incorporate the Chronicles of EMS efforts by North East Ambulance Service Paramedic Mark “999 Medic” Glencorse and San Francisco Paramedic/Firefighter Justin “The Happy Medic” Schorr?

Many of the best ems blog sites cover paramedic-level clinical issues, are they off limits because they are not part of the National Standard Curriculum for EMT-Basic?

What do YOU think?  Teach the soon to be gone vocational EMT-Basic course or prepare them for life under the Scope of Practice?

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on January 23, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Training & Development • Tagged: ,

You Be The Judge

Comments Off

THE DISGRACED FORMER-PRESIDENT of Chicago Firefighters Local No. 2 has caused an uproar among the union’s members this week when it was learned that he is running for election to a judge’s seat on the Circuit Court.

In July 2007, John Chwarzynski was thrown out of his office as Local 2′s president when he was charged with violating the union’s constitution and by-laws.  The Chicago Sun-Times tells:

Eleven of the union’s 13 executive board members had accused Chwarzynski of fraud, financial malfeasance and a host of other violations. Among other things, he was accused of filing a fraudulent expense report for an extravagant dinner for two at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.

Chwarzynski denied the charges, accused his union brothers of trying to “cover up their own acts of misconduct and payroll fraud” and filed a lawsuit against Local 2′s executive board. The suit has since been dismissed.

Former Local 2 president Bill Kugelman is organizing an information campaign to let the citizens know about Chwarzynski’s past, which he is trying to keep hidden.  “If he wasn’t truthful with us, he certainly shouldn’t be on the bench. The judiciary is screwed up enough without having this mope in there,” Kugleman said.

Read the full STORY.

Posted by on January 23, 2010 • Filed under: current events, News • Tagged: , , ,

Another Treasurer, Another Missing Thousands

2 comments

A VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY IN BALDWIN, PENNSYLVANIA  (Allegheny County), started noticing some financial discrepancies last year.  After doing some self-auditing, the Option Independence Fire Company uncovered a problem with their treasurer and turned the information over to the police.

After a forensic investigation going back two years, Sharon Bommer, 44, was arrested last month and charged with theft by taking and criminal mischief.

WTAE-TV Ch. 4 Pittsburgh filed this video report:

Bommer had been secretary – treasurer at Option since September 2005.  The extent of her thievery is not known, but they have uncovered enough misfeasance to bring these charges.  She is scheduled to appear in court on February 5.

Posted by on January 23, 2010 • Filed under: crime, Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , ,

Morning Lineup – January 23

Comments Off

Another young firefighter who died in the prime of life while protecting others will be laid to rest today.

Sgt. Christopher Hrbek

Sgt. Christopher Hrbek

Marine Sgt. Christopher Hrbek, 25, was killed in Afghanistan on January 14 while serving his country.  Sgt. Hrbek was also a 9-yr. member of the Westwood (New Jersey) Volunteer Fire Department in Bergen County.  Less than a month ago he was nominated by his commanding officer to receive the Bronze Star for bravery for saving the life of a fellow Marine who had been grievously wounded in action.

Christopher came from a fire department family.  His step-father Jaymee Hodges is a senior captain in the Westwood FD and his two step-brothers Jim and Beau Hodges are firefighters in the FDNY.  He joined the Westwood FD as a fire cadet at age 16 and continued on to become a full-fledged firefighter.  After graduating from Westwood High School in 2002 he joined the Marines and was determined to make that is career.  He is also survived by his wife Jamie Lynn.

This past Thursday January 21, the small city of Westwood (pop. 11,000) stopped what they were doing and welcomed Sgt. Hrbek back home with full military and fire department honors:

As the procession passed the high school, the students all came out to the street to salute him as he went by.

The funeral services are being held at 9 am this morning at the Zion Lutheran Church followed by the burial in George Washington Cemetery in Paramus.

After we reflect on this somber reminder, we’d better get this equipment checked out.  I’ll start the coffee.

Posted by on January 23, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup, Videos • Tagged: , ,

It’s The Thought That Counts

Comments Off

AS RETIREMENT DAY APPROACHES FOR Marlborough, Massachusetts, Fire Chief Dave Adams, a special gift arrived at the fire station.

Robert Sperio brought by a carefully assembled, 1,000-piece picture puzzle that illustrates a firefighter with his dalmation.  Mr. Sperio lives by himself but is watched over by Greater Marlborough Programs, Inc., which provides training and job support to the disabled.  During the workday, Robert goes to a paying job at a nearby school where he works as a cafeteria assistant.  In the evenings when he gets home, he uses a lot of his time to meticulously assemble puzzles, looking on each one as a favorite pastime that yields satisfying results.

Mr. Sperio recently made an appointment and visited the firehouse to present the display to Chief Adams telling him, “I’d like to present this gift as appreciation for all the work you do for the City of Marlborough, and for the firefighters who save so many lives and risk their own.” 

sperio a

Chief Adams accepts his gift from Robt. Sperio
(Marlborough Enterprise photo)

Chief Adams accepted the gift and told him that the print would be displayed proudly on the wall in the firehouse.

The Marlborough Enterprise has the complete story of this pleasant human-interest tale HERE.

Posted by on January 22, 2010 • Filed under: Fire-ology, News • Tagged: , , , ,

Weekend Caption Contest

21 comments

IT LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER FINE FIRE/EMS photograph has lost its caption.  Without it, we are having a difficult time figuring out what is going on here:

There isn’t any fire that needs putting out.  And we don’t see the Dunk-the-Chief-in-the-Barrel game set up.  So help us out and post what you think the caption should be in the Comments.

*  *  *

*  *  *  *  *


Posted by on January 22, 2010 • Filed under: fun • Tagged:

Two LODD Burials Today

2 comments

LANCASTER, OHIO, FIRE DEPARTMENT SUFFERED ITS first-ever LODD this past Saturday when Lieutenant Joseph Mack McCafferty, 59, collapsed at the fireground while commanding the operations at a house fire.  Firefighter Close Calls report HERE.

mccafferty a

Lt. McCafferty was a 37-yr. member of the department.  He was transported to the hospital, but he passed away later that day from a stroke.

His funeral services were held this morning at 10 am at the Faith Memorial Church in Lancaster.

*  *  *  *  *

FUNERAL SERVICES WERE ALSO CONDUCTED THIS MORNING at 11 am (local time) in France for Sebastien Couturier, 33, who perished Monday at a fire in a food packing plant in La Rochelle.  The Firegeezer report on that tragedy is HERE.

larochelle2

TV network France3 has a video report from the funeral HERE.

Posted by on January 22, 2010 • Filed under: Fire-ology, Line of Duty, News • Tagged: , , ,

Hoover Hotel Fire Update #3

3 comments

FIRE INVESTIGATORS HAVE LOCATED THE ORIGIN AND CAUSE of the Hoover, Alabama, hotel fire that killed four college students last weekend.  The fire began in the living quarters of the Days Inn’s resident maintenance man after he left his room with incense candles burning inside.

hoover3 a

Fire Marshal’s photo showing the point of origin

Dhirajlal Bhagat, 55, returned to his room and found it ablaze.  He first got a fire extinguisher to try and put it out, but the extinguisher didn’t work.  He then tried to use a hotel phone to call in the fire, but reportedly he couldn’t get that to work either.  Next he ran upstairs for another extinguisher, but by then the fire was too large for that.

The four women were trapped in their room on the floor above as the blaze burned outside their door.  As it spread into the room, they retreated into the bathroom where they were later found by the firefighters.  An autopsy disclosed that they died from smoke inhalation.

During the investigation it was found that Bhagat, who is from India, is in the country illegally and he is being held in the Hoover jail on an immigration charge.  He will not be charged for the fire because it was ruled to be accidental.

Read more in the Montgomery Advertiser HERE.

TV Channel 42 has a good video report on what happened including the police press conference:

Posted by on January 22, 2010 • Filed under: Fires, investigations, Videos • Tagged: , , , ,

Ambulance Crashes Into Building

Comments Off

brockton a WFXT

A TRANSPORT AMBULANCE CARRYING A DIALYSIS PATIENT collided with car at a Brockton, Massachusetts, intersection Friday morning.  The crash sent the ambulance into the corner of a store causing sustantial damage.

The accident happened around 6 am this morning.  The drivers of the two vehicles were uninjured, but the patient and one other undentified passenger had minor injuries.

WFXT-TV has file this raw video taken from their news helicopter:

Posted by on January 22, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Retired FF Arrested on Arson Charges

2 comments

 A RETIRED SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, FIREFIGHTER WAS ARRESTED yesterday after he turned himself in at the local State Police barracks.  Following an 18-month investigation, he was charged with seven counts of arson endangering persons, two counts of arson endangering property, five counts of reckless burning, five counts of criminal mischief and one count of insurance fraud, all related to a fire at an apartment building that he owned in June 2008.

scranton a times tribune

Gervase is shown in a state police car as he is
transported to the courhouse Thursday in this
Times-Tribune photo.

Thomas S. Gervasi, 56, owned several rental properties in Scranton when the older, frame building caught fire during the afternoon.  The fire began in the garage, destroying it and causing enough damage to the house to make in untenable.  It left eight people homeless and without any belongings.  The fire started in the dilapidated garage where Gervase had parked a Cadillac Escalade.  Tenants later told investigators that Gervase had never parked a vehicle in the garage before that day.  The motive being advanced by the prosecutor is financial distress.  The Scranton Times-Tribune reports:

As of June 12, 2008, Mr. Gervasi was more than $160,000 in debt, and there were liens against his properties due to his failure to pay utilities, credit cards and other creditors, the arrest affidavit said. Foreclosure complaints were filed on three of his properties, including 1021 Mark [the fire building....ed.].

Mr. Gervasi also had been unable to sell 1021 Mark after it was discovered the garage encroached several feet onto the property at 1023 Mark Ave., police said.

After the fire, Mr. Gervasi filed a claim for his loss with Ohio Casualty Insurance, which insured the dwelling for $215,000, along with $12,300 for fair rental value and $1,000 for personal property, the affidavit said. The claim was not paid.

Read the complete STORY HERE.

At his arraigment yesterday the judge allowed him to remain free but ordered him to post $100,000 bond by noon today or he will be incarcerated.

This video news report was recorded at the fire scene when the garage and house burned in June 2008.  Gervase’s brother who is a Scranton firefighter has a brief appearance and comment during the report:

Posted by on January 22, 2010 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice, Videos

Morning Lineup – January 22

7 comments

I went ahead and made the switch yesterday….. I changed brands when I ordered a new digital camera.  (Do you really need to say “digital” anymore?  Aren’t all of them digital now?)  My trusty but outdated Fuji 6900 has needed replacing for a while now, but I am always slow to discard something that still works.

I got the Fuji eight years ago when very few people had switched over from film to digital.  It’s a 3 megapixel job and Fuji claimed that their unique pixel design made the images equal to a 6 mp resolution.  Three’s and four’s were the largest you could get at the time unless you wanted to spend $1,000 or more, and I certainly didn’t.  But I was sure tickled with my new camera.  Not only did I not have to change lenses for different subjects, but being able to shoot unlimited numbers of images without having to be concerned with getting the film developed before I could see them was pure joy.  Not to mention the 99% reduction in associated costs.  I still had a couple of rolls of 35 mm in the bag and I threw them away, knowing that I would never return to film again.

But with camera advances racing along like they do, my 6900 was soon outdated, but it did a great job for me.  So I saved my money and kept using it because it did, and still does, take excellent photos.  But one of the drawbacks of my Fuji is the proprietary batteries that it requires.  At the time, regular AA’s didn’t have the power and sustainability to operate digital cameras.  And battery technology wasn’t anything near what it is now, so I had to keep a handfull of charged batteries with me whenever I set out to shoot.  After about 4 years I needed to replace them because they had worn out, and it was then that I found out that I would have a battery problem in the future.  Hardly anybody was selling that style of battery anymore.  I manged to find some, but I knew that was it.

The camera also uses a digital card that is outmoded now, too.  I knew the number was up on that one when the newer computers’ card readers slots weren’t configured to accept the SmartMedia cards.  So I kept my eyes open to see what type of card would end up becoming the industry standard and I noticed last year that the SD card was winning the contest for king-of-the-hill.  As my current supply of batteries are losing their ability to hold a charge now, I knew that my next choice would have to be a camera that (1) uses AA batteries, and (2) uses the SD card.  So my  search started out with those two specs. being a necessity.

Fast forward to yesterday and I ordered a Canon SX 20 IS.  Very reasonably priced and a whopping 12 mp.  I would have been happy to settle for an 8 mp camera, but this one has a 35 mm-equivalent lens of 28-500 mm.  Can you believe that?  Lens technology advances are beyond description.  Wide-angle to super-telephoto and the entire camera weighs less than two pounds.  I’m looking forward to getting started with it.

Ok, let’s look  forward to getting this equipment checked out now.  I need to get more coffee started.  See you back in the day room (and bring your battery charger).

mystery minute logo

Posted by on January 22, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: , , ,

Looking Back

7 comments

 

FE Feb 56 p152

………Fire Engineering, Feb. 1956

 

*  *  *

*  *  *  *  *

Posted by on January 21, 2010 • Filed under: Looking Back • Tagged: , ,

Ex-Paramedics Nabbed for Stealing Drugs

5 comments

TWO FORMER PARAMEDICS FROM SANTA FE, TEXAS, were arrested Tuesday night when they were caught in the act of burglarizing an ambulance in the station where they used to work.  It is believed that they were trying to plunder the controlled-drug box.

santafemedics a

Amanda Grigg (left) and Heather Bemrose

Amanda Grigg and Heather Bemrose started their adventure Tuesday evening by calling in a fake 9-1-1 report for a man down.  They deliberately reported it in a manner that would upgrade the call to a joint police and ems response because the police station is across the street from the ambulance station.  After the dispatch, the women entered the station and started to break into the drug box.  As it turned out, the ambulance returned sooner than they were expecting and the crew interrupted their activity.

KRIV-TV Ch. 7 Houston prepared this video report:

Grigg has been charged with burglary of a motor vehicle, possession of dangerous drugs and false alarm or report. She’s being held on $8,000 bond.  Bemrose has been charged with burglary of a motor vehicle and false alarm or report. She’s being held on $6,500 bond.

The Galveston Daily News has the details HERE.

Santa Fe (Texas) Fire & Rescue WEBSITE.

santafe rescue station

Santa Fe Rescue Station 1
(SFF&R website photo)

Posted by on January 21, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, crime, EMS Topics, Videos • Tagged: , ,

“Crane 50 Responding…”

2 comments

IN GERMANY THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS – FEUERWEHR – UTILIZE heavy-duty cranes more than we do on this side of the ocean.  So much so that many of them have large cranes as part of their fleets.  Most of the large cities, all of which are all-paid departments, have a crane on their rosters and they have refined rescue techniques utilizing them.

crane g

FW Garmisch

The smaller cities, towns and communities that are either part-paid or all-volunteer, don’t have the resources to buy and maintain one of these giant vehicles.  An exception to this is the small city of Garmisch, known to many of you from watching international skiing competitions on television.  Feuerwehr Garmisch, an all-volunteer department, recently took possession of a new crane just as their firehouse is being renovated.  It has replaced a 27-yr.-old crane that was impossible to get replacement parts for anymore.  The crane was purchased by the “county” where they are located, Garmisch-Partenkirten for use in the entire region.

crane a FWnetz

crane b FWnetz

FWnetz photos

According to the Feuerwehr Garmisch WEBSITE, the vehicle specs are in part:

  • Chassis:  Liebherr
  • Engine:  408 hp
  • Weight:  48 tons
  • Length:  13 meters
  • Width:  2.5 meters
  • Extended length of arm:  42 meters

crane d garmisch fw

FW Garmisch

The rear pulley is part of a 70-meter cable winch for mountain rescue lifting and the arrangement below is a towing device.  For off-road travel, all four axles can be locked on for 8-wheel-drive.

The auxiliary equipment and tools, including a water rescue basket that can carry 5 people, are transported in a roll-off container module.

crane c garmisch fw rolloff

FW Garmisch

There is a 17-image Flickr photo gallery HERE.

crane f garmisch

crane e garmisch

Posted by on January 21, 2010 • Filed under: apparatus, Fire Rescue Topics • Tagged: , ,

Off-Duty Captain Makes Rescue

Comments Off

WHEN THE DISPATCH FOR A TRAIN vs. car collision was sent to the Huron, Ohio, fire department Wednesday night, Captain Kurt Schafer was at home with his monitor on and heard the call.  The report was for a car that had been struck and was on fire next to the railroad crossing.  Capt. Schafer lives not far from the location and he responded from home to try and help before the units arrived.

huron a

When he came on the scene he found a car well-involved in fire and two legs sticking out of a window.  Then he noticed that the legs were kicking as if trying to crawl out of the vehicle.  Schafer ran up to the car, grabbed the victim’s coat and pulled him out and away from the blazing vehicle……ironically a Chevy Blazer.  The train was traveling 50 mph when it struck the car sending it tumbling over and down an embankment.

WJW-TV Ch. 8 Cleveland interviews Capt. Schafer as he relates his story:

The driver of the Blazer was found to have 3 times the legal limit of alcohol in his bloodstream and admitted to police that he had consumed about 25 drinks earlier that evening.

The Morning  Journal has a good report on what happened along with a link to the 9-1-1 tape HERE.

Posted by on January 21, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Fires, In the Line of Duty, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , , , ,

Downtown Fire in California

Comments Off

A FIRE IN THE COMMERCIAL CENTER OF HEMET, California, Wednesday night threatened an entire city block before the FD contained it.

hemet a swrnews Fanaselle

SWRN / Fanaselle

“Once this thing got going, my biggest concern was that we could potentially lose the whole block.  It certainly could have been much worse.”  Hemet Fire Chief Matt Shobert told the Southwest Riverside News. 

The fire began around 4 pm Pacific time and soon involved several businesses on the block, but the fire command on the scene determined to prevent it from spreading to the movie theater in the center.  The 40 firefighters with 10 engines and 2 ladders were able to stop it there in about two hours.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise has an early report and more information about the 80-yr.-old move house HERE.

Posted by on January 21, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires • Tagged: , , ,

Assorted Updates

Comments Off

cummington a Worthington FD

Worthington FD

THE FIRE THAT DESTROYED THE 170-yr.-old church in Cummington, Massachusetts, has been determined to be accidental.  The state fire marshal issued a statement that the fire investigators from the state police traced the cause and origin back to a malfunctioning furnace that was located in the basement.

The Boston Globe has the REPORT.
Firegeezer report on the FIRE HERE.

*  *  *  *  *

FIRE INVESTIGATORS LOOKING INTO THE HOTEL FIRE that killed four college students last Saturday night are saying that they have found no reason to consider the fire to be suspicious in origin.

But they are still concerned about the very rapid spread and growth of the fire and they want to know why it did.  The Birmingham News is reporting:

“But we’re still searching for the answers,” said Jim Cavanaugh, the special agent in charge for the Alabama and Tennessee division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“The victims and firefighters faced a wall of fire that was really between them,” Cavanaugh said. “It appears it was a fast-moving fire. What we want to find out is why.”

The on-site investigation team includes an electrical engineer, a forensic chemist and fire investigators from the city, state and federal level, Cavanaugh said.

hoover2 a birmnews almond

Birmingham News / Mark  Almond

Initial Firegeezer report and update HERE and HERE.

Posted by on January 21, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, investigations • Tagged:

Morning Lineup – January 21

7 comments

Whatever happened to the Forums?

I’m referring specifically to the internet forum sites that focused on fire and ems topics.  A couple of years ago the ‘net was awash in them, but naturally a few didn’t catch on and the process of natural selection weeded them out.  But still, as recently as early last year there were many F&R forums that were vibrant and very active with enthusiastic members.

Some of them expanded or had spin-offs to accomodate a wider membership base.  The Watch Desk expanded internally to include separate forums for each state.  EMT Bravo, on the other hand, set up entirely separate websites that focused on specific geographic areas including a couple in the UK.  You could find a forum that concentrated on your region or one that was limited to members of your union Local.  It seemed like everybody was chiming in with their opinions and, more importantly, passing along new information.

The forum is a great place to pass along notices of things that have just happened, or some additional background on things that were already discussed perhaps last week or last month.  Firehouse.com was noted for its “running threads” where a topic would provide interest and activity sometimes for months.

Personally, I enjoy reading the forums, even though I am unable to devote a whole lot of time to them.  I tend to skip over the ones  that require you to “sign up” for a membership password and log in every time you want to skim over the current hot topics.  I can understand and accept registration in order to comment or contribute to the discussions,  and to limit access to members of a specific group is also understandable.  But I don’t think it is a good idea for an “open” forum to keep the doors locked to people who just want to read up on current topics.

And that brings me back to what I was asking about at first.  Did the forums strangle themselves, or is there something more complicated than that going on here?   Were people just trying out several forums and then settled back to one or two favorites?  Or was it a fad that blossomed and then withered away?  Let me know what your current opinion of forums is.  If you used to participate yet now you never even log on, tell us why.  I see a noticeable decline in postings on the major forums and I’m curious about what caused this to happen.

But before you log on to your favorite forum and tell everybody about this, we’d better get this equipment checked out for today.  I need to get some more coffee started.   We’ll meet back in the forum day room later.

mystery minute logo

Posted by on January 21, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup

Smith & Wesson Veep Nailed in International Bribery Sting

Comments Off

A VICE PRESIDENT OF FIREARMS MANUFACTURER Smith & Wesson, and a former Secret Service deputy director were among 22 people rounded up and arrested yesterday following Federal indictments charging them with engaging in schemes to bribe foreign officials.  Amaro Goncalves, vice president of sales at Smith & Wesson, and R. Patrick Caldwell, chief executive officer of Protective Products Of America Inc. and a former deputy director of the Secret Service, were among those who were charged.  Twenty-one of the accused were picked up at a national firearms convention in Las Vegas and the other was arrested in Miami.

Bloomberg News reports:

About 150 FBI agents searched locations in Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Virginia in the case, the Justice Department said. The U.K.’S City of London Police executed search warrants in connection with investigations in England.

The defendants engaged in a scheme to pay bribes to the minister of defense of a country in Africa, according to the indictments. In fact, the plan was part of an undercover operation, with no actual involvement of any government official or the country, the Justice Department said.

The defendants allegedly agreed to pay a 20 percent “commission” to a sales agent who they believed represented the African official, to win part of a $15 million deal to outfit the country’s presidential guard, the government said. The “sales agent” was an undercover FBI agent, prosecutors said.

The investigation has been underway for 2-½ yrs. and is continuing.

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation issued the following statement Tuesday:

Through media reports today, we became aware of the Justice Department enforcement actions which were taken yesterday and which made reference to an employee of our company.  We have no information beyond what has been reported and are prepared to cooperate fully with law enforcement in their investigation into this matter.

Courthouse News Service has more details of the case along with individual identifications of all 22 defendants HERE.

Posted by on January 20, 2010 • Filed under: crime, Guns, News • Tagged: , , , , ,

16 Dead In Hospital Blast, Collapse

Comments Off

AN EXPLOSION IN THE CARDIAC CARE UNIT at a hospital in Lugansk, Ukraine, on Monday heavily damaged the building and left at least 16 people dead.

ukraine c reuters

Reuters

It is unclear exactly what happened, but reports from Ukraine are using terms like “oxygen cannisters exploded.”  It suggests that something sparked in a hyperbaric atmosphere, but whatever occurred, it blew out the side wall and caused two floors of the 6-story building to collapse down onto the (third) floor.

AFP

AFP

Authorities say that there were 261 patients and 350 hospital workers in the building known as City Hospital No. 7 at the time of the explosion.  After searching through the destruction for two days, the rescue workers have given up any further attempts at saving anybody and have withdrawn after saving four lives.  There are no expectations that there are any more victims or bodies in the rubble.

The police have detained the head of the health and safety department of the hospital on suspicion of violating of safety regulations that resulted in fatalities, the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office reported.

Collated from various European news sources.

Posted by on January 20, 2010 • Filed under: explosion, Rescues • Tagged: , , , ,

Milwaukee Local Goes On Offense

7 comments

THE MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, FIRE DEPARTMENT has been undergoing a decimation by the city council over the past year as the failed government continues to slash the budget by cutting out essential services.  Recently they have been closing fire stations and laying off firefighters, and the Local has been going public constantly the entire time, telling the citizens what the situation is.

Following yesterday’s major fire that destroyed a row of apartments and businesses (Firegeezer report HERE), they organized a well-attended press conference that several tv stations covered and reported on.  During the fire, the city had at least six firehouses backfilled with engines from other cities, including one where the fill-in company couldn’t even find the fire station that they were assigned to.

WITI-TV has a typical report:

Milwaukee Professional Firefighters Local 215 WEBSITE.

Posted by on January 20, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, labor • Tagged: ,

More Crime and Punishment

1 comment

THE FORMER CHIEF OF THE LeROY FIRE DISTRICT in western New York was sentenced yesterday to serve 90 days in jail and be on probation for 5 years for stealing from his FD.

smith a

Stephen C. Smith

Stephen C. Smith was chief of the all-volunteer department from 2004 until January 2008 when he was arrested after a police investigation revealed he used the department credit card to make purchases for himself, used department gasoline for his personal car and added a personal cellular phone onto the district bill.  This past October, following a plea-bargaining agreement Smith pleaded guilty to 2nd-degree forgery in exchange for dropping several other related charges which included two counts each of first-degree tampering with public records, second-degree forgery and falsifying business records, and one count each of defrauding the government, grand larceny, and official misconduct.

WIVB-TV Ch. 4 Buffalo has this brief video report on yesterday’s action:

d

The Batavia Daily News has the STORY.
LeRoy Fire District WEBSITE.

*  *  *  *  *

A MATHEWS COUNTY, VIRGINIA, GRAND JURY HANDED DOWN an indictment yesterday (Tuesday) charging a retired Virginia state trooper with stealing more than $100,000 from the Mathews County Volunteer Fire Department. 

WTKR-TV Ch. 3 Norfolk reports:

Paul J. Reardon, described by his neighbors as a “law-and-order” guy and an upstanding member of the community, will face two felony charges. State police search warrants obtained last week by NewsChannel 3 show Reardon, the only person with access to the fire department bank accounts, wrote several checks to “cash” and made other unauthorized withdrawals in 2009. The warrants said new leaders on the fire department’s board discovered the missing money, asked for an investigation, and fired Reardon.

Tax records also obtained by NewsChannel 3 show Reardon prepared and signed the returns for the fire department that show the organization was in financial trouble, operating with a $183,000 deficit. The tax records also show the cost of fire-and-rescue service in Mathews jumped $119,000 in a single year. State police said the amount stolen from the fire department last year was $110,000.

Earlier this month, police seized the fire department’s account records from Bank of America and Chesapeake Bank, both in Mathews, as well as Reardon’s personal account records. Police also seized boxes of records from Reardon’s home.

Reardon had served as the VFD’s treasurer for 30 years.

WTKR-TV also filed this video report:

Posted by on January 20, 2010 • Filed under: crime, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Morning Lineup – January 20

3 comments

We have a couple of updates for you this morning.  The first has to do with the fishy battle to keep the Asian carp out of the Great Lakes.  This story has nothing to do with emergency responders or fires, etc.  But we got involved by reporting on this encroachment of the predator fish that have come up the Illinois River from the Mississippi and they destroy all the other fish in their waters.

You might recall that these are the fish that jump by the  dozens about 10 feet out of the water everytime a boat goes by.  That’s what brought us to the story in the first place.  It’s worth your time to watch the funny video that we posted with the original article HERE and then check the first follow-up report HERE (scroll down on that posting).

Yesterday (Tuesday) the U. S.  Supreme Court refused to order an immediate closure of the locks and gates while a solution is agreed on how to halt the migration.  The court gave no explanation for their decision that was issued in a one-paragraph statement, nor did they say whether they would consider hearing the case on its own merits.  The Washington Post has a good article on the action and it goes into detail on what has been done so far, and what the proposed solutions are.  Read the story HERE if you want to learn more.

mystery minute logo

The other update relates to the tragic accident in La Rochelle, France, that killed one FF and seriously injured another.  The event was triggered by some sort of backdraft-type explosion that has been reported initially as a flashover and a backdraft, but nobody has really decided yet what it was.  You may recall our posted interview three months ago with Franck Gaviot-Blanc, a French volunteer FF who is a research scientist specializing in fire behavior.  We asked him for his view on this explosive event based on what he has heard and seen from photographs.  He was not at the scene, nor has he investigated it, so has had only a scant observation.  But from what he has learned so far, he has passed along for you this evaluation.  We are leaving it unedited in his own words that he wrote in English:

 ”Two differents ways allow to obtained an explosive ignition of fire gas :

The first situation : Firing came after a sudden entry of fresh air into an under ventilated fire inside a compartment (windows broken, door opening by FF…) = this phenomena is called Backdraft, many FF know this way, but, it exist an other way : during an under ventilated fire in a compartment. Smoke filled a room. If a source of energy (e.g. little flame or hot coals suspended after spear …) get in contact with a inflammable pocket mixture (smoke fuel / air). A explosive ignition can be occured.

If you observe the resulting phenomena from outside the compartment, it is not possible to determined the ignition mecanism  (gravity current or energy). In the two cases you obtain an similar explosive phenonmena, and in the two cases the physionomy of the explosion is the same. I think that it is for that reason Backdraft and Smoke Explosion are often confounded.”

Not surprisingly, it’s still inconclusive.  But we thought you would appreciate a scientist’s viewpoint on it.  You may find his interview that we published back in October to be enlightening.  Take a few minutes and CLICK HERE to read it.

Now let’s take a few minutes to get this equipment checked out.  I’m going to get the coffee started.  See you back in the day room.

Posted by on January 20, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: , ,

Future USAR Tool – Search Robot for Collapses

5 comments

WITH ALL THE ATTENTION BEING DIRECTED TO THE SEARCH teams working in the collapsed buildings in Haiti, this is a good time to get acquainted with OT-4 and OT-8.  They are search robots that were conceived a little over 5 years ago in the University of Michigan School of Engineering.

The prototypes have been continually refined and upgraded and are almost ready to be replicated in full-size.  As you can see in this photograph below, they are multi-sectioned snake-like devices composed of modules connected by swivel joints and each module has its own set of treads that are continually running.  All four sides of each section has an independent track so that no matter which side of the module is touching something, it will be propelled forward.

caterpillar b

As you will see in this video presentation, the OmniTread, as it is known, can crawl over, under and through almost any obstacle.  The primary goal for this innovation was to build something that could search through collapsed buildings and rubble piles where humans cannot go.  Once a victim is located, then resources can be directed to that spot.  By mounting a light, a camera and a 2-way microphone on the lead module, the operator can guide the creature and communicate with trapped victims.

Note:  The Omni-Tread moves at a very slow pace.  The video clips have been sped up by as much as 4X to make it more easily viewed.

The University’s website has a section where more information can be gleaned along with dozens of photographs HERE.
They also have a library of 15 video clips of them doing different maneuvers that you can view HERE.

Posted by on January 19, 2010 • Filed under: Special Operations, technology, Training & Development, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Looking Back

5 comments

 

27 a

………. Fire Engineerng, November 1972

*  *  *  *  *

Posted by on January 19, 2010 • Filed under: Looking Back