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Firefighter-Arsonists Arrested in South Carolina

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TWO ABBEVILLE COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, volunteer firefighters were arrested Thursday afternoon and are being charged with several crimes involving arsons.

Jimmy Ray Brock, 30, and Derek Van Medlock, 24, of the Keowee Fire Station were arrested following an investigation by the State Law Enforcement Division.  Brock is charged with burning land at a location in Abbeville County in August and December. He also is charged in connection with a 2003 structure fire.  Medlock is charged in connection with the land burnings and in connection with a structure fire in 2006.

Both men have compounded their troubles since their arrests.  The Anderson Independent Mail reports:

While being questioned at the Abbeville County Law Enforcement Center on Tuesday, Brock added assault and battery to the charges against him when, according to another warrant, he slapped a SLED agent’s leg after becoming “agitated and angry” during an investigative interview.

On Tuesday, Medlock was charged with threatening a public official after several witnesses told four SLED agents that Medlock was threatening to “meet them with a gun” if agents came to the door of his home.

Brock has also been charged with assault and battery for slapping a SLED agent during an interview.  Warrants also say Medlock threatened a state agent saying, “If agents came to his door, they would be met with a gun.“  He’s charged with threatening a public official.  As of this morning, both men were still being held at the Abbeville Detention Center.

WSPA-TV has this video report:

Keowee Fire Department WEBSITE.

Posted by on January 15, 2010 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Morning Lineup – January 15

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During this economic downturn, many fire and ems departments are scrambling to compensate for worn apparatus that should be replaced, yet they are being kept in service.  The costs of new firetrucks and ambulances are high and tax receipts are low right now.  Some fire chiefs look for creative solutions to get their front-line trucks replaced and the North Attleboro, Massachusetts, Fire Chief Peter Lamb offers a good example of how this can be done.

North Attleboro firefighters operate two ambulances and both of them were well-worn and needed replacement.  In fact, one of them was spending more time in the shop than it was in the firehouse and had literally become unusable.  This led to the NAFD having to borrow ambulances from other towns constantly and is not a good way to do business.

At a Town Meeting, the voters approved the expenditure of up to $250,000 for a new ambulance to replace the worn-out unit.  Then Chief Lamb decided to do some more checking around, rather than just take the money and run, and he found out that if he scaled down the minimum specs for their unit to a lighter-duty truck that had a patient compartment that is only 5 inches shorter than the first choice, he could get two brand-new ambulances for a total of $300,000.  Taking this information back to the October Town Meeting, the voters fortunately saw the wisdom in his proposal and appropriated the additional $50 K to purchase the pair.

The first 2010 Ford / Horton ambulance was delivered this week and the other unit is expected to arrive next month.

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Sun Chronicle photo by Tom Maguire

Chief Lamb’s checking further on his options provide a lesson in how to be creative and open-minded when it comes to getting more for the dollar these days.  And you can also expect that truck manufacturers like Ford are offering sizeable dealer discounts to move their backlog of cab-and-chassis’ these days.  This discount will be passed along to the purchasers and should show up in proposals that are offered.  So get creative and look for solutions that are a little different from “the way we’ve always done it.”

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There are lot of games scheduled for tomorrow in the National Hockey League, many of them matchups that will be generating a lot of fan excitement.  Let’s get ready for the weekend by checking out the latest “Plays of the Week” video from the NHL.

Then we’ll get ready for today by checking out this equipment.  I’ll make sure there’s plenty of coffee, then we’ll meet back in the day room.

Posted by on January 15, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: , ,

Fatal Ambulance Crash in New Jersey

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Updated, scroll down.
Update #2, additional photos available.

AN AMBULANCE TRANSPORTING A PATIENT BETWEEN medical facilities was involved in a single-vehicle accident Thursday afternoon that killed the patient.  The crash occurred at 3:30 pm in Warren County, New Jersey, when the Atlantic Ambulance Corporation vehicle suddenly swerved to the right and crashed into a tree.

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 photo via FirefighterCloseCalls

The Morristown, New Jersey-based ambulance was carrying a patient from a hospital in Sussex County to a  nursing home in Warren County.  The driver of a pickup truck was behind the ambulance and witnessed the unexplained maneuver that led to the crash.

The wreck left all three occupants trapped and required extensive extrication work to free them.  The medic riding in the back was airlifted to the hospital and the driver was transported by ground.  No names or ages of the victims have been released yet.

The Express-Times has the STORY.

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Express-Times photo

Update, Friday morning:
The Express-Times in a recent update (HERE) has given a partial identification of the victims:

Authorities pronounced a 68-year-old Warren County resident dead at the crash, police said.  Her family had yet to be reached at 9 p.m. Thursday, so police were withholding her identity.

The ambulance driver, George A. Morris Jr., 62, of Mine Hill, N.J., was brought to Morristown Memorial Hospital for treatment for minor injuries. Glenn L. Brodt, 36, of Allentown, an emergency medical worker in the rear of the ambulance with the patient, was flown to St. Luke’s Hospital Fountain Hill, for treatment for pain in his right arm and a cut to the head.

Both of the EMT’s are reported to be in stable condition.

Update #2, Friday afternoon:
Some remarkable photos are available for viewing in a photo gallery posted online by Tim Wynkoop Photography HERE.

atlantic c wynkoop

Posted by on January 14, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, rescue, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , , ,

You Don’t Say !

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A woman may buy riding clothes
and never get on a horse.

She might buy a bathing suit
and not go near the water.

But when she buys a wedding dress,
she means business !

 

*  *  *

*  *  *  *  *


Posted by on January 14, 2010 • Filed under: You Don't Say

Ambulance Hit-Run Driver Apprehended

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YESTERDAY FIREGEEZER REPORTED (HERE) ON THE Des Moine, Iowa, ambulance that was struck broadside by a hit-and-run driver.  The car ran through a stop sign and struck the rear side of the ambulance that was responding on an emergency call, and drove it into a snowbank, disabling it.

The car then drove away without stopping, but unknowingly the driver left behind the front license plate that had been knocked off by the collision.

Today the Des Moines Register is reporting that the driver has been located and charged by the police.  They continue:

Grace Elizabeth Miller, a 16-year-old North High School student, has been charged with an instruction permit violation, failure to satisfy accident requirements (hit-and-run) and failure to obey a stop sign.

Police said Miller has only a learner’s permit and did not have an adult in her car. She was on her way to an event at Lincoln High School and had three other passengers in the car.

There were no injuries reported from the accident and a fire engine and another ambulance were dispatched to continue the original call.  The police describe the girl as “very remorseful.”  Read the full story HERE.

Posted by on January 14, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, Law & Justice, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , ,

USAR – HAITI UPDATE #1

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fairfax a WUSA dog

View WUSA-TV slideshow HERE.

WITHIN A FEW HOURS of their arrival, the Virginia Task Force 1 from Fairfax County made their first rescue.  They are working at the five-story collapsed United Nations office building where as many as 150 people may have been inside when the earthquake leveled it.

This 9-minute video report documents the retrieval and at the 3:00 mark it begins interviewing the victim and next Captain Sam Gray of the rescue team (video provided courtesy of WUSA-TV Washington):

The Associated Press also provided this raw video of the Virginia dog teams working the buildings:

Posted by on January 14, 2010 • Filed under: rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , ,

2-Car Accident Injures 27

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(THAT CAUGHT YOUR ATTENTION, DIDN’T IT?)  In this day and age it’s not very often that we get to report on streetcar collisions, but that’s what happened earlier today (Thursday) in Karlsruhe, Germany, when two multi-unit street cars crashed head-on in the city center at an intersection.

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DPA photo

The crash occured during the noon hour leaving 27 people injured with six of them in critical condition, including the two drivers.

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DPA

The accident brought more than 200 fire, rescue and police officers to the scene along with emergency trauma surgeons who treated the most seriously injured victims in a triage tent before they were transported.  More than 20 victims were hospitalized.  One of the train drivers lost a foot in the crumple, but it is unclear at the present time if it was amputated by a physician or the wreckage.

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DPA

SWR.de has the story, more pics and a VIDEO HERE.

Hat tip:  Christian L.

Posted by on January 14, 2010 • Filed under: Mass Casualty Incident, rescue, Rescues • Tagged: , , , ,

Burning Dollar Stores – Cont’d.

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*  A DOLLAR STORE IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN, suffered extensive damage early this morning (Thursday) when a suspicious fire raced through it shortly after 4 am.  The Detroit Free Press is reporting:

Witnesses told investigators they saw smoke coming from the store at 20320 Schoolcraft, west of Evergreen near I-96, just after a car sped off at 4:24 a.m., according to the Detroit Fire Department.

The witnesses had seen people loading items into the car from the closed store before the fire, according to investigators.  The fire damaged thousands of dollars of merchandise in the store as well as the building. No one was injured.

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A MAJOR FIRE IN DOWNTOWN CLINTON, ONTARIO, on Tuesday January 12, started in a Salvation Army food bank and spread to several other business including a Dollar Store that suffered fire and smoke damages.  The entire city block was involved in the fire.

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Clinton News Record

The London Free Press has the complete STORY.

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A ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, GRAND JURY INDICTED a man who was arrested and charged last week with setting a Family Dollar store on fire back in November that caused more than a million dollars worth of damage to a shopping center (see Firegeezer story HERE).  The 40-yr.-old career criminal is alleged to have set the fire to created a diversion so that he could steal money from a cash drawer.

WHAM-TV Ch. 13 has this video report on last week’s arrest:

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*  A FIRE AT THE DOLLAR DEPOT STORE in downtown Hobart, Oklahoma, on Saturday December 29, completely gutted the building and caused significant damage to the business on each side of the store.

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Democrat-Chief photo

The row of 100-yr.-old buildings has firewalls between most of the structures and that is being credited with saving the entire block from destruction.  Over 12 neighboring fire departments responded to provide mutual-aid to the Hobart FD.  The fire began around 4 pm and it is unknown what caused it.  Source:  The Oklahoman.

Posted by on January 14, 2010 • Filed under: arson, Dollar stores, fire, Fires, Law & Justice, Videos • Tagged:

Fire Dog Gets New Duties

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IN THESE DAYS OF INCREASED LABOR EFFICIENCIES, job descriptions are being enhanced to include new and additional jobs for everybody in the F&R departments.  And now it has even come down to giving the fire dog some extra responsibilities.

In Springfield, Massachusetts, a citizen has donated an 8-month-old dalmation puppy to the fire department and the pup has already begun rookie training as a fire prevention specialist.  Tiller (his new name) has been living at the home of Capt. Michael Richard, the SFD’s public education officer, for the past 3 weeks now and is undergoing training to be used by the department for work with schoolchildren and other public education presentations.

WWLP-TV Ch. 22 has this video report from Tuesday’s public introduction of Tiller to the community:

Posted by on January 14, 2010 • Filed under: dogs, Fire Prevention & Education, public relations, training-fire-rescue-topics

Morning Lineup – January 14

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It’s not the best of starts this morning.  I booted up the computer and then learn that my internet connection isn’t connected.  After checking to see if the problem is with the computer (it wasn’t) and then looking to see if it was a WiFi problem (wasn’t that, either), I call the cable co.’s repair number.  I get a recording that says there is an area-wide “service interruption” and they are working on it.

Well, it’s relief to know that it isn’t something I own that’s doing it.  And that the shadowy crew of technicians is working to fix it.  So here I am on the backup system, the cell phone connection.  It’s a lot slower that way, but at least I can get started while I’m waiting for the high-speed to return.

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The posting immediately preceeding this one about the international USAR’s heading to Haiti (scroll down to see it) can be updated now to include a 10-man team from Germany. 

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They left Munich shortly after noon (their time) today.  Our colleague Irakli West is part of that group.  He is the publisher of  the German Fire/Rescue blog FWNetz that we have listed in our Blogroll since we have been online.  They will be deployed for at least 5 days and no more than 10 days. 

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If anybody is looking for a “project,” we received an email from somebody who is selling an old FD tanker for $500.  He says that it includes the hose and has a new clutch.  “Everything” works, but the driver’s side windshield needs replacing.  I believe it’s in New Hampshire.  If you want to know more, then send an email to Timothy at this address:  timothygay55 (at) gmail (dot) com. 

Ok, we’d better get this equipment checked out now.  I have to get some more coffee started.  See you back in the day room.

Posted by on January 14, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: ,

USAR Teams Mobilize for Haiti Rescue

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URBAN SEARCH and RESCUE TEAMS FROM fire departments in the  U. S. and Europe started assembling last night to respond to the island nation of Haiti in an attempt to save as many lives as they can during the vital 72-hour window in which survival is most likely.

The teams that are generally made up of 70 to 80 members each are comprised of firefighters that are specially trained and equipped for search and rescue in collapsed buildings.  The teams also contain civilian search dog handlers, structural engineers and trauma surgeons.  The 30 to 40 tons of equipment that each team brings includes a completely self-sufficient camp with electrical generators and all their own food, water and medical supplies.

This video from WMAL-TV Ch. 7 Washington highlights the Fairfax County, Virginia, VA-Task Force 1:

KTTV Ch. 5 Los Angeles profiles the other team responding from the U. S., California Task Force 2:

AFP reports on the USAR team from France:

The team from the UK is covered in this report from Press Association:

.

Posted by on January 13, 2010 • Filed under: Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, rescue, Rescues, Special Operations, Videos • Tagged: ,

Short Lays

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BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CITY OF NEARLY 600,000 residents went through the entire year of 2009 without a single fire-related death.  This was the first time since the city started keeping detailed records of fire deaths in 1972 that they have gone an entire calendar year without any deaths.  The Boston Globe adds:

An official with the National Fire Protection Association applauded the department for achieving what he said was a rare record of success for a major Northeastern city with a large number of older buildings and neighborhoods where homes are clustered together.

“I think to have zero fire deaths in Boston is a very significant accomplishment,’’ said Russell E. Sanders, former fire chief in Louisville, Ky., who works with fire chiefs from large cities for the Quincy-based NFPA. “It’s certainly not something you see often. I think it’s very unusual, especially in the Northeast.’’

City and fire officials are giving partial credit for the success to their policy of dispatching an enhanced compliment of manpower on every initial fire alarm.  The standard box response is 3 engines, 2 ladders and a rescue squad with a total of 32 firefighters and a chief officer.  “We show up with more than enough people to start the initial search and also fire suppression at the same time,’’ said Chief of Department Ronald W. Keating.  Read the full  STORY HERE.

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GRAND RIDGE, FLORIDA, MAYOR CHRIS WRIGHT has gone and crashed the town’s fire engine.  Their backup pumper is over 30 yrs. old and is now back on the front line after Wright, who is also a volunteer firefighter violated a city ordinance and took the fire engine out for a drive last Thursday.

His problem arose when he tried to turn around in a private driveway while he was driving down a street.  After pulling into the driveway, the rear wheels on one side slid off into a ditch causing the pumper to tilt over and fall into a pine tree.

In September 2008 the town council decreed that the fire engines would not be taken out of the station unless they were dispatched by Jackson County to an incident.

The Floridan has the details HERE.

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THE CALIFORNIA STATE BUILDING STANDARDS COMMISSION voted unanimously Tuesday (January 12) by 10-0 in favor of adopting the 2010 California Residential Code, which includes the 2009 International Residential Code as established by the International Code Council in September 2008.  The code changes will require all new one- and two-family homes and townhouses built in the state starting January 1, 2011, to be equipped with fire sprinkler systems.

YubaNet has the STORY.

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A DES MOINES, IOWA, FIRE DEPARTMENT AMBULANCE was responding to a call just after 6 pm Tuesday night when a car drove through a stop sign and collided with the ambulance.  The impact drove the ambulance into a snow bank.  The driver of the car drove away from the scene immediately without stopping.

The police are looking for the driver, but they have a pretty good idea who it is because he conveniently left his car’s license plate at the crash scene when he fled.

The Des Moines Register has the details HERE.

Posted by on January 13, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, News

That Explains The Line Around The Block

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THE LOCAL BLOOD DONATION BANK IN TACOMA, WASHINGTON, has found a popular way to increase donations to help stock the blood bank.  Cascade Regional Blood Services now takes its Bloodmobile to various pubs and bars around Tacoma and gives donors a coupon good for a pint of beer after they give a pint of blood.

The News Tribune reports:

Donors who are at least 21 years old are given a coupon for a free pint of beer. The pub must wait at least four to six hours after the blood drive ends before donors can cash in on their free pint.

“It’s a fun way for us to get more donors, and it’s good for the restaurants as well,” said Jamie Pernaa, who lines up the businesses for Cascade.

Cascade is the first blood center in Washington to use the promotion, called a “Pint-for-Pint Blood Drive,” said Pernaa, community relations specialist.

“It’s just a fun thing to do,” said Dan Schmitt, Cascade’s director of donor resources.

Cascade pays the pubs a negotiated fee for the beers the blood center gives away. State regulations say the promotion is OK as long as businesses are paid for the cost of their beer, said Anne Radford, a liquor board spokeswoman.

Read the full story of this popular program HERE.  Feel free to make suggestions on how to make this scheme even better in the Comments.

Posted by on January 13, 2010 • Filed under: beer, health & safety, News • Tagged: , ,

Off-Duty EMT Perishes in Car Fire

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RYAN BROGHAMER, 25, OF LUZERNE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, was scheduled to begin his shift as an EMT in Swoyerstown on Tuesday morning.  Instead, he died around 4 am after he got into his car when it caught on fire in the parking lot behind his apartment building.  His body was discovered by firefighters when they were called out to respond to the car fire.

Fire investigators do not suspect any foul play, but they have not yet determined what caused the fire nor why Broghamer was unable to get out of his vehicle before the flames took over.  The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader has the full STORY HERE.

WNEP-TV has a good video report on the tragedy:
 

Posted by on January 13, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Landmark Home in Stoughton Damaged in Fire

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A FIRE IN A STOUGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS, VICTORIAN HOME on Tuesday afternoon caused some major damages to the house.  But thanks to the alertness of a neighbor, damages were partially limited and the 85-yr.-old resident was able to escape the flames safely.

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Enterprise / Snyder photo

The fire was first noticed at 3:45 pm Tuesday afternoon by Scott Schertz, a next-door neighbor who happened to be driving down the street toward his home when he saw flames breaking through the roof of the massive 2-½ story home.  Knowing that his neighbor was usually at home, he stopped his car, ran up to the front door and kicked it in.  The Stoughton Enterprise reports:

“There’s a fire! There’s a fire! You gotta get out!” yelled Schertz, going through every room in the three-story mansion.

The smoke hadn’t yet made it to the bottom floor, but he saw it coming down from upstairs.  “It was kind of eerie to see it roll down the stairwell,” he said. “It was like out of one of those fire movies.”

Jimmy Kourafas, the 85-year-old owner of the home, was on the ground level and didn’t believe Schertz at first.  He had just gotten home from visiting his daughter in Marlboro. He was checking the messages on his answering machine when Schertz ran through yelling.  Kourafas didn’t see any flames or smoke, but he didn’t waste any time leaving. It wasn’t until he got outside that he saw the rooftop blaze.

Read the full story of this neighborly assistance HERE.  The article also contains a good photo gallery of the incident.

WCVB-TV Ch. 8 Boston filed this raw video report from their helicopter:

The fire rapidly expanded to a 3-alarm response, primarily due to its size and that there were multiple roof levels involved.  Fire departments from about 10 communities responded to assist with the blaze.

Fire officials say that the fire damage was largely contained to part of the attic area and the front rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors.  However, there was extensive water damage to the interior contents and fixture, making the house uninhabitable for the time being.

The home that was built in 1890 has a strong historical significance to the city and was  the residence of one of Stoughton’s wealthiest families.  The Stoughton Enterprise tells about it HERE.

Posted by on January 13, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Morning Lineup – January 13

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If you have already clicked over to The Fire Critic by now, then you know that Mark Glencorse, the publisher of Medic999 is the winner of the Fire/EMS Blog of the Year contest and all the Geezerguys extend our congratulations to him, a most worthy winner of the title.  If you’re not yet acquainted with Mark’s blog, then this is the time to check it out and you’ll find out why it’s a favorite for so many people.  The number 9-9-9 is the one that is dialed in the UK for emergencies, hence Mark’s title.  He is a paramedic for the North East Ambulance Service in England and he drives on the wrong side of the road.

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Even if you’re not EMS-oriented yourself, you will still find his website informative and entertaining.  And I think it’s particularly telling that his success in the contest illustrates how well this internet thingy has joined the fire and ems people from around the world.  We are all now exposed to new ideas and methods that we never were before, thanks to the “web.”  If you are interested in EMS, then take some time soon to scan down Mark’s Blogroll on the right sidebar and check out the wide variety of websites that he lists from several different countries.

The complete results of the contest haven’t been published, but I know that Firegeezer finished in 2nd place, thanks to all of you who took the time to vote for us.  Our only efforts in this contest were once-daily reminders to check out the exercise and vote for whatever your favorite sites are.  The rapid surge in votes on Monday that elevated us from 4th place up to the top, where we slipped in and out of 1st-place most of the day, was purely a result of  the efforts of our great readers who Twittered and Re-Tweeted, and plugged us along.  And that is a reward in itself that I truly appreciate.  Thanks to all of you for your support in this.

Rhett Fleitz, The Fire Critic is already planning to hold another contest next year, building on what he learned from this effort that he built from scratch.  Remember that the real purpose is to help you expand your own digital library of resources for information and entertainment related to the fire/rescue/ems universe.  So take advantage of it and get ready to nominate your favorite blogs next year.

Now let’s get ready to get this equipment checked out.  I will see that the coffee pot gets filled (again).  We’ll meet back in the day room in a little while.

Posted by on January 13, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: ,

Ambulance Crash in Florida

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A MANATEE COUNTY, FLORIDA, AMBULANCE was involved in a near-head-on crash just before 11 am this morning (Tuesday).  The accident took place at an intersection in Bradenton as the ambulance was responding to a call with its lights and siren activated.

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Police say that the pickup shown on the upper left failed
to yield to the ambulance.  NewsChannel 8 image.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a pickup truck failed to yield to the ambulance.  The wreck injured at least two people, one from each vehicle.  This is a fresh incident and no other information is available yet.  We will update if needed.

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NewsChannel 8 image

Posted by on January 12, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , ,

Record-Setting Hockey Game

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THE TOP HOCKEY LEAGUE IN RUSSIA is the Kontinental Hockey League and they do things a little differently over there.  Saturday night there was a game between Vityaz Chekhov and Avangard Omsk  that never made it past the 4-minute mark.  When the game was just underway and only 3:27 had been played, two players started fighting on the ice.  Soon, all the players on the ice were scrapping with each other causing a delay in the game while the officials restored order and sent most of them to the penalty box.

Eventually they resumed play, but only for a few seconds when at 3:34 more fighting broke out, and eight more players, four from each side, were penalized and sent off the ice.  The next attempt at play lasted only 3 seconds when at 3:37 another fight broke out  involving not only the  players on the ice, but seven more that were already in the penalty boxes. That left three Avangard skaters on the ice and one on the bench, and three Vityaz skaters on the ice and three on the bench.  Two seconds later, two more players got into it and by then both teams had run out of players and the game had to be suspended.

 

There was a world-record assessment of 691 penalty minutes handed out and on Sunday the league issued the following sanctions and penalties:

Both teams have forfeited the game and were fined one million rubles. That’s an American equivalent of $33,500.

Since it was determined that the Vityaz team started the fight, the franchise was fined an additional three million rubles ($100,750) for “harming the reputation of the KHL, its partners and Russian hockey in general.” Vityaz was also “formally warned of a possible expulsion from the KHL in the event of a recurrence of similar violations,” according to the KHL announcement.

Head coaches Alexei Yarushkin of Vityaz and Igor Nikitin of Avangard were each fined 50,000 rubles. Four players were fined 150,000 rubles. Five Vityaz players were suspended for one game.

The KHL has been lacking professionalism since it was launched three years ago in an attempt to match other premier leagues throughout the world by paying big Rubles to attract major players from other leagues.  Firegeezer described this Keystone Kop KHL back in October 2008 in THIS ARTICLE about a player who died during a game where no physician was in attendance nor was there even a stretcher to carry him away.

Posted by on January 12, 2010 • Filed under: current events, News, Videos • Tagged:

Fire Chief Indicted

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IN THIS PAST SEPTEMBER FIREGEEZER reported HERE on the arrest of Kennebunkport, Maine, fire chief Paul Moshimer.  He had become infuriated when he saw his girl friend’s car parked at another man’s house and the assaulted the man in his front yard.

From our story of September 23:

Police said Moshimer stopped at the Burnt Mill Road residence and walked into the yard, where he was confronted by the male homeowner, 43-year-old Peter Dugovic, and a woman, both of whom walked out from behind the residence.

An argument ensued and Moshimer allegedly struck the homeowner’s face with his motorcycle helmet, breaking bones in the man’s face and driving part of the man’s cheek bone into his sinus cavity, police said.

Last week a York County grand jury indicted Moshimer on two counts, aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon – a felony –  and carrying a concealed weapon, a misdemeanor.

Seacoast Online has the latest details HERE.

Posted by on January 12, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice • Tagged: , , ,

Vacant Hotel Arson in Las Vegas

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AN OLD LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, HOTEL that has been vacant for several years had a fire set in it Monday night just before 8 pm.  The El Cid hotel has been used consistently by street bums as a shelter and when the Las Vegas FD units arrived, they found one man who needed to be rescued and he told the FF’s that there could be as many as 20 or more others inside.

A 2nd-alarm was struck for the potential rescue, but apparently everybody had already gotten out.  There were three fires set inside and while the amount of damage was negligible, the owners said that they will probably demolish the building rather than complete their plans to remodel it.

KVVU-TV Ch. 5 has this video report:

Posted by on January 12, 2010 • Filed under: arson, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Brazen, Bumbling Bank Burglars Update

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YESTERDAY WE BROUGHT YOU the story about the bumbling bank burglars in Paris, France, who were the big losers of the day.  You can review the STORY HERE where you will see the early report and some photos with a video.

We now have some updated information and a “reality” video for you.  Recall that these doofuses tried this at 1:30 Monday afternoon, right in the open.  It turns out that they weren’t trying to use the car as  battering ram on the door, but instead used it to knock the outside ATM off its moorings.  The dumbo-duo managed to get a money container free, but you will see that they failed at that, too.  It appears there was not a torch involved, but the car was damaged in the crash causing a broken fuel line.

With everything happening in broad daylight, there was an interested crowd of onlookers including one who had his video camera with him and recorded the entire spree.  Watch this video and you will see that the crooks toss the money box into the car just as it explodes into fire, causing the guy to back out in a hurry leaving the money behind to burn up with the car.

Then you’ll see their failed attempt to start the “getaway scooter” (see the earlier story for those details), followed by their aborted attempt to carjack the double-parked car across the street. 

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That other case you see them carrying is believed to contain a pistol.  Their moneybag is empty as they flee down the street on foot.

Posted by on January 12, 2010 • Filed under: crime, fire, Fires, News, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Morning Lineup – January 12

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I got so busy with other things yesterday that I neglected to direct you to a tragic story about a firehouse in New York State that burned down on Sunday morning.  They lost all four of their firetrucks and a new ambulance.  STATer911 has the STORY HERE with pics and links to videos.  It was a large loss for the community.

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Talk about a surprise, yesterday there was a sudden surge in votes for Firegeezer in the Fire/EMS Blog of the Year contest that wraps up later today.  Earlier yesterday we were in third or fourth place, handily behind a couple of other entrants.  But from what I have been told, yesterday afternoon we started closing the gap and caught up with the  leader, an EMS blog.

Now it appears that overnight, sides have been chosen between fire laddies and ambulance bucks, each one lining up behind either Firegeezer or Medic999.  It’s turned out to be a snowball fight, fittingly enough for this weather we’ve been having.

Just remember folks, it’s all just for fun.  There are no prizes involved, just some good-natured competition and a plan to introduce you to some good websites that you might not have known about before.  Voting stops at 6 pm Eastern time today, so if you want to join in and vote for somebody, then CLICK HERE and have some fun.  You can vote every six hours, so if you cast a ballot before noon Eastern, then you can squeeze one more in there.

The FireCritic who has designed and hosted the contest has done a good job of generating a lot of interest in the fire/ems blog universe and he is to be commended for all his work.

When it comes to the morning equipment check, there is no voting involved.  The task is completed by command and we need to get started with it now.  I’m going to go make some more coffee for us, and this time we’ll be using properly-seasoned coffee filters.  See you back in the day room.

Posted by on January 12, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged:

Bumbling Burglars Baffled at Bank

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HAPLESS BURGLARS ARE FOUND EVERYWHERE.  Today (Monday) they showed up in Paris, France, where the banks are closed on Mondays.  Thinking they could just smash their way into the bank, grab a bunch of loot out of the drawer and make their getaway, they put their plan into action.

Parking their “getaway scooter” out in front of the building at 1:30 pm this afternoon, the 2 men then brought a Peugot sedan to the site and putting it in reverse, they smashed the little sedan against the front door.  When that failed to make an entry, they took out a cutting torch and tried to burn their way in.  But the torch set the car on fire instead.

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All photos via Le Point

Grabbing their still-empty bag and being watched by a curious crowd of onlookers, they ran to the getaway scooter, but it wouldn’t start. 

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 Next they tried to commandeer a car being driven by a 50-yr.-old man, but when he got out of his car he apparently took his keys with him and they failed to get it started, too.  By now they were getting desparate and the fire brigade was on the way.  They were last seen running down the street.  Police have a description and are looking for them.

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Le Point has the story HERE and also presented this brief video:

Posted by on January 11, 2010 • Filed under: crime, fire, Fires, Videos

You Never See Cat Bones in a Tree

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A WAVERLY, NOVA SCOTIA, CAT THAT HAS BEEN PERCHED HIGH in a tree since Friday has, so far, rebuffed three attempts by local firefighters to get it back down to terra firma. 

Shady, the black feline ascended the tree Friday and seems to enjoy his perch.  Despite his owners’ attempt to coax him down with tasty food treats, he only climbs higher whenever somebody goes up to “save” him.

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Shady doesn’t care much for cameras, either.  (CBC )

Kristin Williams, executive director of the Nova Scotia SPCA, tells the CBC that she doesn’t think there is any need to be concerned.

She has never heard of case where a cat died because of being stuck in a tree, she said.  “It’s quite likely that the cat is actually coming down when there is nobody around to actually see this happening.

Shady may choose to stay in the tree during the daytime for quite a while before coming down for good, Williams said.

The SPCA doesn’t respond to cats in trees. Halifax animal control is not mandated to deal with cats, let alone cats in trees. And the fire department is not required to, either, since it’s not considered an emergency.

Nevertheless, fire crews have visited the house with a ladder three times, twice on Saturday and again on Sunday, trying to coax the cat from his perch.  The CBC also reports (HERE) that a town councilor said that he would have the FD bring out their “bucket truck” for another attempt today.

Posted by on January 11, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology • Tagged: ,

Brewing the Perfect Cup of Coffee

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MANY PEOPLE (rightfully so) LOOK TO FIREGEEZER FOR INFORMATION on enhancing the Coffee Experience.

Today we will share with you some secrets on how to brew the best cup of coffee you have ever tasted.  It is best explained in this video demonstration.  We should note that many people have been failing to do the most important part, properly seasoning the filter:

How to Brew a Good Cup of Coffee from Ben Helfen on Vimeo.

GeezerCup bOnce you have that perfectly-prepared pot of coffee, then the only way to successfully complete your moment of joy is to pour it into your Firegeezer Mug.  If you don’t have one yet….then CLICK HERE and order one right away!

Posted by on January 11, 2010 • Filed under: fun, Mug Shots