LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, FIREFIGHTERS WERE ON THE SCENE of a major industrial fire early Wednesday morning when a violent explosion occurred in a titanium storage facility. The fire swept through six buildings triggering more explosions as the molten exotic metals reacted with the water. The firm manufactures titanium golf clubs, according to the LAFD spokesman.
KTLA-TV
At one point, around 1 am, a huge blast showered firefighters and engines with burning titanium, Battalion Chief Mario Rueda told the press. “As a result of these explosions, titanium chips dispersed over the neighborhood,” Rueda said. “Large chunks of concrete impacted some of our apparatus and the concussive effect knocked out some of our (vehicle) windows.”
KABC-TV’s cameras caught the first explosion as seen in this video report:
At the peak of the fire there were 220 firefighters on the scene. After the first explosion the fire attack was concentrated on preventing extension while the metals fires burned themselves out. A second explosion as large as the first was triggered two hours later.
A firefighter and a captain were treated for hand burns and ringing in their ears from explosions, but were not seriously injured. A third FF was taken to the hospital for burns on the back of his neck.
The FD officials are saying that probably the entire complex will be a total loss.
NEAR LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, TWO PEOPLE are facing criminal charges after authorities allege they stole more than $127,000 from their former employer, the Honey Brook Fire Company Ambulance Division.
Christopher Aaron Yocom, 35, of the 600 block of Cloverfield Drive, and Lisa Waughtel, 44, of the 600 block of Buchland Road, were arrested July 6, records say.
According to police, between Feb. 26, 2007, and Feb. 11, 2009, the two diverted checks mailed to the ambulance division to an unauthorized bank account at the Sovereign Bank in New Holland.
Waughtel was the former treasurer of the ambulance division. Suspicions were raised in June 2009 when squad officials noticed that money was missing and reported it to the police.
Police say that Yocom admitted in March that he and Waughtel had stolen the funds.
They have been charged with with criminal conspiracy, theft by unlawful taking or disposition, theft by deception, receiving stolen property, theft by failure to make disposition of funds received, forgery and access device fraud. Both are free on $50,000 bond each and are scheduled to return for a preliminary hearing on July 30.
A LARGE FIRE SWEPT THROUGH the top four floors of a 15-story apartment building in Kingston, England, Monday evening. Later that same night, a 32-yr.-old woman was taken into custody and has been remanded to a psychiatric facility for evaluation. Police are not yet saying why they have connected her with the fire.
Surrey Comet
The fire started just before 5 pm and required the efforts of more than 100 firefighters for 4 hours to bring it under control. The building is a public housing project and is owned by the municipality. A total of 60 units are made uninhabitable by the blaze. The housing project is infamous as being the location for tv cop shows that need a seedy, run-down dump for a location scene.
ITN filed this dramatic video report from the scene:
The Daily Mail has the story and more photos HERE.
I was looking at a mildly-interesting article called Top 10 USB Thumb Drive Tricks. Since my thumb drive usage is minimal at best, I probably won’t incorporate any of these “tricks,” but I found a couple that intrigued me. And since we all have our own computer styles and needs, there’s a good chance that you will find a couple that might help you.
First of all, you may recall that we were talking just the other day (HERE) about computer security in hotels and other public places. One of the suggested apps is an aid when you are working on a strange computer or in an insecure internet/wifi connection. The description reads, “If you’re on vacation, or working somewhere else where the security, tracking, and privacy conditions are unknown, you’ll be glad you have the DemocraKey bundle. It’s a set of Windows-based apps—including a browser, image editor, email client, and encryption suite—that makes browsing and working much more anonymous and secure.” Click on that link to learn more about it and to download it.
Another download can be used if you just like to keep certain apps with you or contained on a separate disk, your USB drive can function as a full-fledged launcher. PortableApps offers no-install-needed versions of Firefox, Chrome, Pidgin, GIMP, Open Office, Notepad++, and many other favorite bits of open source software.
I like this one: USB Safeguard can be used to make the entire drive, or just selected files on it, encrypted. And if anyone who “finds” your thumb drive tries to hack into it, all the files self-destruct. Kind of like the Impossible Mission Force doc. exchange without the smoke.
Read the entire Top 10 list HERE if you’re interested in more.
But first we have to fill out our on list on the Daily Equipment Check sheet. So, let’s get started on that and I’ll go make some more coffee.
Hey, gang…. I told you (here) that I’d be back today with some news. Well, here it is….. my boss Steve has fixed me up with some NEW DUDS in time for my trip down to Baltimore for the Expo!
Check them out in this before-and-after photo:
What to you think? Super, huh?
All righttttttt….. I’m going to finish packing and I’ll check back here Thursday morning just before I leave. See ya’ then!
SANTA MARIA – Not much is left of a Santa Maria Police cruiser after it was wrapped around a tree early Sunday morning. (…)
Macagni says Officer Damon Badnell was responding to a call for help from another officer on foot chasing a burglary suspect in the north end of town.
“It had just rained, the roads were slick and for unknown reasons he lost control of the car at Main and Broadway”, Macagni says.
Officer Badnell is being treated for broken bones at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital where doctors are optimistic about his recovery.
A three year veteran of the Santa Maria Police Department, Damon Badnell is a husband and father who grew up in the area and was just awarded by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for making the most DUI arrests in the city.
Firefighter Erick Scott, the “C” Shift Los Angeles Fire Department Public Service Officer, released this report:
On Monday, July 12th, 2010 at 3:45 AM, 7 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 7 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 2 Urban Search and Rescue Units, 1 Rehab Unit, 1 Hazardous Materials Team, 1 EMS Battalion Captain, 2 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 LAPD Haz-Mat Team, 1 LACoFD Haz-Mat Team, LA County Sheriffs, Union Pacific Security and various other law enforcement agencies under the direction of Battalion Chief Patrick Butler responded to a Hazardous Material Incident at Eastman Avenue X Union Pacific Avenue in the Hobart area, LACoFD’s jurisdiction.
A total of 68 Los Angeles Firefighters were gradually requested to assist our friends at Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The lengthy incident involved a confined space, that of a 60′ long by 10′ wide, train-tanker with possible hazardous materials (Haz-Mat) inside.
Firefighters made entry into the 30,000 gallon tanker wearing full Haz-Mat suits and began removing packages that were covered in an oil type substance. Two Firefighters experienced increased heart rate and dizziness after making entry, both were evaluated medically at USC hospital as a precaution, but were expected to be released back-to-duty the same day.
From KTLA
Just before 10:00 AM, an unknown object, similar to the size and shape of a coffee can, was found inside.
.
Due to the suspicious nature of this item, the Fire Department Haz-Mat removal operation was halted. LAPD Bomb Squad took over the scene and, as a safety measure, carefully detonated the object at approximately 5:00 PM. The Fire Department was then able to safely resume entry.
Due to the nature of the incident and surrounding circumstances, LAPD will continue to take the lead role and provide any additional information. All LAFD Firefighters were released just before 9:00 PM. A total of 78 packages of what the LAPD previously referred to as marijuana was safely removed.
Robert Faturechi, reporting for the Los Angeles Times, provided the “before the incident” scoop:
The incident began Sunday night when Los Angeles Police Department officers attempted to stop a speeding vehicle near the train tracks around Union Pacific Avenue. The three suspects sped off and got away, prompting officers to set up a perimeter, authorities said.
When the suspects were found, officers noticed an oily substance on their pants. The same gunk was on several bundles of marijuana found in their vehicle.
“So the officers start looking around, and they find an oil tanker,” LAPD Det. Gus Villanueva said.
LEGENDARY NEW YORK YANKEES LONG-TIME OWNER GEORGE STEINBRENNER, 80, suffered a massive heart attack this morning and died in Tampa, Florida, at 6:30 am.
The Steinbrenner family released this statement:
“It is with profound sadness that the family of George M. Steinbrenner III announces his passing. He was an incredible and charitable man. First and foremost he was devoted to his entire family – his beloved wife, Joan; his sisters, Susan Norpell and Judy Kamm, his children, Hank, Jennifer, Jessica and Hal; and all of his grandchildren.
He was a visionary and a giant in the world of sports. He took a great but struggling franchise and turned it into a champion again.”
AP photo
Steinbrenner’s ownership of the team began in 1973 and the Yankees won seven World Series championships under his leadership. Steinbrenner turned over day-to-day operations of the team in 2007 to his sons Hal and Hank.
Update, 11:00 am:
Fox News has prepared this video biography:
EIGHT PEOPLE WERE KILLED SUNDAY NIGHT when two cars collided head-on in a twisy country road in the Republic of Ireland. It is being reported as the highest life-loss ever from an auto wreck in the nation.
A Passat auto with 8 young men in it was traveling in County Donegal when it clipped a passing car. The scrape sent the Passat over into the oncoming lane where it crashed head-on with a third car that had only the driver, a 66-yr.-old man, in it. The crash killed the older man and seven of the passengers in the Passat with its driver being the only survivor of the wreck. All seven of the young men were ages 19 – 23.
This Passat auto had eight passengers crammed into it.
(RTE photo)
The Irish Times has the STORY.
BBC News has MOREplus this video report:
THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE tragic river collision in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, last week has taken an unusual turn. (See the Firegeezer reports on the fatal tour boat crash HERE and HERE.) In the course of their routine interviews with everybody involved and witnesses, the NTSB investigators say that the First Mate of the tug who was at the wheel when the craft collided is refusing to meet with the investigators and has claimed 5th-amendment protection from testifying. The Associated Press has a video report on this unusual situation:
You will recall that the Ride the Ducks tour boat was sitting dead in the water because of a mechanical problem when the tug that was towing a barge ran over the “Duck Boat” sinking it and sending 37 passengers into the drink, killing two of them.
via CBS News
The captain of the duck boat had radioed to the tug that they were in distress and warning it to change course. Now witnesses have apparently corroborated that the radio message was transmitted on the standard ship-to-ship frequency used in the Delaware River area. The tug’s owners are not saying whether the crew on the bridge heard the transmission or not.
The NTSB officials, citing the ongoing investigation, won’t say if the tug’s crew had the required lookout posted on the barge, or if the tug’s radar was operating properly.
Fox News is also quoting a maritime lawyer as saying that the first mate’s refusal to cooperate could be “devastating” to the tugboat company:
Robert Mongeluzzi, who represented one of the victims in the Pier 34 collapse 10 years ago, told Fox 29 on Monday the fact that the mate used the 5th amendment in an interview with NTSB officials is bad news for the tug boat owners.
The NTSB has confirmed the tug was moving at 5 knots, which is about 6 miles per hour.
The (tugboat) Caribbean Sea’s GPS and electronic chart navigation devices were also removed from the vessel and taken to NTSB Headquarters for analysis.
WTXF-TV (Fox News) has more detail in this video report:
It’s been a couple of years at least since I’ve posted the link to the Industrious Clock. It doesn’t have anything to do with fire or EMS, but it’s just a bit of fun that you can have on your computer. CLICK HERE to take a look at it. Warning: It can become mesmerizing.
I have heard that some people plant the program on their taskbar, but fortunately I have never met anyone who does that. But you have to admit that it’s fascinating, and I’ll bet the the website gets crowded during the final minutes of the month.
* * * * *
We’re getting all geared up for next week’s Firehouse Expo 2010 and the Baltimore Convention Center. If you saw yesterday’s Gnome Report (HERE), then you know that F. G. Gnome is going to be making a special guest appearance with us. I’ll let you know ahead of time that he’s a real ham and loves to have his picture taken, so bring your camera on over to the booth and pose with him. He’ll love it.
While you’re there you can say hello to me, of course, and the “FossilMedic” Mike Ward. As in the past, our colleague Dave Statter – STATter911 – will be sharing the booth with us. It will be interesting to see what he will be up to this year now that he’s retired from the tv news business. And another side feature will be the FirefighterNetcast boys, Rhett Fleitz and John Mitchell. They will be setting up their sound stage in one corner and doing some of their excellent interviews with notables from the fire and EMS field. Then you will be able to hear the show on the BlogTalk network when you get back to your computer.
It’s shaping up to be a good time next week, so fill up the tank while the gas is still cheap and head on over to the Baltimore Convention Center on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There are 400 exhibitors setting up, including all the major firetruck manufacturers. We’re going to have a lot of fun, so join us there. You will find Firegeezer and STATter911 at Booth #738.
Now we’d best get our own equipment checked out for today. I’ll get the coffee started. See you back in the day room in a little while.
ONE OF THE EAST COAST’S MOST-PHOTOGRAPHED scenes was drastically altered Monday afternoon at Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Shortly before 3 pm a fire broke out in the Menemsha Coast Guard station and within minutes the entire wooden boathouse was ablaze. The spectacular fire consumed the structure and part of the pier leading away from it, along with a truck and boat trailer.
Before Monday this view included the boathouse seen on the left with the red roof.
(Cape Cod Today photo)
The Coast Guard station’s 47-ft. boat that is kept in the shed was quickly started and piloted out and away from the burning building.
WFXT-TV has some brief footage of the burning boathouse:
The Martha’s Vineyard Times reports that the drive-on dock was heavily damaged stranding several vehicles. The blaze ignited nearby boats and burned through the mooring lines. One boat in flames floated across the harbor toward the Menemsha Texaco gas dock. Other boats drifted against fishing boats on Dutcher Dock. Harbor personnel and volunteers moved quickly to tow the boats out of the harbor helping to stop a spreading disaster. There are reports that several boats sank in the harbor.
WCVB-TV Ch. 5 has a more detailed video report:
The Martha’s Vineyard Times has the full story and more photos HERE.
GM is offering buyers of the 2011 Corvette ZR1 and Z06 models the chance to build the engine for their cars. A Corvette buyer is welcome to GM’s Performance Build Center in Wixom, Mich., where engines for the ZR1 and the Z06 are built by hand.
Corvette Engine Build Experience (PBC $5,800 plus travel to Detroit)
The buyer is assigned a personal concierge who schedules the engine build and coordinates logistics of the trip. Once at Wixom, the buyer gets to personally assemble the engine — “under the supervision of and support from skilled technicians,” GM clarifies, noting that hand assembly procedures in place at the Performance Build Center make this possible. A personalized engine nameplate is created that gets added to the car.
But wait, there is more!
National Corvette Museum Delivery (R8C $490 plus travel to Nashville)
The customer arrives at the NCM and is welcomed with signs commemorating the event. They are taken to the Corvette Assembly Plant for their own NCM Delivery Team guided VIP tour (when available).
A personal, special VIP guided tour of the NCM is conducted where they will see their Corvette on display. The event is available on a live webcast.
Next, a member of the NCM Delivery Team provides a quality orientation followed by a thorough delivery presentation of their new vehicle. A unique gold decal is placed on the inside of the drivers door jamb to signify the importance of this memorable occasion.
Corvette Buyers Tour ($400 plus travel to Kentucky)
Also from our friends at the National Corvette Museum:
We are excited to be able to offer the Corvette Buyer’s Plant Tour in conjunction with the Bowling Green Corvette Assembly Plant! This program is offered to provide new Corvette buyer’s with a tour of the Assembly Plant. See and experience the assembly of America ’s Sports Car with your very own personal tour guide.
You and 1 guest can enjoy a private tour of the Plant to see many areas not included on the general Plant tour. Your tour guide will provide information at the paint areas, body start area, installation of seats, doors, trunk, steering wheel, airbags, engine, etc. in addition to the general tour stops such as the marriage point, first start, end of line, and dyno and water testing.
We make every effort to schedule your tour on the day that your car is being built. However, we cannot guarantee that you will see your car at any point in the production process due to unforeseen events that may increase or decrease production time and scheduling.
Corvette Photo Album ($500)
Don’t worry, even if you did NOT see YOUR Corvette assembled on the Buyers Tour, you can get the construction memorialized in a twenty page photo album.
Those enthusiasts at the National Corvette Museum think of everything!
Each leather bound album is created with the highest quality photo paper preserved in a padded leather album with high quality stitching detail and includes:
* 20 plus pages of text and photos devoted to capture your Corvette’s build process
* Letter of authenticity
* Letter from the GM Bowling Green Assembly Plant Manager and the National Corvette Museum’s Executive Director
* Back page autograph area for memorable moments/events.
After paying $85,200 for a Corvette Z06 3LZ I can add $7190 to enhance my purchasing experience.
Still cheaper than the $13,500 it cost to add racing stripes, subwoofer and alloy wheels on a $165,000 Ford GT in 2006.
2010 Chevrolet Corvette 2-door Coupe Z06 w/2LZ
Not that I can afford either “mid life crisis” toy.
Years ago I went to the National Corvette Museum and took the public tour of the Bowling Green factory.
For a gearhead it was a great day. The folks at both the museum and the factory were great.
Doubt that I would spend the $5800 to “build” my own engine, but I can see the appeal to true believers.
F. G. Gnome has been on vacation and hasn’t been filing any reports lately. But as you will see below, FG’s vacation is OVER.
Hey, everybody!! Good to see you again. I have been on vacation and enjoying every moment of it since we got back from Tornado Alley.
But Saturday I got the call that I knew was coming eventually, and my boss Steve told me to get my tiny butt back home because we have an assignment. But it’s not a bad deal…..I’m heading to the Firehouse Expo in Baltimore! Whooo-wheeeee….. this is gonna be fun!
So I packed up my swimsuit and left Margaritaville yesterday and headed home. Check back tomorrow for my next update when I tell you what we’ll be doing next.
I hope you’re planning on visiting the Expo next week. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you and posing with your for some photos. We will be in booth #738.
(You can catch up on previous Gnome Reports HERE.)
THE INDIANAPOLIS SUBURB OF BEECH GROVE, Indiana, had a double-header early Sunday morning that brought several companies from the IFD in to help out. The first fire was a house fire of the routine variety and they were in the mop-up stage when an alarm came in for the Payless Liquors storage warehouse.
WTHR-TV
The first units were met with a large fire in progress and the need for additional help. WISH-TV Ch. 8 had video crews on the scenes of both fires and filed this report:
The warehouse fire was notable for the high, blue flames generated as the alcohol burned off. That fire was brought under control in just over an hour and the loss is estimated at $1.5 million.
THE YORK, NEBRASKA, NEWS-TIMES IS REPORTING that a man has been formally charged with felony theft and interfering with a firefighter, after allegedly stealing firefighting equipment at the scene of a residential blaze.
Zachary Kaye of York appeared in court last week where he pleaded not guilty to both counts. The News-Timestells:
It is alleged that on May 20, the York Fire Department was on the scene of a house fire when one of the firefighters removed his helmet and breathing apparatus. He placed the gear on the ground, in order to take a momentary break. It’s alleged that after the fireman did so, onlookers and other firefighters saw Kaye (who was a bystander himself) take the gear and attempt to leave the scene.
Firefighters were able to stop Kaye and eventually retrieve the gear. The matter was then turned over to the police.
Kaye is facing a possible 5 years imprisonment on the felony theft charge.
A 47-YR.-OLD LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO, MAN is in a Texas burn center after a drinking game left him nude on the side of the highway with his prosthetic leg in flames. Dona Ana County sheriff’s deputies say that the victim and his friends were drinking and had made a bet that whoever drank the least would be set on fire.
The victim told investigators that since he drank only six beers, the least amount, he agreed to let his friends set him on fire.
The victim, who has a prosthetic left leg made of plastic, said his friends set his leg on fire, which spread to his buttocks and lower back area, causing severe burns.
Not being able to stand the pain, the victim disrobed. His friends then decided to take him to the hospital but became “nervous and dropped the victim off” on U.S. 70, the release said.
Witnesses reported seeing an individual walking on a U.S. 70 bridge with his leg on fire. Another witness reported that the victim was naked, while other witnesses reported that the victim was struck by two cars and even attempted to jump into passing vehicles as well into the path of an oncoming tractor-trailer.
When questioned by deputies if he had asked his friends to stop at any point in time while setting him on fire, he stated “no, he lost the bet” and therefore did not attempt to stop them.
Once again, a speeding auto has reached new heights and gone airborne in this year of the flying car:
A DARIEN, CONNECTICUT, WOMAN WAS KILLED EARLY SUNDAY morning when the BMW that she was driving went out of control and crashed two houses. Police say that the unidentified woman was driving through the residential neighborhood and a very high rate of speed when she hit a curb that acted as a ramp and sent her car into the air.
The flying Bimmer clipped the corner of a house, tearing off one corner of it, then soared over a 12-ft.-high hedge and landed wheels-first into the side of another house, ending up partially through the wall. The driver was fatally injured, dying a short time later in the hospital. The preliminary report from the Darien police states:
After the vehicle left the travel portion of the roadway it became airborne and struck and passed through a first floor bedroom of 126 Hollow Tree Ridge Road. The vehicle continued in the air striking a tree and then penetrated the chimney and the exterior of the 122 Hollow Tree Ridge Road house — approximately seven feet off of the ground. The vehicle came to final rest on its side in the kitchen portion of the second residence.
The car ended up in the kitchen of this house.
Stamford Advocate photo
The residents of the first house were away on vacation which turned out to be a life-saving event as the car tore right through the bedroom over the head of the bedstead and would probably have killed anybody in it. The second house is vacant and is so heavily damaged that it may have to be partially demolished.
A fortuitious vacation saved the residents
of the first house. (Darien Times / Riolo photo)
WTNH-TV Ch. 8 New Haven has this video report filed from the scene:
Here we are, rolling into mid-July and the Summer Silliness Season is well underway. The observers of inconsequential culture had their attention focused on Cambridgeshire, England, Saturday when the 40th annual World Pea Shooting Championships were held. Supposedly, the contest was begun by a schoolteacher who was fascinated by the variety of pea shooters that he had confiscated from his frisky students during the academic year.
The competition is held on the village green in Witcham and the contestants compete in different skill categories. The rules are simple, you shoot your peas at an archery-style target that is placed 12 feet away from you. The target is made of soft putty so that the pea will either embed in the target, or at least leave an indentation that identifies your accuracy.
There are some serious shooters that show up for this event. Last year’s champion George Hollis uses a crafted shooter that has a shoulder mount and a laser-sight.
George Hollis
Alas, Mr. Hollis, 59, came in 2nd this year, unseated by Ian Ashmeade, 53, who snatched the title away from the 4-time champion. There were 150 sharpshooters who lined up, took a deep breath, and puffed for the glory Saturday.
The new champion – Ian Ashmeade
When Firegeezer was a lad, we could go to the Woolworth’s dime store and buy purpose-made plastic pea shooters. I think they were 2 for a nickel. But I would snip the straw-length tube into 3-inch lengths so that it was easily concealed in my hand. Accuracy was compromised by the shorter tube, but in a classroom no one is very far away and nobody could tell where it came from.
We’d better sharpen our skills and get the equipment checked out now. Monday checklist…a little longer, so let’s get started. I’ll go run another pot of coffee through the Bunn-O-Matic. See you back in the day room.
YESTERDAY (SATURDAY) IT WAS NOT THE HEAT THAT KNOCKED DOWN the quiet village of Entrevennes (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) France, but the shock of the tragedy that has occurred in the house of Joseph and Yvette Manzoni. Reporting a flooded cellar yesterday morning, the older couple in their seventies called the local firefighters at 8:30. Three paid-on-call firefighters responded with a pump, but it did not move enough water, so two of them returned to the station to get a larger one. One of the firefighters remained in the basement running the first pump.
La Provence
When the other two returned, they called out to the FF who stayed back, but they got no answer. Leaning over the trapdoor, the two saw their colleague hunched over, a victim of carbon monoxide fumes. It is 11:45 and they went down to help him after they first called for help, bringing reinforcements from Bras d’Asse. The rescuers got there and retrieved the three bodies and began resuscitation. But it was already too late for Chief Warrant Officer Renaldo Ledoux . Ledoux, aged 37, married and father of two children aged 5 years and 14 months, died on the scene.
The other two firefighters from the town, Mickael Verot, 19, and Florian Swift, 17, severely poisoned by the CO, were evacuated by helicopter to the hospital Sainte-Marguerite Marseille, where they were placed in a hyperbaric chamber. Yesterday evening, it was learned that they had regained consciousness.
La Provence
The house was thoroughly ventilated all night and into today as a quantity of the CO had seeped into the old masonry walls. Investigation into the incident has begun by the police.
* STATter911 has a great Video Roundup for your weekend’s enlightenment HERE.
* Two-In, Two-Out has found a disaster ready to happen HERE.
* Got a couple of minutes for a good chuckle? You don’t want to miss the Fire PIO’s collection of Useless Knowledge HERE.
* While we’re still smiling, you want to check out Fire Daily’sWingnut of the WeekHERE.
* At CommandSafety, Chris Naum does his always-excellent dissection of an important incident and puts it in a training format for you. Be sure to read Eleven Minutes to Mayday; What You Need to KnowHERE.
* Firefighters Own Worst Enemy has some good info. on Bailout Anchoring Techniques HERE.
* Every firefighter and EMT absolutely needs a good pocket knife. There are some good markdowns on quality pocket knives HERE.
LESS THAN TWO MONTHS AFTER HIRING A NEW FIRE CHIEF, Barrow County, Georgia is looking for a new one again this week. Donald Towne, 40, began his new job on May 25 after previously serving as fire chief of Cairo, Georgia, in the southwest part of the state. But this past Thursday, following a 7-month investigation, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested Towne, his wife Tiffany Fowler, 29, and three others in Cairo and charged them with several instances of theft by taking.
Barrow County Fire Dept. photo
The crimes were largely part of a scheme to connect themselves and some relatives to the local cable tv service without paying for it. Towne’s wife was also arrested and charged with five counts of theft by taking and five counts of computer theft. She was an employee of the City of Cairo’s Utility Department. A change in the city’s billing system led to the discovery of financial irregularities. A forensic audit has reportedly turned up $150,000 in missing funds, triggering the investigation.
According to the Athens Banner-Herald, GBI agents believe that Towne and his relatives used their connections to receive cable TV service without being billed for it, said Steve Turner, special agent in charge of the GBI’s Thomasville Office. Fowler worked for Cairo Community Network Services. She manipulated the billing system so she and Towne and three other individuals could receive cable service without paying for it, Turner said.
The GBI also says that the investigation is continuing and there may yet be more charges filed. Towne was being paid $63,000 per annum in his new job for Barrow County.
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