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NOW HERE IS A FIREFIGHTING TECHNIQUE that I’m not familiar with, but it certainly meets with the crowd’s approval. I’m not sure about what’s going on, so please help out and tell us what you think the caption to this photograph should be. As always, post your suggestion in the Comments section.
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BLOCKBUSTER ANNOUNCED THURSDAY that they have filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11. They do not plan to close any of their remaining 3,000 stores in the U. S., however. They have filed a financial restructuring plan with the approval of their bondholders. The full story is covered in Market Watch HERE.
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THE FINAL THREE FIRE VICTIMS from the major fire in San Bruno caused by the gas pipeline rupture have been identified by the San Mateo County coroner’s office. The three casualties are a 50-yr.-0ld man, his son age 17, and his mother who was 85. The death toll is now seven. The San Mateo Daily Journal has the DETAILS HERE.
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Do you recall our September 6th report on the clusterbuck in Delhi, India, with their crumbling infrastructure at the upcoming Commonwealth Games? Our article HERE was focused on the 75 unusable ambulances they bought and their failure to train the 200 first-aiders they hired to ride in them, as well as having to perfom medical procedures in an open-air tent because the clinic that was built at “substantial cost” is also untenable.
The situation has gone from very bad to much worse this week. On Tuesday a pedestrian bridge collapsed injuring 24 workers.
Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit attempted to play down the seriousness
of the bridge collapse. “These minor glitches do happen,” she said. (Getty Images)
The outbreak of dengue fever has escalated. And several countries have delayed sending their athletes to Delhi because of a) security problems, b) serious health risks, and c) the residential facilities are not only uncompleted, but are shoddy and dangerous.
Reuters
Only 18 of the 34 towers are completed. The others are so filthy that they are uninhabitable. One advance inspector from Scotland photographed a stray dog defacating on a bed. Read that report HERE and HERE.
BBC News
Australia’s SevenNetwork shows how they easily pulled a suitcase fitted out with the capability to bomb and destroy and entire building in this video:
The athletes from the 71 Commonwealth countries were supposed to start arriving this week and the Games are scheduled to begin next week. It’s not looking good. Stay tuned.
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BOULDER, COLORADO, DISTRICT ATTORNEY Stan Garnett announced no criminal charges will be filed against the volunteer firefighter who is accused of starting the $217 million Fourmile Canyon Fire that destroyed 166 homes and became Colorado’s most costly wildfire ever. The fire began when wind picked up embers from a fire pit more than 3 days after he extinguished the fire and carried them into the woods where the fire began.
The District Attorney is satisfied that it was only an unfortunate accident with no malicious intent or reckless action on the part of the man. KUSA-TV has the report HERE.
KUSA-TV
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The International Association of Firefighters announced that their bi-annual meeting and convention in 2014 will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio. Read their release HERE. The 2012 convention has already been planned to be in Philadelphia.
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On September 14 Firegeezer alerted you HERE about the expected approval of the “Wi-Fi on Steroids” ruling by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). As expected, yesterday (Thursday) they approved the plan to open up the so-called “white spaces” spectrum that opened up when the televison stations switched from analog to digital. PCMagazine explains what’s happening HERE.
Updated, Scroll down.
FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE DAY, an ordinary house fire has ended up destroying three homes and damaging five others, all of them built with the cheap “lightweight construction” methods that are favored by home builders these days.
WRC-TV
This latest neighborhood disaster took place in Manassas, Virginia, Thursday afternoon around 3 pm. A nearby resident saw smoke coming from a house and called 9-1-1 to report it. As the fire department was responding, the house suddenly became fully involved and within moments spread to the homes on either side that had only a 10-ft. separation between them.
WRC-TV Ch. 4 has a video report from the scene:
Initial investigation shows that the fire probably started on the outside deck of the house while somebody was home.
The Manassas Fire Department was assisted in the 3-alarm blaze by units from Manassas Park, Prince William County, and Fairfax County.
The approximately 60 homes in the subdivision were built in 2002 and 2003, and are assessed at $400,000.
WUSA-TV has more plus additional video HERE.
Update, 1:30 pm:
The number of damged homes has risen to 11. STATter911 has just added more video plus photos of the scene as the first units arrived HERE.
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This fire is eerily similar to a fire that Firgeezer reported yesterday HERE in Clarksville, Tennessee. As in the event in Manassas, the Clarksville fire:
Vinyl, Wood Chips and Glue – Day One:
Clarksville, Tennessee. September 22.
Just a few hours ago an announcement was made that famed pop-star and singer Eddie Fisher died on Wednesday night at age 82. I would have guessed that he was older than that, but it’s probably because he became famous at an early age. Fisher was born in Philadelphia, one of seven children of a neighborhood grocer, and possesser of a natural talent for singing. He had a truly golden voice and rapidly became a recording star in the early 1950′s, eventually selling millions of records while becoming a teen heart-throb.
But his good looks and great voice also thrust him into the publicity whirl before he was mature enough to handle it and his early rise to the top also led to an early crash to the bottom. It looked good at first when in 1955 he wed Debbie Reynolds who was dubbed “America’s Sweetheart” because of her wholesome reputation and popular film roles. They had two children, one of them is Carrie Fisher who gained some fame in the first three Star Wars films as Princess Leia, and Debbie became a dedicated Mom.
Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher on their
wedding day, September 26, 1955. (AP)
But four years later Fisher got ensnared in the web called Elizabeth Taylor and he unceremoniously dumped Debbie, literally walking out on her and leaving his home and family behind. This infuriated the public who did, and still do, adore Debbie. Fisher’s popularity became more of a notoriety and his subsequent marriage to Taylor coupled with his wild nightclubbing and gambling doomed his continued success as an entertainer.
After Taylor tired of him and left him for the first of her two marriages to Richard Burton, Fisher tried once more to marry into success and wed another pop singer Connie Stevens. Two more marriages would follow that one as he became only a memory as the “guy who…..” and his singing career never recoverd. There will be plenty of complete biographical obituaries published as the day goes on, if you want to read more about him.
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I want to remind those of you who are planning on attending the Firehouse Central and EMS Expo in Dallas next week to include two stops during your visit. First, make sure to stop by the JEMS booth in the exhibit hall where some of our FireEMSBlogs colleagues will be found at various times. Rumor has it that FossilMedic (Mike Ward) will be around on Thursday.
And definitely plan on dropping in at the JEMS / FireEMS Blogs “Meetup @ Dallas” party on Wednesday night at the Gators Croc & Roc night spot from 8:00 pm until 11:00 pm. Gators is located at 1714 N. Market St. Get there early before the best goodies of the free food run out.
Now, let’s get to the apparatus early, too, and get the equipment checked out for today. I’m going to get the coffee started while you do that, and then we’ll get together later in the day room.
The Fire Zouvares enjoyed enthusiastic press from Harper’s Weekly and The New York Times.
First Battle of Bull Run
There were 35,000 troops bivouaked in Washington DC. General Irvin McDowell marched his troops 22 miles south, to defend a vital railroad junction in Manassas, Virginia.
The troops, assembled in the three months after the attack on Fort Sumter in April, were not particularly well-trained. It took two days to march to Bull Run stream.
In the early morning of Sunday, July 21, the Union troops pushed the Confederates into a defensive position on a hill. Confederate reinforcements arrived later in that day, ending the see-saw of the battle.
With the first use of the blood-curdling Rebel Yell, the Confederates made a late afternoon charge that triggered a Union retreat back to Washington DC. The retreat became a stampede, with Union troops leaving equipment and supplies.
This illustration is from the August 10, 1861 Harper’s Weekly:
Charge of the Black Horse Cavalry upon the Fire Zouaves at the Battle of Bull Run.
Erosion of command officers
Lieutenant Colonel N. L. Farnham took over command, but was not as charismatic or driven as Ellsworth. Sick with typhoid fever, Farnham was with his regiment as they invaded northern Virginia in mid July 1861. He was wounded at the Battle of Bull Run and died August 14, 1861.
Disintegration of the regiment
The New York Zouvares fell apart after the death of Colonel Ellsworth (May), the First Battle of Bull Run retreat (July), and the typhoid death of Lieutenant Colonel N. L. Farnham (August).
Creiger, the original third-in-command, resigned after getting injured during the Bull Run retreat and returned to New York City. By that time six Zouvare officers and 43 enlisted men died in battle, from injuries in battle, from disease or other causes.
By the end of August, the 1,100 Zouvares were down to the fourth string commander and three companies of not more than 50 men in each company. That means more than 80% of the regiment left their post four months after joining the Zouavres .
This is what was recorded in War of the Rebellion:
The regiment (1st organization) lost by death,
killed in action, 1 officer, 33 enlisted men;
died of wounds received in action; 1 officer, 2 enlisted men;
died of disease and other causes, 4 officers, 8 enlisted men;
total, 6 officers, 43 enlisted men; aggregate, 49; of whom 3 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy.
From the Hermann and Grenan “Tiger! Zouvare!!” website:
Among those who weren’t captured or wounded and didn’t return to their commands found their ways back to New York, where they were met with jeers. A story was told of one such group, who attempted to visit with their old friends at Hose Co. 41 on Renwick Street. The assistant foreman stopped them at the door and, upon learning that the men weren’t on furlough, refused to let them in. It was clear that if an organization of Fire Zouaves was to succeed, discipline problems had to be dealt with, and firmly so.
One periodical editorialized “if the Fire Zouaves intend to acquire distinction, as a body, they must commence anew, begin at the beginning and persevere unto the end. All swaggering, lounging about, slang talk, is unbecoming and ridiculous in a soldier. It is bad enough to witness men, while in the garb of firemen, indulge in such antics; but when supposed to be a model of trim and upright bearing, moving with exactitude and regularity, and seldom or never speaking, and then only in a respectful and serious manner, the appearance of actions directly opposite is absurd.”
Another put it more bluntly: “Such men are not fit to be in an army, they are too wild, uncontrollable—in fact, unprincipled. They care for nothing but their food and pay, and when they get clothes, do not know how to take care of the same.”
next week: State-created city fire department
UPDATED: Bill Carey posted Firefighter Mentality Revisited that covers many of the elements missing from the union soldiers at this battle.
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Mike worked on a project about Reconstruction after the Civil War
This is one in a series of articles about the Metropolitan Fire Department established in Manhattan in 1865.
Mike “FossilMedic” Ward
………. Fire Engineering, November 1972
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A TRUCK DRIVER IN NEW ZEALAND IS IN CRITICAL condition after a canoe came flying through his windshield and nailed him to his seat. He was driving a fully-loaded auto transporter along the highway near Palmerston on Thursday shortly after noon. An eyewitness told the New Zealand Herald:
“The vehicles were travelling in opposite directions. I was following a small truck towing a trailer with 10 racing rowboats, one of which came unleashed at the front and was swinging out on to the oncoming lane by about three metres on a forward-facing angle like a jousting pole.
“After the impact that impaled the driver the truck veered left up the back and over the main (railway) line, stopping in a paddock with the trailer blocking the railway line.”
Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter photo
The 64-yr.-old driver was impaled in his midriff and had to be cut free from his cab by the Levin Volunteer Fire Brigade before he was flown to the hospital. They also had to cut the boat into pieces leaving the portion piercing the man intact, but able to fit into the rescue helicopter.
A hospital spokesman says that the driver is “seriously ill.”
The New Zealand Herald has the STORY.
A PUTNAM COUNTY, FLORIDA, EMS UNIT was involved in a single-vehicle crash Wednesday morning just south of Jacksonville. The ambulance was returning to its station after transporting a patient to a Jacksonville hospital and had just the two EMT’s on board. They were heading south on I-95 around 4:30 am when the ambulance driver “drifted off the highway and lost control,” according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The ambulance then veered from the left southbound lane of I-95 into the median, where it demolished the guard rail and rolled into the freeway’s northbound side, coming to rest back on its wheels. A fire broke out in the engine compartment briefly, but went out after a few moments.
WTEV-TV
The driver Marli Oberholzer, 22, and the passenger Aaron Bryan Connell, 38, were both treated on the scene for minor injuries that did not require transportation. Both of them are employees of Putnam EMS and were wearing seat belts. The 2008 model-year ambulance was severely damaged.
The Palatka Daily News has the FULL STORY.
THE TERRE HAUTE (INDIANA) FIRE DEPARTMENT has one of the best arson investigators in the entire state. In fact, just last month the city’s sole investigator Norm Loudermilk was awarded the honor of being the recipient of this year’s Arson Investigator of the Year.
Arrests were up 300% and cases have been closed successfully. Apparently the city believes his success is so complete that they don’t need him anymore. He has just been transfered to Chief Training Officer and beginning the first of the year all arson investigations will be conducted by the police department, as if they didn’t already have enough to do.
WTHI-TV Ch. 10 reports on this curious decision in this video file:
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A FIRE THAT STARTED ON THE DECK of a Clarksville, Tennesse, home Wednesday morning spread into the house and then to other houses on the block. Within a short time three homes were completely destroyed and five more were damaged by the fire.
The Clarksville Fire Department was hard-pressed initially into the incident because of stiff winds that continually changed direction while they were trying to contain and attack the fire. Ten off-duty firefighters were called back along with mutual aid assistance. Business & Heritage Clarksville reported:
According to Fire Marshall Ray Williams of Clarksville Fire and Rescue, the first call regarding the fire was received at 11:08 a.m.; although firefighters responded quickly to the two-alarm blaze, it “took a good while to bring it under control.”
When we got here, the air was full of heavy smoke and flames, Williams said. It was already spreading to the adjacent homes. Firefighters were dousing neighboring homes to keep the blaze from spreading. “We are on high flat ground here,” Willams said. “That wind just comes whipping through here,” which is what fanned the flames.
The cause of the fire has not yet been disclosed.
WTVF-TV Ch. 5 posted this video report from the scene:
The housing development is mostly occupied by soldiers stationed at nearby Ft. Campbell. The resident of the house where the fire started had just left that morning on a deployment to Afghanistan.
Business & Heritage Clarksville has the story and an extensive photo gallery HERE.
The Clarksville Leaf Chronicle has MORE.
Topeka, Indiana, (not Kansas) is a tiny farm town near the northern border of the state, located roughly midway between Fort Wayne and South Bend. It’s the home of a regional livestock auction firm which is not unusual for rural counties. But the Topeka Livestock Auction is unique among the hundreds of animal auction houses that are scattered throughout the country. Along with their weekly Tuesday livestock sales, they conduct some regularly-scheduled specialty auctions that are related to the animal world.
Twice a year they have weekend sales of draft horses and other “pulling” horses such as Clydesdales, Percherons, Shires and, my favorite, Belgians. The sale usually includes some horse-drawn vehicles and hitching accessories. On other dates they have twice-yearly sales of exotic animals and birds. An upcoming sale of “exotics” has bears, kangaroos, llamas, pheasants, camels…. not your usual household pet.
Coming up in just over a week is one that many of you might find fun to visit on October 1 (a Friday), their thrice-yearly carriage sale. They have between 250 and 300 horse-drawn vehicles and sleighs consigned for this sale and if you live not far from northern Indiana it might be an enjoyable day trip for you just to see the antique carriages.
Who knows? You might get the urge to buy one for yourself. This 14-passenger “sociable” would be great fun in the Independence Day parade, wouldn’t it?
Here’s the schedule for their upcoming Fall specialty sales and links to the webpages in case you want to just surf through:
The home page of the Topeka Livestock Auction’s website is HERE. If any of you decide to attend one of these sales, take your camera along and send us some pics. Thanks, that would be fun.
Well, now that we’ve got the upcoming daytrips for the next six weeks taken care of, let’s get this equipment checked out. I need to get some more coffee started.
A FIRE BROKE OUT IN THE TOWN CENTER OF MALTA, MONTANA, Wednesday morning.
Great Falls Tribune
A truck driver passing through the town of only 2,300 population discovered the fire shortly before 4 am when he saw smoke coming out of the rear of the commercial building that held five businesses. The 90-yr.-old building is owned by the weekly newspaper which was the primary tenant. It also housed a beauty salon, an appliance store, a T-shirt shop and a variety store.
Great Falls Tribune
The early belief is that the fire started in the basement of the building. During the course of the blaze the entire front wall collapsed. The building is a total loss but the four area fire departments were able to contain the fire to the building of origin, keeping it from spreading to the adjoining buildings, a bar and a department store. A motel situated just 200 feet away was evacuated as a precaution, but it had no damage.
Great Falls Tribune
The Great Falls Tribune has the STORY. Check the link to their photo gallery on that same page.
KXLH-TV posted this raw video of the fire:
Firegeezer says: Judging from the photographs, it looks like they did a magnificent job containing the fire.
Yesterday we told you about the shocking theft of the “Worlds Worst Batmobile” in Michigan.
Matt Hardigree, writing in Jalopnik, credits three readers with the discovery and recovery:
A trio of Jalopnik-reading students at the University of Toledo immediately recognized the Grand Am as the same one they’d snagged a throttle positioning sensor from a week earlier in a Toledo junkyard, where it had been relegated to parts donor.
Lucas, Andrew, and Nick contacted Jalopnik and we asked them to attempt one more dangerous mission back to the junkyard to retrieve photos. Their trip was a success and the photos of the much-abused Grand Am were taken to the lab and matched up with the originals.
Entire article HERE.
Breathing easier ….
Mike “FossilMedic” Ward
A FIRE IN A FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA, TOWNHOUSE Wednesday morning claimed the lives of a woman and two children. Three other children were lowered out a 2nd-story window to neighbors before the FD arrived and the adult who dropped them out then escaped. All four were taken to the Washington Hospital Center burn unit.
WUSA-TV
Reportedly when the first units arrived around 8:30 am, both floors of the home were fully involved with fire.
Dave Statter had “boots on the ground” early in the operation and has been posting and updating the story with videos HERE.
A 17-YR.-OLD BOY HAS BEEN arrested and charged with setting the multi-alarm warehouse fire in Meadville, Pennsylvania, on Sunday. (See the Firegeezer report HERE.) GoErie.com is reporting that the teen confessed this morning (Wednesday) to entering the 2-story building and setting the fire. He will be charged as a juvenile and is facing felony arson charges.
Yesterday (Tuesday) the State Police investigator announced that the fire was an arson. An unconfirmed report says that the police located the suspect quickly after he posted on his Facebook page that he had done the deed. (Another weakness of the “me” generation….Ed.)
Some good stories this morning around the Fire Web:
* Dave Statter has posted a rare story on STATter911 about a large corporation going public with an ad campaign the thanks the local fire department for saving their headquarters building in a fire. It’s an excellent video that they produced and it’s worth your time to watch it HERE.
* Fire Daily has a good review and breakdown of a just-released NIOSH report on a firefighter fatality incident HERE. It’s a good summary with a lot of important lessons, so make sure you get to it sometime today.
* The Happy Medic is discovering that a famous family board game reflects his own experiences as a firefighter/paramedic HERE.
* The Fire Critic weighs in with his thoughts about the FD that refused to help a private ambulance company move a 700-lb. patient on a non-emergency transport. I have to say that I agree with Rhett’s conclusion HERE.
Don’t miss tonight’s Firefighter Netcast!
For a Rockin’ Hot Time, tune in Wednesday night to FireFighter NetCast.com and Taking it to the Streets for “Tactical Renaissance and the Rules of Engagement”.
Joining Christopher Naum will be Chief Gary Morris (ret) Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department, Deputy Chief John Sullivan, Worcester (MA) Fire Department, along with Dr. Burt Clark from the NFA. We will be discussing the emerging Tactical Renaissance of Combat Fire Suppression Operations and the new Rules of Engagement.
Don’t miss out for what will certainly be an insightful look at what the fire ground is transitioning to in 2010 and beyond. Join the live broadcast on Wednesday night September 22nd at 9:00pm ET, or download the post production podcast from FirefighterNetCast.com.
THE JEANNETTE, PENNSYLVANIA, FIRE CHIEF Randy Dubich has been suspended with pay following an accusation of sexual misconduct at the firehouse.
Chief Dubich
The problem began on September 15 when a woman who is a city employee came to the station to inquire about a job opening. While talking to Chief Dubich, she claims that he fondled her during the interview. She immediately went next door to the police station and filed a complaint. The next day the town police chief turned the case over to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s office for an independent investigation and notified the mayor. Before the day was over, the city council voted to suspend him with pay while the investigation is carried out. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports:
Mayor Robert Carter said the best course of action was to suspend Dubich during the investigation.
“I figured we could let him stay home until we get the stuff worked out,” Carter said. “Nobody is guilty of anything, but until the smoke clears, we felt it would be much more feasible to do that. We don’t need him being at work. He’s suspended with pay until further notice.”
WTAE-TV Ch. 4 filed this video report on the allegation:
Dubich was appointed fire chief this past February when the former fire chief of 11 years was demoted by the city council. He is one of only three full-time paid firefighters in the city of 11,000 residents which relies on part-time firefighters for coverage. The former chief and the other paid FF, a captain, will assume the duties and responsibilities of the position during the investigation.
The Tribune-Review has the full STORY.
I have been getting emails from readers about this attempt to get a bill passed in the U. S. Congress that expands/extends much-needed health assistance for people who are suffering severe respiratory problems after participating in the World Trade Center searches and cleanup efforts. Sometimes they come with pleas to contact your Representative or Senator “today!” and urge them to vote on whatever bill it’s been ammended to. Please let me explain to you a couple of political facts of life.
First of all, there is an important election coming up in 41 days where the entire House of Representatives will be either re-elected or replaced. With that in mind, the conniving politicians from both major parties are playing an old bit of gamesmanship by continually attaching the firefighters’ benefits bill as an ammendment to other volatile and controversial measures in attempts to embarrass the opposing party into voting for or against something that they do/don’t support in the days leading up to the election. This is going on in both houses. The latest trick was yesterday when it was attached to a bill that attempted to overturn current policy and force the military services to accept and retain openly-practicing homosexuals. This was an extreme bill that bypassed the usual hearings on the merits and also goes against the moral and religious principles of many citizens.
So yesterday’s defeat of the bill accomplished an objective for both sides. It exposed the preferences of senators who are against that change to the military, but it also gives fodder to their opponents who will gleefully point out that they voted against the firefighters when that really wasn’t the case at all. The same thing happened a couple of weeks ago in the House of Representatives. As long as these conniving politicians keep attaching the benefits bill to poisonous measures like this, it ain’t gonna’ get passed. Your urgent phone calls and emails will be ignored because there is a larger (self) interest involved here.
Our best bet is another bill that has been introduced in the House that is a stand-alone bill that considers the WTC benefits only. As long as they leave it alone, it has virtually unanimous support from both parties. There are parliamentary methods of preventing ammendments to it, and you will see that happening. Where it all goes wrong is when some jerk takes the bill and attaches it to something else. It is my opinion that this stand-alone bill will get passed eventually, but it will not happen until after the election. Starting November 3 is when you want to begin pestering your Representative for passage of it. It’s a shame, but that’s the way the game is played. And it is an example of why there is this strong anti-incumbent movement in the nation this year.
Now let’s get our own movement started toward the apparatus and get our equipment checked out. I need to get some more coffee started.
Breaking news!
This unique Batmobile-themed vehicle was stolen in Michigan yesterday.
The Michigan BatMoBile
Jalopnik profiled this unique icon back in June. Started as a $100 junkyard purchase:
The vehicle was running but sported a crushed roof, a damaged front end, and an otherwise crunch-and-munched body. Like any reasonable person, Gabe’s first thought was to “go all in” and convert the cursed car into a Batmobile.
Gabe sawed off the crushed roof and built a custom frame for the new roof and windows.
Inspired by the Batmanesque charm of his creation, Gabe then rigged up and riveted on fins, reworked the nose, and spray-painted the car matte black.
… and it is street legal!Full story HERE with build photos!
Not the first theft attempt!
This car apparently creates a lust in those seeking no-cost icons that (barely) resemble what they copy. In the Jalopnik article, Gabe reports that in the last theft attempt, the steering wheel broke off.
Another effort to hot-wire the car resulting in repairing the brake lights.
Firegeezer.com is making a nationwide alert for this rolling sculpture of … something. With the 1984 Pontiac Grand Am underpinnings, the machine may be as far as Ypsilanti, Livonia or one-third the way to Jackson (Michigan).
More details about the theft HERE.
Use caution, parts are known to randomly fall from the vehicle at speed!
Mike “FossilMedic” Ward
It’s been a month since our last report….. so here we go:
To view our previous postings on wind generators CLICK HERE.
A BLEACHER-TYPE GRANDSTAND AT A DRAG RACE EVENT in Quatro Pontes, Brazil, collapsed Sunday with the spectators riding the seating down.
The number of people sitting in the affected stands is estimated to be around 500 and there were at least 111 injured, 22 critically.
SPARTAN MOTORS INC. ANNOUNCED Monday that they have sold their Road Rescue ambulance business to a subsidiary of Allied Specialty Vehicles Inc. for $8 million. The sale was effective immeditely upon the announcement and it removes Spartan from the ambulance business entirely.
“We can now look forward to what the future holds for Spartan Motors as we focus on Emergency Response and leverage the strengths of our two great brands, Crimson Fire and Spartan Chassis,” Spartan CEO John Sztykiel said in a statement.
Spartan Motors website photo
Automotive World reports:
The company originally announced a realignment of its business in June in order to focus its resources on the highest growth and profit opportunities. It had planned to exit its underperforming Road Rescue ambulance operation by the end of 2010. The transaction includes substantially all of Road Rescue’s assets, including the trade names and intellectual property associated with the business which is located wholly in Marion, South Carolina.
Sztykiel further stated: “With this sale, we are delivering on the commitments we made when we announced our exit from the Road Rescue business … We can now look forward to what the future holds for Spartan Motors as we focus on Emergency Response and leverage the strengths of our two great brands, Crimson Fire and Spartan Chassis. Over the last 12 months, Spartan has evolved, as has the Emergency Response market, and the Road Rescue operation is not large enough to justify the resource commitment when we have greater potential elsewhere. Road Rescue partnered with another ambulance company, where there is additional scale and product breadth, would be a real asset.”
A METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON AIRPORTS AUTHORITY Firefighter was arrested Sunday and charged with 10 counts of possessing child pornography. Mark Barget, 51, was arrested at his home following a 3-month investigation by the Fairfax County, Virginia, police.
Barget, who is reported to be assigned to the Dulles Airport fire station, first came to their attention in June when a fire burned out the townhouse immediately adjoining his in Lorton, Virginia. When the Fairfax County firefighters entered Barget’s house to check for any extension, they saw a large amount of the child porn laying around and notified the Fire Marshal who in turn brought the PD into the investigation.
It has further been disclosed that Barget has been a contracted wrestling judge for middle-school and high-school matches for the past 8 years.
WTTG-TV Ch. 5 filed this video report on the arrest:
TBD tv news has the DETAILS and more VIDEO HERE.
IN ZAGREB, CROATIA, THE RIVER SAVA was in flood after a period of heavy rains on Monday. Caught in the strong current was a 56-yr.-old man who was stranded on his disabled boat and facing certain drowning when it started leaking.
Reportedly, the fire department had spent time trying to get a tow rope on the vessel to pull it to safety, but they were unable to manage it. When the situation started getting desperate for the skipper, they called in a rescue helicopter that obvioulsy has an excellently-trained crew. Watch this dramatic video that shows the last-second save of this seemingly doomed man.
If it looks like he was hesitant to leave his boat, that was the case. He did not want rescuing, but when the water got up to his armpits he realized his mistake.
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