A SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ENGINE AT STATION 31 was sitting inside the bay where it always does on Saturday when it suddenly started rolling forward. When it got on the ramp it continued on to and across the street where it smacked into a utility pole.
Post-Intelligencer
The impact brought the pumper to a stop, but it also broke the pole and left live electric wires laying across the roadway. It also came to rest just against a retaining wall that kept the engine from plummeting down onto a playground.
Seattle Times
There were no injuries. KOMO-TV is reporting that FD officials are saying that the driver had failed to set the parking brake on the engine and he has been reprimanded.
A SURPRISE, ARIZONA, TEENAGER IS FIGHTING for his life this morning after accidentally setting himself on fire Monday afternoon. The 14-yr.-old boy was starting a cooking fire around 4:30 pm in a backyard charcoal barbecue and thought that the briquettes weren’t burning fast enough. So he squirted some gasoline on the coals and it flashed on him, burning his face and setting his clothes on fire.
His father was in the front yard and heard the noise, ran around back to see what the problem was and found his son rolling on the ground in full blaze. The Surprise Fire Department paramedics treated him and packaged him up for a helicopter transport to a Phoenix burn unit. He is in critical condition with 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 80% of his body.
Phoenix Channel 3 has this video report on the accident:
Some of those theories about how Atlantis met its demise suggest that the Lost Continent got sucked into a maelstrom of some sort of nuclear meltdown. It ended up with a big bang that sank the advanced civilization down to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. A few people claim to have underwater pics showing the destroyed remains of the massive architecture down there.
The ruins of Atlantis?
Edgar Cayce
Legendary psychic Edgar Cayce even pinpointed the location of the sunken civilization saying that it extended from the Azores to Bahamas and had a highly evolved civilization which had ships and aircraft powered by a mysterious form of energy crystal. Many people believe that sunken cache of energy crystals (radioactive?) are what cause the puzzling malfunctions in the so-called Bermuda Triangle. These are all just theories and nothing more, you can choose to believe them or not believe them. But either way, they are fun to ponder.
So what am I leading up to here? Well, this headlong rush into the digital age often reminds me of the Atlantis story and its irreversible collapse caused by an advanced technology that escaped their control. I sometimes feel like we are diving down the same hole with the ever-expanding digital, wireless technology that controls every facet of our life, including the entire electric energy grid here in North America. Our equivalent of the “energy crystal” is the silicon micro-chip, of course. With that in mind, let’s look at what’s coming next (soon!) in the world of Wi-Fi.
When the television broadcasters made the mandatory switch from analog to digital transmissions, a large section of the radio spectrum in the 700 MHz range was left open behind, available for modern usage in various ways with lots of interests competing for the rights to use portions of it. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that controls radio usage is committed to allowing free and unlicensed use of the newly-available spectrum. The broadcast frequencies that lay between the former frequencies that were used by the tv stations are dubbed “white spaces” and the FCC is meeting on September 23 with the expected intention to approve the use of white spaces for a super-WiFi technology that has been nicknamed “Wi-Fi on Steroids.” This will allow wireless digital devices like your home router to transmit through walls and other obstructions with a 50-mile range. And that’s just for now. You know what kind of advances will be made in the next five years. What this does to the future of wireless networking is beyond my abilities because I’m not tuned in to that kind of thinking. But what do you think, is this the next step to our own cataclysmic end?
Super Wi-Fi antenna
After morning equipment check, you can read up on it in articles like this one from PC Magazine HERE, PCWorld HERE, or Information Week HERE. Since our world hasn’t flown apart yet, we’d better get this equipment checked out. I’m going to start some more coffee while I’m waiting for the super wi-fi box that will turn it on from here. See you back in the day room.
Authorities say Corporal Brown was working a funeral procession when he drove to catch the front of the line and stop traffic at the next intersection.
Investigators say that’s when one of the cars in the procession turned left just as Corporal Brown was coming up beside it.
The vehicles collided and Brown’s motorcycle instantly caught fire. Authorities say the impact threw the officer roughly 50 feet from his bike.
As the ambulance carrying Brown drove away from the scene to bring him to Baptist Medical Center South, the vehicle lost control, tipped over and a small fire was said to have occurred, according to (MPD spokesperson)
Aside from Brown, the unit contained an assisting officer, two fire medics, an additional medical assistant and the driver, who suffered minor injuries.
read Matt Okarmus’s article in montgomeryadvertiser.com HERE
Paul W. Sullivan, writing in today’s montgomeryadvertiser.com reports that Corporal Brown underwent four hours of surgery on Sunday, with additional surgeries anticipated.
Montgomery Fire provides ALS first response in the form of both medic engines and rapid response units (Type III ambulances without cots – don’t ask me why) but does not transport – that’s handled by two privates on a rotating basis.
The MFD medics will ride in on a bad call. You’re probably looking at another LE officer up front with the driver, the private’s medic, and a couple of MFD medics.
Update:
Investigation into the Haynes ambulance that crashed, perhaps speed (or overloaded patient care compartment) was a factor in the crash. CBS 8 article by Krista Littlefield (HERE)
CBS 8 item about response to ambulance ambulance (HERE)
Update 2 (Sept 15):
Law enforcement dashcam shortly after ambulance crashes (HERE)
THE PRINCE GEORGE, BRITISH COLUMBIA, FIRE DEPARTMENT Haz-Mat squad was called out to the Kelly Road Secondary school Friday when a minor explosion in the science lab scattered a putrid, smelly substance all around the classroom and several of the students. It was evident that the blast was a can of some sort of foodstuff that had been sitting on a shelf in the lab. The can fell off the shelf and then blew after hitting the floor.
Kelly Road Secondary, scene of the near-outbreak
Not knowing what it was, the school staff feared that there might be botulism, a potentially fatal disease caused by bacteria sometimes found in canned food, in the mess and the 28 people exposed to the potential contamination were quarantined, while members of the Haz-Mat team and an Environmental Health Officer with Northern Health investigated. In the end, it was determined the can contained sauerkraut, which had been fermenting for 3 or 4 years.
NOTED FIRE PHOTOGRAPHER STEVE ROTH, owner of 911 Photography has created an eye-appealing calendar for 2011 and is selling it to help raise funds for a new burn building for the Adams County, Pennsylvania, volunteer firefighters.
The calendar is a poster-size sheet that is 22 inches wide and 28 inches high …. just right for your workshop wall or anyplace else that can use a bit of brightness.
Steve and the models all donated their time for this project and every penny collected, save the cost of printing, goes to the Adams County Volunteer Emergency Services Association. As we mentioned above, the funds are going toward the building of a new, modern burn facility at the county training center.
The calendars sell for $10.00 plus $3.00 for postage and packing costs. Send your check for $13.00 to:
911 Photography
20 Chinkapin Drive
New Oxford PA 17350
Orders will be filled and mailed within 48 hours after receipt of the check.
CLICK HERE to visit the 911 Photography website and view some of the photo galleries that Steve has posted.
EARLY SUNDAY MORNING A GASOLINE TANKER overturned on an elevated freeway ramp in Houston, Texas. The crash ruptured the tank and sent 9,000 gallons of gasoline running along the roadway. The driver was able to get out of the cab and called in the wreck to 9-1-1, but before the police arrived to investigate, the spill ignited.
KTRK-TV images
The fire was isolated and traffic was non-existent in the early Sunday hours, so the product burned out with no injuries to anyone while the HFD contained the fire with foam. The roadway was severely damaged, though, and the ramp will be closed for several days for repair and repaving of the destroyed concrete.
KRIV-TV Ch. 7 has some fire footage in this video report:
A FULLY-LOADED GASOLINE TANKER CAUGHT FIRE in the undercarriage while traveling on I-95 in Boynton Beach, Florida, this morning. Around 7:30 am Eastern the driver heard some “popping” sounds and pulled over on the shoulder to investigate. As he stopped, the fire broke out around the right-rear wheels and involved the tires.
WPTV
The Boynton Beach and Palm Beach County Fire – Rescue departments responded and handled the fire easily. There was no product leakage.
THE BELEAGURED CITY OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, RECEIVED A LAST-MINUTE reprieve from having to default on a bond debt payment due on Wednesday. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell announced Sunday that the state will advance payments of state aid in the amount of $3.6 million that were scheduled to be released next month. In addition the state is providing a $500,000 loan to the city that must be repaid. This amount will cover the $3.3 million debt payment and permit the continuance of fire department services that are currently in place.
This past Friday Firegeezer reported HERE that the mayor, without consulting either the fire chief or the city council, announced a plan to close one of the city’s four remaining fire stations. At yesterday’s news conference, Gov. Rendell said, these steps will give the city “necessary breathing space,” and are “not a bailout.” Most of the funds are already due the city, and he added, “we’re just front-loading it and expediting it.”
Gov. Rendell (left) and Mayor Thompson address
the reporters at Sunday’s press conference.
(Patriot-News photo)
“I know the community has been hollering for a plan and I will not move forward unless I have the smart, sharp minds around me to really execute the options that we have put on the table and have been on the table for the last eight months,” Mayor Linda Thompson said in the news conference.
He made it clear that the city must get its financial affairs in order by the end of the year or the state will seize control of the city government and appoint an administrator to operate the municipal government. The city’s annual debt obligation on this contentious bond is four times more than their annual tax revenue alone.
It’s not all clear sailing yet, however. The city controller (treasurer) says he will not agree to accept the funds without first getting the city council’s approval. It’s a mess and WHP-TV Ch. 21 covered yesterday’s events in this morning’s video report:
The Patriot-News editorializes on this sorry situation HERE.
Since the first of the year we have been featuring each Sunday an episode of the popular, landmark TV series Emergency! Our downloads of the shows have been provided by Hulu, the major tv and movie provider for home downloading of programming for personal computers. Emergency! ran for six seasons from 1972 through 1977 and was created and produced by Jack Webb, one of the pioneers and icons of television programming.
The first season of Emergency! was a mid-season replacement series and only contained 10 episodes, but it was an instant hit and the show remains popular today with both the general public and fire/ems members. When we started running the series in January we began in Season 2 and have worked our way up to the early episodes of Season 4 so far. Hulu has been making the first four seasons available for downloading, but not seasons 5 and 6. Yesterday we learned that Hulu’s rights to Seasons 2, 3, and 4 have been terminated effecting this coming Sunday night. So that means that our archived postings under the Sunday Emergency category will go dark also. But apparently, the first season will remain available, at least for the time being.
What we will be doing, since we’re so early into the 4th season here on Firegeezer, is running a Special Emergency! episode every day this week up to and including Sunday so that we can pack in a few more episodes from Season 4 before they become unavailable. Then beginning on Sunday September 26 we will begin running the Season 1 episodes that are still available. There has been no mention of any upcoming availability to download Seasons 5 and 6, but I am very doubtful of it happening.
What’s going on with that do you think? The Emergency! series programs are wholly owned by the Jack Webb Estate and it is my guess that they are getting ready for Hulu’s planned ”premium” service where you can order (and pay for) downloads directly to your tv, computer, or smartphone over the internet. Back on June 30 we talked about the Hulu-Plus service HERE. For $10 a month (to start with, anyway) you will have unlimited access to every episode of most all past television series. We will try and keep you informed of how things are going on that front.
There is some good news for those of you who like to collect the DVD’s of the series (and will no doubt remain in production). Each series is currently on sale, marked down by 25% or more. CLICK HERE to order the next one for your collection.
Ok, we’d better get our equipment checked out now. It’s Monday and that means the long check sheet. I’m going to get a couple of pots of coffee started. We’re going to need ‘em. See you back in the day room in a little while.
A VIOLENT EXPLOSION AND FIRE IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING in Douai, France, destroyed the building and sent at least 12 people to the hospital.
The blast occurred early Sunday morning in the 3rd-floor of the 5-story building and completely blew out the entire unit while knocking out half of the apartment immediately above it. The nature of the explosion indicates natural gas as the cause, but it hasn’t yet been officially determined.
The building itself contains 10 apartments but the entire structure may have to be torn down because of the heavy structural damage. Of the twelve people injured, two are in very serious condition. One, the tenant of the apartment that blew is in critical condition in a burn unit and bordering between life and death. The other, the tenant who lived immediately above is also in serious condition with injuries and burns.
La Voix du Nord has the STORY. Le Douaisis has MORE.
France9 TVposted this video report from the scene that includes some of the early fire footage:
A SANTA ROSA COUNTY, FLORIDA, WOMAN WAS ARRESTED ten days ago and charged with arson, a 2nd-degree felony, and first-degree battery. Shannon Wriska, 34, was accused by her husband Robert of setting his boat, his go-kart, and a jacuzzi on fire shortly before she started punching him out.
Shannon Wriska means business.
Briefly, the timeline of events goes something like this:
The night before, the couple was watching a movie together that starred the actress Jennifer Lopez. Shannon got jealous and agitated from Robert’s watching the sultry actress and they argued about it for a while before they went to bed.
After getting in bed, according to the police officer that filed the report, Shannon scooted way over onto Robert’s side of the bed and he told her to move back over. She then became angry and asked, “So you’re saying I’ve got a fat ass?” Then she got up and left the residence.
The next day, Robert said he was at another residence drinking alcohol and his wife pulled up in her vehicle and saw him drinking and became agitated. Robert stated that Shannon then walked outside of their trailer and started pulling hoses off of the motor of his go-kart. Then Robert told deputies that she lit the go-kart on fire, and he ran outside and attempted to extinguish the fire with water from a hose.
She then grabbed Robert by the neck and started pummeling and scratching him, leading him to run over to his neghbor’s house for refuge.
Shannon then poured gasoline into the boat and set it on fire, then went to the couple’s jacuzzi and poured more gasoline into it before attempting unsuccessfully to torch it.
Shannon then fled after putting the family dogs in her car and telling Robert that she was going to “put them to sleep.”
It was not reported which Jennifer Lopez movie they were watching that triggered the marathon altercation. Shannon was released from jail on $4,000 bond. No mention of where Robert is.
The Santa Rosa Press Gazette has the STORY.
The Smoking Gun has MORE.
SAN BRUNO, CALIFORNIA, AUTHORITIES ANNOUNCED SATURDAY afternoon that the bodies of two more fire victims have been found, raising the official death count to six fatalities. They did not disclose any other details of the discovery or where they were found. Despite yesterday’s announcement that the search for victims has been suspended, San Bruno police are saying that the search with cadaver dogs is continuing.
AP
The police chief also stated that there are seven known fatalities, so any numbers issued are not confirmed yet. All press releases are in agreement that there are six people still unaccounted for. It is not known if they are missing in the fire aftermath, or if they have just left the area without advising the local authorities.
Here is some raw video of the San Bruno “ghost town” via RT tv:
THE FOURMILE CANYON WILDFIRE NEAR BOULDER, Colorado, is almost 80% contained and the fire officials are confident that it will not spread any further. The destructive fire that started on September 6 burned out an area of 10 square miles while destroying at least 169 homes. All of the homes are primary residences, as opposed to vacation cabins, and the damage estimate has not yet been accounted. The Boulder newspaper, The Daily Camera researched the land valuation records of the areas known to be devatated and gleaned a damage estimate of $76.9 million in housing destroyed.
Some 1,000 firefighters from 20 states dug lines and tamped out hot spots. “It’s great. We’re looking better and better,” said Jim Thomas, head of the federal incident response team leading the effort.Fire spokesman Terry Krasko said Sunday operations are beginning to be scaled back and some crews are being relieved. An infrared flight over the burn area showed several areas of isolated heat but no large pockets of intense heat, as previously seen. Firefighters focused on those areas, especially ones near buildings.
Inside the burn area Saturday, crews worked to snuff out smoldering stumps, using shovels, axes and water carried on backpacks. Fire trucks and water tenders ferried water up the mountains and down the canyons while helicopters dropped water on hot spots.
“There is a lot of unburned fuel and a lot of houses at risk,” warned Don Ferguson, a spokesman for the incident command.
TPI News
The Denver Post is reporting that the team of investigators that is trying to determine the site and cause of the fire is concentrating on a fir pit at one of the homes.
Among the theories being considered in the Labor Day blaze is whether a property owner had a fire in the pit the previous day that wasn’t fully extinguished — or whether he had been burning that morning, according to a senior law enforcement official familiar with the investigation.
The cause of the fire has been classified as “human,” according to the U.S. Forest Service’s latest report on the blaze. But to date investigators have said only that they were still investigating the origins of what was dubbed the Fourmile Canyon fire.
According to Colorado law, a fourth-degree arson charge can be filed against a person “who knowingly or recklessly starts or maintains a fire or causes an explosion, on his own property or that of another, and by so doing places another in danger of death or serious bodily injury or places any building or occupied structure of another in danger of damage.”
The charge is a felony “if a person is thus endangered,” and a misdemeanor if only property is threatened.
Investigators will be working to compare physical evidence and eyewitness accounts to any statements made by the man who owns the property where the fire was thought to have started, the source said.
THREE 15-YR.-OLD BOYS WERE ARRESTED SUNDAY in connection with a large fire in Hampshire, England, that was set Friday night around 6 pm.
Hampshire Fire & Rescue photo
The blaze attacked a large apartment building that is under construction and engaged over 100 firefighters through the night. About 40 people had to be evacuated from 25 nearby homes and had to be kept away for most of Saturday amidst fears that the structure could collapse. Two construction cranes were also damaged by the fire.
Daily Echo
The Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service dispatched 16 engines, 2 aerials and 3 tankers to the 4-story, wood frame building that was still open. They were kept on the scene until 10 am Saturday morning.
Basingstoke Gazette
Police say that a witness saw two of the youths running away just before the fire broke out. The three boys were arrested on suspicion of arson and have been released on bail until a November 3 court appearance.
The Basingstoke Gazette has the early fire REPORT.
Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service WEBSITE.
Last month one of our readers sent me THIS LINK to a website titled Firefighting Tanks of the USSR. Disregarding the fact that the USSR ceased to exist in 1991, and that some of the tanks pictured aren’t Russian, it is both entertaining and puzzling.
All the time I am looking, I am wondering “Why?” I came up with two possible reasons, one of them having to do with the structure of the former Russian economy when everybody worked for the government. This included, no doubt, legions of automotive engineers who had to be kept busy with something. So they assigned some of them this improbable task of converting old tanks to another use.
Those big tubes are dry-chemical nozzles…
Yessir… You can get a quick knockdown with one of these babies!
Another possibility with a more recent need is to find a way to “hide” war machines that they claim they don’t have. Russia is notorious for ignoring any agreements made with other countries, especially disarmament treaties. Last February we posted THIS STORY about their attempt to hide 200 tanks deep in a forest that was exposed when the locals brought in the press to photograph the stash.
Trying to think of everything, they mounted spray nozzles
between the wheels to keep the tire treads cool while
driving through the flaming forest.
Whatever the reason, I don’t expect to see any North American firehouses altering their engine bays anytime soon to accommodate one of these diesel-guzzlers. Do you suppose traffic will pull over to allow a siren-blaring tank trundling along at 15 mph to go by? Hmmm.
Ok, it’s time to get this equipment checked out now. I’m going to see how the Sunday breakfast is coming along and get some more coffee started.
A DUMB DESPERADO IN KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, tried to hijack a car Friday morning, but bungled the job and took off running before the police could arrive. A short distance away he saw a transit bus sitting at a layover stop and he jumped on it and dragged the driver out of her seat, telling her to get off the bus. She refused to leave until he gave her purse to her, but he wouldn’t. Then he found out that he didn’t know how to start a bus and told the driver to get back in the seat and start driving. She held off doing that, again demanding that he turn over the purse.
Before you know it, he managed to get the bus started and the driver then bailed out as the thief took off, again just ahead of the police. But they spotted him and gave chase, yet despite his abysmal driving skills he kept on going. The chase lasted for about 20 minutes as the thief sailed down Interstate 70 for a few miles, then back into the city and down some residential streets. About 15 minutes into the scamper, the bus caught on fire somewhere around the brakes of the right rear tires. The flames ignited the tires and then started spreading up the side of the bus and into the seating area. But he kept on driving…..
KCK Police photo
Eventually, as flaming parts of tire and bus were being scattered along behind it, the bus got so filled with smoke that the busjacker couldn’t take it anymore. So he pulled over (at a bus stop, no less!) and bailed out. Within moments he was collared and cuffed.
This police dash-cam video shows the last two minutes of the chase. Make sure you watch it to the very end when you will see a flaming tire literally blown off the bus a good ten feet before it hits a light pole. A Burning Ring of Tire:
Stephen Donnell, 46, was charged with burglary, robbery, and eluding a police officer. He is being held in jail on $25,000 bond. The bus driver got her purse back….unburnt.
Kansas City Star
The police believe that “poor driving skill” led to the brakes catching on fire.
The Kansas City Star has the STORY.
KCTV Ch. 5 has more plus three videos HERE.
DON’T SPEND $200 ON A PAPER SHREDDER! This rubber stamp with special ink is all you really need to protect your identity and account numbers.
This little stamp masks all personal information – name, address, Social Security number, account numbers – anything written that you wish to cover up. A specially designed, indecipherable, permanent ink pattern jumbles confidential info printed on mail, checks, magazines, letters, etc.
Now you don’t have to shred mail, tear off magazine covers, or rip up checks to help prevent identity theft. Once stamped, information cannot be deciphered from either side of the paper or page. Stamping surface is 2.75″ X 1″, with 1000 impressions per inkpad.
It regularly sells for $19.95, but this week you can buy one of these online at a special sale price of just $16.95. Better yet, buy two (or more) and they are only $14.95 …. the perfect Christmas gift.
Read more about it and CLICK HERE to order online from First Street.
A DOUBLE-DECKER BUS CRASHED INTO A RAILROAD BRIDGE early Saturday morning at 2:30 am. The bus was too high for the girders on the bridge and the top half was ripped back to the mid-point of the bus. The impact threw the bus into the abutment and it rolled over onto its side. The four people who were killed were all sitting in the forward seats on the right side of the upper deck. A total of 26 passengers plus the driver were on the bus.
WSYR-TV
The bus is operated by Megabus, a budget prices express bus service. This run began in Philadelphia at 10 pm Friday night and had scheduled stops in Syracuse, then Buffalo before arriving at Toronto, it’s destination. The vice president of Coach USA, operators of Megabus, said that the bus was off-route, but he doesn’t know why it was. The driver survived the crash, but is in the hospital.
Syracuse Post-Standard
Darryl Geddes, spokesman for Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, NY, said his staff went into “disaster mode” to treat some 15 passengers at the hospital beginning at around 2:45 am. He said two passengers remain in the hospital. One is in critical condition, the other is in serious condition. Mr. Geddes did not know the nationalities of the injured.
The Toronto Globe & Mail has the details HERE.
The Syracuse Post-Standard has more HERE and HERE.
WSYR-TV Ch. 9 Syracuse provided this raw video from the crash site. Note the cribbing and stabilization set up by the FD:
Living in metro Washington DC, the federal government is the town's "industry."
Politics is a passionate pastime.
I teach at a university with flagship programs in public policy, media and political science.
There was a work-study undergrad I wanted to terminate a decade ago for providing inattentive/sloppy work while our teaching assistant.
He was an unpaid congressional staffer. Spent most of his time in our office watching C-SPAN while doing the Congressman's committee work.
He went on to earn a graduate degree and complete a White House appointment. Will be a Homeland Security player when the next Republican president is elected.
Politicizing our Tragedy
The polarization of political discussions and the "reality TV shock and awe"' approach by preachers and pundits is quite different than how we acted in the months after the 2001 attacks.
I watched the first SNL show on September 29. Mayor Rudy Giuliani, along with members of FDNY, PAPD and NYPD appeared in the cold opening to encourage New York and Saturday Night Live to carry on in the face of adversity. When asked by Lorne Michaels "Can we be funny?", Giuliani replied "Why start now?"
The New Normal is Now Normal
From last year's post about today:
For the fourth time since 2001 I am flying out of Reagan National (DCA) airport on the anniversary of the attacks.
Not because I am heroic, because it is what my job requires.
Driving by the Pentagon at 5:30, seeing all of the flashing blue lights as the police started closing roads, I remember what happened seven years ago when my job had me teaching at the National Airport Fire Station.
This link (HERE) takes you to an article I wrote about the response to the Pentagon, I wanted to make sure that the airport and Fort Myer crews were recognized for their actions.
Each of us handles today in our own way, in private or public expressions of grief, solidarity, outrage, or commitment.
Most of the bloggers on FireEMSBlogs.com are also posting commentary today.
Dave LeBlanc, writing in Bill Carey's Backstep Firefighter does a great job putting this year's anniversary into perspective:
For days and weeks, maybe months after the attacks, every fireman was considered a hero. Firehouses were flooded with food, gifts, cards and flowers. Firemen were held up as being extraordinary and special. Something none of them would ever think about themselves.
But where are we now, nine years later? Budget cuts and economic hard times have made firemen less extraordinary in some people’s eyes and easily cut from budgets to save some dollars.
Controversy looms around every corner as plans for the memorial limit how FDNY firemen will be remembered, as Congress wants to forget that they have a responsibility to those that worked at ground zero and as debate swirls about the construction of a mosque near the World Trade Center site.
At the end of the day, there isn’t a fireman working for the FDNY that wouldn’t give back their “15 minutes” to have their brothers back. There probably isn’t a fireman anywhere in this Country that wouldn’t gladly remain an obscure Public Servant so that those that died nine years ago could be here today.
THE SEARCH FOR VICTIMS IN THE SAN BRUNO, California, explosion and fire has been officially ended. (see the Firegeezer report on the initial incident HERE.) The entire area of damaged and destroyed homes has been physically searched and followed up with a careful combing by 12 cadaver dogs. There are four confirmed fatalities, one of them a 44-yr.-old mother and her 13-yr.-old daughter. The other two are women also, ages 20 and 81.
There are 52 known injured so far, 8 in critical condition, with 4 of them in a hospital burn unit, all of them sedated and on breathing machines. A doctor said that the most urgent concern is to prevent infection. In coming days, the patients will be undergoing skin grafts. He said it could take a year or two for the victims to fully recover and that doctors will have a better idea of long-term prognoses later in the weekend.
SF Chronicle / Atkins
At least 37 homes were completely destroyed and 8 more are extensively damaged and may have to be demolished. The total number of damaged homes is believed to be 170.
San Francisco Chronicle / Chinn
The San Jose Mercury News reports:
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the cause of the Thursday night explosion and fire, while the California Public Utilities Commission is heading up the state investigation. Authorities are looking into the insulation of the pipeline, its pressure and what safeguards were in place, if any. The investigation is expected to take up to 18 months.(Gas co.) President Chris Johns said crews worked through the night to make sure the area was safe and that all gas was removed from the line that ruptured and related lines. He said the pipe that ruptured was 30 inches in diameter and about 40 to 50 years old.
“We haven’t been able to get close enough to the actual source to be able to determine exactly why this happened, but we are trying to do that,” he said.
SF Chronicle / Chinn
In a press conference Friday, the vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said that the explosion flung a large part of the pipe out of the ground and down the street “some distance” from the 50-ft crater where the explosion took place.
SF Chronicle / Atkins
The Associated Press reported on the press conference and update findings in the video report:
When this day started out in 2001 it was sunny and clear in New York City, and the thousands of public safety workers who were showing up for work faced the day like they always do….. knowing there might be a danger, but ready to do whatever it takes to protect the innocent from whatever tragedy was visiting them.
But nobody had any inkling that the disaster that would befall the FDNY on that day was even possible. But now we know, yet all across the country the firefighters, paramedics and police officers are getting up in the morning and going in to work like they always do. True, we now do some things differently than we did nine years ago, and we’ve added many new procedures to compensate for the never-ending attempts by those terrorist barbarians that are still trying to murder us and our families. But they’re still showing up at shift change, ready once again to do whatever it takes to protect the innocent.
All around the world today there are countless memorial ceremonies being held and private contemplations along with prayers for the victims of 9/11 and their grieving families. But let us not forget to remember and pray for the tens of thousands of 1st responders that showed up today. They keep on coming.
When you talk about 9/11 to people, they all know where they were and what they were doing when tragedy happened. Everyone remembers that this day of September 2001 was sunny in New York City and that people were busy at work inside the twin towers.
Today is a day of Remembrance everywhere in the world. It is also a day of prayers. We will never forget this day and all the victims. I have special thoughts for the Firefighters who are on duty today and how difficult it would be for them. 9/11 has changed everything and we now know that nothing will be the same…
May the 343 Fallen Brothers rest in peace and all the victims. Let’s pray for them and their families. They will never be forgotten. Today is a day of sharing, brotherhood, help and prayers. With the prayers we become a Nation more powerful . God bless America.
…….. Laurence D.
The fire web is filled with remembrances and commentaries on the significance of today that will always be a landmark in our emergency services universe. Firegeezer will be posting this banner with varying reminders of the tragedy at the top of each story.
Now let’s get our equipment checked out, ready for anything. I’ll get the coffee started. See you back in the day room.
DOES THIS REMIND YOU OF WHEN the rookie pulled the cross-lay on his first working fire?
I don’t know if that’s what is happening here, but it certainly isn’t your standard hose stretch. We didn’t get a caption with this photo that came in recently, so once again we have to ask for your help in identifying the activity that is taking place here. As usual, post your suggested captions in the Comments section for all of us to see.
PENNSYLVANIA’S STATE CAPITAL, HARRISBURG HAS 50,000 people domiciled in its 8-sq.-mile area and is protected by four fire stations and a total of only 16 firefighters on duty. Like many other cities, Harrisburg has been suffering financial distress recently and the precarious state of its ability to function was further shaken last week when Mayor Linda Thompson made a deliberate decision to default on an upcoming bond debt payment.
The bond is question is a $288 million loan for an incinerator project and a debt payment of $3.29 million is due on September 15. Mayor Thompson said last week that her unilateral decision to renege on the debt payment is a direct result of the City Council’s February rejection of her budget proposals to raise property taxes and water rates. She added at the time, “I cannot shut down fire. I can’t shut down public safety. If I can’t make a bond payment, there are measures set up in those agreements to guarantee reimbursement (to bondholders). And that was the decision we made. …”
However, the mayor announced yesterday (Thursday) that she will have to lay off more city workers and close a fire station in order to close a $4.1 million budget gap that has nothing to do with the debt crisis. This stunning reversal in just one week caught the city council by surprise and blindsided the fire chief, who was appointed by Thompson. Thursday night the city council’s public safety committee held a meeting and invited the fire chief along with the firefighters’ union president to testify. Their responses are documented in the video report from WHP-TV Ch. 21:
The bond debt default moves the city closer to bankruptcy and some council members have already publicly asked for considerations into exploring the action. If they fail to make the debt payment next week, they will most likely be unable to borrow any funds for anything afterwards.
A FAMILY DOLLAR STORE IN EAST POINT, GEORGIA, burned down Wednesday morning. Police say it was an arson and the surveillance tapes show two men breaking out the front glass and lighting, then throwing “multiple” Molotov cocktails into the store.
WSB-TV
Despite the intensity of the fire, the firefighters were able to contain the fire to the Family Dollar store and prevent it from spreading to an adjoining super market. The other stores in the shopping center received some smoke and water damages.
Atlanta Journal Constitution
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A DOLLAR GENERAL STORE IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, was severely damaged by a fire in the early morning hours of August 30. Police say that the fire was intentionally set by burglars who were attempting to hide their crime. The PD is not saying why they have determined that.
The fire was discovered in a storage area in the rear of the store and it was burned out. The fire had extended into the front of the store, but did not destroy the entire shop. The fire was knocked down by the 45 firefighters in about an hour and a half.
WREG-TV has this video report on the fire:
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THE DOLLAR TREE STORE IN WATCHUNG, NEW JERSEY, was slapped with a $56,000 fine by OSHA for violations of fire and workplace safety regulations. The OSHA inspectors began investigating the store in July and were cited for failing to properly stack, block, interlock or limit the height of stored materials. They were also cited for two serious violations with a penalty of $6,000 for failing to cover exposed electrical outlets, and failing to keep storage areas free of tripping and fire hazards. OSHA issues a serious citation when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result and the employer knew, or should have known, of the hazard.
The Central Jersey Courier News has the full story and details HERE.
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A MAN WITH A HISTORY OF DRIVING PROBLEMS drove his car through the front windows of a Family Dollar store in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Thursday morning. Police say that Brian Ross, 28, was high after ”huffing” from an aerosol can of computer keyboard cleaner when he crashed into the store at 7:30 am.
Drive-through shopper Brian Ross
In an interview with a WTAE-TV reporter, Ross explained what happened:
“I was looking down. I looked down for a minute. I thought my car was stopped, and I looked up, and the next thing I know, I ran into the building,” he said.
“Once I realized I wrecked, I got out and gave the owner of the store my car keys, because he didn’t want me leaving or going nowhere,” Ross said. “But then, when I seen the cops, I realized I didn’t have a driver’s license so I freaked out and I ran.”
The police also “seen” Ross running and chased him down. They found the can in the back of his car and charged him with driving under a suspended license, leaving the scene of an accident and driving under the influence. WTAE-TV filed this video report:
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