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Baja crash victim a Nebraska missionary

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Justin Hyde from Jalopnik.com has provided a follow-up to his article about the rescue of an injured civilian the night before the Baja 1000 race. (original article HERE)

James Lamb, a Nebraska building contractor, arrived November 17 and was enroute to a village outside Ensenada. They were going to spend a couple of days working on a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.

They never made it. Head on with a Trophy Truck traveling at 50 miles per hour.

from Jalopnik.com

Lamb was airlifted to San Diego using an air ambulance deployed to cover the race.

Go HERE to read the rest of the follow-up article.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on November 30, 2010 • Filed under: cars, EMS Topics, News, Patient Management, Rescues • Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Got Your Back, Brother

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WEYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS, FIREFIGHTER JASON FARRAR got back to quarters after fighting a large house fire all night long on November 20, he was exhausted.  So he postponed cleaning his running coat, instead just hanging it up and going home.  When he came back to work the next day, two of his co-workers told him to take a look at his coat that was still on the hook.

Hint:  This is not a profile image, but a frontal view with the right half
of the images “face” more brightly illuminated.  Watch the video.

At first glance, Jason was intrigued because he saw what the others had already spotted:  As the coat dried out, the ash and soot that he’d left on it dried into a pattern that resembled a face.  But a closer look gave him the shivvers when he recognized the likeness of his own brother in the image.

His brother Andrew was a Sgt. in the Marines and had been killed in Iraq five years ago.  “The mouth, the nose, the eyes, the squared off chin.  If you knew who my brother was, you’d look at that and say that was him,” Farrar told reporters.

WCVB-TV Ch. 5 posted this video report and interview with Jason:

 

WHDH-TV reports:

For Jason, it’s like his big brother is still watching over him.  “I like to think he’s with me every day, not just me but my family,” said Jason Farrar. “It was kind of cool seeing that.”

Jason is not a man prone to exaggeration.  “I can look at that and say that there is my brother’s face,” said Jason Farrar. “I lived with him for 18 years.”

The image left by dirt and soot will not last forever and it’s Jason’s only (coat),so he’s not about to keep it off.  “People ask me, ‘are you going to wear it again,’” said Jason. “I kind of think it’s bad luck not to wear it again.”

…

Posted by on November 30, 2010 • Filed under: current events, Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, News, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Another Rescue Squad Loses Franchise

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IN HUNTERDON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY, the Lebanon Township Committee has withdrawn the Lebanon Township First Aid Squad’s permission to respond to emergencies in the township.  This disenfranchisement occurred back in the Spring, but since then there have been court challenges by the rescue squad which is a private organization.  While they have, through the court’s intervention, been able to retain their two ambulances and continue occupancy in the publicly-owned building, they have been effectively shut down while the Lebanon volunteer fire department has assumed the emergency EMS responsibility for the time being.  The rescue squad’s only activity now is responding to calls from Hagedorn Psychiatric Hospital for emergencies and transports.

Lebanon Twp. First Aid Squad photo

Now one of the local banks, the Peapack-Gladstone Bank has sued the squad for the two loans that are in default in the amount of $57,000.  This week the bank approached the township committee with a request that the township make good on the loan.  They, and the rescue squad corporation, claim that the township is directly responsible for the squad’s default because it took away their only means of income.

Last week the township attorney, Philip George wrote: “The Township of Lebanon will not ‘make good’ on any debt of the squad to your bank. The Township of Lebanon did not render the squad unable to pay its debts.”  He also accused the bank of not doing its “due dilligence” in investigating the financial status of the squad.

The Rescue Squad has been in a financial doghouse for several years and unable to account for many of its expenditures, leading to the township committee’s withdrawal of support.  After demanding a proper auditing of their accounts and not getting it, the township undertook one at the taxpayers’ expense, looking at the books for the year 2005.  The auditor found several irregularities including:  1) “…the character and purpose of certain material cash disbursements via electronic fund transfer in the amount of $11,801 could not be verified. These expenditures were recorded as miscellaneous expense on the statement of activities.” and, 2)  “Supporting documentation for debit card bank withdrawals to Target, Home Depot, Dell, U-Haul, and various restaurants totaling $5,360 during the year was not maintained and that character and purpose of these transactions could not be verified as a bona-fide squad expenditure.”

Earlier this month the Hunterdon Review reported:

The Township Committee has not given any financial support to the squad since 2005, but has contributed to the rescue squads in Hampton, High Bridge and Califon.

 Township Committeeman George Piazza said earlier, he wanted to give the EMS to the Fire Department because the rescue squad had decided to become a “paid” squad and he felt it was a volunteer kind of town. The Fire Department is all-volunteer.

For the time being, the two ambulances which are owned by the township, are parked with the battery chargers plugged in at the township-owned rescue squad building. 

New Jersey Local News Service photo

The Star-Ledger has the latest chapter in this long-running saga HERE.
Lebanon Township First Aid Squad WEBSITE.

Posted by on November 30, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, ambulances, EMS Topics • Tagged: ,

Firefighter/Arsonist Gets Prison Sentence

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STARK LIEDTKE, 44, SET FIRES FOR 30 years before he was caught.  The last 22 years he was also a firefighter and EMT, most recently employed as a paid-on-call firefighter by the Alton, New Hampshire, fire department.  His career in arson crumbled last March when he was arrested and charged with five counts of felony arson.

Stark Liedtke
(March 2010 photo by Darryl Carlson)

Firegeezer reported HERE on March 24:

Following up on a citizen’s complaint Friday about a suspicious man in the area, a patrolman observed Liedtke for a while and then picked him up.  While questioning him, and getting conflicting explanations about his behavior, Alton officers smelled gasoline on his person.

When officers searched Liedtke they allegedly found a large box of matches, a headlamp, a utility knife, an Alton Fire Department pager, a wallet and miscellaneous papers. Police said he also was covered with dirt and mud, which linked him to being in the area where the intruder was reportedly seen.

After arresting and holding him on loitering charges, the police called in the state fire marshal’s dog that tracked the gasoline odor to a patch of woods where they found two plastic bottles containing gasoline.  After further interrogation Liedtke was charged with several arsons dating back to 2006.

Since that report, investigators accumulated enough evidence to convince Liedtke to agree to a plea agreement where he pleaded guilty earlier this month to eleven arsons over a three-year period.  Last week he was sentenced to 3 to 15 years imprisonment along with restitution and other clauses that are spelled out in THIS ARTICLE by Foster’s Daily Democrat.

A surprise development that was uncovered during the more extensive investigation over the summer was the fact that Liedtke admitted to the officers that he has been setting fires since he was a teenager and there were so many over the years that he could not recall all of them.

Thanks to Mark D. for assistance.

Posted by on November 30, 2010 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice • Tagged: , ,

Woman Charged in Firetruck Collision

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WATERLOO REGIONAL POLICE IN KITCHENER, ONTARIO, charged a 73-yr.-old woman yesterday (Monday) with causing a collision with a Kitchener fire engine that occurred on November 11.

She is accused of driving  through a red light and colliding with the pumper that was responding on a call with its lights and siren activated.  The crash caused the engine to run off the road into a utility pole, receiving approximately $150,000 in damages.  The truck stopped just inches short of striking a house.

570 News photo

There were no other passengers in the car which was also heavily damaged.  The woman and one of the firefighters were transported with minor injuries.

The Waterloo Record has the updated STORY.
CTV has a good video report filed on the day of the accident HERE.

Posted by on November 30, 2010 • Filed under: apparatus, Fire Rescue Topics, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – November 30

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Whether you have ever watched the show or not, everybody has certainly heard of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the daytime TV program that has been running for near 25 years now.  The program has set all kinds of broadcasting records and become a cultural icon.  Oprah announced last year that when her current contract runs out in September 2011 she will be folding the long-running network program.

During this final year of production, she has been reprising favorite and notable programming moments that she has encountered over the years, and one of them has been some rebroadcasts of one of the more popular segments called “Thank You.”  This past Friday she reran a segment of Thank You from 2004 that featured a notable firefighter rescue in Prince George’s County, Maryland, when two PGFD firefighters rescued their lieutenant who was trapped and burned on the 2nd-floor of a house.  The current PIO for the fire department, Mark Brady posted a brief article about the telecast on Firefighter Nation yesterday along with some links to related web articles, and you can take a moment to read it HERE.

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Speaking of public relations, The Fire PIO who is from Long Island himself would be hard pressed to handle this problematic publicity challenge.  The New York Post is reporting from Long Island this morning:

The mayor of a Long Island village has suspended its fire chief for 30 days — because he refused to remove a crude set of plastic testicles from a fire truck.  The item is a novelty $24.95 pair of “Bumpernuts” — colored bright blue — that had been affixed to the rear end of the rig.

Acting on public complaints two months ago, Freeport Mayor Andrew Hardwick told volunteer Chief Daniel Fee to castrate the truck.

But last week, Hardwick took a tour of the firehouse and noticed that while the cojones had been removed from the outside of the vehicle — they were relocated inside the cab, still clearly visible.  “The gesture was offensive, insensitive and unprofessional,” said Hardwick, who added that Freeport residents “expect better” from their volunteers.

While I recognize that the Bumpernuts could bring a chuckle inside the firehouse, and probably made you grin just now too, displaying such a crude and uncouth toy in public is not cool, Dude.  And to insist on flaunting his mindset before the citizenry is certainly indicative of a flawed ability to make good decisions, something that the FD members had in mind when they chose him to be their chief.

The next decision made here is to get this equipment checked out.  I’m late getting the coffee made, so I’ll take care of that now.  See you back in the day room in a little while.

Posted by on November 30, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: , , , ,

Australian Skateboard

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Built and ready to give a demonstration run at a Supercar race in Sydney on December 3 – 5.
The board itself has to be a sturdier plank than the usual skateboard in order to carry the weight of the 630-horsepower V-8 Supercar racing engine.

Since it is too heavy to pivot like a regular skateboard, the wheels have to be able to turn in order to steer it.  When the rider gets on the board you will see him holding an electrical switch box that controls the steering mechanism.  There is a hydraulic drive system that directs the power to the wheels.

 

d

Posted by on November 29, 2010 • Filed under: culture, current events, fun, News, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Worker Burned by Furnace Explosion

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A FACTORY WORKER AT THE ROLLS ROYCE plant near Indianapolis, Indiana, was burned this morning (Monday) when a special heat furnace had some sort of “explosion” at 7:30 am.

WTHR photo

The man suffered burns to his face and arms, but was conscious and walking when the Wayne Township fire and EMS units arrived.  The furnace that is used to heat and strengthen metal parts had what was described as a misfire and blew out one end of it.  The fire department was able to extinguish the fire quickly.  The victim’s injuries are not expected to be life-threatening.

Collated from local news sources.

Posted by on November 29, 2010 • Filed under: explosion, Fire Rescue Topics • Tagged: , ,

Real American Heros

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Jalopnik carries a story that first showed up in an off-road racing blog.

How A Baja Race Team Saved A Life

KORE Performance

The KORE Performance team of Kent Kroeker, Jeremy Graczyck, Colt Hubble and Jeremy’s dad, Jim were prerunning the start of the Baja 1000 race November 17.

They came across a violent high speed collision between a Trophy Truck (TT) and a civilian minivan.

From the Justin Hyde article:

Inside is a guy trapped in the crushed metal. He’s upside down with the dash and firewall crushing his legs. He’s bleeding out fast from his left arm which has severe lacerations, is 7/8 amputated with exposed bone and muscle just below the shoulder, brachial artery pumping him out. Kroeker gets under the guy and applies upward pressure on his torso with one hand, so he can breathe and compresses the open amputation with the other. The only thing holding the arm on was some tendon, the artery and some crushed bone.

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Most of the guy’s lower chin is torn off, Kroeker is laying under him in the broken glass, applying upward pressure, Graczyck is tearing apart the dash, ripping the seats out. Kroeker is a pilot and a FAC [forward air control] and Graczyck is a special operations JTAC same school – ground Marines…from inside the car (still smoldering) they’re shouting orders to establish a DZ in the nearby field, get our VHF radio frequency to the supporting agency and start a fire with wet wood to give signal for a talk on. Kroeker and Graczyck are the only Americans on scene who speak Spanish.

(after 1.5 to 2 hours local EMTs arrive, things do not get better)

This is where it gets weird: At least six Mexican EMTs show up and stand around scratching their heads and assessing for about 30 minutes while Gracyzyck and Kroeker are telling them what to do in Spanish from inside the vehicle. Finally Kroeker gets out and tasks the TT co driver with holding up the vic’s body, so he can breathe. Kroeker then finds the Mex in charge, tells him to shore up the vehicle, find the jaws of life, pry bars etc.

Colt and Jim actually show them how to use the equipment – where to attach the pneumatics etc. Kroeker places the jaws, gets back in the vehicle, moves his hands up the guy’s legs to his ankles and holds his hands on his feet while telling the jaws operator how far to expand. He gets one leg free and the guy is screaming in pain. Kroeker is now laying under him again, bench-pressing his torso up while freeing his leg and applying pressure on his armpit.

Marine expeditionary combat medicine performed by reservists.

You should read the entire Jalopnik article HERE

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on November 29, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, News, Patient Management, Technology & Communications • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Million-Dollar Food Fire

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A FIRE IN A KINGSBURG, CALIFORNIA, PACKING PLANT Saturday caused over $1 million in damage.  The fire started in an outdoor storage area that was covered with a shed roof  and spread into the roof of the cold-storage room before the fire department was able to contain it.

KGPE-TV

The fire was fed by venting propane tanks on the forklift trucks and hundreds of cardboard storage boxes stacked on wood pallets.  “One of the problematic things we had was the roofing material was pretty flammable. It got into there, but we were able to contain it to the roof of the cold storage,” Kingsburg Fire Chief Gary Rocha told reporters adding,  ”there was a lot of fuel, a lot of cardboard and boxes, compressed boxes on pallets, wood pallets, wood fruit bins. A lot of fire loading material underneath the storage there.”

About half of the packing plant was damaged including 3,000 sq. ft. of the cold-storage unit.  The Kingsburg FD was assisted by units from Fresno County and Tulare County.

KFSN-TV Ch. 30 has filed this video report:

 

The cause of the early-morning fire has not yet been determined.

Kingsburg Fire Department WEBSITE.

Posted by on November 29, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Full Response For a Lockout

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A PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, WOMAN accidentally locked herself out of her house Saturday evening and apparently she didn’t want to stand around in the cold waiting for somebody to come by and show her how to break in.  So she set her rear awning on fire and then called 9-1-1.

The fire department responded and put the fire out and then the woman asked them to let her back in.  Instead of doing that, they had the police arrest her on arson charges.

WTAE-TV has the brief REPORT.

Posted by on November 29, 2010 • Filed under: arson, Fires

Money Grab Roils Rescue Squad

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THE FREDERICKSBURG (Virginia) RESCUE SQUAD is an all-volunteer emergency medical squad that has been providing top-level service for 70 years.  They also have $2.8 million in investment assets that are supposed to be used to fund the squad’s needs, equipment and supplies.

Fredericksburg Rescue Squad photo

Twenty years ago the corporation established a separate non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to raise funds and invest them in an endowment that will ensure a steady financial source for the rescue squad.  But now the Board of Directors for the Foundation wants to tell the rescue squad how the money will be spent.

The Rescue Squad needs a new building badly, having outgrown and used up their current 57-yr.-old facility, and they want to spend $1.8 to renovate their downtown structure to meet their current and future needs. 

Google Street View

But the financial Foundation wants to have direct control over how the money will be spent and are demanding the Rescue Squad meet their demands before they release the money.  A recent change in Rescue Squad leadership has just upset the negotiations and now the  Squad is considering filing a lawsuit accusing the Foundation of not following its charter.

It’s a mess and both sides have good points in their respective arguments.  The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star makes a good attempt at sorting out the STORY HERE.

Fredericksburg Rescue Squad WEBSITE.

Posted by on November 29, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, ambulances, EMS Topics, Funding & Staffing • Tagged:

Around the Fire Web

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Some good reading found around the Fire/EMS Web over the long weekend:

*  Dave Statter started the extended holiday with a story in STATter911 about a Detroit FD pumper that took on a bridge and lost.  Detroit is definitely having vehicle problems with ambulances that don’t run and firetrucks that get destroyed.  Take a look at the unbelievable photo and read his posting HERE.

*  The Happy Medic has a cute story about a surprise reunion HERE.

*  Chris Naum, The Company Officer, has an excellent training/commentary on the need for the first-due companies to be prepared and what you have to look for.  Not only will the article make you better at what you do, but you can get a couple of good dayroom drills out of it.  Take the time to read the POSTING HERE.

*  Medic 999 is wondering if a duly-earned “good catch” is really just doing your job.  Or is it something more?  Read his anecdote HERE and see what you think.

*  Fire Daily is back and John has an interesting story about an engine co. that posts Tweets whenever they will be gone from their first-due for a while.  They call it an information service for their residents.  Interesting.  Take a look HERE.

*  Wildfire Today has an informative article about what all goes into a “prescribed burn.”  More than what you’d think, so take a look HERE.

*  Capt. Joe Schmoe at Report on Conditions tells a sad story about a medical run that shouldn’t have had to happen HERE.

*  And finally, if you were a complete dropout over the holiday and didn’t even check Firegeezer, shame on you.  You missed our story about a PRNDL mishap.  What’s a PRNDLE mishap, you say?  CLICK HERE to find out.

Posted by on November 29, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Blogs

International Disaster Drill

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ANOTHER IN A SERIES OF MULTI-NATIONAL disaster drills was hosted by Italy this week.  The exercise labeled  ”Terex 2010” was held in Tuscany on November 25 to 28 and simulated an earthquake with an epicenter between Garfagnana and Lunigiana.

PCN

Along with the host country, there were operational teams from France, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria and the Russian Federation.  In addition there were observers from 27 European Union member states. 

A Russian disaster team was one of the participating groups.

This Italian News report shows the preparations being made for the exercise including blowing up some buildings to create the “disaster”:

 

PCN

PCN

Part of the exercise simulated the collapse of a hospital with eight people buried in the rubble.   The operational teams from Massa Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia and Lucca worked in a very realistic scenario together with Red Cross workers.

This video shows some of the teams extricating victims from one of the collapsed buildings:

 

The exercise has allowed the Vigili del Fuoco (Fire Department)  to test the degree of coordination and interaction between the various parties involved in the emergency, firefighters, volunteers of the Tuscany Region and the Municipality of Pisa. Particular attention was given to validate the use in operational scenarios, the canine units of the Volunteer Fire Department and the Tuscany region.

Several countries brought canine search units.

Operations and Control Center

The exercise was broadcast via satellite and streaming by the CDV and TLC in Tuscany.

The Vigili del Fuoco posted the story and photos on its WEBSITE.
The National Civil Defense Agency has posted four more videos and six photo galleries HERE.

Posted by on November 29, 2010 • Filed under: Major Incidents, Training, training-fire-rescue-topics, Videos • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – November 29

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I just learned late last night that actor Leslie Nielsen passed away yesterday at age 84.  He was living in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and had recently been hospitalized for pneumonia.  He was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, and after serving a tour in the Royal Canadian Air Force he went to New York where he attended the Actors Studio.  From there he began getting parts in several Broadway plays and making appearances in some early-50′s television programs when all the shows were done live.

It wasn’t long before he heard the call West and relocated to Hollywood where he found work in many motion pictures.  For twenty years he played straight roles and romantic leads.  But in 1980 his career made a sea change when he appeared in the classic parody Airplane! doing a deadpan comedic part that included this classic line that literally everybody now knows by heart:

 

From there his already-successful acting career leaped into  super-stardom, next appearing in a short-lived TV series Police Squad playing the role of Detective Frank Drebin.  While the tv series failed to catch on, he reprised the Drebin character in a series of movies under the titles of Naked Gun…. 

 

By then he had become a household name and never wanted for work.  He continued acting on tv and in movies right on up until last year.  Sixty years of entertaining us all.  Thanks for all  the great laughs, Mr. Nielsen.

We had better get started on the equipment check now, it’s Monday and the long checksheet.  I’ll get the coffee started.

Posted by on November 29, 2010 • Filed under: culture, morning lineup, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

A Hockey Player’s Greatest Embarrassment….

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…. IS THE “OWN GOAL” where a player will accidentally shoot the puck into his own net, thus awarding a goal to the opposing team.  It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does it crushes the poor guy who did it.  In a highly-competitive sport like hockey, it is like the end of the world to the victim.

One of the more famous and costly own goals in recent times occurred in 1986 in the Campbell (Western) division finals.  The defending Stanley Cup champions Edmonton Oilers were playing rivals Calgary Flames for the right to advance to the Cup Finals.  In the seventh and deciding game with the score tied 2 – 2, Edmonton’s defenceman Steve Smith was beside his own net when he gave the puck a strong whack to clear it out of the defensive zone.  Instead, it went off his stick wrong and struck his goaltender Grant Fuhr on the back of his foot and deflected into the net.  That goal ended up being the game-winner and eliminated Edmonton from the championships.  It was also Steve Smith’s birthday.  Have a look:

 

This past weekend another own goal was played that will be remembered as the longest one.  The Anaheim Ducks were playing Edmonton and with the Oilers leading 3 – 2 in the final minute of play, Anaheim pulled their goaltender leaving the open net in favor of an extra skater in a last-minute attempt to tie the game before the buzzer.

With Anaheim mounting an offensive flurry on Edmonton’s goal, the Ducks’ Corey Perry collected the puck behind the net and attempted to throw it out in front of the crease in the hopes one of his teammates would be in position to shoot it point-blank into the net.  Instead, his pass hit the goal post and riccocheted down the ice… all the way into his own empty net.  A record 200-ft. own goal.

Watch the unusual play in this video from the NHL:

 

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Posted by on November 28, 2010 • Filed under: current events, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Cargo Plane Crashes Into Housing Complex

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Express Tribune

AT LEAST 12 PEOPLE WERE KILLED early Sunday morning when a foreign cargo plane crashed in Karachi, Pakistan.  The resulting fire burned several buildings that are under construction in a housing development and killed at least four construction workers.  All eight crew members of the Russian aircraft were killed on impact.  The death toll is expected to climb as more victims are found.

ITN News provided this raw video taken shortly after the crash:

 

The largely-vacant housing units are part of a complex provided for retired Pakistani naval officers.  The firefighters had the blaze extinguished in four hours.

The plane had just taken off from Karachi airport at 1:45 am when one of the engines caught fire.  Several witnesses on the ground reported that they saw flames enveloping the right wing of the plane as it was climbing from the airfield and then immediately went down.  It was carrying relief supplies for Sudan and was headed for Khartoum. 

Reuters

The Australian is reporting:

 As many as 10 people on the ground may have been killed as well when the Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft went down five minutes after take-off from Jinnah airport en route to Sudan, in the early morning.

“The pilot informed the control tower that one engine of the plane had caught fire. He tried to return back to the airport but crashed,” Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Parvez George said.

“The plane had arrived from Fujairah, UAE, and was carrying some 31 tonnes of relief items. All eight crew members are dead. They were Russian nationals.”

It is believed that as many as ten construction workers were sleeping in the building site that was struck by the plane.

This raw video from Russia Today has some interesting views of a true ambulance gridlock:

 

d

Posted by on November 28, 2010 • Filed under: aircraft, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , ,

A Sunday Emergency !

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Season Four, Episode 19

It’s How You Play the Game

 

A man with a slipped disc is trapped on a waterbed.

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Posted by on November 28, 2010 • Filed under: Sunday Emergency • Tagged:

Turkey Fyer Fire Watch #4

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THE GILLETTE, WYOMING, NEWS-RECORD is reporting:

Fire officials say a turkey fryer sparked a Thanksgiving Day blaze that swept through a 50-foot wide, 20-foot long shop. The shop owner used a fire extinguisher and garden hose to knock down most of the fire, but there still was heavy smoke when firefighters arrived at about 1:30 p.m. The shop and its contents were heavily damaged.

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IN TUCSON, ARIZONA, THE Arizona Daily Star  reports:

It wasn’t quite a Thanksgiving Day rebellion, but at least two Tucson turkeys resisted the cooking process Thursday by bursting into flames.  No one – besides the birds of honor – was injured in the fires, which both occurred at about 2:15 p.m. and barely a mile apart, according to reports from the Tucson Fire Department.

The first blaze, in which a turkey caught fire in a kitchen oven, occurred in the 2500 block of South Adventure Trail near East Golf Links Road between South Houghton and Harrison roads.

Minutes later, the second fire was reported in the 8900 block of East Dolores Street, when a backyard turkey fryer caused siding on the house to catch fire. The homeowners used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze before Tucson firefighters arrived at the scene.

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KLTV Ch. 7 TYLER, TEXAS, is reporting on a post-holiday family reunion held yesterday (Saturday November 27) in Chandler:

Chandler officials say a turkey fryer is the cause of an early afternoon fire in the joint Chandler – Brownsboro Community center in downtown Chandler.Chamber of Commerce Chairman Dennis Mack says the fire broke out around 12:30 PM this afternoon. Chandler Fire Department responded to find heavy smoke leaving the building and flames inside a garage area where a family reunion had been using a turkey fryer.

There were no injuries but damage to the community center was extensive, especially inside the garage area where the turkey fryer had been in use.

KLTV image

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This concludes our turkey fryer fire reporting for this holiday weekend.

Posted by on November 28, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires • Tagged: , ,

A Different Kind of Fire

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STOUGHTON, WISCONSIN, FIREFIGHTERS HAVE BEEN there before.  So when they were called for a fire in the air-handling pollution control unit at the Unilever factory for the second time in four months, they knew what they were facing.

Wisconsin State Journal photo

The structure called the “bag house” is connected to the production unit and is used to clean the emissions from the manufacturing process.  The alarm was sent just after 9 am Saturday when plant employees notice an unusually high temperature showing in the unit.  While notifying the FD, the plant’s workers effected a safe evacuation.

When the first-in units arrived they found a smoky fire ongoing in the scrubber and attacked it with hose streams.  They had the fire under control in about an hour, but called in two more departments to assist them with the extinguishment that took another 2 – 3 hours.  The fire was similar to one that happened in the same unit back in July, but the cause of it was never identified.

Unilever has a backup pollution control system, so they can get the manufacturing started back up without delay.

The Wisconsin State Journal has the story and more photos HERE.

Firegeezer was surprised to learn that this plant is where Naugahyde™ is made.  I thought nauga’s went extinct 40 years ago!  Live and learn, and read more HERE.

Posted by on November 28, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires • Tagged: , , ,

Morning Lineup – November 28

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We had fun last Wednesday running the classic tv episode from WKRP in Cincinnati about the radio station’s Thanksgiving Day promotion.  “Turkeys Away” will remain in the tv history books as one of the all-time favorites.  If you missed that posting, you can CLICK HERE to view it.

Unfortunately, our friends in Canada and elsewhere around the world are unable to watch the downloads from Hulu, but we have some good news for all of you.  After a long, long wait, WKRP is being released on dvd.  For the past few years it was available on the “gray market” over the internet, but some people are either reluctant or not aware of this type of purchase.  Plus they usually require you buy the entire series, albeit not all that expensive.

Even though the demand was always there for the dvd release, I believe they had some difficulties with royalty clearances for some of the music.  The program is about a rock music radio station and there were scores of sound tracks that had to be negotiated through the music clearing house.  But all that is straightened out now and the first season of the series has been available for a few months.  Amazon.com sells their dvd’s in almost every country in the civilized world now and you can get it through them.  Here in the U. S. they are currently selling it at an 18% markdown:

Click here to read more and/or order one:


 

It looks like Season Two will be released before too long, because Amazon is accepting pre-orders for it.  However, they don’t have a release date posted yet.  But we’re in luck because the famed “Turkeys Away” episode was part of the first season.  Time to start thinking about gift-giving, even if it’s for yourself.

Now let’s start thinking about equipment check…time to get that taken care of while I go start the coffee.  See you back in the day room.

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Sunday Winter Photo Art

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Posted by on November 28, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: , ,

PRNDL Mishap in Florida

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WHEN BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA, SHERIFF’S deputies responded to a suspicious car call early Thursday morning, they found a car parked in front of an apartment building with the motor running.  A man, who it was later learned lived in the apartment, was sound asleep in the front seat.

When the deputies rapped on the window to wake him, he was startled and instinctively put the gear into Drive and started forward, slowly.  As the car climbed the curb and started across a playground, the deputies ran alongside the car telling the man to stop.  Instead, he mashed down on the accelerator and sped forward, crashing through a fence and driving into another apartment complex’s swimming pool.

Tire tracks and a hole in the fence display the car’s
path into the swimming pool.  (CBS News)

The deputies jumped into the pool and broke out a window, then dragged the confused man to safety.  Charles Marckenson, 28, is facing several traffic charges pending on a return of toxicology reports on his blood tests.

WSVN-TV  (click HERE for video)

The Orlando Sentinel has the STORY.
WSVN-TV has a VIDEO REPORT.

Posted by on November 27, 2010 • Filed under: current events, Fire Rescue Topics, rescue, Rescues • Tagged: , ,

Updated – Ambulance Rollover in Pennsylvania

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SATURDAY MORNING – AN AMBULANCE IN FAYETTE COUNTY, Pennsylvania, rolled over on an icy road a few hours ago.  The Marckleysburg ambulance was traveling on Rte. 40 when it went out of control and flipped, trapping both the driver and attendant inside.  The two were injured and after being extricated by the FD they were transported to the hospital in Uniontown.

WTAE-TV image

The rescue squad officials say that the ambulance, which was driving non-emergency without a patient, hit an icy spot and just lost control.

Early report via WTAE-TV.  Video has been added.

Posted by on November 27, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: ,

Money Woes Taken Out On Fire Protection

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THREE MONTHS AGO GREGG TOWNSHIP in Morgan County, Indiana, had 59 paid-on-call firefighters and provided emergency ambulance services.  Now they have no ambulance service and have laid off all their firefighters, relying on hopes that volunteers will suddenly show up and answer the fire alarms.

Gregg Township fire station (WRTV image)

The township has been in trouble before with the State Board of Accounts for overspending its budget, not withholding payroll taxes, and (over)paying for services without a contract including a $42,000 fee to a private accounting firm.  In recent years the township has been relying on emergency cash loans from the state to pay for shortfalls in the fire and EMS services.  In August the state rejected their request for $500,000 leading to layoffs of 12 firefighters.  In October another 20 were let go and the ambulance was taken out of service.

On October 5 WRTV Ch. 6 filed this video report on the drastic change in coverage:

 

Now, after another loan request was rejected by the state, the remaining paid firefighters are being laid off.  Part of the township’s fire protection problems are due to their willingness to provide EMS coverage for four other townships without charging for the service.  An audit by the state disclosed that only 42% of their activity was for calls within the township.

The township trustees’ continuing inability to operate withing the guidelines of acceptable accounting methods has brought some recent citizens’ lawsuits to prevent their obsessive spending and attempts to raise more taxed to pay for their folly.

WRTV Ch. 6 Indianapolis has the STORY HERE on this latest turn of events along with an explanation of the lawsuits.  They also have links to earlier stories on this misadventure.

Posted by on November 27, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, Funding & Staffing • Tagged: ,

Sweatshirt Warehouse Burns

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A 3-ALARM FIRE IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY was first discovered at 7:45 pm local time Friday night in South El Monte, California.  The fire was in a large warehouse that was unoccupied at the time by a worker in a neighboring building.

The large warehouse is used as a garment distribution center and the fire was being fed by “heavy fuel” in the form of huge stacks of sweatshirts, which have a long burn time and pose the risk of reigniting even after containment, Capt. Frank Reynoso told the Los Angeles Times.

KTLA-TV filed this video report from the fire scene:

  

The fire department says that the building is a total loss.  It is too early to determine the cause, but the plant had been closed since Wednesday for the Thanksgiving Day weekend and nobody was known to be inside.

Posted by on November 27, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , , ,