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Garbage Ka-Boom Wakes, Shakes Neighborhood

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AN ORANGE COUNTY NEIGHBORHOOD WAS ROUSED MONDAY morning when an earth-shaking explosion awakened the late sleepers.  A 25-year-old trash collector had just emptied a trash bin into the back of his garbage truck, then started the compactor when something blew up, covering him with cuts and burns from flying debris.

Police robot inspects the garbage truck under the
close supervision of one of the neighbors.  (WFTV image)

Orange County Fire and Sheriff’s units responded and set up a perimeter of 300 yards, evacuating 21 homes while the bomb squad brought in a robot to inspect the garbage remaining in the rear of the truck and a nearby trash bin.  They discovered a pressurized carbon dioxide cannister that had ruptured.  Even though it was empty it was still under pressure and the bottom blew out when the compactor started crushing it.

WESH-TV photo of the ruptured cannister.

The injured man was transported to the hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released later that day.  The truck’s driver was uninjured. 

WOFL-TV Ch. 35 Orlando filed this video report:

 

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Posted by on November 23, 2010 • Filed under: explosion, Fire Rescue Topics, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Solar Ambulance Introduced in Texas

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THE AUSTIN-TRAVIS COUNTY EMS unveiled a new type of ambulance at the Texas EMS Conference that opened yesterday.

KXAN-TV

Referring to it as a “solar ambulance,” the agency officials say that they expect to achieve a 47% improvement in their fuel milage.  Solar panels on the roof of the box will power the unit’s electronics and onboard equipment.   KXAN-TV shot some video at the conference:

 

The Austin American-Statesman explains how it works:

After months of looking for ways to make their fleet more environmentally sensitive, officials with Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services will begin using solar energy to more frequently power electronics and other equipment on ambulances during times they once idled in place.

Paramedics will primarily kill the engines of ambulances with solar panels outside hospitals while delivering patients, a process that can take about 30 minutes. Medics have previously kept the engines running to preserve medication temperatures and to maintain the power to equipment.

EMS officials said calculations show the switch will reduce gas consumption by several hundred gallons per unit, save gas money — up to $4,000 a year per ambulance — and decrease emissions.

In Austin, the effort to partially shift to solar energy for ambulances is part of a citywide move to use cars and trucks that are more environmentally friendly. The city already uses biodiesel for many of its ambulances and fire engines and owns more than 200 hybrid cars.

EMS officials have ordered five additional ambulances with solar panels and hope to buy more next year. The agency usually has about 35 ambulances on the street at any given time.

The two solar panels on the roof are expected to supply enough
power to operate the system electronics and equipment chargers.
(KXAN-TV image)

The primary ambulance in the city’s ambulance fleet is currently the International ”medium duty” chassis and box.  After looking around for alternatives that are less costly to operate and more “environmentally friendly,” the city decided to purchase two Ford F-450 units that not only get better milage, but the total cost for the slightly smaller ambulance is $30,000 less.

Read the full story in the American-Statesman HERE.
Austin-Travis County EMS Department WEBSITE.

Posted by on November 23, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, technology, technology-communications-ems-topics, Videos • Tagged: , ,

56 Exotic Animals Perish in Wildlife Sanctuary Fire

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THE ARK R.A.I.N. WILDLIFE SANCTUARY IN BROWNSVILLE, Tennessee, lost more than half of the birds and animals that were in their care from a fire Friday morning.

Jackson Sun

The creatures that perished were in cages that adjoined the home of  Tim Davies, the owner of the sanctuary, as well as a separate indoor facility that burned along with the house.  The sanctuary is located on an 8-acre site and has been operated by Mr. and Mrs. Davies for 14 years.

WMC-TV Ch. 9 provided this video report:

 

Care2.com reports:

Ark R.A.I.N. (Rescuing Animals in Need) Wildlife Sanctuary (ARWS) is a non-profit licensed by the USDA and the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency that subsists on public donations, education programs and volunteer efforts without any state or federal funding.

For 14 years, they’ve been providing a permanent home, unique habitats and rehabilitation to rescued, injured, surrendered and abandoned exotic wild animals from tigers to turtles that require special care. They also offer children’s books and education outreach programs with the Mobile Ark that provides services to groups of all ages in an effort to increase public awareness of the plight of rare and endangered species.

After Friday, the Davies have started over from scratch while the cause of the fire is being investigated by the Brownsville Fire Department. Their home with all of their personal belongings was lost, along with animal housing and enclosures, feed and other supplies needed to care for the remaining animals, including Tucker, a kangaroo, and Obadiah, a lion, who are recovering from burns.

Insurance coverage was minimal because it is not possible to insure exotic animals.  A member of Davies’ church has brought over a trailer to provide temporary living quartes for them while work begins to recover and rebuild the facility.

The Jackson Sun has a good REPORT HERE.
WPTY-TV Ch. 24 has more plus additional video HERE.
ARK R.A.I.N. Wildlife Sanctuary WEBSITE.

Posted by on November 23, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Morning Lineup – November 23

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There is an axiom that says you can always come up with a “study” that concludes with whatever you want it to say.  Whenever somebody comes out with a study that “proves” that A is better than B, it won’t be long until B’s supporters bring out a study that “proves” beyond a doubt that B is better than A.

This same sort of evidence-gathering is now taking place among people who have acquired a smoke detector agenda for some reason or another.  A fellow named Adrian Butler is a former firefighter from Queensland, Australia, who set up and operates a non-profit organization called the World Fire Safety Foundation.  He is definitely a man on a mission, and his mission is to have all ionization-type home smoke detectors replaced with photoelectric detectors.  Naturally, he has a website (http://www.theworldfiresafetyfoundation.org/home.html) and he has been going around Australia, New Zealand and North America presenting his case and in some instances even getting some code changes.

One of our readers brought this to my attention when he forwarded this consumer article from MSNBC’s website that is based on Butler’s claims, but presents both sides of the issue very fairly.  The pro-photoelectric crowd has been very successful in convincing many fire service leaders and organizations of the superiority of the photoelectric cell.  But as you can expect, likewise many testing organizations discount Butler’s claim that ionization detectors are dangerous and unreliable, leading to as many as 1,000 needless fire deaths each year.

I am not going to get all wrapped up into choosing one type or another, but whenever I see someone promote a stance so zealously, I just naturally tend to become a bit skeptical and look a little more closely at their argument and wonder about their motive.  It didn’t help their cause any when I looked through the website and could not find any mention of who operates the World Fire Safety Foundation or where they are located.  No names or places at all.  Next were some dubious claims that were made and quoted by the supporters that are “stretches” to say the least.  For instance:

  • It is estimated that tens of thousands of people have been injured or killed globally as a direct result of ionization alarms failing to sound a timely warning.  That’s true if you complete the statement with “…because the battery was missing.”  Hmmmm.
  • “If everybody in the country would install these (photoelectric smoke alarms) we would probably save about a thousand lives a year.”  That’s true of any type of smoke detector, not just the photoelectric.  Key phrase:  “…everybody in the country”
  • “I call for the immediate removal of the fraudulent, “deadly” ionization so-called smoke alarm from all stores and homes before more people are needlessly maimed or killed.”  Believe it or not, that statement is attributed to a real fire chief here in the U. S.  The ionization smoke detector has been provably saving thousands of lives for 40 years and to publicly declare them to be fraudulent and deadly is preposterous.
  • “If we could wave a magic wand right now and get rid of all the ionization smoke alarms and replace them instantly with photoelectric smoke alarms, we would cut out fire deaths in this country by more than 50 percent.”  Another dubious claim and I challenge that conclusion.

There are more examples of these types of claims but I won’t belabor them now.  The point that I am making is that whatever stance you take, right or wrong, please don’t bombard me with incomplete or misleading statements.  I do not know which type of home smoke detector is best, or if either of them is better than the other, and I will not yet attempt to decide.  But this type of presentation sends another kind of alarm to me. What do you think about it?

Before we get any farther with this controversy, let’s get this equipment checked out.  I definitely need to get some more coffee started.

Posted by on November 23, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: , ,

Water + Grease Fire = Total Loss

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TWO SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, FIREFIGHTERS suffered minor burns while fighting a house fire Sunday evening.  The both had 1st- and 2nd-degree burns to their faces from the rapidly expanding fire while they were still outside.

KTXL-TV

The owner of the house had set some cooking grease on the stove and then left for a few minutes.  When he returned the cooking pot was ablaze and he threw some water on it.  You know what happened next.  When the FD arrived the fire was well under way, spreading through the house.

KTXL-TV has this video report with some good fire footage:

  

 One of the firefighters was treated on the scene and returned to work.  The other FF was transported and treated at the hospital, then released later Sunday night.  The house was destroyed.

Posted by on November 22, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Hundreds Killed in Human Stampede

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A PANICKED CROWD OF FESTIVAL GOERS IN PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, broke into a stampede Monday night, trampling thousands of people and leaving more than 345 known dead so far and about 400 injured.

AP

The annual Water Festival which is held near Cambodia’s Royal Palace draws up to 4 million visitors.  CNN reports:

The incident began around 10 p.m. (10 a.m. ET), when police began firing water cannon onto a bridge to an island in the center of a river, said Steve Finch, a journalist with the Phnom Penh Post.  The bridge was packed with people and police fired the water cannon in an effort to get them to move, he said.

The bridge where the trampling took place.

“That just caused complete and utter panic,” he told CNN in a telephone interview. He said a number of people lost consciousness and fell into the water; some may have been electrocuted, he said. Finch cited witnesses as saying that the bridge was festooned with electric lights, which may have played a role in the electrocutions.

The government denied anyone was electrocuted.  But a doctor who declined to be identified publicly said the main cause of death was suffocation and electrocution. Police were among the dead, he said.

Of the many news reports coming from Cambodia, the CNN report is the only one to say anything about the  police water cannon.  It is possible that something else may have caused the panic.  Following the conclusion of the traditional boat races that are the focus of the festival, thousands of mostly-young people were trying to cross the bridge to the island for a scheduled concert.  As the crowd pressed to funnel onto the bridge, they pressured the people ahead of them and several people began passing out.  It was at that point that the panic was triggered.

The bridge was filled with bodies of victims.

The litter of shoes, clothing and personal items is testament
to the hundreds that lain on the bridge (Reuters).

This raw video graphically displays the chaos and carnage at the scene as well as the challenge of transporting several hundred victims to the overwhelmed hospitals:

 

Many people either jumped or were pushed off the bridge into the river leaving the possibility of more victims yet to be found.  Many of the injured taken to the hospitals were serious enough to raise the possibility of more deaths arising from them.

Xinhua

The following raw video was taken at the hospital and illustrates how challenged they were:

 

The Guardian has a good report on the incident HERE.

The three-day festival began Saturday and reached its conclusion Monday night.  It is held to honor a victory by Cambodian naval forces during the 12th century reign of King Jayvarman VII.

Posted by on November 22, 2010 • Filed under: current events, EMS Topics, rescue, Rescues, Videos

Township to Pay For Volunteers’ Physicals

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HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP IN WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pennsylvania, has decided to have all volunteer firefighters get medical physicals at the township’s expense.  Beginning next year the firefighters will be given a physical every five years with 40 receiving them each year.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review adds:

(Township) Manager Kurt Ferguson said the decision to allot more than $19,000 for the physicals in the 2011 budget was reinforced by the recent death of North Irwin volunteer, James Gumbert, who died of a heart attack Nov. 10 in the fire station as he was preparing to answer a fire call.  Ferguson said he has been discussing the issue with supervisors since last summer.

“(Gumbert’s) death reinforced the need for such an initiative. We made this an initiative back in June that this was something we needed to focus on,” Ferguson said. “Our goal is … every five years they’ll have a physical. I think our firemen deserve to have that.”

Dan Stevens, a spokesman for Westmoreland County Emergency Management, said Hempfield’s “doing the right thing. They need to be applauded for that.”

He said firefighters who serve with the county’s hazardous materials response team get extensive physicals every two years because of the number of firefighters in the state who die from heart-related illnesses.

Read the entire article in the Tribune -Review HERE.

Grapeville VFD Engine 21

Hempfield Township is obviously a well-run municipality.  They not only have a budget surplus this year, but they have not raised any taxes in 21 years.  The township has 12 all-volunteer fire departments.  You can view their WEBPAGE HERE.

Firegeezer says:  Hempfield Township is to be commended for this action.  Not explained in the article is whether the responder-members will be required to pass the physical in order to perform emergency activities.

Presented by Gnome Handler

Posted by on November 22, 2010 • Filed under: Fire-ology, Firefighter Safety & Health, health & safety • Tagged: , ,

Free Beer!

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SATURDAY WAS AN UNSCHEDULED HOLIDAY IN JAIPUR, INDIA, when a delivery truck filled with beer collided with another truck, spilling its cargo across the roadway.

Within moments the area was swarming with passerbys who stopped to help clean up the mess.  While some of them decided to open a bottle or two and drink them right on the spot, many others loaded what they could into their cars and onto scooters before motoring away.  By the time the police arrived, more than half the booty was gone, gone.

NDTV had their camera on the scene though, and caught some of the activity:

 

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Posted by on November 22, 2010 • Filed under: beer, News, Videos • Tagged: ,

Two Ambulances Crashed in Ottawa

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A FREEZING-RAIN SYSTEM THAT SWEPT ACROSS the Minnesota-Michigan-Ontario region Sunday night generated hundred of auto crashes.  In Ottawa, Ontario, the wreckage included two ambulances that were rear-ended just minutes apart by “inattentive drivers.”  In each incident both paramedics were injured and required transportation.  Likewise, both accidents occurred to units that were stopped and tending to victims of previous accidents.

Ottawa Paramedics issued a press statement last night:  ”Paramedic Units at each scene had over 30 high visibility LED emergency lights activated on each unit which makes our emergency vehicles extremely visible over very long distances.  Regardless, two of these motor vehicle collisions involved inattentive motorists who slammed into Paramedic Units on scene resulting in severe damage to both vehicles and injuries to paramedics. ”

CFRA Radio reports:  The first incident happened on the westbound Queensway around 10:14 pm, when paramedics say an ambulance with all emergency warning systems activated was rear-ended by a black Chevrolet Blazer. Two paramedics were treated for injuries by a second crew.

Around 10:45 pm, paramedics say an ambulance with its emergency warning systems activated on Highway 417 eastbound near Woodroffe was rear-ended by a vehicle. Two paramedics were treated for back injuries.

Posted by on November 22, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics • Tagged:

It Was Something Very, Very Important

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Gnome Handler FOUND THIS VIDEO FROM APRIL 2008 and passed it along.  It is a remarkably good recording of a high-rise fire in Moscow, Russia, where a gas explosion blew out the wall of an apartment and started a good-sized fire.

What makes it remarkable is that starting around the 55-second mark of the video you can see people wading through the fire back into their apartments to gather up some of their possessions.  You have to agree that is rare.

Firegeezer also notes that around the 22-second point you will see a firefighter using the ceiling splatter method of getting water on the fire from below.  This technique is not taught much anymore in the U. S., but you can see the instant effects of it successfully damping down the fire.  It’s only effective with a solid-stream nozzle.

 

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Posted by on November 22, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: ,

Bad Break for Billiards Store in Ohio

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A BILLIARDS SUPPLY STORE IN DAYTON, OHIO, was burned out Sunday morning by a suspicious fire.  The blaze was first discovered at 8 am and when the DFD arrived the partial 2-story brick building housing the Freedom Billiards Supply had heavy fire showing on the top floor.  Firefighting efforts were directed at containment successfully preventing the fire from spreading into an adjoining business housing a construction company.  There was nobody believed to have been in either building at the time.

Dayton Daily News

The Dayton Daily News reports that District Fire Chief Vincent Wiley, who directed the fire scene, said he considered the fire to be of suspicious origin because firefighters found one of the building’s entry doors unsecured.  The remaining walls were knocked down Sunday afternoon for safety reasons and the fire inspector says that it may be several days before the debris cools down enough to search for any evidence of how the fire started.

Dayton Daily News

WDTN-TV Ch. 2 filed this video report that includes some fire footage:

 

Read the full report in the Dayton Daily News HERE.
Dayton Fire Department WEBPAGE.

Google Street View of the fire building and the exposure hazard.

Posted by on November 22, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Morning Lineup – November 22

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It has been kind of fun watching the predicted price plummets on the television sets, almost just as the “experts” predicted.  If you are planning to upgrade your own home entertainment center with a larger (or additional) tv in the next few weeks, get ready to jump in when the price is right.  You might recall that a couple of months ago on September 29 we relayed the information about the over-production of LCD flat screens putting a glut on the market.  The tv manufacturers took advantage of the price drop and rushed their sets out to the retailers in time for the big shopping rush coming up.

We wrote, partially quoting from a CNN Money web posting:   But a tailspin will start in October.  In the last three months of the year, the firm forecasts that prices will keep falling until they bottom out at 12% below 2009 levels.  On Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), 32-inch LCD TVs will drop to an average price of between $249 and $299, with the best deals as low as $199, according to a prediction from research firm iSuppli. The 32-inch LCD TVs currently sell for $349 to $399, on average, with the cheapest model (Emerson’s LC320EMX) selling for $300.

During the month of December though, the price chops coupled with the shopping season will generate a surge in demand and by the end of December the bottom-prices will climb rapidly back to more profitable levels.  So the best time to add to, or upgrade your personal television receiver stock is sometime between November 26 and December 15.

Walmart has been making loud noises about insisting that they will have the lowest prices on tv’s over the Black Friday weekend and early peeks at their upcoming ads show an Emerson 42″ 1080p offered at $398 and a 52″ Samsung for $998.  I am only quoting on 1080p sets because some cable companies won’t convert the Hi-Def signals to 720p.

Taking a look at yesterday’s Sunday ads for Best Buy and HHGregg (a new outfit in my area) I see a 50″ plasma for $800 and a 55″ LCD for $900 at Best Buy.  The HHGregg stores are quoting similar prices plus $300 for a 32″ LCD that has a built-in DVD player.  The prices for the 19″, 24″ and 32″ sets are low enough you could add one to your own home inventory.

The digital dunce that I am, the difference between LCD screens and LED screens constantly escapes me.  I think that LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display and LED refers to Light Emitting Diode.  But I really don’t know if one or the other is supposed to give a better picture.  Perhaps one of you will write in and advise us of any noticable differences between them.  It appears that this overstock of LCD screens is also dragging down the prices of the LED and the Plasma tv’s.  Are people still buying the Plasma’s?  What is their advantage?

Well, this 20-day window of video opportunity is just about to open, so let’s see what happens next.

What is really going to happen next is getting this equipment checked out.  I need to get some more coffee started, too.  See you back in the day room.

Posted by on November 22, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Retired FDNY Chief MGM fire survivor?

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Edward P. McAniff was FDNY Chief of Department from 1963-1964.

He got into the fire promotional test preparation business. McAniff Associates (Bayside NY) published four books:

McAniff wrote:
“Strategic Concepts in Firefighting” in 1974

“How to Score High on Reading Interpretation” (with Stephen F. Robinson)

McAniff and John J. Cunningham wrote:
“Leadership In The Fire Service” Volume I (1974), and Volume II (1979)
These books were in a question and answer format that I memorized for my first fire officer exam.

Fairfax County IAFF Local 2068 brought McAniff down in the early 1980s for a promotional exam seminar. I do not recall much of his presentation, but I still remember those 70 year olds drinking all of us under the table.

Later I read that he was at the MGM Grand the morning of the fire. Staying on an upper level of the highrise, where many of the smoke inhalation/carbon monoxide deaths occurred.

Chief McAniff directed a group of tourists to safety. An internet search reveals nothing.

Can any of our readers confirm this story?

Thanks

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on November 22, 2010 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, Fires, Major Incidents, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Arson Conviction for Former Cop

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EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, POLICE OFFICER Kareem Spence got fed up with his 2002 Cadillac Coupe deVille last year.  The thing had 122,000 miles on it and kept overheating, but he still owed $8,000 on it, more than it was worth.  According to the police and fire investigators, he set the car on fire in May 2009 with the intention of collecting the insurance payout on it.

Unfortunately for Mr. Spence though, he forgot his lessons on evidence gathering from the police academy and the firefighters on the call immediately noticed the pile of gasoline-soaked towels in the trunk of the car.

In March of this year the Essex County prosecuter unsealed a three-count indictment charging him with aggravated arson, insurance fraud and attempted theft by deception.  The next day, March 31 he was arrested at the police station and suspended immediately.  He had been a policeman for just two years and recently resigned from the force.

Kareem Spence (on the right) shown at
his arrest in March.  (Star-Ledger photo)

This past Friday November19 he pleaded guilty to the charge of insurance fraud in a plea bargain that dropped the other two charges.  He is scheduled to be sentenced in February and faces up to five years in prison.  The Star-Ledger reports:

 Assistant Prosecutor Michael Morris, head of the prosecutor’s vehicle fire initiative, said his office takes insurance crimes seriously.”The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office will prosecute the crime of insurance fraud no matter who you are and no matter what you do for a living,” Morris said.

Read the full story in the Star-Ledger HERE.

Posted by on November 21, 2010 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics • Tagged: , , ,

Around the Fire Web

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Some weekend stories we recommend on the Fire EMS web:

*  Today marks the 30th anniversary of the MGM Grand Hotel fire in Las Vegas that killed 85 people and left 700 injured.  Dave Statter has a good review of the fire plus some videos of the catastrophe at STATter911 HERE.

*  Rescuing Providence brings a new viewpoint to the consideration of the mechanics of injury (as seen by Sherlock Holmes) HERE.

*  The Fire Critic has just come out early with his pick of the Top-Ten (hot & sexy) firefighter calendars for 2011.  There will be more, though.  So I hope he runs a supplement next month.  But you can see the current rankings HERE.

*  Firehouse Zen has an interesting insight into the difficult process of facing and accepting tragedy HERE.

*  The Happy Medic vents on the Pajama Man today.  I’m glad he got that out of his system HERE.

Posted by on November 21, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Blogs

Sleep Well, Gotham

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NEW YORK CITY’S MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL are back, reviving an old idea that the citizens rejected last year.  Mayor Bloomberg’s latest scheme to balance the budget includes shutting down as many as 20 firehouses during the nighttime, but only on a rotating basis.

However FDNY Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano says, “We haven’t decided what companies; we haven’t decided whether it’s gonna be 20 permanent companies or be a combination of some permanent companies and some rotating companies. We’re looking at the statistics.”

Last year’s proposal to close fire stations permanently was not accepted by the citizens who happened to live in the response districts targeted.  With this plan of closing only at night, the city can say that they are not actually closing fire stations, just going out of service for a few hours.  And the next night somebody else goes unprotected, so the risk is spread throughout the city and not just 20 neighborhoods.  In this video report from Fox TV Ch. 5, the president of the firefighters union points out that 2010 has been the busiest year in the history of the department:

 

The NYC government website has the entire Mayor’s Statement published HERE.

NY1 tv has more plus an additional video report HERE.

Posted by on November 21, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, labor, Videos

A Sunday Emergency !

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Season Four, Episode 18

Prestidigitation

Dr. Brackett’s father needs surgery.

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Posted by on November 21, 2010 • Filed under: Sunday Emergency • Tagged:

You Can Bet On This

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FIREGEEZER REPORTED BACK IN AUGUST on the arraignment of a former South San Francisco (California) Battalion Chief who was accused of felony bookmaking and conspiracy charges.  The case had been under investigation for three years and had led to his dismissal from the FD in 2008 after it was found that he was collecting gambling bets and paying off winners from his FD car while on duty.  He had also used the city computers “thousands” of times.  Read the Firegeezer REPORT HERE.

James Anthony Selvitella appeared in court Thursday along with two of his co-defendants where they pleaded “no contest” to misdemeanor betting charges.  The all received 18 months probation in what appears to be a plea-bargain settlement.  A fourth defendant pleaded “no contest” to a felony sports betting charge and was given a 3-months jail sentence and 3 years probation.  The fifth defendant will be in court on December 7.

A search of one of the defendant’s home (not Selvitella) uncovered betting slips showing $470,000 in bets for just one day.

The San Francisco Chronicle has this latest REPORT HERE.

Posted by on November 21, 2010 • Filed under: crime, Fire Rescue Topics • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – November 21

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Let’s take a look at the National Hockey League standings this morning.  The league is at the 1st-quarter mark of their schedule and by now the general managers have identified their teams’ weaknesses (maybe) and are sending out feelers for possible trades to strengthen their rosters.  While there haven’t been any trades yet, the New York Islanders made the first splash back on Monday when they fired their coach.  He was expected to perform a miracle with a weak team that was handed to him by the general manager, but couldn’t do it, starting the season with a 4-10-3 record and a firm grip on last place for the entire league.  The new coach has three games under his belt now, but the losing ways continued with the team dropping all three of them and tying the franchise record of 12 consecutive losses (including one overtime loss for a point).

Nobody has been more trying, or disappointing, for their fans than the Islanders for the past 5 years.  They have a meddling owner who doesn’t know how to run a hockey team, yet he won’t let anyone else do it for him.  Don’t look for any trades of consequence from them because they don’t have much to offer other teams.  They’re doomed to hold up the basement for the rest of the year, I’m afraid.

The team that has been the biggest surprise is the New Jersey Devils, but for the wrong reasons.  The team from Newark is always a solid contender and goes into the playoffs as one of the favorites to go far.  But something happened this year.  They only won two of their first ten games and after 20 games have  a puny record of 5-13-2, only one point ahead of the Islanders.  In their case it’s not because of lack of talent.  Their All-Star goalie Martin Brodeur has gone cold, unable to play his usual sterling game.  And it appears to me that while they have a collection of very good players on the team, they haven’t been able to gel as a team.  You gotta have that team chemistry to win consistently.  During the off-season they lured a solid goal scrorer, Ilya Kovalchuk from Atlanta.  But since he arrived they found out too late that he’s difficult to get along with.  But they’re saddled with him because of a very high-priced long-term contract.  They have just lost their last three games too.  I’m looking for a coaching change there before much longer.

The biggest achievers of the Eastern Conference are the Tampa Bay Lightning.  During the off-season they made some drastic changes to the team from the coach on down, bringing in a lot of new players via trades and they are playing some really good hockey this year, sitting 5th in the 15-team conference.

Out in the Western Conference the Edmonton Oilers are keeping their usual place warm at the bottom with 12 points, competing with New Jersey (12 points) and the Islanders (11 points) for the league worst.  Unfortunately, Edmonton is a small market and unable to generate the income necessary to compete effectively in the league.  So there they stay.  Last year’s Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks inexplicably traded away a big chunk of their team during the summer, including their #1 goalie, and are now only in 6th place in their conference.  They might not even be that high were it not that they have already played several more games (23) than any other team.  The current first-place team in the West is Detroit who have grabbed the top spot with only 17 games played so far.

As far as immediate trade activity in the West, I look for some action involving Anaheim, San Jose, and Dallas.  Now let’s relax a moment and watch the NHL’s Top-10 Hits of the Week (click the logo to play the video):

 

We’d better get this equipment checked out now.  I’ll see how the Sunday breakfast is coming along and get another pot of coffee started.  See you back in the day room after we finish up here.

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Posted by on November 21, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged:

Updated – Firefighter Killed in Firetruck Crash

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Updated, more details added and revised:

SERGEANT SYLVAIN DESMAREST, 49, OF GRANVILLE, FRANCE, perished Friday night when the firetruck he was driving was involved in a collsion with a car.  

Oueste-France photo 

 The Granville fire engine was responding to a traffic accident at 7:00 pm and it was dark and raining when they merged onto a bypass where they collided with a sedan driven by a 38-yr.old man.  The collision caused both vehcles to run off the road into an embankement where Sgt. Desmarest and Corporal Julian Hinard, 30, were both ejected.  A third firefighter, Corporal Julian Hinard, 30, emerged unhurt, but in shock.

The driver of the car was also unhurt, but shaken up.  The two firefighters who were ejected were both seriously injured and flown by helicopter to the hospital.  Sadly, Sgt. Desmarest died just as they arrived at the hospital.  None of the people involved know what caused the accident and the investigation is continuing with many witnesses voluntarily coming forward.

Sgt. Sylvain Desmarest

Sylvain Desmarest was first assigned to the Paris Fire Brigade and transferred to the rescue center in Granville in 1996.  Father of three children, he lived with his wife Yquelon.  An accomplished sportsman, he trained many young firefighters and he was upgraded in Granville to the specialty of coastal helicopter rescue diver.

A tribute will be held Tuesday morning at 10 am in the Granville sports arena.

The flag is at half-staff at the Granville fire station.
Oueste-France photo

No other information has been released, nor anything about the occupant(s) of the car.  This story will be updated if any additional information comes in.

Oueste-France has the STORY.

Posted by on November 20, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, Line of Duty • Tagged: , ,

Fatal Ambulance Crash in Georgia

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A HENRY COUNTY, GEORGIA, AMBULANCE WAS INVOLVED in a highway crash Friday night around 6 pm when an oncoming passenger car turned left into the path of the ambulance.  Police say that the Upson Regional Medical Center ambulance was on a non-emergency run transporting an infant to a hospital along with the child’s mother and the two paramedics.  The other car, a Chevrolet Monte Carlo was approaching in the opposite direction carrying a woman passenger and a 5-yr.-old child along with the driver.

WSB-TV

The impact was severe enough to demolish both vehicles and kill the passenger of the car instantly.  The driver and the child in the car were both seriously injured.

WSB-TV

WSBT-TV reports that Henry County police spokesman Jason Bolton said the driver (of the car) is believed to be at fault.  Bolton said it appears that he “failed to yield when turning left” in front of the ambulance.   “I would imagine that charges are likely, but of course I can’t say for certain, as the decision lies ultimately with the prosecutor,” Bolton said.

Read the full REPORT HERE from WSBT-TV.

Posted by on November 20, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances

Hotel Fire Discloses “Murder Room”

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LAST SUNDAY THE GUESTS IN A WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, hotel were evacuated when a dryer fire in the laundry room sent smoke throughout the 10-story building and causing six of them to be transported.  The fire itself was easily extinguished with a minimum of damage and wasn’t particularly newsworthy. 

WTAE-TV image

At least it wasn’t until the fire crews went room-to-room searching for any other victims or fire spread.  When they got to room 405 they found something completely unexpected, a room splattered with blood all over, a bunch of empty liquor bottles and a bloody knife on the bed.

After getting an urgent call from the FF’s, Fire Chief Linn Brookman went to take a look and immediately notified the police who then sealed the room off as a crime scene.  WTAE-TV picks up the story:

 Washington Police Chief J.R. Blyth thought Sunday’s discovery was the most grisly murder scene in his 35 years in law enforcement.  He committed several investigators to the “crime scene” — until they realized it had been set up that way for a horror movie.

“I was mad at first because we declared it a crime scene. I had to call my detectives out — that’s eight hours of overtime,” said Blythe.  “I had no idea what was going on — blood on the floor, the mattress, the pillows, piece of a scalp with hair still attached in the center of the bed,” said Blythe.

WTAE-TV image

After talking to the hotel’s owner they learned that a movie company had used the room and staged the “murder” scene for their filming last year.  Management had left it as it was in case they had to return for any re-shooting of the scene.

WTAE-TV Ch. 4 Pittsburgh has the rest of the story and a good video report HERE.

Submitted by Gnome Handler

Posted by on November 20, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology • Tagged: , ,

Barking Parrot Sounds the Alarm

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IN MEDFORD, OREGON, A WOMAN HEARD what she thought was a dog barking coming from the back porch of her neighbor’s house on Monday.  Knowing that they didn’t have a dog, she decided to see what was going on and stepped next door to investigate.  The barking was coming from under a pile of blankets and when she pulled them off, she uncovered a bird cage with a parrot inside, barking away.  That’s when she looked through the window into the house and saw flames in the front room.

The Medford Fire Department was on the scene in just a few minutes and had the fire knocked down quickly.  But the damage was limited because of the parrot’s propensity to mimic dog barks and its instinctive reaction to raise the alarm when it smelled trouble.

Medford fire investigators concentrate on the
point of origin for the fire on Monday.
(Mail Tribune photo)

The Medford Mail Tribune has the full STORY.

Posted by on November 20, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires • Tagged: , ,

Morning Lineup – November 20

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We’ll never know for sure whose brilliant idea it was to schedule a football game in a tiny baseball stadium, but it has sure left a lot of people with egg on their faces up in Chicago.  One of the oldest rivalries in the mid-west is that between Northwestern University and the University of Illinois, both in the Big-10 Conference.  Somewhere the seed was planted that it would be a great piece of nostalgia and fun to schedule the annual football contest between the two schools at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

No doubt they had in mind that many baseball stadii have been dual-purposed over the past century to accommodate football teams during the winter, but apparently nobody – nobody – from the two major universities thought about taking measurements at Wrigley first, just to make sure.  So when the football pitch was laid out in the park, this is what they ended up with:

photos via AP

The right-field wall, with the extra padding installed, is a mere 6 inches behind the end zone.  NCAA regulations call for six feet.

This led to what university people do best…meetings, conferences, and committee reports.  What they don’t do best is plan football games.  Since it’s way too late to reschedule or relocate the game, the HMFIC’s spent the week pondering what to do and finally yesterday – the day before the game – they came up with a unique solution that was approved by the Big-10 and, grudgingly, by the NCAA who tossed in the caveat that they would in no way be responsible for any negative results from the game in any way.

And what is this wonderful solution?  Every offensive play will be run toward the other end zone at the west end of the field that is placed along the 3rd-base line.  So every time the ball changes hands, whether it be from a 4th-down turnover or a kick return, etc., the referees will place the ball at the opposite end of the field so that the play will always be progressing toward the west end zone.  If a player picks up a loose ball fumble, which way is he supposed to run?  Let’s hope they impress that answer on them before the game starts.

And what about all those people who paid top dollar to get the prime seats at the east end zone?  Sorry, guys.  Who is the real winner here?  ESPN tv network is because they will be televising the game and no doubt ratings will soar as millions of people who don’t give a hang about either Northwestern or Illinois will be tuning in just to watch this silliness.  It’s your only and last chance to see these rules put into play.  The game comes on at 2:30 pm Central time, but I don’t know which one of ESPN’s many channels will be carrying it.  You will be able to find it ok.

But right now, let’s find our way to the apparatus and get this equipment checked out.  I’m going to start the coffee…we will need plenty of it today.  See you back in the day room in a little while.

Many years ago, Da’ Bears played their home games at Wrigley,
but the Cubs prohibited the temporary bleachers to be erected
for this college game.

Posted by on November 20, 2010 • Filed under: culture, current events, morning lineup, News • Tagged: , , , ,

Weekend Caption Contest

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It seems like a week never goes by without one of these photos coming through without a caption or description.  As far as this week’s goes, your guess is as good as mine of whatever is going on here.  I’m stumped.  So put on your thinking cap and figure it out for us.  As usual, post your suggested caption in the Comments so that we can all share.

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Posted by on November 19, 2010 • Filed under: caption contest • Tagged: