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Firefighter Suspended From 3 Jobs

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A HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA, FIREFIGHTER WAS RECENTLY suspended from not only his job as a full-time firefighter, but from two other nearby towns where he worked as a part-time police officer.  Kevin Ruby, 39, and two other firefighters were on duty back on October 10 when a gang of wild turkeys started walking by.  Ruby went to his personal vehicle and retrieved a gun, then shot one of the turkeys before putting the gun back in his car.

Kevin Ruby

The firefighters then cleaned the turkey and cooked it for that evening’s dinner.  It hasn’t been disclosed how the FD administration learned about it, but once they did they were concerned about the illegal discharge of a firearm inside the city limits.  After an investigation by the Hazleton police department, he pleaded guilty to killing big game out of season on a citation filed by the state Game Commission and was fined $1,000. Hazleton police also cited him for firing a weapon inside city limits, to which he also pleaded guilty.  Following those convictions, the fire department suspended him for 10 days and ordered him to perform 20 hours of community service.  The other two firefighters avoided unpaid suspensions, but were also required to perform community service actions.  All three of them are devoting their time to the Boy Scouts.

Now it has been disclosed that Ruby has been suspended from his two part-time jobs with the West Hazleton Police Department and the Kline Township police agency.  The Hazleton Standard Speaker reports today:

West Hazleton Mayor Frank Schmidt suspended 39-year-old Kevin Ruby indefinitely, pending a borough council meeting at 6 p.m. Dec. 14. Council members will then decide whether to retain Ruby as a part-time police officer, Schmidt said.

A registered letter informing him of the suspension went out in the mail Thursday, Schmidt said, but he had been taken off the police schedule following a Nov. 9 executive session.

Ruby also was suspended from his part-time police officer position in Kline Township for one month, Supervisor Nick Sanko said. Ruby will return to duty the second or third week of December, Sanko said. The suspension was effective Nov. 11, Police Chief John Petrilla said, and concludes Dec. 11.

Read today’s story in the Standard Speaker HERE and the earlier report from November 13 HERE.

Posted by on November 19, 2010 • Filed under: current events, Fire Rescue Topics, labor • Tagged: , ,

Protecting The Patient

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AN AMBULANCE IN CALCUTTA, INDIA, was responding to a hospital with a patient Thursday evening when an airport-bound mini-bus filled with passengers drifted over and crashed head on into the ambulance.  The ambulance had five people in it, including the patient, and the mini-bus had more than a dozen passengers.

The crash caused the ambulance to overturn injuring all five passengers, some seriously.  At least 10 people in the bus were also injured.  At the crash scene scores of bystanders rushed into the wreckage and began pulling the victims out of the vehicles.  But when the police arrived they thought a riot was in process and started attacking the rescuers.  The Times of India reports:

Locals alleged that despite informing the police at airport police station, they reached the spot late. They even started dispersing the locals who had started the rescue operation. Soon, the situation turned violent and police allegedly started a lathicharge. The police’s attempts to overpower the locals turned the spot into a battlefield.

The mob resisted police by brickbatting and set fire to the offending minibus. The situation soon spiralled out of control and reinforcements were rushed to the spot. Police are yet to identify the person who died in the accident.

They do things differently over there.  Read the Times of India story HERE.
Posted by on November 19, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – November 19

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A true cultural icon is disappearing from our national psyche these days, fading away as the Christmas shopping frenzy is picking up and presenting us with replacement icons that simply must be purchased.  Sony Corporation has recently announced that after a remarkable 31-year run, they are retiring the Walkman.  The final production run was last April and when the current stock is sold out, that’s it.  They have already discontinued sales in Japan (of all places!) and expect the rest of the world to go “dry” very soon.  Especially now that they have made this public notice about it, there will be a rush by nostalgists to grab one while they still have the chance.  (Note:  The Walkman brand name will still appear on some models of MP3 players.)

That first model Walkman was a remarkable innovation when it arrived, well ahead of the “digital revolution.”  The curious little gadget was about the size of a paperback book and played the now-extinct cassette tapes.  Powered by a pair of AA batteries (or was it 4 of them?) and only heard through a set of unusually tiny headphones, it was the first personal music buddy that could be taken anywhere without bothering anybody around you.  It also ushered in a still-continuing stream of pedestrians inexplicably walking directly into traffic and getting run over.  Don’t tell me you haven’t gone on one of those calls.

It was in 1979 when the device went into mass production and a couple of years later it started showing up in North America, but at a price that made it largely prohibitive unless your credit was still good.  I remember the first time I saw one up close.  Somebody I worked with brought one in and showed it around and we all were fascinated with the thing.  We were especially impressed with the high quality of the sound coming throught the little foam speaker pads.  Never seen or experienced anything like that before.

Naturally, you are aware of the technical evolution that followed, including a later Walkman that played CD’s after the creation of a practical rechargable battery that would fit in one.  The creation of the MP3 format not only extended the practical life of the Walkman, but it also lent itself well to the rapidly-shrinking microchips that are inmplanted in almost every device that has a headphone plug.  Do you realize that there is an entire generation of music lovers that is unaware that there was a time when you had to share your favorite tunes with your friends through loudspeakers?  Now your own personal collection of “favorites” is exactly that….personal.  No longer do old married folks look at each other fondly and say, “Listen, Honey….they’re playing our song!”   Nope.  Everybody has their own personal song now.

All right, let’s dance on over to the apparatus and get this equipment  checked out now.  I’m going to get some more coffee started.  See you back in the day room in a little while.

 

d

Posted by on November 19, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup, technology, Technology & Communications, Videos • Tagged:

Dijon Update – Arrests Made

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TWO MEN HAVE BEEN ARRESTED FOR STARTING the fire Sunday morning at a high-rise residential building that killed 7 people in Dijon, France.

AFP

Firegeezer first reported on the fatal blaze in a 9-story migrant workers hostel HERE and we pointed out that the fire had started in at least one trash bin stored under a shed roof at the base of the building.  Review the STORY  and video for the details on the fire and the evacuation  of over 130 trapped residents.

Gazette

Earlier today (Thursday) the local prosecutor announced that two men who are cousins, one age 19, have been arrested and charged with “willful destruction resulting in death,” a crime that can bring a life sentence in prison.  The were already known to the police as the setters of several trash fires over the summer months in the Côte-d’Or region.  “They admitted being present at the scene at the time of the fire and blamed each other on the fatal act. The investigation will include establishing the roles,” said a representative of the prosecutor’s office, advising that there was a “co-action. ”

One of the accused was picked up in a psychiatric hospital where he had admitted himself on Sunday.  Both of them were indicted on the willful destruction charges, but they could still have homicide charges brought against them after the results of the post mortems on the victims are completed.

L’Express has the REPORT.

Posted by on November 18, 2010 • Filed under: arson, Fires • Tagged: , ,

A Fresh Firebombing in Montreal

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IN WHAT APPEARS TO BE A RENEWAL of a Mafia-related gang war, still another Italian shop, this time a grocery, was firebombed at 4:20 am this morning (Thursday).  Someone lobbed the Molotov cocktail into the rear of the Cavallero Fine Foods grocery in Westmount, an upscale neighborhood on the island of Montreal.

CBC

The explosion of the gasoline was heard throughout the entire neighborhood and brought the fire department quickly to the scene.  The resulting fire was small and the FF’s handled it easily with a minimum of fire damage.  The blast blew out one of the front windows of the deli-style grocery.

Montreal Gazette photo

The crime follows the same pattern of more than three dozen other arsons that have plagued the Italian community for nearly two years.  Most of them have been targeted toward restaurants and delicatessens.  Late last year a man was arrested and charged with being connected to about 16 firebombings between August and November of 2009.  His incarceration brought an immediate drop in Italian restaurant fires, but they picked up again early in December following the gangland-style slaying of Nicolo (Nick) Rizzuto, son of reputed Montreal Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto.

Since the first of this year there have been more than 20 firebombings and arson of Italian bakeries, deli’s, and pizzaria’s.

CBC News has this morning’s early report HERE.

For more background on this running feud, see previous Firegeezer reports HERE, and HERE.

The Montreal Gazette prepared this map showing the related arsons in the past two years:

Posted by on November 18, 2010 • Filed under: explosion, fire, Fires, Montreal Mafia Madness • Tagged: , , ,

Ambulance Driver Arrested

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IN JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, AN AMBULANCE driver was stopped and arrested Wednesday, charged with using his ambulance as a taxi when he was supposed to be transporting patients between hospitals.

The ambulance was hired to transport special-needs patients at various hospitals to the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital for treatments.  However, the 31-yr.-old driver was stopping to pick up hitchhikers and then making them pay for their travel.  When the traffic officers stopped him yesterday there were five passengers in the ambulance.  When asked if they were patients, they all said that they were not.

The ambulance has been confiscated by the police.  Currently more than 30 ambulance workers are on suspension from a crackdown on corrupt practices in the ambulance service.

News24 has the STORY.

Posted by on November 18, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics

Promotional Opportunities

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THE TOWN OF SALISBURY, NEW HAMPSHIRE, WOKE UP Tuesday morning with neither a fire chief nor a police chief after they both resigned abruptly.  The police chief and his sergeant, the only two men on the department resigned effectively immediately.  The fire chief Rick Gilman advised the Selectmen that he would step down at the end of December.

The two police officers are both part-time positions with the chief working 32 hrs. a week.  The other officer who also quit is a full-time State Police officer who also worked 8 hours a week for Salisbury.  Fire Chief Gilman stated that he would continue participating as a firefighter in the town’s volunteer department.

The reasons for the sudden departures have arisen since two Selectmen were recently elected to office and the story is extensively covered in a 3-page story in the Concord Monitor HERE.

WMUR-TV Ch. 9 Manchester filed this video report:

 

d

Posted by on November 18, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, labor • Tagged:

Strip Mall Fire in Illinois Goes to Extra Alarms

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A DAYTIME FIRE BEGAN IN A BRIDAL SHOP Wednesday afternoon just before 3 pm and caused extensive damage to the strip mall where it is located in Oak Lawn, Illinois.  The fire alarm was called in at 2:51 and the Oak Lawn FD was on the scene in three minutes where they found heavy smoke coming from both the front and the rear of the Eva’s Bridal Shop.  As they were beginning operations the fire was already extending into the Radio Shack store that adjoined Eva’s.

The view that greeted the first-in company.  The initial attack lines
were placed at the rear of the building.  (ChicagoAreaFire photo by Hank Sajovic.)

  Early investigation indicates that the fire started in the attic area over the bridal shop and burned for some time before anybody was aware of it.  By the time the first units arrived it was already well underway and spreading into the electronics store.  The roof over Eva’s collapsed and the Radio Shack’s interior was burned out, but the 20 area fire departments on the scene contained the fire to those two occupancies.  Four other shops had heavy smoke damage, however.

ChicagoAreaFire / Hank Sajovic

The fire was knocked down by 4 pm and no injuries have been reported.

The Palos Patch has the STORY.
ChicagoAreaFire.com photographer Hank Sajovic was on the scene before the first-in units had their water supply established and has an excellent photo gallery documenting the progress of the fire and the FD activities HERE.  Make sure you take time to follow this link.

Posted by on November 18, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires • Tagged: , , ,

Morning Lineup – November 18

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One of our pasttimes here is watching the shifting cultural patterns of tv watching, using the term “tv” broadly.  Using a television set to view movies and tv programming is more specific.  When we last took a peek (HERE), Hulu was introducing the beta model of Hulu-Plus, a flat-rate monthly fee for ulimited downloading or streaming of movies and tv series programming, both past and current.  The introductory price was $10 monthly.  The service is formatted to download the programming to not only your computer, but also to iPhone 4, iPhone 3G, iPod Touch, iPad, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and TVs and Blu-Ray players from Samsung, Sony, and Vizio as well.

Since then Blockbuster has filed for bankruptcy two months ago and late last week some startling figures were released showing that for the first time ever, the number of cable television customers dropped.  Collectively the cable, telephone and satellite services lost over 100,000 customers in the 2nd-quarter compared to last year, but the big eye-opener was the 3rd-quarter numbers that just came in showing that the cable companies lost 3/4 of a million subscribers over the previous year’s 3rd-quarter.  A large number of those 700K viewers migrated over to the telecoms and satellite providers, but a couple-hundred thousand dropped off the chart.  I believe that a lot of that cable decline is due mostly to the providers’ practice of constantly raising rates excessively faster than the cost-of-living index is going up. 

As far as the overall decline goes, there is a strong indication that customers are becoming increasingly irritated with having to pay higher rates for the 200+ supplemental channels that few people have any desire to watch.  Thus the slow shifting of video-watching practice over to Netflix and now Hulu.  What all this is leading up to is Hulu’s announcement yesterday (Wednesday) that they are now offering their Hulu Plus service in full to everybody.  And in a bit of a surprise, they have cut the subscription price from the beta offering by 20% to $7.99 per month. the same price that Netflix charges.  Let’s just call it $8.

Myself, I’m not much of a tv watcher, so this doesn’t immediately impact my lifestyle.  But it’s interesting to see how the overall couch-potato culture is shifting.  If you want to compare the reasons to switch / not switch to Hulu, read THIS ARTICLE from PC World.

But first let’s get this equipment checked out.  I need to get some more coffee started pretty quick, too.

Posted by on November 18, 2010 • Filed under: culture, morning lineup • Tagged: , ,

Dollar Store Update

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KAKE-TV CH. 10, WICHITA, KANSAS, REPORTED on Tuesday November 16:

Around 8:30 this morning, an employee of a business in the 2500 block of S. Southeast Drive found what appeared to be a grenade in the alley between the Dollar General store and the Sara Lee bakery.

Upon arrival, Wichita Police reported that the device appeared to be an altered or modified grenade with a wire sticking out of it and called the bomb squad.

Shortly before 10, the bomb squad took the device to the bomb range to detonate it.

Wichita Dollar General store on S. Southeast Dr.

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ALSO ON TUESDAY IN KANSAS, AN ELDERLY WOMAN accidentally drove her car through the front wall and door of a Dollar General store in Emporia.  The Emporia Gazette tells:

Gazette photographer Matt Bristow reported from the scene that the car was completely inside the store and had taken out some of the cinder block wall and glass doors.

No one was hurt in the accident.

Emporia Gazette

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A 2-ALARM FIRE IN THE WEST SIDE OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, last Friday completely burned out a Dollar General store, leading to a roof collapse.

KTRK-TV reports:

Fire crews were there for about six hours on Friday and brought in heavy machinery to break through the metal siding and the roof to make sure the fire was completely out.

It grew into a two-alarm situation, but the fire was difficult to put out because of the store’s inventory that turned into what firefighters call a heavy fuel load. ”The Dollar General store was already stocked up for Christmas and had their decorations out; so yes, it was plenty of combustibles in there to heat up that steel,” Houston Fire Department District Fire Chief Roy Hamm said.

 No one was injured and the only three people inside the store escaped safely. 

No one was injured and the only three people inside the store escaped safely.

KTRK-TV Ch. 13 also filed this video report:

 

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Dollar Store Updates are a regular feature on Firegeezer.  You can review previous reports HERE.

Posted by on November 17, 2010 • Filed under: Dollar stores • Tagged: ,

Sex Act Escalates To Haz-Mat Response

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WHEN HOTEL EMPLOYEES AT THE KENNETT SQUARE, Pennsylvania, Fairfield Inn found a 48-yr.-old man dead in his room, they could tell immediately that this was not a routine death.  The Philadelphia Daily News reported yesterday:

The evacuation of a Chester County hotel earlier this month was caused when staffers entered a room, found an Indiana man’s naked, lifeless body next to various sexual devices and a gas mask, and smelled the stinging odor of unknown liquids, police and sources said.

The liquids turned out to be cleaning solutions that the man had been huffing as part of a solo sexual act, a source said yesterday.  The substances were various inhalants, including VHS tape cleaner and other cleaning solutions.

Police believe the substances were being inhaled by the man to create a euphoric sensation.  A source said that the sexual devices and the gas mask indicated that the man’s behavior may have been “ritualistic.”

The discovery of the collection of chemicals along with the strange odor prompted a response from the Chester County Hazardous Materials team.  After checking out the incident scene, they deemed it safe for re-occupancy.  Police believe that the man, who is from Bloomington, Indiana, was acting alone in his “ritual.”

Kennett Square Fairfield Inn

Posted by on November 17, 2010 • Filed under: Haz-mat, HazMat • Tagged: ,

Car Chase! Car Chase!

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WHEN IT COMES TO WILD POLICE CHASES caught live from the tv helicopter,  Fox News ain’t got nuthin’ on TV 30 VIVO in Brazil.  You might say the same thing about their motorcycle cops, too.  Take a look at this helicopter video of  a batch of Brazilian motorcycle cops on a high speed chase through city streets. 

Relentless with no thought at all of dropping off the chase because of “safety to the civilians.”  Nosireee…they are going to GET that guy.  And when the bandido puts it in reverse and runs over the motorguy, knocking him off his bike and slamming him against the side of the bus…… well, do you see him laying on the ground filling out his disability papers?  Nosireee…. he bounces right up and chases after the bandido, pumping lead right through his window.

Ok, so his aim wasn’t too good.  But you have to remember that just a few seconds earlier he had just been run over by the car.  Es uno tough hombre!

Take a look and see if you don’t agree:

 

d

Posted by on November 17, 2010 • Filed under: crime, News, Videos

Remarkable Containment in Downtown Fire

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THE LOGAN, WEST VIRGINIA, FIRE DEPARTMENT was faced with a big challenge Monday night when a fire ripped through the top floor of a 4-story hotel in the center of town.  The closely-spaced buildings on narrow streets, most of them multi-storied, presented an opportunity for a disastrous fire spread.  Eight fire departments from surrounding counties responded to assist and the FD was able to contain the fire to the original building.

WOWK / Sharon Wood photo

The fire started around 7:30 pm and by 8:30 the roof had collapsed onto the 4th floor.  The fire damage was confined to the top floor, but the lower levels suffered heavy water and smoke damage.

WOWK / Sharon Wood

The Aracoma Hotel has been a landmark for 90 years and has recently been used as an apartment building with several commercial occupancies on the ground floor.  There were approximately 60 residents of the building.  The Charleston Gazette reports:

The 97-room hotel consists of three floors of living space atop a ground-level retail space that housed a jewelry store, gift shop, beauty shop and fitness center. Most of the rooms on the top floor of the hotel were used as apartments for long-term guests, while the lower levels accommodated overnight visitors.

 When firefighters arrived at the scene, the top floor of the structure was engulfed in fire and smoke.  ”If the fire had to happen, we were blessed that it happened at the time of day it did — when people were still up and alert,” said (Logan Fire Chief Scott) Beckett. “If it had started at 3 a.m., we would still be filling body bags.  With none of the occupants injured, no firefighters seriously injured and no other buildings damaged, the outcome is really kind of miraculous.”

WOWK-TV posted some raw fire footage here:

 

Read the full report in the Charleston Gazette HERE.

Charleston Gazette

Posted by on November 17, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos

Tonight’s Netcast

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Taking it to the Streets: The First-Due Officer
On Your Street, In Your City, Across the Country, Around the WorldTM

Grab a cup of coffee and sit down for an hour with Taking it to the Streets on Firefighternetcast.com where we’ll discuss the street level issues affecting the First-Due Officer on Wednesday night November 17th at 9:00 pm EST.

 Regardless if you’re the First-Due Company Officer or the First-Due Commanding Officer, you have a tremendous level of responsibilities and immediate actions that require effective and efficient; identification, assessment, analysis and implementation in the evolving fireground. Or is it just; “pullin’ the line”, or “opening up” or “arriving on scene and assuming the command?”

 The First-Due Officer has many facets, functions and pitfalls. Leadership, determination, fortitude, skills, resilience, strength, conviction, temperance, restraint and the courage to be safe. Or could it be recklessness, ineptitude, incompetent, self-indulging, careless or dangerous: all in the name of tactical entertainment.

 Join in on the live open discussion with fire service personnel from around the country. Check out the latest downloads of recent programs in the archives by visiting Taking it to the Street’s webpage on Firefighternetcast.com or for program insights at CommandSafety.com.

Posted by on November 17, 2010 • Filed under: Fire-ology, Training, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – November 17

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The funeral service and interment for Columbia, South Carolina, FF Chance Zobel will be conducted today beginning at 1:00 pm Eastern time.  FF Zobel was run over and killed by a car while he was working a grass fire in a highway median on November 13.  A second FF was seriously injured.  We posted the links to Grant Mishoe’s coverage on SConFire and most of you followed his updates. 

This was truly a sad incident and one that will most certainly be difficult for the entire Columbia FD.  FF Zobel, age 23, was already a member of the department in another capacity when he finally was able to be hired on as a firefighter.  According to the fire chief, he was very enthusiastic about the job and getting hired was a real dream come true for him.  He had been a firefighter for only nine months when his life was snuffed out.

The accident was not caused by the car that struck the firefighters, but by another vehicle that crashed into the rear end of the car, causing it to careen into the firefighters.  We have learned in the past two days that the driver of the car that caused this tragedy is an illegal alien from Mexico who didn’t even have a driver’s license.  The entire terrible incident was senseless and avoidable.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

For those of you who are still following the fading story of the engine room fire in the Carnival Cruise ship Splendor, we have another link for you to click.  The senior cruise director on board who is in charge of the non-operational side of things is a man named John Heald.  As it happens, Mr. Heald is a blogger who posts his commentary and thoughts of his usual life as a cruise director and when this emergency arose, he took time each day to continue posting. 

His items done in a diary style are very interesting and provide a unique viewpoint on what was going on along with some details on how the emergency was being handled that you won’t read anywhere else.  Remember that it’s posted in blog style, reverse order and you have to continue scrolling back through the pages to get all six chapters of his experience.  Firegeezer definitely recommends reading Heald’s blog.  CLICK HERE to start in on it.

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And finally this morning, we want to revisit Grenoble, France, where a firefighter was shot in his arm on Friday night while he was putting out an auto fire in an apartment complex parking lot.  We posted the video REPORT HERE on the incident.  Fireball has passed along to us an update on the story.

Yesterday morning (Tuesday) 150 firefighters gathered at the (city hall) to protest the lack of security for the firefighters in this area where much violent activity has been taking place since July.

Le Dauphine

While the area was relatively calm on Friday when this incident happened, there has been an ongoing string of violent civil disturbances in that neighborhood and the firefighters are understandably upset over the lack of police security when they go into the area.  After marching into the lobby of the municipal building with their protest, one of the city officials agreed to meet with them and hear their grievances.  He later told them that the council has promised to open negotiations with them.  For those of you in Quebec, and others who read French, you can read the details of yesterday’s protest in Le Dauphine HERE.

Posted by on November 17, 2010 • Filed under: labor, Line of Duty, morning lineup • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

International Training Exercise

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ON THE NIGHT OF NOVEMBER 9 – 10, a training exercise was conducted between the Italian and French rescue services in the tunnel of the Colle di Tenda, in order to check the operating procedures laid down in the Safety Plan Binational officially adopted in 2008 by the Prefecture of Cuneo and the Alpes-Maritimes Nice.

All photos via SDIS 06 and Vigili del Fuoco

The scenario was that of a car accident in France in five cars traveling in the tunnel of the Colle di Tenda, from France to Italy with the aim of trying times and response procedures in conjunction with  French firefighters.

In previous years there have been several international exercises with the French Fire Brigade to develop a procedure for joint action to address security in a dangerous operation in the tunnel of the Colle di Tenda, considered one of the most dangerous in Europe .

The exercise began at 10:00 pm with the activation by a passing motorist of one of the alarm buttons that are located at various points inside the tunnel.  This  immediately alerted via  telephone line the emergency services both French and Italian.

The simulation was carried out smoothly and in perfect harmony with the emergency services across the Alps, allowing a rapid extrication of casualties from car wrecks.  The “death toll” was two dead and eight injured.

All relief agencies concerned, Italian and French, will meet soon in a debriefing meeting to analyze the results of the exercise and an opportunity to assess the outcome of the simulation.

The Vigili del Fuoco (Italy) website has the STORY.

Posted by on November 16, 2010 • Filed under: Training, training-fire-rescue-topics

So, Why Is Auto Maintenance So Expensive?

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IT’S NOT JUST THE PURCHASE PRICE OF NEW CARS that has gotten so high lately, but the cost of repairs and parts replacement as well.  Is your mechanic ripping you off on maintenance costs?  More than usual, that is?

The costs of owning and operating a car are higher now primarily because of the advanced mechanical design and complicated electronics that are built into the vehicles now.  It used to be that we would take our screwdriver and set the carburetor jets by ear every now and then for optimal performance.  Now…. there isn’t even a carburetor in there anymore.  A computer-controlled gasoline injector sends the perfect mix into the cylinder now.  Nowadays your neighborhood mechanic spends up to $200 a month for service bulletins and model standards, where he used to spend $35 a year for the infamous Chilton’s Motor Manual.

Even the ignition key is high-tech now.  The key and its attached fob have an anti-theft code built in that changes the code everytime you start the car, preventing use of a key copy.  Your formerly $2 key now costs $200 to replace.  And on it goes…..

Popular Mechanics has a great article online that goes into more depth on the various reasons why the basic compact car costs like a luxury car to operate these day.  CLICK HERE to read the entire article.

Posted by on November 16, 2010 • Filed under: cars, News • Tagged:

Off-Duty Fire Chief Murdered

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THE FIRE CHIEF OF MAILLY-MAILLET, FRANCE, was shot and killed last Thursday while trying to mediate a domestic dispute.  Eric Demailly, 49, was the commander of the village’s volunteer fire brigade and was also the unofficial town arbitrator who had a reputation as a man of consensus, which seeks to resolve conflicts and to alleviate rather than escalate the dispute.

Eric Demailly

On Thursday, a national holiday for Veteran’s Day, Vincent Louchet was in town with some friends and he decided to visit his former wife Sylviaine who he was divorced from.  An argument broke out around 10 pm and a noisy fight ensued, followed by Vincent’s retreat to a garage he keeps for workshop projects.  Eric Demailly, who was also a career firefighter in Somme, went to the workshop to try and calm Vincent down and restore peace to the family.

While inside the garage alone with Louchet, Demailly was shot dead while they were alone.  It is not known what was said or done to cause the violent act.  Recuers and firefighters responded immediately to the scene, many having heard the two gunshots, but they were unable to save their chief.

Louchet immediately fled the scene, but a rapidly-assembled squad of 30 policemen tracked him down and arrested him about an hour later.  He is being held until his first court hearing.

Scene of the murder

The Courier-Piccard has the story and more details HERE.

Posted by on November 16, 2010 • Filed under: crime, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Uncategorized

Firehouse Sale Favoritism Catches City Councilor

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THE CITY OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA, WANTS TO SELL a decommissioned fire station and called for bids.  Part of the bidding process required a detailed description and plans for the property’s use so that it would be compatible with the area and a benefit to the neighborhood.

Ten applicants submitted bids and proposals to the Tulsa Development Authority for the old Fire Station 8 building, but when the submissions reached the TDA for consideration, seven of them had mysteriously been left out, leaving only three proposals for them to look at.  The selection committee includes a city councilor, Maria Barnes who is suddenly under fire from the Mayor and others for being “too involved” in the selection process.  KJRH-TV Ch. 2 broadcast this video report last night in which Barnes acts all innocent and unknowing:

 

Firegeezer notes that Councilor Barnes was never accused of protesting the actions or making any attempt to keep the bidding process clean.  The combination of public exposure coupled with the mistake of putting a lawyer’s bid in the trash heap has brought this action back to an appearance of propriety.

Posted by on November 16, 2010 • Filed under: fire stations, News, Videos • Tagged: ,

Death Toll Climbs, Arrests Made in Shanghai Fire

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THE DEATH TOLL IN THE HIGH-RISE FIRE IN SHANGHAI yesterday has risen to 53 this morning, with at least 17 more vicitms in critical condition.  Several others are still missing and unaccounted for in the blaze that roared through the entire 28-story apartment building.

Police have made swift arrests, detaining four unlicensed welders who are accused of accidentally starting the fire on the exterior scaffolding that enveloped the building.  (See yesterday’s Firegeezer REPORT HERE for the story.)

The Associated Press filed this brief video report on the arrests:

 

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Shanghai List has a very extensive PHOTO GALLERY HERE. 

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Posted by on November 16, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – November 16

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The space shuttle Discovery is trying to tell everybody that it wants to retire now, not after one more flight.  We’ve been following the saga of the final launch (HERE and HERE) and the shuttle’s resistance to soaring one more time to the space station.  It’s latest planned liftoff was two weeks ago, but had to be postponed several times because of the weather.  Then last week a hydrogen gas leak near the fuel tank was discovered along with some cracks in the insulation nearby, setting the launch back until the end of this month while they get repaired on-site.

Now comes word that still more cracks have been found in that same area that surrounds a pod that contains electronic equipment.  More work = more time needed to get the creaky old gal ready.  This next launch “window” is open from November 30 until about December 5.  If they don’t make that, the next opportunity doesn’t arrive until February.

You know, I think that if I was one of those astronauts watching these last-minute obstacles parade by, I would start getting a little edgy about going through with this adventure.  How about you?

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From the Good News side of the information highway comes word that one of the East’s favorite beers is making a comeback…maybe.  The geezers around the greater New York area fondly remember Rheingold Beer and their popular, annual Miss Rheingold contest.  First brewed in 1883, the Brooklyn brewery became the solid favorite of the workingman due to its low selling price and good flavor.  But when the “dirty water” brews of the national brands swept through in the late 1970′s, putting scores of local breweries out of business, Rheingold turned off the kettles in 1976.

Chug-a-Mug

About ten years ago, one of the family heirs started a small operation in NYC brewing Rheingold once again using the same recipe.  Five years ago a niche holding company, Drinks America of Wilton, Connecticut, purchased the brand and are now re-launching it in the home base area of New York , New Jersey and Connecticut.  Their trial distribution plan was successful and now they are going to expand their sales base.  Firegeezer hopes they get down here in my patch before too much longer because it was always one of my favorites.  I especially remember with fondness the Rheingold Chug-a-Mug bottle.  Ahhh… great stuff.

Ok, let’s cut out the daydreaming and get this equipment checked out.  I’m going to get the coffee started.

Posted by on November 16, 2010 • Filed under: beer, morning lineup • Tagged: , ,

Promotional Opportunities

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FREDERICK COUNTY (VIRGINIA) FIRE CHIEF TIM WELSH resigned his position Monday effective immediately.

Welsh had been on administrative leave since October while an internal investigation was carried out following his arrest for driving while intoxicated. 

 WHSV-TV reports:  Deputies arrested Welsh October 25th for driving while intoxicated.  Authorities say he was driving his personal car when he was caught speeding down Northwestern Pike.  Before pulling him over, the officer says he noticed Welsh crossing the center line.  Officials say he failed a field sobriety test.

WHSV Ch. 3 ran this video report Monday evening:

 

Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal Dennis Linaburg has been appointed acting fire chief.

Posted by:  Gnome Handler.

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Posted by on November 15, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, labor, Videos • Tagged: ,

Drive Carefully this Holiday: Extreme Message

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The English and Australian safety councils take a different approach to their safety messages than we do.

In August 16, 2009, we shared the graphic movie showing an up-close dramatized accident due to teen texting:

The short film, starring young actors from South Wales, shows a teenage girl killing four people after she uses her mobile phone to send a text.

Gwent Police said it hoped the graphic video would be shown in schools around Wales and hopefully the rest of the UK.

Research has shown texting while driving slows reaction time by 35%.

(Nice depiction of fire and ems response. 4 minutes, 15 seconds)

from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8203120.stm

Note: BBC has removed the embedded video from outside sites. Click on the link just above.

Our colleague MotorCop alerted us to this Sussex Safer Roads “Embrace Life” video promoting seat belt use. Not gory but very compelling. Originally posted March 17, 2010:

Now our friend, Captain Dave Fornell, shares the mother of this genre.

The Transportation Accident Commission (TAC) is a Victorian Government-owned organization set up in 1986.

Its role is to pay for treatment and benefits for people injured in transport accidents. It is also involved in promoting road safety in Victoria and in improving Victoria’s trauma system.

This 5:22 minute video:
TAC Campaign – 20 year Anniversary retrospective montage
is powerful. 5.3 million views.
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Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on November 15, 2010 • Filed under: cars, culture, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Training & Development, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

NYC Taxi finalists

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The NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) put out a request in December 2009 for proposals for the exclusive right to make the taxi of tomorrow.

The winning design also must create an “iconic vehicle that can be identified with New York City and exemplifies the character of the city,” TLC Chairman David Yassky said.

Seven submitted, the three finalists were announced today:

Transit Connect by Ford

Alex Nunez (March 19, 2008) autoblog article about concept Ford NYC taxi HERE

Nissan North American

Karsan (Turkey)

You can get more details at the Taxi of Tomorrow website (HERE)

Sara Kugler Frazier (2010 Nov 15) AP/Huffington Post City Hall Unveils Three Finalists To Be Next NYC Taxi (HERE)

Getting closer to a “Johnny Cab”

Total Recall (1990)

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on November 15, 2010 • Filed under: cars, News, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

High-Rise in Shanghai Has Total Burnout

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A 28-STORY APARTMENT BUILDING IN SHANGHAI had fire showing from bottom to top all day Monday and left nothing but a shell when the fire was finally stopped (or burned itself out) after six hours.  So far there are 48 known dead, but many more are still unaccounted for.  More than 100 victims were taken to hospitals.

Reuters

The building has 156 apartments and was mostly populated with retirees, many of whom were at home when the fire started.  The building is undergoing a renovation and having “energy-saving” insulation installed, and was sheathed with scaffolding.  Witnesses report seeing some building materials stored on the scaffolding catching on fire, then spreading to the scaffolding itself, racing up the building and penetrating fire into the apartments at all levels.

Many people were trapped inside and had no refuge or safe exitway out of the building.  Some of them leaped out of their windows rather than face a fiery death.  A large number climbed out onto the scaffolding and awaited rescuing by the firefighters.  Approximately 80 fire companies were called to the blaze.

Ifeng TV has this video report showing the fire at its peak and some firefighters rescue activity:

 

It will be many hours yet before a known casualty list will be available.

Shanghai List has an informative and dramatic description-by-timeline HERE.

The Sydney Morning Herald has the STORY.
The New York Times has MORE.

Posted by on November 15, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: ,