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Morning Lineup – December 20

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Are you ready for the next “great moment?”  It comes along late tonight, or more accurately early tomorrow.  I’m joining the breathless news people in referring to tonight’s event in the skies as the moon will be sliding into a full eclipse.  All of North America will be getting the choice seats to watch this one, and if you just happen to be awake in the middle of the night, then you can tell anyone who’s willing to listen that you saw it.  The total event lasts 3 hrs. and 28 minutes.

Coming soon to a sky near you

What’s making this eclipse noteworthy is that it occurs on the same day as the winter solstice.  You say you don’t really care?  Ok, but listen to this… you understand that logic tells you that a total eclipse can only occur when the moon is full.  The frequency of having a full moon on the same night as the solstice is relatively rare even though it has happened twice fairly recently, in 1999 and the very next year 1980.  But it won’t happen again until 2094.  So for most of us, this is our last chance.

You say you still don’t really care all that much?  But wait…. there’s more!  The frequency of having a total eclipse on the day of the solstice is even more scarce.  The last time that happened was 372 years ago in 1638.  But the time gap until the next one is shorter, coming up at the aforementioned 2094 event.  Now before you get all anxious to remind me that for the people in Hawai’i and points west that the eclipse is taking place on Monday night for them, I need to point out that these astronomical events are compared to the Greenwich Mean Time set on the Oº meridian.  As for myself, I think I’ll be content to tell my great-grandchildren that I lived through it….sound asleep.

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One more thing to pass along this morning, even though it’s inconsequential but I found it briefly interesting.  Back on October 3 we posted a fun story about the Rubik’s Cube Championships with some good videos HERE.  Since then I have learned that if you have the smarts to do it properly, any Rubik’s Cube combination can be solved in 17 turns.  Ok, there’s your benchmark… see how well you do next time.

Now it’s time to get more serious and get this equipment checked out.  I’m going to get the coffee started  and see what else is new.

And if you were gone over the weekend and missed THIS STORY about a nice, young man who needs some help, take a moment to read it, please.

Posted by on December 20, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: , ,

Pipeline Ka-Boom Kills 27 in Mexico

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AN ATTEMPT BY THIEVES TO TAP into a high-pressure oil pipeline in Mexico went awry Sunday morning and ended up with a large explosion followed by four smaller ones.  At least 27 people were killed and another 52 injured.  The initial blast occurred around 6 am and when daybreak arrived the extent of the damage became shockingly evident.

EPA

Reuters

The failed tap-in was tried on a pipeline owned by the state-run oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, in the city of San Martin Texmelucan, 55 miles east of Mexico City.  The initial explosion affected a 3-mile radius sending a river of flaming oil down the city streets and causing fire damage to over 100 homes, destroying at least 32 of them.  The flow of crude oil left a covering of thick oil sludge on the roads along with a trail of scorched buildings and burned cars.

Reuters

AP

The fires were brought under control by midday and Pemex said that they had successfully shut down the pipeline.

The Los Angeles Times has a REPORT.

El Universal TV prepared this video taken in the fire zone:


 

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Posted by on December 19, 2010 • Filed under: explosion, fire, Fires, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

“Outside Drill” Brings Suspensions

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IN THE SUMMER OF 2009 the 10 on-duty firefighters in a Chicago firehouse went on the street for training, entering the drill in the station logbook as an “exterior overhaul drill.”  It turned out that the “drill” took place at one of the firefighters’ home where he was undergoing some renovation.  The crews parked the engine and truck, then each of them grabbed a pike pole and they stripped all the exterior siding off the house before returning to the station.  The entire procedure took only an hour, and then they were gone.

For some reason, the Chicago City Inspector General got involved in looking into the the activity and spent good taxpayers’ money investigating, interviewing, and report-making on the one-hour misuse of the FD’s time.

The Chicago Tribune tells:

Inspector General Joseph Ferguson recommended that two fire lieutenants and the home-owning firefighter be suspended without pay for 30 days, sources said.

But Fire Department brass found the conduct less troubling than the inspector general.  They ordered three-day suspensions for one lieutenant and the firefighter who owns the home, but the other lieutenant faced no punishment because he retired last month after 30 years on the job, sources said.

A spokesman for Chicago Firefighters Union Local 2 said the union is contesting the suspensions, but declined to discuss the specifics of the case. Spokesman Tim O’Brien did, however, suggest “there are greater things for the inspector general” to focus on.

So did the retired lieutenant, who questioned why the inspector general was investigating “firemen trying to do their jobs” with all of the other issues “going on in the city.  The whole thing is going to be thrown out by an arbitrator,” retired Fire Lt. Patrick Carolan predicted.

Read the entire article HERE.

Posted by on December 19, 2010 • Filed under: Fire-ology, labor, News • Tagged: ,

Patient Dies Following Ambulance Wreck

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A 63-YR.-OLD WOMAN WHO WAS being transported to the hospital had to be transferred to another ambulance after the first one collided with a car Saturday afternoon in western Pennsylvania.  The Robinson Emergency Medical Services ambulance had picked up the woman at her home in Kennedy, Allegheny County, after she had collapsed in her home. 

Robinson EMS photo

While en route to the Ohio Valley Hospital the ambulance collided with a car at 4:11 pm.  The wreck inflicted injuries on the four emergency workers in the ambulance and they were also transported.  After the second ambulance got the patient to the hospital, she died in the emergency room.

An autopsy was scheduled for today (Sunday) to try and determine if the crash was a contributing factor to her death.
Update:  On Sunday night it was announced that the coroner determined that the woman died of natural causes and the vehicle accident had no bearing on her mortality.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the STORY.
Robinson Emergency Medical Services WEBSITE.

Posted by on December 19, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: ,

A Sunday Emergency !

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Firegeezer notes:  This is the final episode of Season Four.  We will take a short hiatus for three weeks
over the holidays that will occupy the next two weekends.  Since Season Five was never released for
online streaming, when we return on January 2 9 we will start over with Season One, Episode 1 and run
as far through the programs as we can until the franchise expires in September 2011.

Season Four, Episode 22

905 – Wild

 

The L.A. County Animal Control Department appeals for help from the Rampart Hospital.

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Posted by on December 19, 2010 • Filed under: Sunday Emergency • Tagged:

15 Dead in Hotel Fire

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A FIRE SWEPT THROUGH A 5-STORY HOTEL in Tuguegarao City, Philippines early Sunday morning leaving 15 dead and 12 more injured.

AFP

The fire broke out around 1 am and trapped the victims in the budget bed & breakfast hostel.  Nine of the dead were recent nursing school graduates that were in town expecting to take their final licensing examination later that day.  The other six fatalities were all relatives of the hotel’s owner.

GMA NewsTV reports:

Some firefighters wept and prayed as they retrieved badly burned bodies. Grieving relatives converged at a morgue where remains of victims — 14 burned beyond recognition — were brought. Some fainted as body bags were brought into a funeral parlor.

AP

 

“Their families spent fortunes to send these children to school only to see them end that way,” fire investigator Daniel Abana said.

“It’s so close to Christmas, we wept when we saw their bodies,” Abana told The Associated Press by telephone adding that dozens of guests, roused by the commotion, were rescued by firefighters and police or reached safety on their own.

Many of the dead had crammed in bathrooms on the top two floors. One victim had a foot stuck out of a window in a desperate attempt to survive, he added.

AP

The fire started in an adjoining building that housed a motorcycle shop and spread to the B & B, destroying both buildings.  The fire was knocked down by 5 am and at 2 pm all the victims had been accounted for and the search was discontinued.  Investigation into the cause is just beginning.

The Manilla Bulletin has MORE.

Posted by on December 19, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires • Tagged: , ,

Gun Control Needed

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A BILLINGS, MONTANA, MAN IS IN JAIL FOLLOWING an argument with his girlfriend where his pistol got involved and he got arrested.  The sorry incident began Tuesday afternoon when the two lovebirds got into a spat in the parking lot of a casino about the man’s upcoming prison sentence.

Johnathan Hartman

Johnathan Hartman, 27, had recently been convicted for his fourth felony and was due to be sent to the pokey for a while when they got into his car after he bought a bottle of whiskey.  While they were in the car he began drinking from the bottle and then got agitated and fired a pistol he was carrying through the roof of the car.  Then, according to the woman, he stuck the gun in her mouth and threatened to kill her.  And just to show he was serious, he pulled the gun out of her mouth, held it next to her ear and pulled off a round, sending another bullet speeding across the parking lot.

At that point, Hartman started up the car and sailed out of the lot, driving “in an erratic manner” with the woman still inside.  As he was racing through Main Street, the budding young gangster tried to shove his “piece” down the back of his pants waistband and accidentally fired off round #3, shooting himself  in his butt.

End of the trail.  (KTVQ Ch. 2)

The police found the pair shortly after, still in the car and sitting in a trailer park.  Hartman was taken by the local AMR to the hospital where he was treated for a “flesh wound” and then following his release he was arrested for felony #5, assault with a weapon.

The Billings Gazette has the STORY.

Police say the alcohol was  a factor.  (Billings Gazette photo)

Posted by on December 19, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, crime, EMS Topics • Tagged: ,

Some Seasonal Music

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Leading off the week with the Christmas classic:

CAROL OF THE BELLS, conducted by the world-famous bell ringer, Quasimodo.

 

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Posted by on December 19, 2010 • Filed under: culture, entertainment, Videos

Funeral Held for Two Fallen Firefighters in France

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A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE WAS PAID TO the two firefighters from Treilleres, France, who died tragically at a commercial fire Wednesday night.    Sergeant Christophe Augereau, age 31, and Corporal Jean-Charles Sorin, age 25, were operating in an aerial platform when they came near enough to a high-tension power line to draw an arc that killed them instantly.  (See the Firegeezer report on the incident HERE.)

AFP photos

Saturday morning over 1,000 firefighters from around the country, along with the interior minister, Brice Hortefeux, attended a formal tribute at St. Herblain.  In the ceremony they were promoted posthumously and in addition, they were made Knights of the Legion of Honour by the Minister of Interior.  In his solemn tribute, Brice Hortefeux praised the memory of these heroes adding that  ”The whole nation is grieving.”

AFP

Oueste-France has the report along with a short video HERE.

Posted by on December 19, 2010 • Filed under: current events, Fire Rescue Topics, News

Morning Lineup – December 19

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THE BATCHES OF CELEBRITY DEATHS continues….usually “in three’s.”  It’s funny, that old saying just always seems to be proven out.  Within a short span of time, three notable people usually connected in some way with the entertainment industry, pass away.  The current cluster came to notice the other day when we learned that famed movie director Blake Edwards had died on Wednesday the 15th and we passed the information on to you (HERE).  My antennae immediately perked up, looking for another to come along pretty quickly.

It turns out that it was so quickly that I missed it at first, because on the same night that Blake Edwards passed, the great baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller died also.  One of the greatest right-handed pitchers in baseball history, Bob Feller was 92 years old when he succumbed to leukemia.  Younger folks these days might not have ever heard of him, unless they are true baseball fans.  For the people in the Geezer generation though, he was legendary during the time that professional baseball was in its glory era.  Everybody in America knew who Bob Feller was, and his fame was rightly earned.  This video news report that the Associated Press issued on the day after he died sums up his career nicely:

 

There are plenty of online resources to bring up if you are interested in learning more about this remarkable athlete.  Just enter Bob Feller in your favorite search engine and sit back for a while.

Ok, that’s two…on the same day yet…but where is #3? Hmmm…it’s getting a little late to be considered a part of that cluster.  Did I miss another one?  Or, did it happen yesterday and we just haven’t heard about it yet?

While we’re waiting, let’s get this equipment checked out.  I need to get some more coffee started.  See you back in the day room.

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Sunday Photo Art

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Posted by on December 19, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged:

Let’s Help One of Our Own

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F. G. Gnome says:  My boss Steve, the famous Gnome Handler, is close by a sad and tragic happening this week.  Please read this and see if you can pitch in, too.

Firefighter Loses Mother to Cancer ….
Then Loses House to Fire

Sometimes, bad things happen to good people, and this is one of those times.

It’s hard enough going through life as a single mother, raising a young son without any material or emotional support from the father, but then to find out you have to battle cancer at the same time, is beyond most people’s imagination. More hard luck than the average person should have to face at one time.

As the son, imagine the heartbreak at 19 years of age, standing by while your Mother, the only family you’ve ever known, loses her fight to cancer….with no insurance to cover the expenses….then imagine that 3 weeks after the funeral, you also lose your home in a devastating fire.

This is exactly what has happened to Tate, a northwestern Pennsylvania volunteer firefighter and EMT. The young man serves his local VFD and works part time at Emergycare in Erie, Pennsylvania, to help pay his way through college. His mother was a single mom, working to support her and Tate, while living in an older mobile home in a rural area.

Thursday morning, Tate left his home in Townville, PA and was headed to work when his home caught fire. First arriving units reported the trailer “fully involved”. There’s no way to come back from that. The home and contents were a complete loss. Insurance coverage was the bare minimum and there are substantial medical bills left over from his mother’s cancer fight.

I know times are tight right now, but for this young man just starting out, the times are downright terrible. Tate is not your ordinary older teenager…he’s one of the good guys….local rednecks would call him “a good ol boy”. He’s worth saving.

This is a hardworking young man who deserves some help, especially right here at the holidays, so I’m appealing to all Firefighters and EMTs nationwide to step up and give us a small donation.

We’ve set up a bank account at Northwest Savings Bank in Meadville, PA to help cover expenses and I can accept PayPal for those of you that aren’t local and want to use a debit or credit card. We need to get a roof over his head and make sure he’s stays in school. Anything you can give, will help.

Steve Marshall,  aka “Gnome Handler”

PayPal donations can be sent to me at  mainstreetmarshall (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Checks can be mailed to

Steve Marshall
21702 Golden Dr
Meadville PA 16335

made out to:
“Tate Keplinger House Fire Fund”

Thanks ever so much.

Firegeezer adds:  Many FD’s have a small charity fund for this type of assistance.  Could you see if your department can help?  Thanks.

Posted by on December 18, 2010 • Filed under: charity

Policeman Drives, Patient Dies

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AN ACCIDENT VICTIM IN EAST SUSSEX, ENGLAND, died Friday afternoon when the ambulance that was transporting him to the hospital slid off the road during a winter storm and crashed.  A senior police officer called the incident  “…a complex series of interlinked events, which happened during adverse weather conditions.”

The chain of events began when the victim who was driving a mini-car was involved in a collision with a truck carrying road equipment and was seriously injured.  Both of the medics from the South East Coast Ambulance were required to treat his life-threatening injuries, so a police officer on the scene was delegated to drive the ambulance to the hospital.

About 20 minutes later, the ambulance crashed and two air ambulances were dispatched to the location.  The victim of the first wreck was declared dead on the scene.  The driver of the truck in the first accident has been arrested and is being held on a dangerous driving charge.

A police spokesman says that it is normal practice for officers to take over as ambulance drivers  in this type of situation.

BBC News has the STORY.

Posted by on December 18, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: ,

Fire Guts Historic Church

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ONE OF THE EARLY STRUCTURES FROM THE WESTWARD EXPANSION was destroyed Friday when a 4-alarm fire ravaged the Provo, Utah, Tabernacle of the Mormon church.

Salt Lake Tribune / Meyers

The fire was discovered in an upper level shortly before 3 am by a security guard.  When the FD arrived they began inside operations, but when they saw how far the fire had advanced in the old, wood-timbered structure, they withdrew and fought the fire from the outside.  Around 6 am the roof collapsed, effectively completing the destruction of the interior.

Fire crews continued watering the hot spots and hidden pockets of fire all day Friday.  Today (Saturday) an attempt will be made to determine the integrity of the outside walls, which are all that remain of the structure.

Deseret News

The Deseret News reports:

Structural engineers and city and church officials will meet this morning (Saturday) to determine what to do next with the building.  A task force including the state fire marshal also will be involved in the investigation.

“As we dig through the debris, there are certain indicators that will help show us where the fire was most intense and burned the longest, and we will work from there,” (Provo Fire Marshal) Schofield said.

While there was no official estimate of the damage to the tabernacle, millions of dollars in electronic equipment also went up in flames.  Much of that camera and lighting equipment belonging to BYU and the LDS Church was at the building to produce and record a music production that was scheduled for Friday night.

This video report from KSTU-TV Ch. 13 has some good fire footage:

 

The BYU Broadcasting arm of Brigham Young University had staged a rehearsal for Friday’s concert Thursday night and left all their cameras, recording equipment and lighting set up inside the church.  Provo fire officials are optimistic about the integrity of the walls because they are very thick and well-built.

Wikipedia Commons photo

The tabernacle was built in 1883 and the interior was finished in high-quality woodwork of 19th-century craft.  It has been renovated three times over the years.

The Desert News has the story and an 84-image photo gallery HERE.
The Salt Lake Tribune has MORE HERE.
Provo Fire and Rescue WEBSITE.

Posted by on December 18, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, history, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Morning Lineup – December 18

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I haven’t paid a whole lot of attention to the new-age warplanes that are unmanned and called “drones.”  Oh, I know what they are and that they have been a major part of the skirmishes in the Middle East as we stalk down and attack the various terrorist cells.  But I learned quite a bit yesterday when I read an article in Wired.com about the planned phase out of the prevelant drone used by the Air Force that is called the Predator.

It’s not that there is anything wrong with the Predator, but that it’s old and a newer and better model is on the way.  In fact, the Air Force has already begun receiving the upgraded drone, the Reaper.  From the Wired article:

Ah, the Predator: Flying at up to 25,000 feet for around 20 hours at a time, the drone was supposed to be a pure surveillance aircraft. But starting in late 2000, the Clinton and Bush administrations decided to outfit the Predator with Hellfire missiles to reduce the lag time between identifying Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and attempting to take him out. Bureaucratic wrangling delayed the armament, but in November 2002, a CIA-operated armed Predator blew up a Jeep carrying some of bin Laden’s acolytes. The age of the Predator — an age of remotely piloted air war — had begun.

USAF photo

Unlike the Predator, the Reaper is no accidental warrior. Also built by General Atomics, it flies twice as fast (150-170 knots cruising, 260 max), at higher altitudes (around 50,000 feet), and carries ten times the payload (over 2 tons) as the Predator. That allows it to strap on the AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, as well as GBU-12 and GBU-38 precision bombs. And as a surveillance aircraft, it’s got more electrical power than the Predator, which means “we can integrate new or improved sensors on the aircraft,” Johnson says.

There is an overlap of drone deliveries with the final Predators still arriving after the first Reapers began showing up.  The USAF bought 268 Predators and the last ones are scheduled for delivery in  the next couple of months.  The Reapers have been arriving to fill in for Predators that have come out of service by attrition, maintaining the fleet.  The Air Force will be purchasing a total of 329 Reapers over the next several years.

Alright, if they don’t have pilots sitting inside the aircraft, you might be wondering where the guy is that wiggles the joystick for the ultimate in video game excitement?  The pilots for these drones that are flying all over the world are in a command center at the Creech Air Force Base in Nevada.  Ground support troops launch the drones at the war zone and then, once they have reached several thousand feet, control of the drones is handed over to a crew of three operators sitting in front of video screens in specially designed trailers in the Nevada desert. One person ‘flies’ the drone, another controls and monitors the cameras and sensors, whilst a third person is in contact with the “customers”, ground troops and commanders in the war zone.

Since today is Saturday, you will probably have time to come back later and watch this 12-minute video report from CBS News recorded at Creech showing how the system works.  Seriously, it’s well worth your time to watch this:

 

Ok, before we get too deep into the drone world, lets get our own attack force checked out.  While you start on the equipment, I’ll be getting some more coffee ready.  See you back in the day room.

Posted by on December 18, 2010 • Filed under: aircraft, morning lineup, Videos

Always Double-Check Your Calculations

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THIS CRANE CREW IN NEW ZEALAND KNEW something was going wrong when the beam smashed their temporary platform.  But they didn’t know just how wrong it was until …..

 

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Posted by on December 18, 2010 • Filed under: current events, Videos

Weekend Caption Contest

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Okay, okay….this one isn’t a real news photo.  But in the spirit of the holiday season when everybody is having a good time, I thought we would join in the fun and give you a previously unreleased photo of an accident scene that has been classified until recently.

Tell us what you think the EMT is planning or considering.  How to take vitals?  I don’t know, but I’m sure you have some ideas to share.  Just post them in the Comments so we can all learn about this new-age street medicine.

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Posted by on December 17, 2010 • Filed under: caption contest • Tagged: ,

Blake Edwards Dies at Age 88, Creator of Pink Panther

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FAMED HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR, BLAKE EDWARDS passed away Wednesday night of complications from pneumonia.  He was in a Santa Monica, California, hospital with his wife, actress Julie Andrews and other family members at his side.

Mr. Edwards was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and moved to California as a young man following his father who was a stage director and his grandfather who had been a silent-film actor.  He is best known for his creation of the Pink Panther movies starring Peter Sellers, but his fame came before that.  The Wikipedia biography of him states:

His early career as a scriptwriter was for radio where he was given an early break by Orson Welles on his production of The War of the Worlds (1938). Welles later credited Edwards as having written the famous line: “They’re here and they’re hungry.” His hard-boiled private detective scripts for Richard Diamond, Private Detective became NBC’s answer to Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, reflecting Edwards’s unique humor.

Edwards also created, wrote and directed the 1959 TV series Peter Gunn, with music by Henry Mancini. In the same year Edwards produced, with Mancini’s musical theme, Mr. Lucky, an adventure series on CBS starring John Vivyan and Ross Martin. Mancini’s association with Edwards continued in his film work, significantly contributing to their success.

He also had been a successful film actor in his own right.  But it was as a director that he had his greatest success.  Besides the hugely-popular Pink Panther series, he directed several other hits including Days of Wine and Roses, 10, Victor Victoria, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

The Associated Press has released this video report:

 

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Posted by on December 17, 2010 • Filed under: culture, News, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Roseville Galleria Update

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THE CITY OF ROSEVILLE, CALIFORNIA, HAS RELEASED ITS report on the Westfield Galleria shopping mall arson.  The incident was widely reported when a man carrying explosives entered the mall and made threats to blow up the 2-story facility.  During the course of events, he started a fire that spread out of control after a mall employee shut off the sprinkler system.

The Placer County district attorney had asked for a gag order on all internal reports to prevent “tainting the potential jury pool.”  The judge disagreed and ordered the release of the reports.  The city released the 16-page After-action Report early this morning (Friday) and you can READ IT HERE.

Of special interest to firefighters are two paragraphs on Page 2 that relate the sequence of events that led to the sprinkler shutdown.

The 8-page Fire Timeline is HERE.

Posted by on December 17, 2010 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, investigations • Tagged: , , ,

Promotional Opportunities

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THE MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, METROPOLITAN FIRE BRIGADE CHIEF, GRAHAM FOUNTAIN resigned suddenly on Wednesday after only eight months on the job.  He was forced out after allegations of unfair treatment were leveled by a female colleague with whom he was having an affair.  A fire brigade  spokesman confirmed that CCTV footage from within the fire brigade headquarters had recorded events that supported the woman’s allegations. However, the spokesman said the allegations were not of a sexual nature.

Fountain was hired for the position in April after spending three years as the CEO of the Australian auto racing confederation.  Previous to that, he spent 20 years in the Country Fire Authority where he rose to Deputy Chief.

Former MFB Chief Graham Fountain at
a recent charity bicycle event.

The police were never involved in the investigation and the MFB has said that with Fountain’s resignation, the case is closed.  Acting Premier and Emergency Services Minister Peter Ryan said, “A settlement has been negotiated with the lady, between herself and the board of the MFB at her request.”  A statement released by the MFB stated:

 Mr Fountain tendered his resignation, which was accepted by the MFB board president and former police commissioner Neil Comrie.  As soon as the board became aware of the allegations, swift and decisive action was taken to investigate the matter.

This matter has now been resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant and in accordance with the complainant’s request for confidentiality no further details of this matter will be released.

They have not disclosed if there was any financial settlement involved with the woman who has already left the fire brigade employ.  The CCTV tapes used as corroboration will not be released either.  Deputy Chief Officer Shane Wright will temporarily assume the chief officer’s role.  Fountain was earning $300,000-yr. as chief officer.

The Age has MORE.

Hat tip:  The Fire Critic.

Posted by on December 17, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, labor • Tagged: , , ,

Guess Who Dropped In?

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THE EMERGENCY ROOM STAFF AT SOUTHWEST Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, got quite a jolt Tuesday night when a man came crashing through the drop-ceiling.

WDRB-TV

The story began a little earlier when Nicholas Fultz, 27, was brought into the ER by a woman friend who drove him in her car.  Fultz had burns over his arms and face, and when he was asked how it happened, he said they were alcohol burns.

Not buying that story, the police were called in to investigate and when they questioned the young woman who brought him there, she let the truth slip out.  WDRB-TV continues the story:

 She said Fultz was a known meth dealer. She also admitted that she picked Fultz up in her vehicle and — while he was inside — he pulled a bottle out of a paper bag and the bottle exploded, causing the burns.When officers searched the vehicle, they found numerous ingredients of a meth lab, including drain cleaner, pseudoephedrine pills, ammonium nitrate and lists of clients to whom Fultz allegedly sold meth.  They allegedly found a “one-pot” meth lab in the car.

While all this was going on, Fultz decided that he had better skedaddle, so he climbed up into the dropped ceiling where he thought he could just crawl his way out of the hospital.  Unfortunately for Fultz, during his first 27 years he never learned about the flimsiness of ceiling tiles and he barely made it six feet before he made the crash landing.

WDRB-TV Ch. 41 Louisville filed this video report:

 

Fultz was charged with manufacturing meth, trafficking in controlled substances, criminal mischief, resisting arrest and giving an officer a false name or address.

The money quote from the police spokesman:  “This is very complex chemistry done by people who are not chemists.”

Darwin is waiting for him in the parking lot.

Posted by on December 17, 2010 • Filed under: current events, EMS Topics, Videos • Tagged: , , , ,

Morning Lineup – December 17

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It only took a little more than an hour for the right answer to come in for yesterday morning’s word quiz.  The only word in the English language with three double-letters in succession is Bookkeeper and its relation, Bookkeeping.

Since we are having fun with words this week, I’ll tell you about another one that is used around the fire and ems  departments constantly:  Rookie.  We all know what a rookie is, but did you ever wonder how that word came to signify a raw recruit or novice member of a team?  No, I didn’t think you ever wondered about that.  But I will tell you anyway so that you can impress the guys on the other shift – and the rookies – with your remarkable breadth of knowledge.

People who study things like that (etymologists) believe the word dates back to the Civil War when new recruits in the Army were called “reckies.”  The modern pronunciation just evolved from there.  Don’t ask me how I got started on that, but I’m over it now.

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Everybody recognizes this North American natural landmark:

The Niagara Falls, the second-largest cataract in the world (behind Victoria Falls in Africa) straddles the United States / Canadian border with the aptly-named Horseshoe Falls in Canada and the smaller American Falls (left) in New York.  You will notice the huge pile of rock rubble at the base of the American Falls caused as pieces of the ledge drop off due to natural erosion.  When the geologists started measuring the erosion rate back in the early part of the 19th century they discovered that both of the falls were receding by about 2 to 3 feet a year.  The construction of two hydroelectric plants just upriver in the 20th century slowed the flow down enough to reduce the erosion rate to about 1 foot a year, much to everyone’s relief in the tourist industry.

Geezers and near-geezers will recall that back in the 1960′s a massive chunk of the American Falls broke off and more than doubled the size of the rock pile at the foot, leaving this unsightly view.  Many geologists feared that one more such collapse would effectively fill up the cataract and the Americal Falls would become just another steep-sloping river drop.  So in 1969 a temporary dam was constructed that diverted the Niagara River flow over the Horseshoe Falls, effectively “shutting off” the American Falls.

Lindsey News photo

One of the purposes was to remove as much of the rock pile as they could,  but after studying it up close it was found that it would be too expensive to do that.  So while they had the water turned off the geologists had a field day studying the escarpment and the engineers did some repair work to the ground faults that effectively slowed the erosion rate down to about 4 inches a year.

What brought this topic up today was the discovery of a set of professional photographs taken during the 6-month shutdown that were packed away for the last 41 years and were just recently “found” in an old shoebox stored in a garage.  The Daily Mail (UK) has published several of them along with a good explanation of how they shut off the falls.  The color photos are great, though.  I recommend that you CLICK HERE to read the article and enjoy the images.

In the meantime, take a look at this home movie taken at the time of the shutdown:

 

That’s enough tourism for today.  We need to get this equipment checked out now.  I’m going to get the coffee started while you do that, and then we’ll meet back in the day room.

Posted by on December 17, 2010 • Filed under: history, morning lineup • Tagged: , ,

Around the Fire Web

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Lots of other good “reads” out there in the Fire Web World:

*  The Washington, D. C., City Council and Mayor move in mysterious ways.  Dave Statter is reporting that the newly-elected mayor has chosen as the new fire chief a former deputy chief who had to resign after being caught “gaming” the retirement system.  Read the story in STATter911 HERE.

*  The Fire Critic has a must-read article on the Silent Killer, carbon monoxide, and the need to reinforce its importance on your fellow firefighters.  He also tells you how to get a free dvd to use for station drills or other educational uses HERE.

*  Wildfire Today has an interesting posting about a new collaboration between CalFire and NASA to utilize NASA’s technology for remote sensing of wildfires.   Read it HERE.

*  Capt. Schmoe gives us another Report on Conditions and offers more evidence why sprinklers should be mandated for living units, especially apartments HERE.

*  FireNews.net has a fascinating rescue challenge facing the Blowing Rock, North Carolina firefighters earlier this week.  It’s an auto on its side, resting against a small tree on the edge of a 70-ft. cliff….with the driver still inside.  It’s a good photo story HERE.

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Posted by on December 16, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Blogs, Fire Rescue Topics

Do These Guys Look Familiar?

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IF THESE 19th CENTURY FIREFIGHTER’S AIR MASKS look like somebody you know,  just think: “Star Wars.”

Collectors Weekly photo

Firegeezer reader Will Vincent works for Collectors Weekly, a popular publication that really comes out daily and reports on antiques and vintage items.  Will sent this item along to us to share, an article about 100-yr.-old firemen’s air masks and their compatibility with tribal art masks.

Before Steampunk:  Star Wars’ 1800′s Roots was posted by Steve Erenberg and he tells us where these masks came from and how they worked.  Did you know that  FD’s had air masks 120 years ago?  I didn’t either.

Read Steve’s article HERE and find out more about them.  You might also learn how DarthVader got his name.

p.s.  Collectors Weekly has a dedicated section for Firefighting Antiques and memorabilia HERE.  Check it out.

Posted by on December 16, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, history, memorabilia • Tagged: , ,

Time To Change Jobs…

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…. IF YOU’RE A LIGHTHOUSE-KEEPER, THAT IS.  The combination of high winds and sub-zero temperatures is turning many of the Great Lakes navigational objects into beautiful, but dangerous, fairy castles.

There are a keeper’s house and the light
tower to right in this U. S. Coast Guard photo

Every wave that crashes across the lighthouses and beacons leaves another thin layer of ice on the structure.  Eventually the beacons and lights become hidden and fail their purpose, causing unsafe shipping conditions.

This raw video provided by Associated Press was shot yesterday on Lake Erie:

 

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Posted by on December 16, 2010 • Filed under: current events, News, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

“Get Your Own Self to the Hospital…”

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THE NORTH WEST AMBULANCE SERVICE in Great Britain has been swamped lately with 9-9-9 calls creating a backlog in responses to emergencies.  The ambulance officials are blaming the overload on too many calls for non-emergencies.  Neil Docking, writing in the Preston and Leyland Citizen reports:

 (The) surge prompted Darren Hurrell, chief executive of the North West Ambulance Service, to plead with patients to consider whether they needed an ambulance at all.  He said: “If your life is not in danger and we won’t get to you for several hours, is there someone else you can call, your son-in-law, your brother, to get a lift to hospital?  We’re saying to everyone before you ring an ambulance, ask yourself are you ill and do you need to go to hospital?

“If you feel that you are, then think if you have a safe alter-native way to get to hospital.”

The ambulance trust said that a woman who had broken a nail and a man suffering from constipation were among the most ridiculous 9-9-9 calls it had received this year.  Read the FULL STORY.

North West Ambulance Service WEBSITE.

Posted by on December 16, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, ambulances, EMS Topics • Tagged: ,