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Combative Patient Steals Ambulance

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A MENTALLY-DERANGED MAN IN SANDPOINT, IDAHO, gave both the paramedics and the police a bit of extra work Monday night. Cody Wayne Mills, 25, first came to the attention of the Bonner County EMS crew when they responded to his house while he was trying to jam his fist down his own throat.

The Bonner County Daily Bee picks up the story:

With some difficulty, they managed to load Mills onto a gurney and put him into the ambulance. But Mills was able to undo his primary restraints as EMTs tried to put him into more secure extremity restraints attached to the gurney. Bonner EMS spokesman Bob Abbott said Mills began throwing punches, which prompted EMTs to back off and law enforcement to step in.

Deputy Jason Wiedebush ordered Mills to relent and was warned that if he did not comply he would be shocked with the Tazer, the deputy’s affidavit said. As Mills hopped through a passage separating the cab and the patient compartment, Wiedebush deployed the stun weapon.

But the wires attached to the probes imbedded in Mills broke and Wiedebush bailed out of a side door when Mills put the vehicle into gear and began to speed away, the affidavit said. Mills hit a tree after driving about 20 feet, hit more trees about 15 feet later and then fled into the woods.

Mills was apprehended about 40 minutes later, already suffering from hypothermia. The ambulance had about $2,500 in damage from the tree jousting.

Read the full story in the Daily Bee HERE.
Bonner County EMS WEBPAGE.

Updated – Double LODD in France. Now an Arson/Murder

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UPDATE, 12:15 pm Eastern: Case now an arson. Murderer might have been seen. New info. and a video added. Scroll down.

TWO FIREFIGHTERS IN TREILLERES, FRANCE, died Wednesday night at a commercial fire. The two men were operating from an aerial platform at a fire in a car dealership when the platform came in contact with high-voltage electric transmission wires.

Oueste-France photo

Europe 1 is reporting this morning:

Two of our firefighters were in the platform of the ladder and they wanted to move the ladder to try to reach another point (to attack the fire),” testified Philippe Berthelot, commander of the Fire Department Loire-Atlantique .

“A thick yellow and black smoke was filling the sky at that hour of the night. They did not see the power line that was overhead and they were electrocuted. The two attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful,” he added.

The fallen firefighters have been identified as Sergeant Christophe Augereau, age 31, and Corporal Jean-Charles Sorin, age 25.

Update, 12:15 pm Eastern:

20 Minutes is reporting: The fire which involves the two young firefighters killed Wednesday evening near Nantes could be of criminal origin. ”It is unlikely to be accidental,” said the prosecutor in Nantes. A man was spotted by the security officer of the Treillières car dealership, where the tragedy took place near 11:00 pm. After the outbreak of the fire alarm, he would have escaped and climbed a fence. He is being actively sought.

According to prosecutors, he could be held “criminally and directly responsible” for the death of Christopher, 31, and Jean-Charles, 25, both professional firefighters based at the firehouse of Saint-Herblain near Nantes.

BFM-TV has filed this video report from the scene:

Posted by fireball on December 16, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Fires, Line of Duty • Tagged: Corporal Jean-Charles Sorin, Fire Department Loire-Atlantique, Sergeant Christophe Augereau, Treilleres France

On Airline Travel and Ambulance Transfers

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About 15 years ago I went from a once-a-year airline passenger to taking 20 some flights a year. Flying went from an adventure to a chore.

Despite the glamor and exclusivity of 1950's business trips, my dad HATED flying and was a nervous traveler. He obsessed about trip disruptions and would come home exhausted by the stress of business travel.

That probably explains my occasional episodes of flop sweat when I pack for a trip.

EVOLUTION OF A FREQUENT FLYER

With each flight you learn more about the customer side of airline travel. Through observation and experience you gather tips and tricks to facilitate the process.

This creates expectations. You fume when travel plans are disrupted. You KNOW what the Ticket Agent (TA), Gate Attendant (GA) or Flight Attendant (FA) SHOULD do to make things right for you.

Unless you work within the airline industry, you do not really know how things work. This 2006 FlyerTalk discussion board post about operational upgrades, from former gate agent DullesJason, will give you a flavor of what is going on behind the podium. (HERE)

"You Are Ruining My Trip"

It is human to describe how an airline trip disruption personally impacts you. You are missing your kid's first baseball game or you will be fired if you miss this meeting.

I have learned that the most effective resolution method is making you needs known (I need to get from A to B today), be as flexible as possible and let the system work.

You can get to a state of Flow, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi's positive psychology concept. A person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement and success.

The Ryan Bingham character in Walter Kin's Up In The Air 2001 novel (and 2009 movie) is the closest example of a frequent flyer approaching a state of Flow while meeting his goal of being the 8th person to rack up 10 million frequent flyer miles with one airline.

"Ryan Bingham" from 2009 "Up in the Air" movie

Bingham lives in Airworld, "… a nation within a nation, with its own language, architecture, mood, and even its own currency." Forbes.com excerpted a detailed description (HERE).

Ambulance World

As a former player in Ambulance World, I was on the verge of an infrequent flyer emotional meltdown while waiting for an interfacility ambulance transport for my mom.

The original plan was a 6:30 pm transfer. Request made at 3 pm.
Medical complication requires reassessment. Cancel 6:30 transport, ambulance dispatcher says "good," they are backed up tonight.
Make request for 8:30 pm transfer at 5 pm.
No ambulance at 8:30 pm, nurse tells parents "they are sometimes late."
For the third or fourth time I explain to my parents that the fire department does not provide interfacility transports, even for FossilMedic.
Pain medication is wearing off, mom was expecting to leave at 6:30. Very uncomfortable and cranky.
I call the ambulance dispatch office at 9:07 pm. Mack says they will be there in 45 minutes.
About 9:20 dad sees an empty ambulance stretcher and runs after the crew. They are from a different company and are picking up another patient.
I learn later that he went down to the emergency department to see if he could "incentivize" anyone to take the transport.
I have cellphone numbers of some of the ambulance company senior officers. Should I call them? Doubt that it would produce another crew this late.
At 9:40 pm I lean on a nurse to call the ambulance dispatcher back. My "Flow" is long gone. They are now 30 minutes away.
Mom is demanding to go by car, which is medically contraindicated.

While the best response is to take a deep breath and relax, I cannot.

My parents are in their mid-80s. Dad has been up since 12:15 am, the third night in five he has had little sleep. What started as pain of unknown origin days ago has become a serious medical condition with significant implications.

A tardy ambulance is extending her pain and draining our reserves. There are still many unanswered questions and the specialized facility that can help is as good as a million miles away. I am helpless and feel a twinge of building rage.

Ambulance crew arrive about 10:20 pm. They are nice guys who have been running from transport-to-transport.

Most of the 20 minutes spend doing paperwork seemed to be a social visit with the nursing staff. Disappointing.

While they were doing "paperwork," Dad and I got her to the toilet, cleaned-up, redressed, re-splinted and ready to go. I had to interrupt the story telling at the nursing station to tell the crew that the patient was ready. They were surprised, I got another twinge.

The intake process at the specialized center was completed around 1 am.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward – December 16, 2010

Posted by fossilmedic on December 16, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Patient Management • Tagged: Airworld, ambulance transfer, fossilmedic, fossiltravel, Up in the Air, Walter Kim

Morning Lineup – December 16

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The days will be getting longer soon. The official sunset time is creeping out a minute later than yesterday, but the sunrise is a tad later for a net gain of zero. Waaay back in my early days on the job, before we went to the 24-hr. shift, my FD had us working an unfavorable schedule where we had day shifts rotating to night shifts before our break. We would work four 10-hr. days followed by four 14-hr. nights, then the 4-day break would arrive.

The day shift was scheduled to begin at 7 am and be completed at 5 pm, and this was the worst time of year for day work because during this 2-week span in early December it was dark outside when we got to work and dark when we got off that evening. Very gloomy, especially when you add in that on the weekdays we were catching rush-hour traffic both ways. One of the many benefits in my mind of going to the 24-hour shift was the elimination of that unfavorable circumstance.

Our 24-hour shift was set up to run from 7 am to 7 am and was immediately welcomed for many reasons, one of which was the elimination of half of the commuting trips. But I was secretly hoping for still one more adjustment. I always thought that having shift change at 5 pm instead of 7 am would have been better. Primarily because never again would I have to get up early in the morning to go to work. But my suggestion was ignored. Well, you can’t have everything.

* * * * * * *

I have a little mental challenge for you this morning. I will toss out a question for you, but wait until tomorrow to give you the answer. That will give you time to think about it (and seek help if you wish). It’s a word puzzle.

There are only a few common English words that have three sets of double-letters contained in them, such as committee, successfully and addressee. But there is only one word in the English language that has three sets of double-letters that adjoin each other, or run together as six successive letters. Can you think of the word I’m referring to? If you do, go ahead and be the first one to put it in the Comments. I’ll tell what it is tomorrow. Words created by joining two words with a hyphen do not count.

But this morning…. we have to get this equipment checked out, just like every morning. So let’s get started while I go make some more coffee.

Posted by firegeezer on December 16, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup

They Press the Wrong Pedal Over There, Too

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ON MONDAY MORNING IN REIMS, FRANCE, a 60-yr.-old woman was attempting to park her car when she confused the accelerator with the brake pedal. Instead of stopping in the parking spot, she raced ahead, over the curb and straight through the front wall of a pharmacy.

L’Union

The car smashed through the display racks and plunged ahead to the sales counter where she crashed into a customer and the pharmacist injuring both. One of the customers tells L’Union:

I was talking with the pharmacist when all of a sudden, there was a terrible noise, like a big explosion with lots of smoke. I turned around. I saw a car that drove everything inside, the showcase displays. They were thrown against the customer who was beside me and she was wedged between the car and counter. She could not be released because she had a foot stuck.

I managed to remove everything around her and pull her out, but I could not help the pharmacist who was behind the counter and was pinned underneath with furniture. At the time, I was very frightened because she had lost consciousness. “

L’Union

The druggist regained consciousness as the two ambulances and fire engine arrived. She had to be dug out from under the rubble and suffered severe fractures to both of her legs. The customer has a smaller injury to one of her legs.

L’Union

Posted by fireball on December 15, 2010 • Filed under: rescue, Rescues • Tagged: auto crash into building, Reims France

The Legacy of Exam 6019

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Stephen Thrasher writes this week’s Village Voice feature article.

He looks at four candidates who aced the January 2008 FDNY entrance exam and are still waiting to get hired.

Thrasher, Stephen (2010 December 15) “FDNY’s Black Firefighter Problem ” The Village Voice” LINK HERE

FDNY’s Black Firefighter Problem

Meet the black candidates who aced the FDNY supposedly racist entrance exam—and still can’t become firefighters

Putting it in Perspective

From a Jan. 19, 2010, Wayne Barrett column:

Barrett: The Post and Daily News Rush to Defend Bloomberg’s FDNY Apartheid

The Daily News and the Post have rushed to the defense of Fire Department exams that have given us the whitest rank and file of any big-city department in the country, with 303 black firefighters out of 8,998, a percentage that’s actually lower than the last time a federal judge ruled the same hiring practices discriminatory, way back in 1973.

Snippets from TODAY’s article:

Data that the federal courts look at:

In 1971, blacks constituted 32 percent of the city’s population, but only 5 percent of the fire department. Almost four decades later, only 3.4 percent of the FDNY is black, and less than 7 percent is Latino. In a city with only a 35 percent white population, the FDNY is about 90 percent white.

The test creation process

In the most recent major development in the decades-long mess, the city’s attempts at changing the test have come off as disingenuous or simply incompetent.

This became clear in the court testimony of Catherine Cline, the woman who was hired by the city to oversee the creation of the 6019 exam. During a withering cross-examination, Cline revealed that she never asked for the reading level of the test to be evaluated, even though that had been a central point of previous litigation. She implied that the passing score was chosen in an arbitrary manner, and she had no data showing that cognitive exams predict the job performance of a firefighter.

The most damning thing, (Judge) Garaufis ruled, was that Cline “ignored comments from firefighters and fire lieutenants who reviewed the examination before it was administered and overwhelmingly agreed that large portions of the exam should not be used.”

It is never as simple as a sound bite or a slogan. I recommend you read the entire article.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Some other voices:
Merit Matters

From The Wall Street Journal

Merit Matters is an advocacy group for NYC residents and firefighters (comprised of active firefighters) that is concerned with equal treatment for all and the maintenance of standards for FDNY hiring and promotion. Our website is a great resource for learning more about the topics addressed in this article:

Paul D. Mannix
President
Merit Matters

Edited to add.
Michael Howard Saul, writing in today’s The Wall Street Journal points out
“Overtime Pay Soars At FDNY Amid Gap”

Overtime costs at the New York Fire Department are already $30 million higher than budgeted and are expected to balloon an additional $20 million this fiscal year, a direct result of an impasse between the city and a federal judge about diversity in the ranks.

Officials now project overtime costs to total $182.7 million in the fiscal year ending June 30, an increase of nearly 40% from what officials anticipated when Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council finalized the budget last June.

Posted by fossilmedic on December 15, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: FDNY, fossilmedic, Merit Matters, Michael Howard Saul, Stephen Thrasher, Village Voice, Vulcans, Wayne Barrett

Fire on Amtrak Train in Ohio

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AMTRAK’S CHICAGO-TO-NEW YORK train, the North Lake Shore Limited carrying 128 passengers, had a fire in the lead engine Wednesday morning while approaching the Elyria, Ohio, station near Cleveland.

Chronicle-Telegram

The fire started just before 6 am today (Wednesday) in the engine area of the lead locomotive. The three crewmen on board quickly separated the locomotive and moved it 150 ft. down the track, leaving the second engine attached to the passener cars to keep the heaters running for the passengers.

The FD responded and put out the fire quickly after they were able to finally get hose lines stretched to the isolated engine.

Chronicle-Telegram

The loco and the rest of the train were successfully moved to a side track and main line service was resumed. The locomotive valued at $3.5 million suffered approximately $1 million in damage.

A replacement locomotive provided by Norfolk Southern RR arrived soon to help complete the train’s trip which was resumed shortly after 10 am.

The Lorain Chronicle-Telegram has the full story and an extensive photo gallery HERE.

The Morning Journal has some post-fire video and an interview with the incident commander HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on December 15, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires • Tagged: AMTRAK, Elyria Ohio, locomotive fire, North Shore Limited, train fire

Workman’s Comp. Denied for “Wild Sex” Injuries on Business Trip

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AN AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE who was injured while having sex in a motel room paid for through her expense account has been denied compensation for her injuries. Her initial claim was denied and she filed for a review by an appeals panel. They just handed down a ruling confirming the denial of compensation.

The Canberra Times reports today:

The woman, whose name is suppressed, was in a country town for work purposes in 2007 when she and a man engaged in sexual activity in her motel room and pulled a glass light fitting from the wall. It fell on the woman, injuring her nose and one of her teeth.

During a hearing last month, counsel for Comcare Andrew Berger said the sexual activity that led to the injury was ”a frolic of the applicant’s own” and that she should not be awarded worker’s compensation. He said taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for injuries over which an employer had no control.

Asked by Professor Creyke how he distinguished between going out to dinner and being injured, and being injured during sex in a motel room, Mr Berger said the distinction lay in what activities were explicitly authorised or reasonably incidental to a person’s work.

”Just like sleeping, showering and using the toilet, these are things that are incidental to work. Having sex is a different kettle of fish.”

Read the full STORY.

Posted by firegeezer on December 15, 2010 • Filed under: current events, News • Tagged: workmen's compensation

Firetruck Driver Convicted for Causing Fatal Cattle Stampede

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REGULAR READERS MAY RECALL our Morning Lineup posting back in March (HERE) about a firefighter in Somerset, England, who was responding to an emergency when he got stuck in a dairy herd on the roadway in the previous August. The FF stopped his truck and turned off the lights and siren in order to allow the farmer driving the herd to keep the cows in order and progress by. Instead, the beasts stalled and kept the roadway blocked. So the driver turned the lights and siren back on in an attempt to get them moving, which they did. Unfortunately, they moved the wrong way, panicking and trampling the 75-yr.-old farmer, causing fatal injuries.

The engine driver, Julian Lawford, 49, was arrested and charged with manslaughter by gross negligence. We noted at the time the curious behavior of the prosecution who waited six months before filing the charges, and then being apparently selective about what information was released.

Julian Lawford

Mr. Lawford appeared in court Monday and, after agreeing to a plea bargain, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of causing a death by careless driving. The reduced charge will allow him to avoid jail when he is sentenced on December 20.

Read the Firegeezer report from March 2 HERE.
The Mirror has the story from yesterday’s hearing HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on December 15, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus • Tagged: Devon and Somerset Fire Dept., Julian Lawford, stampede

Fatal Ka-Boom at Recycling Center

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A MAN WAS KILLED AND TWO OTHERS INJURED Tuesday in South Bend, Indiana, when an explosion occurred while he was welding.

South Bend Tribune

The South Bend Tribune tells:

Fire officials say 45-year-old Jonathan Atkinson, of South Bend, was found dead at the scene and two other people suffered from burns and smoke inhalation during the explosion and subsequent fire in a machine shop at the Green Tech Transfer and Recycling Station at 2400 Green Tech Drive.

Just before 11:30 a.m., the South Bend Fire Department received a call of an explosion at the recycling center, located at the corner of Eckman and Green Tech Drive, near the Southside Little League fields on Ewing Avenue. Fire Chief Howard Buchanon said crews arrived to find the explosion had sparked a small fire, which was nearly subdued by the time firefighters arrived.

The fire marshal says that when the explosion happened Atkinson was doing some welding work on a fuel tank of some sort. They are not yet certain whether it was the welding torch that triggered the blast. A second man was standing nearby and was injured by the explosion. Another man was just outside the entrance and was hurt by the smoke and flames when he ran inside to help. Both men were transported to the hospital to be treated for burns and smoke inhalation.

WNDU-TV Ch. 16 has this video report with footage from the accident scene:

The fire was handled easily and quickly by the FD and resulted in only $10,000 in property damage. The recycling center sits on a former brownfield site that once housed a Studebaker manufacturing plant.. The company receives materials including scrap metal, electronic appliances and road asphalt, and sorts the materials for recycling.

Read the story from the South Bend Tribune HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on December 15, 2010 • Filed under: explosion, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Fires, Videos • Tagged: explosion, Green Tech Transfer and Recycling, Jonathan Atkinson, recycling center, South Bend Indiana, welding accident

Tonight’s Netcast

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Don’t forget to join “Taking it to the Streets” with host Christopher Naum tonight at 9pm ET for an insightful look back at 2010 and forward into 2011 and beyond with a stellar line-up of fire service leaders.

The lineup of scheduled guests include, Deputy Coordinator Tiger Schmittendorf (NY), Chief Glenn Usdin (PA), Captain Willie Wines (NC), Bill Carey (MD), Chief Doug Cline (NC), Lt. Rhett Fleitz (NC), Lt. John Mitchell (IL), and a few others on the invite list who might just drop in on us.

Grab a cup of coffee and sit down for a special two part, two hour program with Taking it to the Streets on FirefigherNetcast.com where we’ll be “Looking Forward Through the Rear View Mirror” with Christopher Naum and this outstanding group of fire officers, fire service leaders and visionaries.

———–

As a post script, there’s room for some sage input by your kids as well!

Posted by firegeezer on December 15, 2010 • Filed under: Training, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged: Firefighter Netcast

Morning Lineup – December 15

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One of the major changes in the automobile industry is how engine problems are identified and corrected. Up until not very long ago, the talented auto mechanic would listen carefully to how the engine was idling, then maybe pulling on the throttle a bit to rev it up. Then he would have an idea where to start, timing light in one hand and a long, narrow screwdriver in the other. With a good ear, he could make fine adjustments to the carburetor jets before hooking up the timing light to see if the cylinders were firing at the proper time.

I have to admit, I am really terrible at that kind of stuff. Automotive mechanics just isn’t in my blood and brain sequences, no matter how hard I tried to get good at it. But now all that isn’t so important because all the adjustments have to be done in conjunction with a specialized computer. The cars are laden with dozens of micro-chips that control the fuel flow and do things like constantly adjust the timing to keep up with changing road conditions, and all kinds of stuff like that. Now you just connect the computer to a little box in the car and you get a read-out telling you what is wrong and what is right with all the inter-connected workings of the engine.

For a while, the auto manufacturers keep their diagnostic codes a secret in an attempt to force car owners to take all their repair work to the dealerships. But all the independent mechanics who were suddenly seeing their business dry up, went to court and to Congress and eventually got the law on their side to require the carmakers to share their codes. Some of the independents had enough money to buy the needed computers and are doing well enough to pay the annual fees for the program upgrades that allow them to stay in business now.

Now it looks like maybe, just maybe, it has come full circle and once again Joe Sixpack can begin working on his own car again, to some degree. You have to have a smart-phone, but who doesn’t these days? There is a gadget on the market now called the PLX Device that you can buy and plug in to your own cars diagnostic port and it sends wireless signals to your iPhone or Android phone that tells you all sorts of stuff that are going on inside. Naturally, you have to download an app to your phone that will read the signals.

The PLX is just a tiny thing (2.75 x 1.25 x 0.6 inch) but does the job. Here’s an introductory video that gives you an idea on how you use it:

The video is a little dated and shows the iPhone app. But they keep them current and they also have a device that is compatible with the Android phones. I am just amazed at what all goes on in the world of microchips and WiFi stuff now. The device runs just under $150 for the iPhone model. If you are a Droid phone owner, you’re in luck because that one only costs about $100. They have made that model configured for Bluetooth adaption.

If you want to check them out, and maybe order one for a stocking-stuffer, then CLICK HERE to read about and order the iPhone device. If you use an Android phone, then CLICK HERE to find out about that model and click through to order that one. Now if they would just make one for our firetrucks, then it would be fine.

Speaking of that, let’s get our equipment checked out now – the old fashioned way. I’m going to get the coffee started.

Posted by firegeezer on December 15, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: auto diagnostics, home auto mechanic, PLX Device

Fatal Ambulance Crash in New Mexico

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A CAR TRAVELING THE WRONG WAY ON I-25 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, crashed into an oncoming ambulance early Tuesday morning. The car was traveling at a high rate of speed, over 90 mph according to police estimates, and collided with the ambulance around 2:30 am. The crash left both vehicles overturned along the highway and killed one of the two women who were in the automobile.

Albuquerque Journal

The driver of the ambulance, a 19-yr.-old EMT, was critically injured, but is in stable condition at the hospital. The ambulance, that may be a transport ambulance, did not have a patient in it.

KOB-TV Ch. 4 Santa Fe has this video report from the accident scene:

The Santa Fe New Mexican reports:

The driver of the Rocky Mountain EMS truck is 19-year-old Vanessa Carrillo of La Cienega. As of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, she was in critical, but stable, condition and undergoing surgery at University of New Mexico Hospital in Allbuquerque, where she was airlifted early Tuesday morning.

Family friend and coworker Jennifer Guhl was at the hospital waiting for Carrillo, a Santa Fe High graduate, to get out of surgery Tuesday afternoon and said Carrillo had suffered facial fractures, multiple breaks in both legs and a fractured elbow. She was conscious after the crash, according to Guhl, but was put under a medical coma by mid-morning in Albuquerque.

Carrillo and Guhl had just transported a patient from Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center to the patient’s home in Albuquerque early Tuesday. Guhl had just been dropped off by Carrillo shortly before the crash and Carrillo was taking the medical transport truck back to the company to pick up her car and go home.

Santa Fe New Mexican

The Albuquerque Journal has MORE.

Update: KOB-TV has filed this updated video with additional scene coverage:

Posted by firegeezer on December 14, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances, Videos • Tagged: ambulance crash, Santa Fe New Mexico

End of Semester

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Exam week started today:

25% of students in an online undergraduate course with a 9 am deadline were late submitting the final essay.

They got the assignment five weeks ago.

I feel like Cecilia in Piled Higher and Deeper:

This video seemed so ….

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

… appropriate.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on December 14, 2010 • Filed under: culture, Videos • Tagged: college humor, finals, fossilmedic, jorge cham, www.phdcomics.com

F. G. Gnome Gains Recognition

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Hooray! I’ve hit the big time!

Hi, everybody. F. G. Gnome here. It’s been a while since my last visit, but I have some news for you today. I have been selected to try out and report on a variety of firefighter cleansing products put out by AXE.

I received a box full of great soaps including:

FEVER Shower Gel with Brazilian Hot Mud Extract
AXE Rise Shower gel with Himalayan Minerals and Lime Extract
AXE Heat Igniting Citrus 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner
AXE Zen Soothing Tea Tree Shampoo
AXE Snake Peel shower scrub with desert minerals(sand?) and cactus oil, and
AXE Downpour Refreshing Mint Shampoo

This is going to be such great fun! And Steve, the Gnome Handler, is going to be happy too, because I haven’t had a good bath since I got back from Baltimore in July.

I will be giving my product reviews on the soaps over the next few weeks, so keep watching for the Gnome Reports and learn about these special cleansers that are designed to take that “smokey” smell out of your hair and off your skin before you leave the firehouse.

Talk to you later! F. G. Gnome

Gnome Handler tell us: I was walking past the bathroom while he was trying one of the bath soaps and I could hear him yell out, “oooooo….it’s all tingly!”

Get caught up on previous Gnome Reports HERE.

* * * * * * *

Posted by firegeezer on December 14, 2010 • Filed under: Gnome Report, News • Tagged: AXE firefighter soaps

Chino Firefighters Step In It

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THE CHINO VALLEY FIRE DISTRICT in California was called out Sunday evening at 6 pm on a unique fire call. They arrived on scene at a dairy farm to find a 5-acre field that was covered with 30-ft.-high piles of cow manure and fire spreading through them.

Press-Enterprise photo

Much like any other agricultural product, the fire was deep-seated and ordinary hose stream would not penetrate the piles.

Late Monday night there were still crews on the smelly scene and the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported:

Crews are using bulldozers and excavators to break up large piles of green waste and manure burning over a 5-acre field, said Massiel Ladron De Guevara, spokeswoman for the Chino Valley Fire District.

“These piles are so densely packed that if you put water on top it’s not going to get to the fire,” De Guevara said.

The fire is likely to burn for days, she said, adding that a dozen firefighters and a battalion chief remain on scene and will be on the fire throughout the night at least.

KTLA-TV Ch. 5 Los Angeles has some good fire footage in this video report (fortunately the broadcast aroma feature is turned off):

Posted by firegeezer on December 14, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: Chino Valley Fire District, dairy farm, manure fire

3-Alarms in Minnesota

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A FIRE THAT WAS DISCOVERED AT 3:20 am Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, has gone to three alarms. The fire is burning through a furniture restoration shop and involves quantities of volatile liquids used in the business.

KARE-TV

When the St. Paul firefighters arrived on the scene, the building was already well involved and the roof was starting to collapse. The remnants of yesterday’s blizzard had all the hydrants snow-covered and the OIC called for extra alarms to get assistance for the water supply. The firefighters had to locate the hydrants and dig them out, but the water main serving that area is too small to deliver a sufficient fire flow. Additional supply lines had to be laid to remote hydrants located on larger mains.

The temperature is below 0º F. and at least two FF’s have been treated for frostbite.

Just as operations on this fire were getting underway, another fire was reported at a restaurant at 3:45 am. The units found an active fire in the bar area. Minneapolis FD sent two engine companies to assist.

The Pioneer Press has the STORY.
KSTP-TV has some early VIDEO HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on December 14, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires • Tagged: 3 alarm fire, furniture restoration shop, St. Paul Fire Department, St. Paul Minnesota

Morning Lineup – December 14

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Even the “Big Guy,” Santa himself doesn’t leave the Pole without it.

And Santa knows that there is still plenty of time to order some stocking stuffers from the Firegeezer Shop.

You can see that the Jolly Old Man is ready for a demanding sleigh ride in ten days from now with his Firegeezer Travel Mug. This great 16-oz. insulated cup not only holds plenty of hot cocoa, but it even fits into the cupholder on his sleigh.

The recently-introduced Travel Mug has been a top-seller and you still have time to order some to be delivered before Christmas Day. If you are looking for the standard ceramic coffee mug, we always have those available, too. And don’t forget our CD recording “Outbreak!” for the dispatch buff in your family.

Ordering is quick and easy using your credit card safely and securely through our PayPal account.

To order your Firegeezer Travel Mug, CLICK HERE.
You can also order the regular Firegeezer Coffee Mug, just CLICK HERE and follow the easy directions.
Take a moment to check out the dispatch CD. CLICK HERE to read about and order one for the fire historian in your department.

Our fabulous, and famous, shipping department is all geared up for the rush, so order in confidence. All orders are shipped out the same or the next day, depending on when we receive them.

While you are pondering over which and how many mugs to order, let’s get this equipment checked out. I’m going to get the coffee started.

* * * * * * *

Posted by firegeezer on December 14, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup, Mug Shots • Tagged: Firegeezer mug, travel mug

Promotional Opportunities

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CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, FIRE CHIEF JAMIE GEER was immediately dismissed from his job today (Monday) following his arrest in the morning on charges of sexual battery on a minor under age 12, a capital felony.

Jamie Douglas Geer, December 13, 2010

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement began an investigation on the 56-yr.-old Geer in August after receiving a tip that he was having “inappropriate relations” with a minor. He is accused of having sexual relations with the juvenile, who is now age 17, over a period of nine years.

He was arrested in his office this morning and taken directly to the Pinellas County jail where he was booked and held under a $500,000 bond that has not been met. He is scheduled to go before a judge Tuesday morning.

WFTS-TV Ch. 28 Tampa has posted this video report:

Geer was hired from outside the department six years ago and he has had a stormy relationship with his firefighters almost all the time since. Previously he was the acting fire chief in Franklin, Tennessee.

For more information on the arrest, read:
St. Petersburg Times HERE.
The Tampa Tribune HERE.
The Clearwater Beacon has MORE.
Read the arrest warrant HERE (pdf. format).

The Clearwater Firefighters Association Local 1158 has a website listing all the formal grievences that they have lodged against the fire chief and the city council HERE.
The Florida Professional Firefighters Association initiated a “boycott” by all Florida Locals on Clearwater in January 2009. Their proclamation lists the illegal activities taken by Chief Geer HERE (pdf. format).

Posted by firegeezer on December 13, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, crime, current events, Fire Rescue Topics, News • Tagged: Clearwater Fire Department, Clearwater Florida, fire chief arrested, Fire Chief Jamie Geer

Riverside Volunteers Lose County Fight

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In August we posted an article about the effort of 350 Riverside County, California, volunteer firefighters to maintain community-based memberships rather than a law-enforcement style county-wide “reserve” system.

August 11, 2010: The Battered Spouse Syndrome

They saw what happened to their Orange County colleagues and did not want to lose local autonomy.

Timothy Young, Vice Chairman of the Volunteer Firefighters Association,
posted a website update December 7:

Dear Members,

We can all agree that 2010 has been a tumultuous time for Riverside County Volunteer Firefighters. From a general lack of direction, to conducting analysis to paralysis, then proposals and counter proposals, endless meetings, spirited debate, heated discussions with the department and compromise. It’s certainly not why we became firefighters.

Although we tried aggressively to maintain the VFC structure under a new defined program concept, the County Board of Supervisors and the Riverside County Fire Department/CDF were adamant that the existing structure was no longer viable and needed to be changed. So our focus became making positive changes to the new proposed program.

We successfully contributed significant modifications to the program that were in the best interests for Riverside County Volunteer Firefighters. So now it’s time to begin the new chapter in our firefighting careers. The change to a new Reserve Volunteer Firefighter Program concept will be different, challenging and rewarding for our members. We should expect greater direction, enhanced training, and expanded utilization that will broaden our skill sets and capabilities.

During our discussions, the Department and Supervisors had indicated many times that we’re a valuable resource and would like ALL current members to transition to the new program. Due to the challenging financial times within the county, our value quotient has increased significantly. We are needed more than ever and we have experience that is vital to the success of the reserve program. Riverside County Volunteer Firefighters have a long tradition of being loyal and providing quality service to the citizens of this county. So today we call on each of you to continue that tradition and support the new Reserve Volunteer Firefighter Program.

KESQ.com posted the following news article on December 8th:

Volunteer Firefighters Phased Out In Riverside County

From the article:

The California Department of Forestry — Cal Fire — sought the ordinances out of concern that volunteer units were too often operating independently of full-time crews, creating confusion and potentially exposing the county to liability. The county has contracted with Cal Fire for public safety services since 1946. (…)Cal Fire proposed a “Volunteer Reserve Firefighter Program” over the summer and drafted two ordinances — 903 and 904.

The first ordinance empowers the Board of Supervisors to decide whether volunteer fire companies are needed and, if so, which ones. If an existing unit is found to be unnecessary, it will be phased out in six months. No new volunteer units will be formed without the express consent of the board.

The second measure formally establishes a reserve firefighter program, similar to Orange County’s. Under the new framework, volunteers will be required to undergo background checks, routine medical exams and standardized training.

We will continue to follow this issue.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on December 13, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, News • Tagged: fossilmedic, KESQ.com, Riverside County, RVC_FF, social media, Timothy Young, volunteer, Volunteer Reserve Firefighter Program, volunter versus paid

Death and Taxes described in 6 square foot poster

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Tip of the financial calculator to Tax Prof Blog.

Go HERE to access the poster website.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on December 13, 2010 • Filed under: Funding & Staffing, News • Tagged: death, fossilmedic, taxes, TaxProf Blog

Mother Charged in Fire Deaths of Children

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A DEKALB COUNTY, GEORGIA, MOTHER and her boyfriend have been arrested and charged with three felony counts of child cruelty and one count of giving false statements to police after her children perished in an apartment fire Friday night.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports:

DeKalb police spokesperson Mekka Parish said Angel Johnson, 29, and Keith Pinkney, 24, left the children unsupervised at the Marquis Chase Apartments on Ashley Place near Pine Lake.

A space heater in a child’s room likely started a fire at about 11 p.m. The door to the bedroom may have been locked, so the children had no chance to flee the fire, police said.

There were three children locked in the room, ages 2, 3, and 4. The 2-yr.-old survived the fire, but is hospitalized with burns. The fire had burned itself out and the couple found the victims when they arrived back at the apartment after they had been gone for what the police say was “a significant amount of time.” When the firefighters arrived, the children had been taken outside and people were attempting CPR on them. At first there was no indication that there had been a fire in the building and it was several minutes before the FD could identify the cause.

WXIA-TV has the STORY.

The two adults have been jailed and are being held under $410,000 bond.

Posted by firegeezer on December 13, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fire Rescue Topics

There Goes the Dome!

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BY NOW, ALMOST EVERYBODY has heard about the bit of bad luck in Minneapolis where the inflated roof over their sports arena collapsed under the weight of this weekend’s snow.

In a fine demonstration of why it is not wise to use a piece of fabric for your roof, especially in places that have snowfalls on a regular basis, the Minneapolis Metrodome has released the surveillance videos documenting the fifth and latest collapse of their fabric roof.

Posted by firegeezer on December 13, 2010 • Filed under: current events, News, Videos, weather • Tagged: Metrodome

Updated – Downtown Fire in New Mexico

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Updated 5 pm Eastern, Scroll down.

A FIRE IS BURNING IN A BUSINESS BLOCK in the small town of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, this morning.

KFOX-TV

Update:
The fire destroyed two buildings in the small town that has only about a dozen buildings on the main street. The two housed six businesses and all were destroyed by the blaze. Some of the nearby businesses suffered smoke and water damage.

Six neighboring communities sent a total of 50 firefighters and equipment to help fight the blaze.

KRQE-TV Ch. 13 Albuquerque filed this video report from the scene:

Cloudcroft has a population of less than 800, but has a large tourist industry. The image below was taken from the town’s live webcam that operates year-round:

Image taken from the Cloudcroft live webcam.
CLICK HERE to view the webcam.

Posted by firegeezer on December 13, 2010 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: Cloudcroft New Mexico

Fire Guts Vintage Inn

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AN OVERNIGHT FIRE IN THE CAPE COD town of Yarmouth, Massachusetts, has gutted a 130-yr.-old building that was currently used as a hotel and restaurant.

Cape Cod Times

The Red Rose Inn was just completing a renovation project upgrading its 10-bedroom facility and 45-seat restaurant while remaining open. There were no guests at the inn on Sunday night when the fire was first spotted by a passerby around 7:30 pm. The restaurant had closed at 3 pm, normal Sunday hours, and all the employees had left, too.

Cape Cod Times

When the Yarmouth FD arrived on the scene the fire was well underway and the building was untenable. Despite a heavy downpour going on, the 40 mph winds that were also present helped the fire grow rapidly while it broke up the hose streams. Seven fire departments responded to the incident, but the structure is probably a total loss. The State Fire Marshal is on the scene this morning to investigate the cause.

Satellite News Service has several minutes of raw video of the fire: