Fire Engineering Magazine – October 1959
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Found More Than 40 Miles Away
A KENTUCKY AMBULANCE THAT WAS left outside a Lexington hospital loading dock Wednesday night was stolen and recovered two hours later more than 40 miles away.
The Fleming County Ambulance Service unit had just taken a patient to the Saint Joseph Hospital at 9:30 pm and the driver left the keys in the ignition while the crew took the patient inside. That is when some unknown person got into the ambulance and drove it away.
It was found around 11:30 in Pendleton County when a sheriff's deputy on routine patrol came across the abandoned unit. After being inspected, there does not appear to have been any damage to it, but the compartments had obviously been rummaged through. It was not initially known if anything had been taken.
WKYT-TV Ch. 27 filed this video report this morning:
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Entire Arson Ring Now Imprisoned
THE SIXTH AND FINAL MEMBER OF an arson ring that comprised five volunteer firefighters and one other civilian was sentenced Wednesday in the Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, Court. Shawn Hoy, 22, agreed to plead guilty in return for having some of the 100 charges against him dropped for his part in the arsons that plagued the area for two years. Judge William Baldwin then sentenced him to 12 to 24 years in the state prison and ordered him to pay $725,982 in restitution.
Hoy first came to our attention in April 2010 when Firegeezer reported HERE on his arrest along with two other FF's for nine arsons. Our video report stated,
Matthew Dixon, 18, of Friedensburg, John Eichert, 21, of Orwigsburg, and Shawn Hoy, 21, of Pine Grove were all active members of the Friedensburg Fire Company and have been charged with arson, conspiracy, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. Police say that the fire department officials have been cooperating in the investigation and that more arrests are imminent.
left to right: Dixon, Eichert, Hoy.
Not long after that came the arrests of the other three arsonists. The Pottsville Republican-Herald reports this morning:
With Hoy's sentence, all six men involved in the arson ring have been sentenced to a total of 25 to 50 years in prison and more than $1.93 million in restitution.
Hoy said only, "Yes, sir," when Baldwin asked him if he admitted to the acts to which he was pleading guilty and acknowledged the commonwealth has enough evidence to sustain the charges.
The plea negotiated was for more than 100 charges ranging from arson and risking a catastrophe to burglary, agricultural vandalism and criminal mischief.
Earlier this year, four other former firefighters and a fifth man pleaded guilty in Schuylkill County Court for their roles in the string of fires that plagued Wayne, West Brunswick and East Brunswick townships – former volunteers Matthew T. Dixon, Friedensburg, Jonathan D. Eichert, Orwigsburg, Charles J. Ferguson Jr., Schuylkill Haven, and Justin J. Geiger, Orwigsburg. Also pleading was non-firefighter Devon C. Smith, Auburn.
Eichert, Dixon and Ferguson were volunteers with Friedensburg Fire Company, while Geiger was a volunteer with Deer Lake/West Brunswick Township Fire Company.
The Republican-Herald has more details in their article HERE.
Read last month's Times News article about the previous sentencing of four others that were convicted HERE.
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Thursday Morning – Good Bye, Old Pal
In our line of work we are constantly in physical touch with tragedy and death. While everybody knows that everyone dies sometime, we see it, touch it, know it on a steady basis. And over the years we hear about classmates who die young from accidents or unfortunate contraction of disease. Even while we are working, once in a while a colleague will suddenly drop and leave us. It is sad, and sobering when that happens and while we feel the sudden loss we are foremost concerned with their family who are instantly plunged into grief and uncertainty.
But when you get older, the pace of these incidents picks up. Yes, we know it's going to happen more frequently because that's what goes on as the human body ages and the exposure time for medical incidents widens. And that's what is happening in my generation now. People I have known for 40, 50 years are leaving us at a faster rate than in the past and those moments of sadness that you get when you hear of another one are becoming more frequent. Just in the past few months two men I worked closely with for my entire career have had major, but successful heart surgeries that have changed their lives. Another colleague's wife passed away recently and another has had a serious health setback. Still another lost his second bout with cancer after beating it the first time. And the show goes on.
After we retire we are like our high school class in that we tend to go off in different directions and often lose contact with each other. We have such a strong connection in our past that if we see each other at a function we are glad to see each other and the conversation picks up right where we left off years before. We have shared so much during the stressful work we performed together that there is a bond that always connects us in one big "family" of veterans, and we feel it no matter how far apart we are physically.
That is the case with my old colleague, Roy. We went to the same high school but we were 3 years apart, so our childhoods were separate while our memories were similar. Our fire service careers were likewise alike and we always kept in touch as we worked our way through the ranks together. We spent some time on the same crew when we were firefighters, but once we started getting promotions we were on parallel tracks and in different stations. But we always had contact as our paths crossed here and there and we always enjoyed having a moment of interaction either at a training session or on the telephone to exchange whassup?'s. Our social circles were different, though, and we never really knew each other's families and after we retired we lost that regular contact that we had while we were working. That's something that I miss in retirement. My circle of close acquaintences is so much smaller now as I watch my former colleagues take their turn climbing the stairway to the pearly gates.
Last night I learned that my friend Roy, who has been bravely fighting his persistent cancer, has lost. The doctors have ceased the months-long chemo-this and radiation-thats and proclaimed him untreatable. They have sent him home to spend his final days with his family in his own place. I feel that and I wish that I could call and talk to him one more time ….. but I don't know what to say. And the show goes on.
Let's get our equipment check started now. I'll make sure there is more coffee for us.
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National Hockey League Conference Finals
Standings as of Thursday Morning
Vancouver jumped out and undressed the Sharks last night with a decisive 7-2 thumping. Reports from the hockey writers who were there say that San Jose literally came unraveled. The coaches have a real dilemma now because during this current playoff run, the Sharks have lost 5 of their last 6 games. That puts a mental burden on the players that will be hard to lift. But San Jose returns to home ice for the next two games, so they still have a chance to turn it around.
Western Conference Finals
San Jose Sharks vs. Vancouver Canucks. Canucks – 7, Sharks – 2. Vancouver leads series 2-0. Next game Friday night.
Eastern Conference Finals
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins. Bruins – 6, Lightning – 5. Series tied 1 – 1. Next game Thursday night.
Wednesday night's game highlights:
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Los Angeles Fire Department Deployment Plan Approved
The following information was released by Los Angeles Fire Department Administration following a meeting of the Los Angeles City Council on May 18, 2011.
The LAFD Deployment Plan was approved today by a 12 to 2 vote [of the City Council] with two amending motions.
The first amending motion speaks to restoring funding to the department to re-open resources. Should labor make contract concessions, those funds will return directly to the Fire Department. Specifically 6.9 million dollars in anticipated concessions from labor negotiations will be placed in the unappropriated balance account.
The Department will use the same data analysis system that was used to create the deployment plan to determine what neighborhood services will be restored.
The second amending motion was designed to maintain the position authorities without the funding. 318 position authorities remain unfunded.
This means that any savings that are found within the budget will be used to restore neighborhood resources. Those resources will be determined by the Fire Chief.
July 5th [2011] remains the implementation date for the LAFD Deployment Plan. The MCP [Modified Coverage Plan] will remain in place until that date.
Special Duty sworn furloughs were approved.
"After several hours of debate, I’m pleased that the LAFD Deployment Plan proposed by Chief Peaks was approved by the Los Angeles City Council," said Councilmember Tony Cárdenas.
"I applaud his leadership and vision in the development of a Plan that will save the City more than $50 million a year while enhancing public safety for all of Los Angeles." said Councilmember Tony Cárdenas.
Los Angeles Fire Department Deployment Plan Approved
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
The News Ticker
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Some Good Stories From the News Ticker
THREE DAYS AGO, Firegeezer reported HERE on a general alarm fire burning at a bio-diesel manufacturing plant in Erie, Pennsylvania. The fire also involved a chemical plant that make plastic powders used in plumbing. Since then, more than 25 of the firefighters who were at the scene have had to go to the hospital complaining of respiratory problems.
YourErie.com has an updated report along with a video HERE.
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY on the job for Danielson, Connecticut, Fire Chief Richard Levola. Last month he announced his intentions to retire after serving on the fire department for 47 years, the last 33 years as fire chief.
"I just felt this year would be the right time," Levola, 71, told the Norwich Bulletin. "Running the department for 33 years is long enough." Read the complete story HERE.
AN OHIO STATE FIRE MARSHAL is undergoing dismissal action this week after pleading guilty on Friday to dereliction of duty and unauthorized use of an official vehicle. Anthony Castelvetere was running a private business while "on the clock" for the state. The Mount Vernon News has more details HERE.
Hat tip to Mark D.
THE MAYOR OF NEWBURYPORT, Massachusetts, Donna Holaday is dancing on hot coals this week after one of the town's fire stations was closed for lack of staffing. Newburyport's labor contract contains a minimum-staffing clause, but the mayor has refused to spend any more money on overtime to keep all the units in service. Like many politicians, she is blaming the firefighters because the wouldn't "accept a simple change to their vacation scheduling" that she claims will reduce the need for as much overtime.
Even the citizens aren't buying into that one. They can decipher the code written into "simple change to vacation" intentions. Now the residents in the area served by the closed station are up in arms. The mayor's wailing that "I think they (the firefighters) did it on purpose. I think they called my bluff." isn't fooling anybody. Read the entire article in the Daily News HERE.
Hat tip: James C.
THE POTTSVILLE (Pennsylvania) REPUBLICAN-HERALD has an interesting article passed along to us by Ron Y. that begins,
The extensively renovated Schuylkill Historical Fire Society's Fire Museum was rededicated Saturday in a ceremony that also remembered a major supporter of volunteer firefighters and their history.
The fire society held an open house during the afternoon, giving many people the chance to see the museum. It has had more than $350,000 in renovations in the past two years, with still more planned for the future. The renovation process began in 1999 when the society moved into the former Columbia Hose Company building on South Jardin Street in Shenandoah.
It goes on to tell about the museum's fine collection and about the tremendous amount of "sweat equity" that the historical society's members put into the renovation. Read all about it HERE.
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Big Sale on Backyard Pools
Up to 50% Off – Prices Good Through May 22
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Clearwater Appoints Permanent Fire Chief
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FD Should Return to Normalcy Now
THE CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT was thrown into turmoil back in December when their fire chief at the time Jamie Geer, was arrested and charged with capital sexual battery. He was fired one day later and the Deputy Chief Robert Weiss was appointed as Interim Fire Chief.
Tuesday evening the Clearwater city manager Bill Horne appointed Weiss as the permanent fire chief. In a press release, he stated, "Chief Weiss demonstrated that he has the managerial and professional skills to lead the fire department during this time of change in local government. I have full faith in his abilities to lead us during the next several years."
Chief Weiss (St. Petersburg Times)
Weiss retired in 2003 from Tampa Fire Rescue after serving 25 years. Weiss started in Clearwater in 2005 and was promoted to deputy chief in 2008. Horne also stated that the city would leave the deputy chief's job vacant.
Geer is still in Pinellas County jail awaiting trial on charges that he sexually abused a girl for nine years beginning when she was age 8. He had a very stormy six years as fire chief and Firegeezer recounted his problems following his arrest HERE.
Parking While Drunk Starts Fire, Brings Arrest
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Needs More Practice, Less Alcohol
IN WILLIAMSTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS, A MAN has been arrested for driving drunk after he piloted his car into a house. The wreck caused considerable damage and started a fire that just made matters worse.
iBerkshires.com image
The accident occurred Sunday night around 10 pm and the police announced Tuesday that Timoth Tatro, 29, will be charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, his second offense, operating to endanger, marked lanes violation and wanton injury to personal property or to a dwelling house in connection with the crash.
According to police, Tatro was driving the 2002 Dodge Caravan southbound on New Ashford Road when he failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway. He left the east side of the road, traveled approximately 178 feet and struck the residence. A police officer dispatched to the call came to the driver's aid and pulled him out of the car before it burned up. The two occupants in the house managed to escape safely.
WNYT-TV prepared this video report:
iBerkshires has the detailed story HERE.
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Wednesday Morning – Do you take Visa and MasterCard?
Monday night the Richmond, Indiana, city council became one of the few – but growing number of - municipalities that will charge unfortunate victims for fire department response to auto accidents. In an 8-1 vote they approved an ordinance to charge a fee to the poor sap who's fighting for his life whenever the FD responds to an auto accident or a medical emergency, even though the emergency ambulance service is provided by a private firm separate from the fire department.
Ever since I began writing on this weblog I have been stridently opposed to taxpayer-funded emergency services tacking on "fees" for doing what they are supposed to do. I don't have a problem with the volunteer departments and squads charging because they have to scrape for their operating funds however they can get them. But for a fully-funded agency to add on more charges in a pathetic attempt to bolster the city treasury by taking advantage of the helpless is just plain unethical, in my opinion.
The lone dissenting vote was cast by Councilman Larry Parker who said,
(He) still did not support charging residents for emergency response when their tax dollars paid for the equipment, personnel and training of those responding.
"It seems like it's adding insult to injury," Parker said. "They've already paid for all the equipment and the emergency responder and the ambulance. I think it's wrong."
Good for you, Larry. But it's hard when you're up against a band of politicians who love spending other people's money so much that they are continually searching for ways to get more $$'s. Taking their devious line of reasoning a little farther, they could conceivably stop all cars crossing into the city limits and charge them a fee for "traffic light service," because they are causing the city to operate the traffic control devices. After all, a little farther upstate in Gary, Indiana, the city charges all its property owners a rental fee for the fire hydrants. (Firegeezer report HERE.) That sounds silly, but so does charging somebody for using already-paid-for lifesaving services.
How about this? Since Richmond is collecting a bonus for sending out the lifesavers, shouldn't the firefighters themselves get a cut of the action? If you charge $1,600 for an extrication, then the highly-skilled laborers themselves are certainly entitled to at least $100 apiece for their participation in the rip-off. They should go for this at the next contract negotiations. Right?
Richmond Fire Department WEBSITE.
Seriously now, we had better get this equipment checked out for today. I'm going to get some more coffee started, then we'll meet back in the day room.
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National Hockey League Conference Finals
Standings as of Wednesday Morning
Playoff games are usually low-scoring affairs with tight defensive play, but that wasn't the case Tuesday night when Boston edged Tampa Bay 6 – 5. Tampa led off the game scoring goals in both the first and the final minutes of the opening period. But Boston went flying in the second period scoring five goals. The real show was Boston rookie Tyler Seguin who was playing in only his 2nd playoff game ever and scored two goals and four points.
Western Conference Finals
San Jose Sharks vs. Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver leads series 1-0. Next game Wednesday night.
Eastern Conference Finals
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins. Bruins – 6, Lightning – 5. Series tied 1 – 1. Next game Tuesday night.
If you enjoy watching goals scored, then you'll like Tuesday night's highlight video:
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Around the Fire Web
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Some Good Stories We Found Posted Around the Web
* STATter911 has a strange story about a volunteer firefighter in Maryland who was arrested for arson. He was trying to gain the attention of a woman whom he had fallen in love with, but she never had anything to do with him. Maybe he just should have splayed his feathers or something. Now he's in jail and you can read the STORY HERE.
* Firetruck Blog has the story on the recent layoffs at the Pierce plant in Wisconsin. You can read it HERE telling that over 100 workers are being laid off because of the not-surprising drop in orders lately. Firegeezer also recalls that Pierce has recently moved all its ambulance production from up north to Florida. Is this a trend?
* The Fire Critic talks about an upcoming report on a fire last September where 7 firefighters were injured. The entire operation was a fiasco due to the total lack of proper fireground supervision. "Unbelievable" is the word that came to mind when I read it HERE.
* The Backstep Firefighter has a good discussion on when and why you should be using the 2-½" line HERE.
* SConFire has a photo-story on a church fire in South Carolina HERE.
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Explosion Outbreak
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Sudden Outbreak of Destructive Explosions
A THUNDEROUS EXPLOSION BLEW the wall off of a Staten Island, New York, apartment house early Tuesday morning. The blast rocked the neighborhoon at 2:40 am while everyone was asleep, yet miraculously there was but one minor injury.
Gothamist
A small fire then erupted on the lower level, but it was handled easily by the responding FDNY units. The cause of the blast was not immediately known. WABC-TV filed this video report from the scene:
The Daily News has MORE.
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AN EXPLOSION AND FIRE BURNED OUT an ammunition shop in Nashville, Tennessee, Monday afternoon. A completely-charred body was found inside, but was unidentifiable.
Ch. 5 News
The first explosion in the Well Done Bullets store occurred at 3:30 pm and immdiately started a large fire that led to a contiuing series of small ka-booms that were most likely stored ammunition.
While the bullets were well done, the owner's business practice wasn't. The city says they have no knowledge that an ammuntion shop was operating in the location. WDB has just been there since February.
Ch. 5 News has this video report from the scene:
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A PAIR OF EXPLOSIONS LEVELED a home in Helena, Montana, early Friday morning. When the Helena Fire and Rescue units arrived on the scene they found the demolished house fully involved with fire. After it was put out and they were able to get inside, they found the charred remains of a man believed to be the owner of the house.
KFBB-TV covered the story with this video report:
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WAVE OF EXPLODING WATERMELONS SWEEPS ACROSS CHINA.
A dramatic increase in the price of watermelons in China has encouraged many farmers to plant the melon this year for the first time. Their inexperience with the growth-enhancing fertilizer that is used to make them grow faster led some of them to use too much of the chemical and they grew so fast that they began to literally explode in the fields.
The Associated Press brings us this video report from the land of exotic foods:
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Terrorist to the end, or just a trick of the eye?
NEARLY TWO WEEKS AGO ON MAY 5 Firegeezer reported HERE on the downtown fire in Manilla, Iowa, that claimed three buildings including the town's fire station. You may recall that a couple of firefighters first spotted the fire in the building next door to the firehouse and, after reporting the fire, they were able to drive all the trucks out of the station to safety, but the FD lost all their running gear, hose, and other equipment.
KETV image
Our report contained a video and photographs that were taken after the fire was out, showing the rubble remaining at the fire scene. Later, a citizen who had taken a photograph (from what appears to be a cellphone camera) of the fire while it was in full force but before the building collapsed sent the pic to the FD. The building in the center is the one that completely burned down and spread to the two buildings on each side including the firehouse which is just to the right.
Manilla Fire Chief Bob Macumber sent us the photo with the information that the radiant heat from the fire is what penetrated the firehouse and ignited the beadboard insulation on the inside, which led to the loss of the station. He also points out that a lot of people think they see the image of Osama bin Laden in the dancing flames over the fire building. The fire occurred just three days after his death, but we know that the force of evil can be strong.
What do you think? Was this the monster's last act, or is it just a trick of the eye? We will never really know for sure, will we?
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Most of the Fires Are Still Out of Control
CURRENTLY THERE ARE MORE THAN 100 WILDFIRES burning in northern Alberta Province. The firefighting resources are not sufficient to get control over them yet as hundred of firefighters are being flown in from across the country. The Calgary Fire Department which is located about 200 miles away has dispatched 12 engines and over 100 firefighters to Slave Lake to control the fires there.
Update: Firegeezer friend Jay911 has sent along the following information regarding the mutual aid responses:
Calgary FD sent 1 quint, 1 aerial, 5 engines, 1 air-light, a district chief, and support staff (shop mechanic & supply truck), along with 100 FFs. Edmonton sent 70 with an unknown amount of equipment. Calgary also mobilized CAN-TF2, one of five HUSAR teams in Canada very similar to the FEMA USAR teams in the USA. CAN-TF2 sent one 53' cache semi, one 60' mobile hospital semi, and various communications gear and staff to operate/assist with all said equipment.
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In the past two days, three wind-whipped blazes have attacked the town of Slave Lake (pop. 7,000) sending the residents to refugee stations 60 miles away. Currently more than 40% of the town's structures have been destroyed, including the high school, the major shopping mall, and the town hall.
The Slave Lake town hall and government center was
completely destroyed. (CBC images)
The town was totally evacuated on Sunday on a moment's notice when winds shifted and sent one of the fires directly into the populated area.
The evacuation Sunday was sudden, but orderly. (CBC)
This morning's report from CTV adds:
According to the latest Alberta government bulletin issued late Monday night, there are more than 100 wildfires burning across the province, 36 of which are out of control. Fifteen of those are in the Slave Lake area.
The largest include a wildfire east of the town that's already burned 20 square kilometres and another to the south that's scorched a 150-square kilometre area.
Besides the mass evacuation from Slave Lake, which Alberta cabinet minister Thomas Lukaszuk said is the largest single-day displacement of Albertans in the province's history, evacuation orders are also in effect for Loon Lake in the Red Earth Creek area and Chisholm southeast of Slave Lake.
Multiple forest fires north of Fort McMurray have also seen the evacuation of about 2,000 oil workers.
Reuters
CTV News has provided this excellent video report:
For more in-depth coverage of the Slave Lake fire, check periodically with Wildfire Today website HERE.
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Morning Lineup – May 17
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Tuesday Morning
You have probably heard the phrase about "taking his Rolodex with him.." which usually refers to someone who leaves a job and takes all his contacts with him. Although I'm sure that Rolodex sales have pretty well bottomed out in the last 15 years with the advent of digital files including address books and phone numbers. Now that I think about it, I don't recall seeing the famous 2-slot file cards out on the store shelves in Office Depot or Staples. They must be there, but I haven't seen them, have you?
Talk about a successful and viable company getting blindsided and watching the bottom drop out overnight, Rolodex must have come close to setting the record for sales-graph plunges. If they had sharp management, they might have switched focus onto other product lines in time to stay afloat. I'll have to do a quick research and see what they're up to these days. But one thing they're not up to, is selling those recognizable spinning file boxes that were a visible measure of how successful and/or influential the desk occupier was. The patented filing system became so prominent in the business community that the phrase "my Rolodex" has become a generic term in itself.
And that's how I'm using it when I point out to you a group of enterprising firefighters in New Zealand who responded to a medical call in Kapiti and fortunately "had their Rolodex" with them. The call was for a shooting in a semi-isolated community where a 28-yr.-old woman had been plugged by her boyfriend who then fled the scene. The police and the fire brigade both responded promptly, but there were no ambulances available to dispatch, all of them being already on calls (only three units cover that area). The dispatchers wisely toned out a rescue helicopter, though. However it had to wait for a paramedic crew to be mustered and get to the airbase for the 20-minute flight.
The firefighters and police were performing life-saving procedures as best they could for the unfortunate woman, but they started getting concerned when no ambulance showed up. When they learned that no ambulance had yet been dispatched, the crew on the scene started phoning off-duty paramedics that they knew and within a short while they got ahold of two that were able to drop whatever they were doing and get over to the scene. About 25 minutes after the original call went out, they were on the scene and, using medical equipment carried on the fire engine, had stabilized the patient as best they could. Meanwhile, a paramedic had been transported to the helicopter base and they arrived about 16 minutes after the other off-duty medics did. The woman was flown to a Wellington hospital, but sadly she died the next morning.
Firefighters carry the dying woman out to the helicopter.
(Manawatu Standard photo)
While there is plenty of room for criticism and questioning about how the problem was allowed to develop in the first place (an investigation has already begun), there is a lot of good to be recognized here and I hope that locally that part is noticed by everybody in that region. First of all we must give credit to whoever thought of calling around to locate a couple of paramedics who weren't planning on doing this. And secondly, we have to applaud the selfless response of the two medics who dashed to the scene to help, thus reaffirming the motto that true emergency workers are never off-duty and are always ready to help their fellow human beings. Good job!
Now let's start our job for today and get this equipment checked out. I'll head for the Bunn-O-Matic and get more coffee started before we meet back in the day room.
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National Hockey League Conference Finals
Standings as of Tuesday Morning
There were no games played Monday.
Western Conference Finals
San Jose Sharks vs. Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver leads series 1-0. Next game Wednesday night.
Eastern Conference Finals
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins. Tampa leads series 1 – 0. Next game Tuesday night.
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Diverted Over $3 Million in Nine Years
THEA TAFNER, THE FORMER ambulance committee chairwoman of American Hose and Chemical Fire Company in Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 30 months in prison Monday for stealing nearly $2 million in ambulance fees and medicare payments.
Thea Tafner
This past January Firegeezer reported HERE on her arrest for “knowingly and willfully embezzled, stole and otherwise without authority converted to her use and intentionally misapplied moneys, funds, securities, premiums, credits, property and other assets of a health care benefit program." Tafner had been hired by the fire company to oversee the financial activity and keep the books for the company's ambulance operations. American Hose and Chemical had subcontracted with private ambulance services to run the calls, but they dropped out one by one because they weren't getting paid.
It turned out that Tafner had set up a rogue bank account and was funneling money into it over a nine-year period. During that time she misappropriated $3.7 million, but diverted only $1.8 million to her own use.
The crime left the fire company foundering so badly that the borough council temporarily suspended them from operation later that same month. (See Firegeezer report HERE.) She was also an elementary school principal, but she resigned her job on the day the arrest was announced.
Along with the prison term, she was ordered to pay back the $1.8 million that she had stolen.
The Daily Item has today's story HERE.
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Italian FF’s Win Trophy in Prestigious Auto Race
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The Mille Miglia Lives On
ONE OF THE MORE FAMOUS auto road races in Italy was the Mille Miglia (Thousand Miles) race from Brescia to Rome and back again. The challenging contest through town and country was where the famous European auto makers like Ferrari, Alpha Romeo and Mercedes-Benz refined the performance of their cars and engines. The race was held annually from 1927 to 1957, with a pause for a major war, but was discontinued when a series of tragic accidents that killed drivers and spectators alike became too prevalent.
Since then, the race that is still dear to the Italians has been re-created each year as a vintage car exhibition and road rally. Hobbyists pull their classics out of the garage and press them along the roadside for the happy spectators and the major car manufacturers still participate by entering rebuilt classic cars as a way of maintaining prestige and showing off their refurbishing skills which are a lucrative sideline for many factories.
This year for the first time, the Mille Miglia had an entry from the National Fire Service. The Vigili del Fuoco entered two antique vehicles from the National Fire Museum that houses 50 restored fire vehicles. A command car and an off-road all-purpose truck, both made by Alpha Romeo, were driven in the race.
When the day was over, one of the several trophies, the award for the most "gentlemanly and courteous" drivers was presented to the Vigili del Fuoco. Receiving the award was was the engineer. Nicholas Colangelo, one of the two drivers of the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 S, a command car. Sharing in the honor were the drivers of the utility truck, an Alpha Romeo AR 51.
Engineer Colangelo (r.) and his partner, dressed
in their vintage uniforms, accept the trophy.
This video shows clips of the two FD entrants and their crossing the finish line:
The Vigili del Fuoco National website has the STORY.
They also have a photo gallery from the race HERE, HERE, and HERE.
The official museum of the Mille Miglia has an English-language page HERE.
The Fire Museum also had a public display set up.
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Tuesday Netcast
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The Next Edition of Taking It To The Streets™
Join in on Tuesday May 17th at 9pm ET for another special and exciting program continuing our series discussion on the Emerging Tactical Renaissance in the Fire Service.
The Taking It To The Streets radio program hosted by highly regarded national instructor, author, lecturer and fire officer Christopher Naum, continues to provide provocative insights and dynamic discussions with leading national fire service leaders and guests on important issues affecting the American Fire Service with applications internationally within the tradition and brotherhood of the Fire Service.
Joining the program will be special guest, Christopher Brennan the author of The Combat Position: Achieving Firefighter Readiness, published by PennWell Books and the author of the notable blogsite, The Fire Service Warrior.
Christopher Brennan is a firefighter in the suburbs outside Chicago; a field instructor for the Illinois Fire Service Institute; and a consultant for local, state, and federal agencies. He is also the author of numerous articles for fire service magazines, including Fire Engineering.
Christopher Brennan
Join in on what is certainly going to be an insightful look and discussion of the path of the fire service warrior. Discussions on what is meant by embracing the philosophy of the fire service warrior, and striving for the ready position—the synthesis of physical and mental readiness that allows for suggested optimum fireground performance— and its potential application towards reducing firefighter injuries and fatalities
We’ll further explore how as Christopher Brennan states; "Today’s firefighter must be a warrior who will unflinchingly put his very life in harm’s way to accomplish a mission, but who is also fully informed about the path being chosen".
Grab a cup of coffee and sit down for a special one hour program with Taking it to the Streets on FirefighterNetcast.com where we’ll be discussing developing concepts, methodologies and operational perspectives affecting today’s emerging and evolving fire ground operation with Christopher Naum and this emerging fire service leader.
Join in on the live open discussion with other fire service personnel from around the country.
· Tune in to the Program Tuesday evening May 17th at 9:00 pm ET, HERE
· Firefighternetcast.com HERE
· Taking it to the Streets Radio Programs, HERE and HERE
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Ambulance in Head-On Collision
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The Driver Who Caused the Wreck in Serious Condition
A NEW ZEALAND AMBULANCE RETURNING to its hospital base in Rotorua Friday afternoon was struck head-on by an oncoming car. The driver of the St. John Ambulance saw the car drifting across the center line into her path and took an evasive move, but the car struck the ambulance full force into the right (driver's) side, demolishing the ambulance.
NZPA image
The woman driving the car, believed to be in her 20's, was severely injured with several broken bones in her legs and pelvis. The car was so crumpled that it took the fire brigade about an hour to free her. The ambulance driver and the attendant were bruised and shaken up, but did not require transportation. They both exited the smashed cab on the passenger side and were able to immediately begin patient care on the car's driver.
A second car crashed into the rear of the first car, but its occupants were not injured.
Playing the “Race Card”
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Wait! Hear Me Out…
Fossilmedic had the story (HERE) of an opportunity for the community to speak to their "leaders" about cuts to the LA City FD. It seems to me that a lot of departments facing the axe are not availing themselves of some potent political tools. The fire service is predominantly white and conservative and most firefighters, I'll bet, have little use for what they consider race pandering. Well it's time to discard that notion.
Yes, I am advocating playing the race card. Avoid the reflexive urge to bitch and tune me out, for just because it is unpalatable for you doesn't mean it's not true. For large portions of our communities the fire department represents a primary healthcare provider and the only form of insurance on most property. When a city cuts fire service while at the same time funneling cash to the wealthy for "development" projects it's pretty easy to make the case that deprivation of adequate fire service is a civil rights issue. We're talking about communities using EMS as primary healthcare (right or wrong doesn't matter, it's a reality). These same communities cannot just file an insurance claim and buy new stuff when their houses and businesses burn. The fire department is the only thing between them and destitution and/or death.
So why should we not speak plainly? A city spends hundreds of millions to build a stadium for a millionaire team owner that benefits millionaire real estate speculators and then turns around and lays off firefighters. Maybe it's not a stadium but instead a "waterfront district" on a Superfund site or a performing arts center named after a councilman. No matter what it is, when it comes to fire and police layoffs it's nothing short of depriving the poor of what may be their only safety net in order to line the pockets of the rich and powerful. Departments in these situations need to get with their minority communities and explain the consequences (hint: nearly any fire department facing layoffs is in this situation because this sort of reverse Robin Hooding is rampant). There are a ton of civil rights groups, ministers' alliances, and neighborhood associations that are more than happy to apply pressure to the cretins in local government.
The fire service is the government's most immediate, effective, and unambiguously moral contribution to the poor and lower classes. It's high time we recognize this and form alliances with the power brokers in these communities. They won't know what they are losing if we don't tell them.
………Thank you. Patrick Mahoney.
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Flaming Cotton Balls Bring Felony Charges
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These People Did NOT Want To Go To Jail
A MAN AND WOMAN ARE IN JAIL this morning following a bizarre confrontation with the police in Brevard, North Carolina, Saturday night. It was just after 5 pm that several neighbors in an apartment building called on the police to report a man acting "strangely." While responding, the three officers learned that this strange man also had an outstanding arrest warrant.
Michael Kitchen
When they arrived at the apartment and knocked on the door, an elderly woman opened it and they could see their subject, 32-yr.-old Michael Kitchen inside. After Kitchen refused to respond to their order to step outside, the officers then entered the apartment and apprehended him, but they had to force him to the floor to handcuff him because he tried to fight his way free. WYFF-TV picks up the story from here:
As the officers attempted to bring the man under control with handcuffs, Harris said a 25-year-old woman came in. Harris said the woman then retreated to a bedroom and came out a few seconds later with some type of liquid.
"She threw it on the officers. The officers had no clue what the liquid was," Harris said.
(Next) the woman then took out a lighter, lit a cotton ball and threw it toward the officers, who were still on the floor trying to handcuff the man. The flaming cotton ball fell short of the officers, but ignited the apparently flammable liquid that had landed on the carpet.
"One of the officers said the flame was burning toward them," Harris said. "He had enough time to stand up and back away. It was like a scene from a movie." In the process of avoiding the fire, the officers lost control of the man, who then ran into the bedroom with the woman (who was later identified as Natasha Sinclair).
Using a fire extinguisher and their feet, the officers put out the fire and at the same time noticed smoke coming from the bedroom. They ran outside, broke out the window and pulled the couple out where the naughty pair resumed their fighting with the police. They were soon subdued and taken into custody while the FD responded to put out the bedroom fire.
Natasha Sinclair
Nasty Natasha wasn't finished yet, though. While in the back of the cruiser, she slipped out of her handcuffs and damaged some equipment in the car.
WSPA-TV Ch. 7 filed this video report:
It was later determined that the flammable liquid used was the same type as lantern fuel.
Sinclair was charged with two counts of attempted first degree murder, first degree arson and assaulting a government official/employee and is being held in the Transylvania County Detention Center.
Kitchen was charged with resisting a public officer and assaulting a government official/employee. He was also detained on the original warrant and then later released on a $6,000 bond.
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Morning Lineup – May 16
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Monday Morning – More Coffee
Coffee in the mornings is not just a ritual, but for many people a necessity to get the brainwaves kick-started and make waking up more enjoyable. A couple of young men who are also mechanical engineers have come up with a handy gadget to help keep your travel mug of coffee at just the right temperature, not too hot and not too cool, for the entire time that you might be drinking it. They call their bean-size thingys Coffee Joulies (JOO-leeze) and are just now going into production after a successful grass-roots campaign to raise the capital needed to finance the venture.
The Joulies are a hollow shell made of stainless steel, the same kind used in tableware, and are filled with a secret compound that is solid at room temperature but melts at 140º. When you put a couple of these steel beans in your travel mug and then pour hot coffee into it, the Joulies instantly liquify and start absorbing heat from the coffee. When the drink's temperature comes down to 140º, they go solid again, stopping the cooling process. But this is where it gets interesting…. As the Joulie starts to solidify again, it begins releasing the heat energy it stored as it was cooling the coffee. The heat release maintains the drink temperature at a steady 140º (their chosen temp. as the ideal for coffee or most other hot drinks) and keeps the cup of java just right for – get this – five hours.
Notice that I only mentioned your travel mug. Ceramic mugs are terrible insulators and do not cooperate well with the Joulies. But an insulated drinking vessel such as the Firegeezer Travel Mug or a Thermos-type container are ideal for this steel bean activity. This promotional video that they created to help raise their starting capital shows what they are and how they're made:
They surpassed their goal on May 2, by a large margin, and now production is beginning. The Joulies have an indefinite life span, so one purchase is all you'll need, but they are a bit pricey at first. You can order some now for $50 for a bag of 5 Joulies, but I suspect that if the product is successful, the price will come down noticeably. Kickstarter website has more photos, information, and a good Q & A on the Joulies HERE.
While we're waiting for the magic beans to come available, let's get this equipment checked out now. I'm going to get some more coffee going, although it will probably cool too quickly, then we can meet back in the day room.
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National Hockey League Conference Finals
Standings as of Monday Morning
Taking a cue from Tampa's late-game goal burst Saturday perhaps, Vancouver scored two goals in 1:19 in the third period last night to grab the first game at home.
Western Conference Finals
San Jose Sharks vs. Vancouver Canucks – Game 1 Canucks – 3, Sharks – 2. Vancouver leads series 1-0. Next game Wednesday night.
Eastern Conference Finals
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins. Tampa leads series 1 – 0. Next game Tuesday night.
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6 Dead in Illinois Apartment Fire
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12 More Injured
A FIRE BROKE OUT IN AN AURORA, Illinois, apartment building around 4 am Sunday morning and killed six occupants, three of them small children Twelve more people had to be hospitalized. The three-story building contained 14 apartment units, 12 of them occupied. The fire started on the first floor and advanced rapidly down the common hallway, trapping all the residents on the upper floors.
Chicago Tribune
Aurora Public Information officer Dan Ferrelli says in a news release three people were pronounced dead at hospitals — an adult male, a boy estimated at 5 to 7 years old and an infant.
Ferrelli says three others were pronounced dead at the scene. They were a boy about 10 years old and two women, probably in their 30s. He added that a dozen others were taken to various hospitals but two of them were treated and released.
The fatalities were from two apartments that had opened their doors to the fire. All the other units kept their doors closed and prevented further spread into the units.
WLS-TV Ch. 7 prepared this video report:
The Chicago Tribune has more details HERE.
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A Sunday Emergency !
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Season Two – Episode 10
Dinner Date
Paramedic DeSoto engineers a blind date for Gage and it's something less than a success.
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Sunday Only!
Eureka Tetragon 9-ft. by 9-ft Tent
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CLICK HERE
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Assistant Fire Chief Caught in the Checking Account
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Needed Help With Personal Expenses
A LORENZO, TEXAS, VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER was charged with felony theft earlier this week following an investigation by the Texas Rangers. John Landin, 38, was an assistant chief in the all-volunteer department but resigned in September when the investigation began.
John Landin
(Crosby County Sheriff photo)
The city administrator first noticed a sudden drop in the FD's checking account from $4,000 to about $500 in July of last year and turned his findings over to the Lorenzo police chief. After finding that Landin has cashed checks for his personal use in two other counties, he brought in the Rangers to complete the investigation.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal continues:
The Rangers’ investigation revealed a number of purchases and cash withdrawals made for personal reasons from the department’s checking account, according to court documents filed this week at the Lubbock County courthouse.
The improper withdrawals, which were made on a variety of charges including utility bills and a personal satellite TV subscription, nearly drained the volunteer department’s account, said James Lively, Lorenzo’s city administrator.
Landin admitted to investigators that he stole the money to pay personal bills, but he said he paid most of the money back before officials discovered the fraudulent transactions, according to court documents.
According to court documents, Landin is accused of stealing $3,682.64 between April 26, 2010 and Sept. 7, 2010.
Lorenzo Fire Station
KCBD-TV Ch. 11 filed this video report on the affair:
The Avalanche-Journal has the detailed STORY HERE.
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Invoking 9/11
4 commentsStatute of Limitations, Anyone?
"It seems many have forgotten on this coming 10th anniversary (of September 11) the sacrifices that were made that day," said a fireman, who wished to remain anonymous. – LAFD firefighter commenting about recent closing of E-69 on PacificPalisadesPatch.co
　
LAFD station 69　
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Just exactly when did our compassion and sense of solidarity for FDNY firefighters in their extraordinary moment of devastation and bereavement morph into joint ownership of the greatest cataclysm ever to strike the profession?
Somewhere along the way, and perhaps hesitantly at first, firefighters across the nation began to appropriate the tragedy in New York for purposes of their own. This was no doubt made easier by the public’s proclivity to see all fire fighters as one and to treat their local troops as stand-ins for FDNY. Perhaps in the confusion and complexity of that moment we accepted the unwarranted adulation and so began the slippery slope which led to our actually believing that we had a right to share in, much less make use of, September 11, 2001.
It’s the rough equivalent of 1940’s coast guard patrols basking in the sacrifice of sailors on the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941. It may be understandable in the stress of the moment but the longer it goes on, the odder it seems. Most importantly, it works to dilute the sheer magnitude of that moment. It also undermines the sanctity of the sacrifice by linking it to all manner of mundane or tawdry causes. (Downsizing a fire department does not equate to the loss of 343 lives.)
The appropriation by firefighters, for firefighters also has an associated and darker consequence: it effectively obscures the actions of civilians, employees, and Armed Forces personnel in Manhattan, Washington, DC, and on board UA Flight 93. It falsely pre-supposes that we have cornered the market on heroism. At each location people made extraordinary decisions to move beyond their fear to help others, forfeiting their life in the process. Firefighters were heroic but they were hardly alone in their heroism.
The 10th anniversary is close upon us and many will search for ways to mark it with reverence, respect and dignity. Perhaps the greatest honor we can bestow on all of those who died on 9/11 is to work to restore the extraordinary singularity of that day and to refuse now and in the future to invoke it as a basis for causes large and small.
It’s the least we can do.
150 neighborhood residents gather May 8 to protest the station's closing.
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