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Darwin Visits Washington State

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"What a large puddle!"

THREE YOUNG WOMEN SAFELY ESCAPED from a sinking luxury-SUV Wednesday morning after they blindly followed the car's GPS guidance into a river.

KOMO-TV image

The three ladies were visiting the Seattle, Washington, area on a business conference presented for Costco employees and they rented a Mercedes-Benz SUV to travel in while they were there.  While they were driving back to their hotel in Bellevue, they were using the rental-car's built-in GPS device to find their way.  When the GPS receiver directed them to turn onto a boat ramp, they put their full trust in the device and drove the $60,000 car on down the ramp despite the looming presence of a lot of water covering the "road."

KOMO-TV news reports:

"We've seen sitcom parodies of something like this and to actually see it is surprising," said Lt. Eric Keenan with the Bellevue Fire Department. "I don't know why they wouldn't question driving into a puddle that doesn't seem to end," Keenan said.

He says one of the women immediately jumped to safety.

"We understand the other two women tried to stay with the SUV as long as they could by standing on these side door frames, but they finally had to wade to safety when the vehicle kept drifting out farther into the slough," Keenan said.

When a tow-truck arrived at 5 am to help retrieve the Merc, he could not see it in the slough, but by the afternoon they were able to locate it and tow it out.  KOMO-TV also filed this video report from the scene:

 

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Posted by on June 18, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Promotional Opportunity

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Chief Resists Trying to Work Shorthanded.

THE MAYOR OF TAYLOR, MICHIGAN, fired the town's fire chief yesterday (Friday) because Chief Steven Portis said that he could not maintain the same level of EMS service to the city after a planned layoff of 19 firefighter/paramedics takes place at the end of this month.

Chief Portis  (WXYZ image)

Chief Portis said that the reduction in force will require a reduction in service because otherwise it would be dangerous for the firefighters to try and maintain the same level with fewer people.  The mayor says that he realizes it's a challenge, but he believes that the firefighters can and will handle it.  He adds that he is "trying to do what is best for the taxpayers."

WXYZ-TV Ch. 7 Detroit filed this video report:

 

The planned layoffs will slash the department's uniformed strength from 53 to 34.  The FD operates out of three stations with 3 engines and 3 ambulances.

Channel 7 also reports that Chief Portis says he has tried to resign two times before but the Mayor asked him to stay once and his union members the second time. Now he says the Mayor told him he is done as chief.  Portis will remain on the fire department in a captain's position.

Taylor Fire Department WEBSITE.

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Posted by on June 18, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, labor • Tagged: , ,

LODD – Illinois

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Fire Chief's Son

FIREFIGHTER COREY SHAW, 22, HAS REPORTEDLY PERISHED at a major fire in Pinckneyville, Illinois, Friday evening.  FF Shaw was a member of the DuQuoin Fire Department and the son of the Du Quoin Fire Chief Bob Shaw.

The fire was reported around 3 pm Friday and began in an antique mall in the downtown area of the small city.  The blaze quickly spread into the town's landmark building, the century-old Kunz Opera House and it became engulfed in the inferno.

The Southern

FF Shaw was part of a ladder truck company assisting from Du Quoin when a wall collapsed burying him in the rubble.  He was pulled out quickly and transported to the local hospital, then transferred by helicopter to another hospital in St. Louis where he later passed away.

This video report from KTVI Ch. 2 St. Louis includes some fire footage and was broadcast prior to the announcement of the death:

 

 

Firefighter Nation has an extensive coverage of the fire along with several videos and the latest reports HERE. 
Carbondale newspaper The Southern has a good report from the local view HERE.

No further information has been released yet.

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Posted by on June 18, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Line of Duty, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Morning Lineup – June 18

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Saturday Morning – A Weekend of Commemorations

One thing that is consistent within the fire and rescue service is the continuing practice of remembering tragic events and keeping the memories fresh for those following the profession.  It is a way of keeping the honors of the fallen firefighters up front where they will never be forgotten.  This weekend marks two of the worst incidents involving large losses of firefighters' lives.

Today, June 18 is the fourth anniversary of the infamous Sofa Super Store fire in Charleston, South Carolina, that caused the deaths of nine Charleston FD members.  An even that never should have happened, but did when a culmination of decisions all came to their effects at the same time, beginning with the governmental discouragement of installing sprinkler systems in high-risk or life-hazard occupancies.  Crushing annual fees and water availability charges literally kept Charleston businesses from sprinklering their properties.  And it all went downhill from there.

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Yesterday, June 17 marked the anniversary of another fire that took the lives of nine firefighters.  It took place in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1972 and is still noted as the worst disaster in the Boston FD's history when a portion of the Vendome Hotel collapsed during overhaul after a four-alarm fire.  The 100-yr.-old luxury hotel was unoccupied while extensive modernization was taking place when a fire started in a hidden void and spread through a large area of the building.  An hour after the fire was out and the overhaul operations were taking place, on corner of the building suddenly failed without any warning and collapsed onto a group of firefighters killing nine of them and injuring eight more while leaving 25 children without their fathers.

We all recall the Charleston fire, but how many of us recall or think about the Vendome tragedy?  Even the worst of events tend to fade away from the collective memory of the fire service unless we take a moment each year to pause, think about, and honor those who perished before their time should have been up.

Now it's time to get the equipment checked out.  The calls keep coming in and we have to be ready.  I'll get the coffee started.

Vendome Hotel Firefighters Memorial

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Posted by on June 18, 2011 • Filed under: morning lineup

Culturally Hip Hands-Only CPR PSA

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Hands Only!

Hangover II and Community actor Ken Jeong lends his talent to this public safety announcement

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Drew Grant, writing in Salon.com, provides a "tisk-tisk" to the approach: Ken Jeong's CPR infomercial: The "Hangover Part II" star lends a helping hand to a funny, weird PSA that has a little bit of heart

The YouTube video is part of an American Heart Association fundraiser:

Donate $25 by 5pm EST on June 18th and be entered to win the CD "Glee: Journey to Regionals" signed by Chris Colfer!

Donate $28 by 5pm EST June 21st and be entered to win an iPad2 and "Push Hard & Fast" t-shirt signed by Ken Jeong!

Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, young or old, at any time. It is a leading cause of death in the U.S., and it happens when the heart abruptly stops.

When an adult collapses, odds are that it’s from sudden cardiac arrest. Odds are also high that if bystanders respond at all, the only thing they will do is call 9-1-1.

Medical attention is critical, but bystanders must act first — and fast — because every minute counts.

Even scarier? About 80 percent of victims collapse at home – many times while the victim’s loved ones stand by helplessly because they don’t know what to do.

The good news is that chance of survival more than doubles with immediate and effective CPR.

And the American Heart Association is making it easier for people to remember the steps to take in a sudden cardiac emergency with Hands-Only CPR.

Hands-Only CPR – or CPR without using breaths – involves two simple steps to help an adult cardiac arrest victim:

1) Call 9-1-1

2) Push hard and fast in the center of the chest until an AED arrives and is ready for use or healthcare providers take over

Remember the classic Bee Gees disco hit "Stayin' Alive?" It’s the perfect beat for remembering the right rate of chest compressions during Hands-Only CPR.

Disco may be dead, but it’s helping keep people alive.

We’ve enlisted the help of actor and real-life doctor Ken Jeong to help spread this lifesaving message.

Check out his hilarious take on “Stayin’ Alive” clad in a white suit like the one worn by John Travolta in the classic film “Saturday Night Fever.”

Go HERE for more details.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on June 18, 2011 • Filed under: culture, EMS Topics, News, Patient Management, Training & Development, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Are They Still Making These Guys?

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If So, Tell Us Where to Find Them

WHEN CAPTAIN COCHRANE strolled through the engine bay in Fairfax County the other day, it was the last day of the tour and 4 pm.  Not surprisingly the engine driver, Technician Bob found something that could be a little better and was working on it even though he didn't have to.

He finished up at 10 pm.  Do you know anybody like that?  Tell us about 'em.

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Posted by on June 17, 2011 • Filed under: apparatus, Fire-ology, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus • Tagged:

Friday’s Missing Caption

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THIS PHOTO SLIPPED THROUGH FROM AP without its caption this week, so I can only speculate on what's going on here:

It's a lonely time when you're running a 1-man engine company.  It takes a while to get set up:

  • Position the pumper…
  • Stretch the line…
  • Go back and put the pump in gear…
  • Return to the nozzle…
  • Go back because you forgot your SCBA…
  • (you need to take it from here:)

Post your caption completeion in the Comments, like always.

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Posted by on June 17, 2011 • Filed under: caption contest • Tagged:

Fire Engine Rollover in France

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Two Firefighters Injured

THURSDAY EVENING JUST BEFORE 8 PM in Dijon, France, a fire engine responding to an apartment fire drifted off the road on a curve and crashed into two parked cars.

Bien Public / Bailly

After the initial collision, the Fourgon Pompe Tonne (the fire engine) rolled onto its side and came to rest.

Bien Public / Bailly

Two of the six firefighters onboard were injured, one of them seriously.

Bien Public / Bailly

Bien Public / Renard

The French fire service tries to keep accident information confidential and will not release any details.

La Bien Public has the story and a 26-image photo gallery HERE.

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Posted by on June 17, 2011 • Filed under: apparatus, Fire Rescue Topics, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus • Tagged: , , , ,

Drunk Driver Destroys Firehouse

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Perfect Aim

THE VILLAGE OF NEW HAVEN, ILLINOIS, (pop. 500) lost its firehouse along with their three fire engines Thursday morning when a drunk driver smashed his pickup truck into the building.  The point of impact was perfectly placed at one of the supporting pillars  to bring down two walls of the building and the entire roof over the engine bays, burying all three trucks.

The rear of the pickup is barely visible in
the wreckage at the right side of this image by WTVW

Illinois State Police say that Jeremy Abell was under the influence of alcohol when he tore out of the American Legion hall at a high rate of speed shortly after midnight.  He lost control of his pickup truck and crashed into the combined firehouse and senior citizen center where he brought down the roof.

All three fire engines were buried and are still there waiting for the roof and debris to be removed before the authorities can get in to inspect them.  From what they could see from the outside, the fire chief thinks that one of them may be serviceable when they get it out.

WTVW

Abell has been charged with a long list of violations.  Two neighboring fire companies are on standby to cover New Haven until they can get back in service.

WTVW Ch. 7 Evansville (Indiana) has the story along with a good video report HERE.

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CLICK HERE to read more and order one.

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Posted by on June 17, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, fire stations • Tagged: , ,

Morning Lineup – June 17

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Friday Morning – What Do You See?

On Wednesday I got the car through the inspection ok.  Sometimes I have a worn brake pad or two, but everything was fine this year.  I was talking Wednesday morning at the Lineup about headlight adjustments and how they do that anymore since mine haven't needed it in many years.  With the way headlights are part of a "package" now, coupled with the superior design of the bulb (or filament, whatever it is in there), I haven't had to mess with them for at least 20 years.

Anyway, I found out what most of you probably already know about headlight beam adjusting with today's models.  There is an adjustment on them inside where you can't see it unless you know how to open it up.  The mechanic told me that most of them now have a bubble level attached to the housing and he can just turn the adjusters while watching that instead of shining the lamp into the little machine.  He also added that the reason he doesn't line up the machine to check it in the first place is because the only time they go out of adjustment is if there has been fender damage, or something similar, that knocks the entire housing off kilter.  Now between you and me, maybe he's just cutting corners to save a bit of effort, but he's confident enough in it that he gets away with it.  Sounds good to me.

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Those sharp-eyed guys at ChicagoAreaFire have spotted another one.  Two weeks in a row now, I've posted old ads in the Thursday Looking Back feature that included a piece of fire apparatus from the past in their area, and once again they have updated photos of that same truck.  Just three days ago on Tuesday I pointed out that they had some pix of the Pirsch quint that was in last week's Looking Back  (read about that one HERE).  By sheer coincidence, yesterday's Looking Back was an ad for a Darley "initial attack" truck that ended up in Itasca.  Within hours they had the updated photos of the truck (which Itasca used for a squad truck) posted HERE including one with the same positioning as the ad, so you can compare them.

Next week I think I'll make sure that the ad features someplace different.  Gotta be fair about this, you know.  But first we have to get back to routine and get this equipment checked out.  I'm on my way to get some more coffee started, then we'll meet back in the day room.

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Posted by on June 17, 2011 • Filed under: morning lineup

Stanford University EMS videos

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Shamelessly stolen from "Ambulance Driver" Kelly Grayson

It’s Katy Perry and EMS, By Way of Pomplamoose

This link takes you to a second video "The Making of EMS Dreams"

Loved the details pointed out in the "Making Of" video.

Video made by members of the Stanford University Emergency Medical Services (StEMS). An on-campus BLS non-transport response group.

StEMS provides standby medical services for many campus events, including athletic events such as football, and social events, such as campus-wide parties.

When requested for an event, the number of teams required is determined in advance. StEMS teams consist of at least two EMT-1 each, and are stationed throughout the event to provide medical assessment and treatment as needed.

StEMS as a whole provides non-transport BLS (basic life support) and if necessary can work together with ALS (advanced life support) to provide the best level of care to our patients.

Each team carries oxygen and an AED, in addition to trauma equipment, and is able to provide full BLS service to anyone in need.

All our members are at least EMT-1 (EMT-Basic) certified and are affiliated with Santa Clara County EMS.

Cool team.

Here is a LINK to jashil85's video about the service.

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Stanford EMS developed an orientation video for fellow on-campus disaster responders a month ago.

The earthquake pictures came from the 1906 earthquake that significantly damaged the campus.

(LINK)

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Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on June 16, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Airport Security

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DFW is LAX, too.

WITH ALL THE INCREASED SECURITY ISSUES raised by the religious war being waged against civilization by the barbarians, we tend to believe that airports are more concerned with the problem than the average industry.  This is why the management of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport are mightily embarrassed by a video that is sailing around the world at the speed of light today.

It seems that videographer Joe Ayala and his friend Larry Chen were stranded at DFW after their connecting flight was canceled.  Instead of wandering out looking for a hotel, they decided to hunker down in the waiting room until the morning.  After a couple of hours they realized that they were completely alone in the huge Terminal E and decided to have some fun while recording their recreational activities on the video.

After some expert editing, they posted their night at the terminal on Vimeo and it took off from there:

 

STUCK from Joe Ayala on Vimeo.

 

Despite all their scooting around and playing, nobody from security ever showed up to see what was going on, even though every corner of the terminal is covered by security cameras and microphones.  And yes, that restaurant was wide open when they went in there and poured themselves a beer.

The airport management is huffing and puffing about filing some kind of charges for something or other, but they can't figure out what.  They also claim that security wasn't breached because they were ticketed passengers that had already been screened by TSA.  The fact remains that nobody is watching the terminal.

Dallas/Fort Worth TV Channel 11 was able to find an airport board member willing to be interviewed for this tv report:

 

While it looks like there is a 3rd person handling the camera, you can see that most likely it's skillful positioning of the camera by the operator.  They have some good equipment.

 

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Posted by on June 16, 2011 • Filed under: current events, News, Videos • Tagged:

Promotional Opportunities

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Unspecified Accident Leads to Suspension

THE HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, INTERIM FIRE CHIEF was placed on paid administrative leave Wednesday afternoon on a moment's notice.  Deputy Chief William Moran has been serving as interim fire chief since September when the former interim chief retired suddenly.  The permanent post has been vacant since January 2010.  The city has been conducting a search for a permanent chief and was expected to appoint one in August.  Chief Moran was thought to be one of the 16 finalists to be considered for the position.

Chief Moran  (The Republican)

This sudden suspension was announced by the Fire Commission late yesterday afternoon in a one-sentence letter that gave no public reason for the action.

WSHM-TV Ch. 3 Springfield reports that they have discerned the reason after interviews with several "public safety sources:"

According to insiders, Moran sent an engine company to a false call to see how they responded. They say it happened just before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Sources say while the fire truck was en route, three vehicles pulled over for the truck, but a fourth vehicle didn't. They say that vehicle crashed into the pulled over vehicles and caused a four-car collision. A person from one of the vehicles was transported to the hospital.

The mayor did confirm to the news agencies that the suspension was based on an incident that happened yesterday.

WSHM also filed this video report in which the news reader misreads the report and says that the fire engine was involved in the accident:

 

 

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Posted by on June 16, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, labor, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Looking Back

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Fire Engineering – April 1972

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Posted by on June 16, 2011 • Filed under: Looking Back • Tagged:

Road Rage – Orange County Style (Commentary)

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The Wrong Way Round

Word sped out last week that two Orange County, Florida firefighters, one an officer and the other a driver, had received discipline after engaging in an apparent "road rage" incident while they responded to a call in the middle of the night. They apparently tailgated and then aggressively drove around a vehicle that did not move out of their way during the response.

Orange County rigs are equipped with electronic monitoring systems including video capability that are triggered when the vehicle exceeds set parameters. According to new reports, fire department administrators became aware of the matter as a result of this technology. Assuming that the crew knew that the rig was so equipped, it may be more of a commentary on their intellect than their driving skills if they engaged in reckless activity that they also knew would be captured and reported.

After an investigation, the fire department, in an act of no-nonsense, frontier justice, fired the 22-year veteran driver and demoted the officer to firefighter. Not only did they over-react, they managed to get it "the wrong way round."

The behavior was childish and appalling but firing someone who has worked for you for 22 years should be a last act born of desperation or because they have been convicted of a felony or other equally egregious offence. It should not occur because of a knuckle-headed episode goaded on by a supervisor.

If the offending actions were carried out not only in the presence of the officer-in-charge but with their full consent and even their participation, then the officer, and not the driver, should receive the most severe discipline. But again, termination is over-kill by several orders of magnitude unless there are other circumstances, including a prior history of very poor judgment or conduct.

One of the nation-wide symptoms of fire service leadership/management is the go-along/get along attitude that allows a creeping degradation of standards of behavior in (and out) of the fire house that eventually results in fire crews perpetrating acts that are stupid, reckless, or both. As usual, middle management, in the form of the battalion chief, is nowhere to be seen. It is as if the only role that battalion chiefs play is on the scene of an incident where they are at work. These managers have a day-to-day responsibility to ensure that the crews under their command are prepared and professional . In this case, were the chief to be "rung up" as well, then a real message would be sent. But we needn’t worry about that happening.

So, once again, we bring out the sledgehammer to kill the flea and miss the real point along the way. The better course of action would have been to give them both 6-months leave without pay and let their battalion chief bust rocks on the chain gang of administrative day work .

Sources:

http://www.firehouse.com/topics/firefighter-safety/fla-firefighters-accused-road-rage-fire-truck

http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/news/fullstory/newsid/138430

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/orange_news/060811-firefighter-demoted-after-road-rage-caught-on-tape

………… Eric Lamar

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Posted by on June 16, 2011 • Filed under: commentary, Eric Lamar • Tagged: ,

Daily News Ticker

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Some Items Fresh Off the News Ticker

THE CITY OF WOONSOCKET, Rhode Island, is going to attempt to recoup its overtime expenses that were incurred last week when a vacant mill building burned for two days (see the Firegeezer report HERE).  Mayor Leo Fontaine, who has been making headlines for the past year over his antics, stated the he "is going after" the insurers of the property for the combined overtime costs for police and firefighters at the blaze.  Insurance industry representatives point out that "isn't that what you pay your taxes, for?"  The Providence Journal has the story on this latest chapter of the Fontaine Follies HERE.

OH, STOCKTON!  The city that just can't get anything working right now has the strange situation where firefighters are asking the city to give them layoff notices and the city says it can't, even though its going to lay them off anyway.  City council says it's a contractual problem.  There is a clause in the work contract that mandates callback overtime if the daily staffing drops below 75.  But the contract expires in two weeks and the union says that the members need the notices so that they can begin applying for positions in other departments.  The naive council thinks that if they issue the layoff notices now, then everybody will disappear overnight.  Sheeesh.  Read the full story in the Stockton Record HERE.

"Let 'em die!"  seems to be the attitude of a Santa Clara County, California, grand jury looking into the costs of running a fire department.  In a report that they issued yesterday (Wednesday), the grand jury states that sending firefighters to what are now mostly medical calls is outdated and wasteful.  The San Jose Mercury News reports:

A report by the watchdog panel found that 70 percent of fire department calls are medical emergencies, and just 4 percent are fire-related. But even so, firefighters respond as if they are heading to a fire, sending a crew of three or more on a truck or engine costing an average of $500,000 — five times the cost of an ambulance.

Typically only one of the three arriving firefighters has medical training, the report said. That creates a "mismatch between service needed and service provided," with fire departments deploying "personnel who are overtrained to meet the need" — that is, paramedics also trained as firefighters.

"Taxpayers can no longer afford to fund the status quo," the report said. "Using firefighter-paramedics in firefighting equipment as first responders to all non-police emergencies is unnecessarily costly when less expensive paramedics on ambulances possess the skills needed to address the 96 percent of calls that are not fire-related."

Further into the report it veers off into a bizarre anti-union rant that suggests that the grand jury is concerned more with union busting instead of saving lives.  Read the full article in the Mercury News HERE.

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Six-Gun Holster?  No!  Six-Pack…

Sale price:  $27.95

This rugged leather holster keeps the beer at your fingertips and the crowd at your mercy.
It's made of black leather with a hidden pocket in the back to hold your credit card or cash.
The 10-inch by 4-inch holster will carry both cans and bottles.

CLICK HERE to read more and order some.  Treat yourself on Father's Day!

 

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Posted by on June 16, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, News • Tagged: , , , , ,

6 Die in Ohio House Fire

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No Working Smoke Detectors

EARLY REPORTS SAY THAT SIX PEOPLE DIED in a Warren, Ohio, house fire this morning (Thursday).  The fire that started just before 5 am was already through the roof with flames 30-feet high when the first units arrived on the scene.

WYTV

After the fire was knocked down, the firefighters located two adults on the first floor and four children on the second floor, all dead apparently from the fire.  However, the inspectors are just beginning their work and the cause of the fire and the victims' deaths has not been determined.  Warren Fire Chief Ken Nussle said,  "We're calling the K-9 just because of the fire damage and the six fatalities. We're going to cover all the bases on this."  He also said that, to the best of his knowledge, this is the worst fatal fire in the city's modern history.  Previously there had never been more than three fatalities in a single fire.

The house has significant fire damage and the chief reported that there is no evidence of any working smoke detectors in the house.

WYTV Ch. 33 Youngstown has this EARLY REPORT.

WYTV also has some early raw video posted:

 

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WJW-TV Ch. 8 Cleveland has some aerial footage:

 

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Posted by on June 16, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Morning Lineup – June 16

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Thursday Morning – a Dark Day

A somber morning for the U. S. fire/rescue community as word gets around about the tragic death of a Muncie, Indiana, firefighter yesterday late afternoon at a church fire.  The story of the incident is posted directly prior to the Lineup, so be sure to scroll down a little for the early report.  Official information has been scant but there is a press conference scheduled for this morning where we expect to learn more.  We have a couple of good videos in the report where you can be introduced to the incident.

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We have another premature passing to report this morning, also.  You may recall that in March we posted a STORY HERE about Coweta County, Georgia, firefighter Chris Landreau who was stricken earlier this year with a rare form of lymphoma cancer.  Our posting includes a music video of a song that was written and performed by a leading country music artist commemorating Landreau's battle with the "Heart of a Champion."

FF Landreau, 26, passed away Tuesday afternoon at the Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.  He suffered a stroke Monday while on an outing to Lake Hiawassee with his family and failed to recover.  Immediately on hearing the news of his death, the Coweta FD sent the rescue truck that Landreau had been assigned to, up to the hospital and escorted the body back home.  He had completed six grueling rounds of chemotherapy and was scheduled to return to work in August.

The funeral is Friday, June 17, at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Newnan.  Full funeral details are in the Times-Herald HERE.  (Thanks to Bob Burton at Code 3 For a Cure for informing us.)

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We should get started on our morning equipment check now.  I'll get the coffee started.  See you back in the day room.

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NHL Stanley Cup Final

Boston Bruins – 4, Vancouver Canucks – 0

Boston wins the championship 4 games to 3.

Boston team captain Zdeno Chara is the first to hoist the Cup  (Getty image)

Boston continued with their tight defense that came awake in game 3 of the series and became, if I'm not mistaken, only the fourth team to lose the opening two games of the finals and come back to win the series.  Scoring one goal in the first, they kept up the pressure in the second period when they scored two more.  The third goal was also short-handed and deflated the Canucks markedly.  The final goal in the third was an empty-netter.  The entire game was controlled by Boston goalie Tim Thomas who was clearly "in the zone" and made impossible stops to shut out the skilled Vancouver team.  Thomas was also awarded the Most Valuable Player trophy for the playoffs.

Here are the game highlights:

 

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Posted by on June 16, 2011 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: , , , ,

LODD – Muncie, Indiana

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Working Church Fire

Update, Thursday AM:
The firefighter has been publicly identified as FF Scott Davis, age 40.

A MUNCIE, INDIANA, FIREFIGHTER PERISHED Wednesday afternoon at a working church fire when the roof collapsed. 

Star Press

The fire was dispatched at 3:55 pm and additional alarms were struck as the fire filled the church sanctuary.  Along with the Muncie units and neighboring departments, several outlying volunteer departments were special-called to respond with tankers for water supply.

At 4:15 the roof collapsed and an announcement was made that one of the firefighters was unaccounted for.  The fire was out, except for hot spots before 5 pm.  While the location of the missing firefighter was known, they were unable to reach the body for the fire and debris.

WISH-TV

At 6:55 the announcement was broadcast that the victim had been recovered from the church building.  His identity has not yet been released.

The Muncie Star Press prepared a video taken during the early part of the fire with the camera rolling when the roof comes down.  You will see one of the firefighters who was inside escaping out a ground-floor window:

 

WISH-TV filed this report from their helicopter:

 

Sources:
The Muncie Star Press

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

. . . . . . . . . . Star Press .

Muncie Fire Chief Sean Burcham stated that no further information would be released until a press conference is held on Thursday morning.  The Muncie Star Press was reporting that two other FF's were injured and transported with non-life threatening injuries.

More coverage at:

STATter911 (Click here)

FirefighterNation (Click here)

Muncie Fire Department WEBSITE.

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Posted by on June 15, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Fires, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Triple Water Rescue Calls Keep FD Busy

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But This FD Had Boats

ABOUT 50 MILES EAST OF ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA, lies Stanislaus County near the mountains with a river running through it.  Tuesday afternoon the Jacob Myers Park in Riverbank was filled with people out enjoying one of the first pleasant days of Spring.  The Stanislaus River is always running swiftly this time of year with the melting snowpack and the calm-looking river has a strong current and a water temperature of 40º.  People used to know the basics like that, but now they don't.

Around 4 pm Tuesday afternoon a call went out to the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire District for a rescue (of sorts) of a couple whose inflatable boat sank in the river.  The two experienced swimmers who were not wearing life vests, made it to the bank with difficulty and needed to be retrieved.

As the FD was wrapping up that incident they got a second call from just upriver at Oakdale for the same scenario, two men…punctured boat … stranded on the banks.  While the firefighters were launching their boat, a third call came in back at the Jacob Myers Park for three swimmers in distress, two of them desperately clinging to tree branches and the third underwater.  The victim was trapped in tree roots eight feet underwater and did not survive.

ModestoNews.org had a video crew at the park before the first incident took place and they were able to document all three rescues and posted this video report:

 

The Modesto Bee has a detailed report on the drowning HERE.

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Posted by on June 15, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Upcoming Events

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Upcoming Events to Plan On

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Always There: First Responders of the 1890's

June 18–September 18, 2011 • Grand Island, Nebraska
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
(308) 385-5316; info@stuhrmuseum.org

Join us for this tribute to firemen, police, the military and all those who have kept us safe since the 1890's. Events include period fire suppression demonstrations, an exhibit of police gear, a remembrance ceremony and more.

Web page (URL):
http://www.stuhrmuseum.org/

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Pennsylvania Pump Primers
Antique Fire Apparatus Show & Muster

July 9 – Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
10 am to 4 pm at River Park.
Mass pumping demo. at 11 am

36th Annual Antique Fire Apparatus Show & Muster featuring over 100 antique fire trucks pumping from the Susquehanna River and at static display. A few hand drawn fire apparatus will be on display also. All apparatus must be 25 years or older to participate. Fireman games include Barrell Spin, Barrell Bust and Bucket Brigade, participants / teams need not have apparatus present to participate. 30-40 Firematic Flea Market vendors present.

More information at Pa. Pump Primers Assoc. website:  http://www.papumpprimers.org/index.html

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Los Angeles County Fire Museum presents:

Squad 51 and both Engine 51s
from the TV show EMERGENCY! will be reunited at the "home of the show"
for the first time in more than 30 years!

Open House will be at Sta. 127 from 10 am to 4 pm

Day 2 Open House, July 10 at the museum in Bellflower
For more information:  http://www.lacountyfiremuseum.com/

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Toronto International Fire Buff Convention 2012

August 14–18, 2012 • Toronto, Ontario

Guided Tours of Canada's Largest Fire Department (5th Largest in North America)
Guided Tours of Large Suburban Fire Departments
Apparatus Displays
Professional Workshops
Spouses' Programme
Area Fire Buffing

Web page (URL):
http://www.torcon2012.com/

Greater Toronto Multiple Alarm Association
416-231-3578; gtmaa@gtmaa.com

International Fire Buff Associates, Inc.
schaetzp@msn.com

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German-American Firefighters Association 28th Annual Fire Muster

August 28, 2011 • Southampton, Pennsylvania
10:00 am to 3:00 pm

The muster will be held rain or shine. We are expecting about 100 fire companies, vendors and fire buffs that will display antique, modern, special, unusual and otherwise interesting fire fighting apparatus. There are prizes for antique and modern vehicles owned by departments as well as individually owned. All entries will receive a dash plaque and a muster booklet.

Website:
http://sites.google.com/site/germanamericanffs/

contact info:
German-American Firefighters Association
215-332-7538; igafa@igafa.com

　

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59th Annual International Fire Buff Associates Convention

September 6–10, 2011 • Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey

-Seminars including 9/11 First Responders
-Antique Fire Muster and Display
-Hudson River Harbor Cruise
-Demonstration and Display of Neptune Large Caliber Foam System
-Urban Search and Rescue Demonstration and Display
-Fire House Tours
-Tour of Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Intrepid and other points of interest.

Web page (URL):
http://www.fbanj.com/

Contact:  Paul Schaetzle, President
schaetzle@fbanj.com

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WPI Firefighters' Fund 7th Annual Stop-Drop-n-Roll Chili Cook-Off

When? Saturday, October 15th, 2011 10 am – 5 pm

Where? Parking lot of Bass Pro Shop in Grapevine, TX

An October Texas tradition, the annual Stop-Drop-n-Roll Chili Cook-Off brings in thousands of rabid chili enthusiasts nationwide. Admission is free, and all-day chili sample cups are $5 a pop. Every dollar contributed or donated goes directly to the WPIFF: no expenses, no red tape, and no neglected firefighters.

$20 to register your chili team, prizes awarded to winners, vendor booths, kids activities, live music, raffle, and much more!

More info? Visit www.wpiff.org or call 888.616.7976 or email wpiff@williams-pyro.com

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Do you have a fire-related event, muster, antique show, flea market, etc., coming up? Send us the info. to: geezerguys (at) yahoo (dot) com.  Be sure to include website links, graphics and phone contact, and we'll post it in our Upcoming Events listings.  (Special thanks to Collectors Weekly for assistance  http://www.collectorsweekly.com/  )

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Posted by on June 15, 2011 • Filed under: Upcoming Events

Darwin Visits Michigan

1 comment

Portage FD Gets the Call

TWO MEN IN PORTAGE, MICHIGAN, forgot some of the basics of survival Tuesday afternoon as they set themselves on fire along with the minivan they were riding in.  They had just filled up a plastic gas can with some gasoline and, lacking the proper cap for it, stuffed a rag down the neck.  Then they placed it inside the van with them and started driving.

A few minutes later, one of them decided that he wanted to smoke a cigarette and struck his lighter inside the vapor-filled van.  The resulting ka-boom lit off the van and set the men's clothing on fire, thus encouraging them to bail out.  While they ran into an apartment development to dive into a lawn sprinkler that was turned on, their van rolled across the street into a fire station parking lot and came to rest against the station's fence, setting it on fire.

Unfortunately for everyone, the fire company was at another location fueling up the engine.  But shortly three engines did arrive to put everything out and get the victims transported to the hospital.

WOOD-TV Ch. 8 Grand Rapids has the video report:

 

The Kalamazoo Gazette has the STORY.

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Posted by on June 15, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos

What Is Expected of Us?

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Who Do We Ask?

The backlash against Alameda over the surf non-rescue there a couple weeks ago puts the lie to something a prominent fire chief told me once. During a debate about the role of the fire department and the public's perception of just what our job is, he insisted that we should ask the public what they expected of us. His argument was basically that the public did not expect us to die or get hurt and that the fire service's perception that we must act, even to our own detriment, was based on an old misapprehension. In short, if we only asked we would find that the public at large would resoundingly endorse a low-risk or zero-risk approach that meant that firefighters were never hurt. Hmm.

Alameda (and this case out of Georgia) support the traditional assumption that the public expects us to act and, in general terms, expects that at some point a few of us will die or be injured. This, by and large, is a calculus both sides have accepted. Of course it is usually taken too far. Many of us have met firefighters who would rather die in "battle" for the honor of it than in bed as old men and we all know public administrators and taxpayers' groups who would rather we have two guys on the engine and no truck. These people are all idiots. Of course we should not throw our lives away and should minimize our chances and severity of injuries. But there is an irreducible minimum such that any further reduction of firefighter death and injury would require us to abjure what makes us indispensable to society.

The shot seen 'round the world  (KGO-TV)

The furious public reaction in Alameda and the lawsuit in Gwinnet highlight three key points:

1) the public has unrealistic expectations of what we can do;
2) the public does not understand risk management and probably does not even know what it is; and
3) a lot of people do not hold your life in very much esteem; they would rather you die "making do" than demand adequate resourcing for their local fire departments.

These are all problems to deal with but, beyond them, lies the truth that the public, generally, does expect firefighters to take risks. If both sides of the so-called culture of extinguishment vs. culture of safety debate, then we're really speaking different languages and never the twain shall meet.

…….. Patrick Mahoney

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Posted by on June 15, 2011 • Filed under: commentary, FireHat • Tagged: , , ,

Oregon Firefighters Take Awareness Campaign to the Streets

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Citizens Unaware of Proposed Cutbacks

THE FIREFIGHTERS IN EUGENE, OREGON, are exposing the city council's quiet plans to shut down a fire company and are taking to the streets with flyers that inform the citizens what is about to happen.

Fire Station 2 houses both a truck and an engine company with only three firefighters on each for a total of six on-duty people. It is also the 2nd-busiest of the department's eleven fire stations and is located next door to the 9-1-1 operations center.

The city council will be taking up a measure this coming Monday night to whack an additional $317,000 from the FD budget by eliminating three captains and six firefighters, thus shutting down one of the units at Station 2.

The compliant fire administration touts the fact that there will not be any layoffs because upcoming retirements will shrink the staffing by attrition.  Fire Chief Randy Groves tells KEZI-TV that he doesn't want to eliminate one of the Whiteaker Station's companies. But Groves says when it comes to reducing the city budget, the fire department has to do its part.

The firefighters of Local 581 however are not in agreement that the FD has to do more than the other city agencies.  "There's money available. We want them to prioritize money to maintain the current staffing of this station," said Local President Paul Highfill.  To help nudge the city council along that path, firefighters hit the streets in Co. 2's first-due with flyers and personal contact to inform the citizens about the upcoming threat to their safety.  KMTR-TV filed this video report on the awareness campaign:

 

The campaign is already having an effect by alerting the public to this proposal that hasn't been touted by the council that is intent on saving some non-essential services at the cost of public safety.  KVAL-TV adds:

Businesses are taking note.

"The first concern is that this is the first that we had heard of it," said Perry Eastham, manager of Florida Title branch in the neighborhood. "We were just finding out via a flyer from the fire department that they were letting us know that this was going to happen."

It appears that the firefighters have made the right move and connected with the citizens.

Eugene Fire & EMS Department WEBSITE.
IAFF Local 851 WEBSITE.

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Posted by on June 15, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, Funding & Staffing, labor, Videos • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – June 15

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Wednesday Morning – Another Kind of Inspection Ahead

Later this morning I have to take my car to the shop for its annual safety inspection.  In my state this is required for all vehicles that use the public roads, including trailers (but not bicycles).  They have been doing this since way back before my memory picks up, so I'm not sure when it began.  But despite the inconvenience of having to set aside time and money to get it done, it's a good program and certainly goes a long way to keeping the highways safer.

What brought this topic up was my recollection that it has been several years since I have seen the inspectors check the headlight alignments to see if the low-beams and high-beams are aimed in the proper directions.  The right headlamp is suppose to shine straight ahead and slightly downward to illuminate the road X-number of feet ahead, and the left lamp is supposed to be aimed slightly to the right so that the beam stays in your lane and not directed into the eyes of the oncoming drivers.  The inspection stations all had a gadget on wheels that they would roll over to the front of the light and get a reading on where the beam was aimed, and if it was astray, then out would come the screwdriver to remove the decorative rim over the light fixture and a couple of simple adjustments until the beam came back within the magic circle.

But recently it dawned on me that there doesn't seem to be any access to the light to make adjustments anymore.  The entire lamp is part of one complete – and expensive – housing with everything included.  Are they engineered so precisely that they don't have to be realigned periodically?  Or maybe there is an adjustment and I just haven't seen one.  I'm going to have a chat with my mechanic and ask him about this evolution.  Gone also are the days of measuring the amount of free play in the steering wheel.  I think I'll ask him what else has changed in the world of auto safety inspection and perhaps post an update tomorrow.  And please, no wisecracks about vacuum-operated windshield wipers.

And speaking of inspections, we'd better get started on this morning's equipment check.  I'll get the coffee started while you stare at the headlights.  See you back in the day room.

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Posted by on June 15, 2011 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: ,