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Fire Baaa-aa-aa-gade Makes Roof Rescue

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Standard Two-Engine Response

THE SOUTH WALES FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE station in Brigend was called out Saturday afternoon after neighbors spotted a sheep on the roof of a string of row houses.  The initial size-up by the first-in officer confirmed that there was indeed a sheep running up and down the roofs of the terraced homes in Pontycymer.

WalesOnline tells us:

Claire Walters, who lives in the house from which the sheep was rescued, said: "I was sitting in my lounge watching television when suddenly I could hear a noise out in the street, but didn't know where it was coming from.

"When I went outside and was facing the front of my house, I look up towards the roof and there was a sheep standing there."

It took the two engine co.'s about 40 minutes to roundup the sheep and then get it down with a special animal rescue appliance that the country fire department uses on occasion.

The firefighters believe that the critter got up on the roof by climbing up from a garage attached to the buildings.

WalesOnline has the STORY.
South Wales Fire and Rescue WEBSITE.

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Posted by on June 14, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, rescue • Tagged: ,

More Mess in Memphis

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A Culture of Disfunction?

THE MEMPHIS FIRE DEPARTMENT IS KNOWN for its policy of hiring felons to serve as firefighters and regularly hits the news with their antics.  Now the spotlight is aiming on a deputy chief after he was accused last week of physically assaulting one of the firefighters.

WPTY-TV reporter Jeni DiPrizio has been sticking to the fire department for several years reporting on their questionable activities and on Friday she disclosed this latest incident involving an on-duty firefighter and  the off-duty deputy chief.

The firefighter, Reggie Davis claimed that while he was on duty in Station 45 on Sunday June 5, Deputy Chief  Daryl Payton came into the station while off-duty and dressed in street clothes.  While he was there, the two of them got into an argument and Davis claims that it got physical when Payton tackled him and forced him to the floor.

DiPrizio's video report on the latest spat:

 

Firegeezer adds:  While this report initially leaves Davis looking like the innocent victim and good guy, it may well be that he was the antagonist in this squabble.  Chief Payton has an admirable record in the department.

Update:  The Memphis Fire Department administration has contacted us and are emphatically tell that they do not hire felons to work in the department.  Firegeezer believes them.

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Posted by on June 14, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, labor, Videos • Tagged: , ,

San Diego Votes To Split From Rural/Metro Ambulance

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Potential Financial Fraud Threatens Cooperation

THE SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL voted Monday night to dissolve their joint venture with Rural / Metro to provide emergency ambulance services in the city.  The 5-3 vote set up the conditions for Rural/Metro to buy out the city's share of the San Diego Medical Services for $5.5 million, but continue as the EMS provider for the next two years while the city prepares for a competitive bidding process to take over that obligation.

SoCal Metro photo

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports further:

The move comes as Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Rural/Metro stands accused of taking advantage of lax city oversight by hiding the partnership’s revenue from the city, taking money without proper documentation and overcharging the city for services. The company denies any wrongdoing and has agreed to pay for independent forensic accounting of the partnership’s books for the past 13 years to clear its name.

* * *

The central allegation against Rural/Metro came from a former executive Robert Heffner who filed a whistle-blower lawsuit against the company last year. He said the company booked bad-debt collection revenue outside the partnership’s bank account from 1997 to 2007. That revenue totaled between $1.5 million and $2.5 million each year and was to be split evenly between the company and the city but instead was kept by Rural/Metro, according to Heffner.

The practice ended after Heffner raised questions, but he said Rural/Metro never reimbursed the city for as much as $12 million in revenue it kept in previous years.

In addition, City Auditor Eduardo Luna issued an April 25 audit that discovered Rural/Metro withdrew about $5.8 million from the partnership’s account that exceeded the expense reimbursements it was entitled to. The company also was charging the city twice the industry average for a "capital fee" on the partnership’s assets and collecting a billing fee of $23.50 per ambulance trip, a figure on the high end of the industry average.

Read the entire article HERE which also provides some background into the legal relationship between the city and the ambulance firm.
San Diego Medical Services WEBSITE.

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Posted by on June 14, 2011 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics • Tagged: ,

The News Ticker

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Some Fire/EMS Stories From the News Ticker

NEW YORK AMBULANCE CORPS OFFICES RAIDED.  Monday morning police investigators made a suprise raid on the Ramapo Valley Ambulance Corps. headquarters in Suffern, New York, in the Hudson River Valley area.  Jane Lerner, writing for the Journal News, reports:

Investigators raided the Ramapo Valley Ambulance Corps headquarters Monday, taking computers and other records from the building, witnesses said.

Ambulance corps members were shocked when investigators arrived at the building, next door to Ramapo Town Hall, and demanded records, said board member Lorraine Matrone.

"It was totally unexpected," she said. "We have no idea what they are looking for."

Ramapo Valley Ambulance is a volunteer organization and they were permitted to continue answering emergency calls while the investigators were in the building.  Read the full report from the Journal News HERE.

FIREGEEZER REPORTED ON APRIL 28 about the Union Fire Company in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, acting strangely (FG video report HERE).  Recently the refused to pump a supply line to a paid department on the scene of a fire, choosing instead to let the place burn until another volunteer company arrived on the scene and they supplied it instead (view the video in the link).  That isn't the only unacceptable perfomance they've given lately and now the township has shut them down.

STATter911 has the story on this latest turn along with more videos HERE.

WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA, had a rare 2-alarm fire Sunday afternoon when a vacant manufacturing plant and another building burned down. 

WGHP-TV

The spectacular fire brought hundreds of spectators from the area to see where all the smoke was coming from.  WGHP-TV filed this video report:

 

No information yet on the cause.

TWO MECKLENBURG COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, volunteer fire departments have chosen to shut down operations at the end of this month and are planning to give away more than $1 million worth of equipment to neighboring departments,   Expansion of the City of Charlotte and thus their fire protection services, has whittled the two VFD's areas down too much to continue.  WSOC-TV has the story plus a video REPORT HERE.

Appellate court rules trooper excessive force lawsuit should move forward.

A federal appellate court Wednesday ruled that a lawsuit should be allowed to proceed in a nationally publicized case where an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper is accused of using excessive force in an encounter with a paramedic in Paden following a traffic stop.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver rejected trooper Daniel Martin's contention that he should be immune from prosecution because he was acting within the scope of his authority as a law enforcement officer.

Martin's May 24, 2009, physical encounter with paramedic Maurice White Jr. caused a national stir after he was seen choking White during a roadside incident that was partially captured on videos recorded by the trooper's dashboard recorder and a witness's cellphone.

Click HERE for more details from The Oklahoman.

Earlier: Oklahoma Trooper Loses it Again

STATter911 coverage of earlier incidents

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Posted by on June 14, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Morning Lineup – June 14

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Tuesday Morning – Get Your Passes Here

Last Thursday's weekly Looking Back entry (HERE) was a 1957 ad for the Peter Pirsch apparatus builders and the illustration featured a quint that was just delivered to the Evergreen Park, Illinois, Fire Department.  Well, the sharp-eyed lads at ChicagoAreaFire spotted that and filled in the rest of the blanks by posting a couple of photos of the truck in later years.  And two different paint jobs, neither the same as the original.  This is fun.  Take a look at the Pirsch quint update HERE.

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Yesterday I told you about the opportunity to get free passes to the Firehouse Expo next month to the exhibit hall.  You have to register online to get them, but that's no problem.  All you have to do is follow these easy directions:

1) Go to: http://FirehouseExpo.com

2) On upper right corner, click on Register Today

3) Next page, click on Click Here to Register

4) Fill out first two parts of Step 1, then in the Promo Code box enter: EX79

5) When you get to Step 3, click on Exhibit Hall Only. If you entered the Promo Code in Step 1, the fee will be showing $0 (watch out for the automatic subscription to the magazine just below. you have to de-select it or you're stuck with a subscription.)

6) Finish out the registration form. You will pick up your badge at the Expo registration counter.

Make sure that you get the Promo Code correct, or you'll get charged for the pass which is good for all three days.

Now I'm going to hand out the passes for this morning's equipment check.  While you're getting that done, I will get some more coffee started.  See you back in the day room in a little while.

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NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

Game 6, Boston Bruins – 5, Vancouver Canucks – 2.
Final and deciding game:  Wednesday night in Vancouver.

Both teams continued to display their dislike for each other last night, but they did exhibit a bit more self-control in what could have been the championship-clincher for Vancouver.  For Boston it was another do-or-die game and they determined the outcome early by scoring 4 goals in a 4:14-minute span during the first half of the first period.  The Canucks came a little unraveled after that, although they got it back together by the third period.  But by then it was too late.  Tomorrow night it's for all the marbles (as they say).

Game 6 Highlights

 

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Posted by on June 14, 2011 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: ,

Goodyear Blimp Burns, Crashes – Hero Pilot Perishes

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Mid-Air Fire Leads to Fatal Plummet

Update, Tuesday morning:  Additional video added.  Scroll down.

ONE OF THE EUROPEAN-BASED GOODYEAR blimps caught fire in mid-air while traveling across southern Germany Sunday evening.

The blazing airship, the Spirit of Safety, was seen by thousands as it burned and dived to the ground.  There were three passengers onboard the gondola, a photographer from Bild newspaper and two videographers from RTL television.  The blimp was taking them on a flight to photograph the Hessen area from the air.

DPA

According to reports, the blimp was returning to the Reichelsheim aerodrome near Friedberg when the engines caught fire.  The pilot brought the craft down to about six feet above the ground and told the 3 passengers to jump out, which they did.  As soon as they jumped, the lightered airship suddenly bounded up a few hundred feet in the air and burst into full flame.

DPA

As the ship crashed back to the ground the spectators could hear the pilot's screams of pain as he perished in the blaze.  The pilot who died has been identified as Mike Nerandzic, 42, from Australia.

DPA

There is no indication yet of what caused the fire to begin in the engine.

AFP / Getty

 

This airship and another one are leased by Goodyear from a private company for use as advertising in the same way they are utilized in the U. S.    The second airship has been grounded until the cause and circumstances can be determined.

Bild posted this brief video of the fire:

 

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Update, Tuesday morning:
The AP has filed this raw video clip:

 

View of the ship taken earlier Sunday

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Posted by on June 13, 2011 • Filed under: aircraft, fire, Fires, Videos

More Montreal Mafia Madness – cont’d.

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This Time They Kept It Going Until the FD Arrived

AFTER A 32-DAY PAUSE, the firebombing spree amongst dueling Mafia families of Montreal resumed early Monday morning.  Around 12:35 am a police patrolman spotted a fire and a broken window in the Pizzaria Rainone on Boulevard Henri-Bourassa.

Agence QMI photo

The responding firefighters knocked down the fire and found the remnants of a Molotov cocktail inside.  This firebombing was remarkable in that it was still burning when the firefighters arrived on the scene.  Most of the bumbling efforts to torch rival businesses have failed to generate much fire.  Firegeezer noted in last month's firebombing that a better quality of cocktail has returned to use.

The fire damage was more extensive than has been in most of them, totaling at least $30,000.  There were no injuries reported and early on there have been no suspects yet.

La Presse

The Montreal Gazette has the early report HERE.

Catch up on the previous episodes of Montreal Mafia Madness HERE.

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Posted by on June 13, 2011 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, Fires, Montreal Mafia Madness

From the Engineer’s Desk

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May Recalls

Slack adjusters.

As reported last time, certain Gunite automatic slack adjusters were the subject of a recall. Some of the same slack adjusters were repackaged and sold to Paccar parts distributors. They were sold as Bendix part numbers 974294, 974296, 977142 and 977143. The report says that one slack adjuster was sold to a Mack distributor. Bendix will notify owners of record and Gunite will replace any affected slack adjusters free of charge.

It now appears that some of them were used as original equipment. Navistar has also issued its own recall, reporting that certain 2011 and 2012 Durastar and Paystar trucks were equipped with the affected parts.

The recall numbers, in addition to the one reported last time (11E 008) are:

Bendix: NHTSA #11E 011 Bendix’s phone number is 440 329 9000

Navistar: 11V-167 Navistar’s phone number is 800 448 7825 Campaign number 11504

Remember though, small parts sold across the counter may be very difficult to trace. So if you replaced any of these yourself, it might be well worth your while to make sure you don’t have any of the affected parts.

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This one is also about slack adjusters, but it is different from the one above.

Paccar is recalling (NHTSA recall #11V-157) certain model year 2011-2012 Kenworth T270/370, T440/470, T800, T660, W900 and C500 vehicles manufactured between Oct. 18, 2010 and Jan. 28, 2011. Certain cast iron slack adjusters housings, which transmit braking force from the brake chamber push rod to the brake cam tube, may include a "flow notch" in the handle portion of the housing due to an error in the casting process. The flow notch in the handle portion may reduce the effective cross section structure and cause the slack adjuster housing to fail.

 

Dealers will inspect and replace the slack adjuster housing as necessary. This service will be perfomed free of charge. Owners may contact Kenworth at 425 828 5440. Paccar’s recall number is 11KWA.

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Daimler Trucks

North America (DTNA) is recalling (NHTSA recall #11V 146) certain model year 2006 through 2011 Freightliner Cascadia, Century, Columbia, FLD, and M2, Sterling 9500, and Western Star 4900 heavy trucks manufactured from March 20, 2006, through June 30, 2010 equipped with specific MBE4000 EPA07 model engines. The inake air grid heater may short circuit and fail due to excessive internal temperatures.

 

DTNA will notify owners of the reall during March, 2011. Another notification will be issued once the remedy is released. DTNA expects the remedy to be available by May 31, 2011. Repairs will be performed by DTNA dealers free of charge. Their phone number is 800 547 0712. Campaign #10C-5.

Daimler is also recalling (NHTSA #11V 160) certain model year 2011 Business Class M2 106V incomplete chassis cab vehicles manufactured from July 19, 2010 and Jan. 14, 2011. The headlights may be more than 54" from the road surface which is outside the parameters set by safety standards.

Dealers will inspect the headlamp height and replace any non-conforming headlights with new headlights that lower the bulb center such that the headlights meet the safety standard, free of charge. Owners may contact at the above number.

　

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling (NHTSA recall #11V-173) certain model year 2008 and 2009 Freightliner Business Class M2 and Sterling Acterra emergency vehicles manufactured from Aug. 18, 2006 through July 7, 2010 equipped with EPA 2007 MBE900 engines. (Ed. note: The info that I am reading indcates that they are Detroit Diesel engines. I believe that the MBE engines are actually Mercedes Benz engines.) Engine software may not react properly to certain aftermarket treatment device codes. The software may unnecessarily shut down a vehicle or may fail to shut down a vehicle with an aftermarket device over-temp fault.

Daimler Trucks will notify owners and repairs will be performed by Detroit Diesel free of charge. This campaign is an expansion of a previous recall. (See 10V-472.) DTNA recall campaign 10C-6.

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Paccar is recalling (11V-203) certain model year 2007 – 2011 Kenworth C500, T2000, T600 and T660, as well as 2009 – 2011 Peterbilt 387 and 388 trucks equipped with Caterpillar C15 engines and manufactured from May 11, 2006 through Sept. 17, 2010.

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling (11V-207) some 2008 – 2010 Western Star 4900 trucks with the same engine. "Degradation of a combustion tube weld can cause radial heat impingement on the body that can burn through certain bodies used on C15 engines. This can cause a fire."

In both cases Caterpillar is handling the owner notification and remedy for this campaign. See Caterpillar’s defect report 11E-006. The remedy will be provided by Caterpillar free of charge. Due to a parts supply issue, owners will be notified by the end of April 2011 about the issue and again when the free remedy is available. Currently that is estimated to be around late July 2011. Owners may contact Caterpillar at 800 447 4986.

That’s all I have for now. After having coffee and going to the firehouse to check the equipment, I’m going to find an air conditioned place to hide and watch the Phillies game.
………… Sam

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Posted by on June 13, 2011 • Filed under: apparatus, Engineer's Desk

2 Alarms for Wine Bottles

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It Was the Wrappers, Not the Bottles

THE STANISLAUS COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, FIRE Department was called out early Sunday morning for an outside fire at the E & J Gallo winery's glass plant near the Modesto airport.  When they arrived they found hundreds of pallets of empty wine bottles shrink-wrapped in plastic that were burning.

Modesto News

The Modesto Bee describes the fire:

The bottles were shrink-wrapped in plastic and stacked 10 to 15 feet high, said Battalion Chief Paul Spani with the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District. The pallets took up an area of about 75 feet by 100 feet at the South Santa Cruz Avenue plant near Oregon Drive.

He said it took firefighters about an hour to put the blaze out. Firefighters were at the plant until about 6:30 a.m. putting out hot spots and mopping up.

Spani said the fire did not damage any of the plant's buildings.

Five engines and about 20 firefighters fought the fire.

The "2nd alarm" was a call for extra engine companies to assist in the persistent, smoldering blaze.

ModestoNews.org filed this video report that gives a good view of the fire situation:

 

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Posted by on June 13, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , , , ,

Around the Fire Web

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Lots of Good Stories From the Weekend That We Don't Want You to Miss

*  STATter911 posted an interesting video report on a double-fatal house fire in Kentucky where the news crew equipped with a video camera arrived before the FD did.  It's a good presentation of a typical rural VFD and how they do their best to operate within their ability.  This was one of those departments where the members respond to the scene instead of the firehouse.  CLICK HERE and check it out.

*  Jason Hoevelmann at the  Firefighters Own Worst Enemy has an excellent reminder on why you shouldn't go charging through a door that you've just forced HERE.

*  Mick Mayers at Firehouse Zen is trying to relax with a shark's tooth and explains why it's working HERE.

*  SConFire had a busy weekend, too.  Look through Grant's complete roundup from South Carolina HERE.

*  While we're in the Carolina's, move north a notch to North Carolina and check Jeff Harkey's photo story of a multi-alarm fire in a clothing factory yesterday in Montgomery County.  It's covered in FireNews.net HERE.

*  Curt Varone at Fire Law addresses this recent problem of when and why rescuers should and should not just stand by and watch.  He has a solution, too.  But you have to apply the solution before you get the problem.  CLICK HERE to see what he means.

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Can't Miss Deal of the Day

Notebook Slipcase – 67% Off – This Week Only

Designed to protect the Apple iPad and iPad 2, the slim Crave slipcase from Targus features durable neoprene and industry-grade tarpaulin material, a self-healing reverse zipper that provides a watertight seal, and stow-away handles. Fits many netbook computers including the iPad, up to 9.5 inches in length.

List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $9.99

CLICK HERE to order yours in time for Father's Day.

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Posted by on June 13, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Blogs

Morning Lineup – June 13

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Monday Morning – A Busy Start

This weekend certainly wasn't calm and quiet in the fire and EMS world.  A lot of major events took place and it was hard to keep up with all of them.  With the Firegeezer staff off for the weekend, FossilMedic and I were kept busy just trying to feature the more important news items for you and there are still some waiting for us to take care of this morning.

The big event, of course, is that huge wildfire in NW Arizona that is now spreading into New Mexico and has burned through more than 500 square miles of forest land.  This morning The Wallow fire, as it's called, is still less than 10% contained according to news sources, and they have more than 4,000 firefighters committed to it.  Captain Mike at Firefighter Blog is estimating that the fire is closer to 40% containment though, and I'll take his projection over the headlines'.  It's hard to imagine just how and where they can come up with 4,000 trained and equipped wildland firefighters, but they have.  And still some left over for the dozens of smaller fires that are ongoing in several other states.

Bill G. at Wildfire Today has also been publishing some articles that provide some insight into the struggling situation and this morning he leads off with a couple of good articles about the aging air tanker fleet that is working the fire lines.  Keep scrolling down for more because he's posted more than a half-dozen stories over that past couple of days.  Click on both of those links to stay up to date.

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It is just five weeks until the Firehouse Expo in Baltimore, Maryland, opens up with their week-long series of seminars, lectures, and hands-on training sessions.  I imagine that most of you who are planning on attending the various educational programs have already made your reservations, but if you are still thinking it over, CLICK HERE to go to the website that has all the conference schedule, information and online applications for you.  Check it out and see what they have that fits in with your personal advancement needs.

The final three days of the Expo is when the exhibit hall opens, July 21 thru 23.  I know that thousands of fire and EMS people attend on one of those days just to visit the exhibits where more than 400 vendors, equipment manufacturers and, yes, Firegeezer will have booths set up to show off their wares.  This year we will once again have our double-booth and be sharing space with Dave Statter of STATter911 fame, and the Firefighter Netcast crew, Rhett Fleitz and John Mitchell.  We'll be there to meet'n'greet our visitors and readers at booth #743, right in the heart of the exhibit floor.  If you think you'd like to drop by and say "hello" and check out the exhibits, go ahead and make your plans.  I've got plenty of free passes to hand out ($15 value) and tomorrow I will tell you how to get one.

Today though, we need to get the equipment checked out like always.  So let's get started and I'll go get the Bunn-O-Matic cranked up.  See you back in the day room.

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Posted by on June 13, 2011 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: ,

Fatal Fire Engine Crash in North Carolina

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Firefighter Quickly Cleared of Blame

A KERNERSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, FIRE ENGINE was responding to a fire call shortly after noon on Sunday when it collided with a passenger car.

The engine had its lights and siren activated as it was going by a church parking lot filled with people who were just leaving services.  With many witnesses looking at the passing fire engine, a car driven by 80-yr.-old John William Hack pulled out of the church lot directly into the path of the engine that T-boned the auto, killing the driver.

WGHP-TV

The truck traveled several yards pushing the car along and then into a storage shed.  The impact killed the car's driver and injured the passenger who was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.  The three firefighters were treated for minor injuries and released.

WFMY-TV

The State Highway Patrol are investigating the crash.  "They had the right of way," Sgt. P.M. Dixson said of the fire truck. "The decedent's vehicle pulled out from a church into their path."

The Greensboro News-Record has MORE.

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Posted by on June 12, 2011 • Filed under: apparatus, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, Videos

Pasadena to reduce fire company staffing

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FY 2012 budget proposes allowing five of the eight engine companies to respond with a crew of three

PASADENA -

The city's Public Safety Committee will hold a special meeting 4:15 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the Pasadena Fire Department's proposed Fiscal Year 2012 Operating Budget, which incorporates $2 million in reductions, and the associated service level impacts.

The fiscal year 2012 Recommended Operating Budget includes a $2 million, or roughly 5 percent, reduction in the Fire Department's budget. The Public Safety Committee will meet to discuss the service level impact of the proposed reduction.

Read more here: (2011 June 11) Cuts to Pasadena Fire Department's 2012 budget up for discussion Pasadena Star News

Like other departments, the money saved is by not filling up to five vacant fighter positions a day with overtime staff.

This link takes you to the 17 slide fire department budget presentation. There is a comprehensive literature review on 3-versus-4 person fire company staffing.  Adobe Acrobat .pfd format: (HERE)

Fire department website

Pasadena Firefighters IAFF Local 809

Related:

(2011 April 26) Pasadena Fire Station 39 to be Vacated as the Result of Seismic Stability Studies

Station 39, a single engine house built in 1949, will be closed for 24 – 36 months.

Only one of eight Pasadena fire stations meet current earthquake codes. Station 34 next to the Cal Tech campus.

In addition to vacating Station 39, Station 32 requires immediate retrofitting to avoid collapse in event of an earthquake. 

Station 32 has a paramedic engine, truck company, rescue ambulance and the urban search and rescue team.

City allocated $800,000 to repair Station 32 and design a replacement Station 39.

Looking at a total of $59 million to upgrade or replace seven of the eight city fire stations. This obligation is on top of existing capital obligation for repairs to the Rose Bowl and school construction.

Not sure if the city is temporarily disbanding Engine 39. That represents 4 firefighter positions every day.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on June 12, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Funding & Staffing, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Flying Bear Kills Two

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"I have to say, it's a first!"….Constable Fournel

TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN WESTERN QUEBEC Monday night when a freakish chain of events started with a bear walking out onto the highway.  Two men were traveling in a Pontiac along Highway 148 near Luskville when the bear stepped out in front of them.  The Pontiac struck the bear and sent it airborne and into an oncoming car, a Nisson Pathfinder, in the opposite lane. 

The bear struck the Nisson windshield in front of the driver.
(all photos via CTV)

The bear crashed through the windshield killing the female driver, continued through the car also killing a man sitting in the back seat directly behind the driver.  Both of them died instantly.

The bear shot through the car "like a bullet."

The 300-lb black bear then exited through the rear window and landed dead on the side of the roadway.

End of the road for the bear, too.

The front-seat passenger of the Pathfinder suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries and was hospitalized.  The two passengers in the Pontiac were unharmed.

Television network CTV filed this video report from the accident scene:

 

The Ottawa Citizen has MORE.

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Posted by on June 12, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Videos

“Gentleness and Strength” (video added)

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Tom O'Connor, IAFF Local 798 President, provides a memorable eulogy.

The remarks made by Lieutenant O'Connor at the funeral were moving.

photo by Jamie Thompson

The San Francisco Chronicle provides a summary:

Through the tears, there were moments of levity.

Tom O'Connor, president of the local firefighters union, brought knowing smiles and chuckles as he described Valerio as "a pony-tailed hippy who called himself 'The People's Paramedic.' He had a big heart and unbounded capacity to help the downtrodden.

"He was like Mother Teresa with a siren," O'Connor said.

Perez, O'Connor recalled, was "a fireman's fireman," who once ran an entire city block during a fire on Lexington Street to get a line to a water source when three of his colleagues were inside a building as the water was running out.

"He laughed about it and shrugged it off, never being one to take credit," O'Connor said. "But he should have taken credit that night, because he saved the lives of all three men who were on his engine company."

Perez was a laconic former Marine, Valerio a talkative, world-traveling free spirit.

"To say that Vince and Tony were very different people would be an understatement," O'Connor said. "I think the immortal words of St. Francis sum them up the best:

'Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as real strength.'

Vincent and Tony were our gentleness and our strength."

John Coté, Justin Berton, Chronicle Staff Writers (2011 June 11) Thousands say goodbye to fallen S.F. firefighters

if someone can provide a video link or complete transcript of the remarks, it would be appreciated.

Ahh, should have known.  Dave Statter has the link :)

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=8183853

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on June 12, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, News, Urban Commander, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Swiss Tunnel Firetrains

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Special Trains for Tunnel Firefighting

THE SPECIAL TRAINS FOR TUNNEL FIREFIGHTING in Switzerland are unique.  We told about them in the picture story yesterday (Firegeezer HERE) about the train fire deep in a tunnel through the Swiss Alps.

Switzerland is famous for their many and long tunnels in the mountains and have developed specialized methods to fight fires inside of them, sometimes many miles from the entrance.  They have several special firefighting trains that can be utilized not only for train fires and haz-mat emergencies outside, but can take the firefighters and equipment into the tunnels if they need to, just like they did yesterday and you saw in the video.

Here is some basic information on these trains:

They are made up of three cars, but each of them have a cab and can be run independently.

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Maximum speed: 100km / h
Total weight: 248 tons
Power: Can tow convoy of 730 tons
Length of the cars between 17 and 22 meters

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48 000 liter water tank (heated)
• 1800 liters of foam emulsifier
• 1 water / foam nozzle on the roof of the cab
· Power 2400 l / min at 8 bar
RANGES about 70 m (water), 60 m (foam)
• separate outputs for water – water / foam – CAFS

Fire Equipment:
· Launch mobile water / foam to 1200 l / min
· Hydroschild (720 and 1800 l / min)
· Spotlight fixed halogen lamp, 500 W
· Pipes 1000 m (lines 40 mm, 55 mm, 75 mm)
· Launch jet hollow foam gun and combined heavy
· Portable fire extinguishers (foam, CO2)
 · feelers to contact lines, poles landings

 

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General Information
 Length: 22.060 m / Weight: 80 000 kg
• Base vehicle manufacturer: Windhoff GmbH
• Workpackages manufacturer: Dräger Safety AG
• Technique of extinguishing manufacturer: Windhoff GmbH, Vogt AG
• Crane Manufacturer: Palfinger AG

 Work Package
 Generator / Compressor
• 52 KVA generator for the onboard network, particle filter
• breathing air compressor (950 l / min at 300 bar)
• Installation of filter for breathing air and boat bottle filling apparatus of breathing protection

Equipment
 • Motor Pump (Type 1, mobile, 800 l / min at 8 bar, respectively. 2700 l / min at 1.5 bar after changing the pump Lenz, with suction)
• Various hydrocarbon Defence Materiel – binders
• Portable fire extinguishers (foam, powder, CO2)
• Tools
 • Explosimeter
• Lighting equipment – projectors (1000 W)
• Portable lamps Explosion Proof
• Oil pump with suction and discharge
• Skips rail
• Fuel
 • Chainsaw chain for rescue
• Shear rams and extrication

Extinguisher:
• separate outputs for water – water / foam – CAFS
• 1 water / foam on the roof of the cab
· Power 2400 l / min at 8 bar
RANGES about 70 m (water), 60 m (foam)
• Crane Palfinger PC 3300 with winch

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Container salvage
• Main compartment independent from the outside with a slight overpressure, access through an airlock
• Space for 60 people or 40 people and 9 litters
• 20 units of breathing protection Sabre with male / female
• Foldable Stretchers, rescue boards, stretchers paddle
• Vacuum air mattress
• equipment for first aid
• 2 units with oxygen cylinder
• Medical Supplies
 • Blankets and rescue wool blankets
• Means of communication (eg radios firefighter)
• hoods leak
• Device control the oxygen content and Carbon Dioxide
 • Portable lamps Explosion Proof
• Equipment protection against fire (jackets, pants, boots, helmets) for the crew

Rescue Platform
 • Look-Out (Great visibility for traffic at maximum speed in reverse)
• generator for power supply 400 V/230 V
• Module stairs
• Swivel arm with chain hoist
• fixed projectors with halogen lamps, 1000 W

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This video clip shows one of the trains passing by at low speed:

 

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Posted by on June 12, 2011 • Filed under: apparatus, Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, Videos • Tagged:

Another Treasurer Caught Dipping

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And Another One From Pennsylvania

A FORMER TREASURER OF A SNYDER COUNTY, (central) Pennsylvania, volunteer has been charged with felony theft and forgery for stealing nearly $5,000 from his fire department.

(WNEP-TV image)

Robert Hassinger, 55, of Port Trevorton was the treasurer of the Port Trevorton Fire Company for five years until he resigned this past May 6 following an interview with police investigators.  The Danville Daily Item reports:

(He) is accused of withdrawing cash from two department savings account and the Fireman’s Relief account on three occasions — April 12, 2010, May 24, 2010 and last April 1 — and electronically paying a personal cell phone and television bill from one of the accounts for a total loss of $4,865, court records said.

In an attempt to conceal his use of department funds to pay his own bills, Hassinger allegedly forged the name of Fire Chief Douglas Lauver on a $1,600 check and deposited into the savings account he used to pay the bills, court records said.

State Police say that he has admitted to the forgery and thefts.  He will have a preliminary hearing before a judge later this month.

Read the full account in the Daily Item HERE.
WNEP-TV Ch. 16 has MORE.

Posted by on June 12, 2011 • Filed under: crime, Fire Rescue Topics • Tagged: , , ,

A Weekend Emergency !

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Season Two – Episode 14

School Days

 

A paramedic trainee loses his confidence on his first call.

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Posted by on June 12, 2011 • Filed under: Sunday Emergency, Videos • Tagged:

Le Mans Extrication

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Close Calls All Around

THE FAMED 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, the  world's oldest auto endurance race, was held Saturday / Sunday and headlined by the Audi 3-car factory team.  One of the Audi's won the race and the other two crashed in separate incidents.  Audi will no doubt benefit from the crashes by pointing out their extremely successful driver compartment protection in the crashes including this one (note the trackside extrication technique):

 

Scotsman Allan McNish had moved his Audi into 2nd place when he clipped a Ferrari  and created the video clip that went viral.  The driver wasn't the only lucky one.  Did you notice the raining of debris onto the trackside photographers and support personnel?

Race fans who wish to read more about the race itself can find MORE HERE.

The eventual winner  (AFP)

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Posted by on June 12, 2011 • Filed under: cars, Rescues, Videos • Tagged:

Camden Hit Again …. 8 Alarms

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When You Have a City Full of Vacant Buildings Laying Off Police and Firefighters …..

Courier-Post

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THREE DAYS, the Camden, New Jersey, Fire Department was facing a multi-alarm blaze at a vacant industrial building.  The fire was reported just after 2 am Saturday morning in a 3-story mill-construction building that was believed to be vacant, but was being used to store construction materials.

Courier-Post

The fire was spreading rapidly through the building and the FD worked primarily to contain the fire to the structure.  Many threatened homes along the street were evacuated, but the FD was successful in preventing any extension.  WPVI-TV Ch. 6 provided this video of the fire at its peak:

 

Once again the firefighters had to rely on the river for their water supply, this time calling in a Philadelphia fire boat to pump into the supply lines.  The fire was marked under control at 5:30 am and by 10 am all of the nearby residents were permitted back in their homes.

Courier-Post

The Philadelphia Inquirer has MORE.
The Courier-Post also has the STORY.

Google Street View of Saturday's fire building.

This fire was about one mile away from Thursday's 12-alarm warehouse fire that took out most of a city block and destroyed at least 10 homes.  (see Firegeezer report HERE.)

Posted by on June 12, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – June 12

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Sunday Morning and We're Still Here

Our hard-working tech crew seems to have set up an effective defense against the incessant DOS attack on our ISP's server.  It's been 23 hours since the last failure and it's looking good now.  It's tough on everybody when that happens, so we're grateful when you come back and visit us again.  We're still here and still posting.  And since it's Sunday, that means the next episode of Emergency! will be gracing our pages in a few hours.

In fact, there's lots of news this morning and we'll be busy catching up.  I'll get started by telling you about a website that was pointed out to me the other day, an interesting site titled Old Picture of the Day with the promise that, Each day we bring you one stunning little glimpse of history in the form of a historical photograph.   The daily pic that I was introduced to was this past Wednesday's when he showed a photo of an IBM computer hard drive taken in 1956 that stored a whopping 5 MB of data.  Here's the LINK to that entry, if you want to see what it looked like.  I recommend that you take an extra couple of minutes to read the Comments that were left on it, very enlightening.  I went ahead and also bookmarked the HOME PAGE so that I can check in regularly.  I like that kind of stuff.

Now let's click on over to the equipment check sheet and get started with that while I go make some more coffee.  See you back in the day room.

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Today's Special Bargain….

Save up to 50% on Valeo personal fitness and exercise equipment.

CLICK HERE to view the many items available at these discounts.

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Posted by on June 12, 2011 • Filed under: morning lineup

Train Fire 2 Miles Into Tunnel Presents Challenge

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Simplon Railway Tunnel is 12 Miles Long

A RAILCAR FIRE HAS BROUGHT TRAFFIC to a halt in the Simplon Tunnel, one of the longest railway tunnels in the world. The twin-bore tunnel runs under the Simplon Pass in the Swiss Alps running from Italy into Switzerland and is approx. twelve miles long.  The accident happened on Thursday morning when the train was about 2 miles into the tunnel.

Smoke pours out of the tunnel portals while the train is burning.  Cross-connecting chambers
between the two tubes allowed the smoke to also fill the undamaged passageway.

SwissInfo reports:

The fire broke out in the sixth (car) of a train carrying household goods made of steel and porcelain from Italy to Germany. No-one was hurt, apart from a few people who suffered minor smoke inhalation. The flames eventually spread to the following nine (cars) because of the immense heat inside the tunnel. The engine and first five (cars) were moved to the Swiss exit of the tunnel at Brig on Thursday.

“The situation is still not totally under control,” Jean-Louis Scherz, a spokesman for the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), told the Swiss news agency on Friday afternoon.

The tunnel’s two parallel tubes are linked by transverse tunnels every 200 metres, through which the smoke is reaching the undamaged one, making it unusable.  The affected tunnel is reported to have suffered “major” damage, which will take several weeks to repair, according to initial assessments. The SBB said on Thursday that the roof lining could collapse, the rails had probably been distorted, and other infrastructure melted.

One of the fire-extinguishment trains enters the tunnel.  (20min. photo)

Three special tunnel firefighting trains including 50 firefighters were dispatched from both Italy and Switzerland to try and approach the fire from each end, but the intense heat inside the tube kept them away for most of the day. 

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Saturday at noon, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) announced that the undamaged tube was usable since the smoke had dissipated.  The track was reopened to allow passenger trains to use alternating northbound and southbound one at a time.  This is a 3-day weekend celebrating Whitsun (Pentecost), a religious holiday, and travel to and from Italy is heavy.  On Monday the rails will re-open to freight traffic, again using the single tube.

SwissInfo further reports:

An SBB spokesman said on Saturday morning that overnight firemen had managed to bring the temperature in the damaged tunnel down to 30 degrees. The normal temperature is 27 degrees, but at the height of the fire it had shot up to 800.

He said a million litres of water had been used so far to extinguish the blaze. Although there is no more smoke or embers, firemen will continue their work until Monday. The 10 burnt-out wagons will remain in the tunnel until then.

The SBB says repair work is likely to last for several months.  The cause of the fire, in which no-one was injured, is still being investigated.

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Posted by on June 11, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , ,

VFD Chief and Deputy Suspended Following Assault Accusation

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VFD Member Claims He Was Beaten With a Crowbar

THE CHIEF AND DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE GALLINAS, New Mexico, Fire Department were suspended from their positions by the San Miguel County Manager.  A volunteer firefighter claimed that the two men, Fire Chief Tobias Lucero and Deputy Chief Lorenzo Montoya, handcuffed him and then beat him with a crowbar just over a week ago.

The victim also claims that the pair have taken advantage of other volunteers before and threatened them with losing their jobs if they told anyone.  The State Police investigated the allegations and turned their report over to the District Attorney's office.

KRQU-TV Ch. 13 Albuquerque has filed this video report from Gallinas:

 

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Posted by on June 11, 2011 • Filed under: crime, Fire-ology, News, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Weekend Caption Contest

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ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER MISSING CAPTION. This one slipped through from Reuters and I'm sure sorry that they lost the caption. It appears to have been taken at station 61, someplace, but I don't know where.

There are so many possible explanations of what's going on that I can't begin to list them all. But don't let that stop you. Tell us what you think the caption for this celebratory event should be by posting it in the Comments for everybody to see.

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Posted by on June 11, 2011 • Filed under: caption contest • Tagged:

Instant Mass-Casualty Transport in Tulsa

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Conversion Kit for Transit Buses

EMSA, the EMS authority that operates the emergency ambulance service for Tulsa, Oklahoma City and several other communities in central Oklahoma, has just acquired a system that temporarily converts a transit bus into a mass-casualty ambulance.

The system is produced by First Line Technology and can be used in any bus, including transit and school buses.

On Thursday they put on a demonstration for the news media and KOTV Ch. 6 reported:

MTTA and EMSA have teamed up to provide a way to transport a large number of people during a medical emergency all at once. The device is put together inside any city bus; it's not permanent but can be installed within 90 minutes. It will hold 18 patients and 6 medics.

"This is a specialized system that lets those folks lay down," Stevens said. "This is specifically for non-ambulatory patients, meaning, if they're injured, they're on a backboard, or they're on a road cot and they cannot sit up for various medical reasons."

"It's a structural steel frame that can be assembled to convert any vehicle of opportunity into a stretcher carrier," Jason Croson, with First Line Technology, said.

Ch. 6 produced this video report showing the installation in progress:

 

Another potential use is when a hospital needs to evacuate its patients to another facility.

EMSA system WEBSITE.
First Line Technology WEBSITE.

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Posted by on June 11, 2011 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, Videos