We were late joiners, as they were wrapping up the United States stage at New York City:
Follow That Fire Engine … in NYC
Stage 9 is the final 3,000 mile dash to England
Getting the 1994 Mercedes 1124 AF/HCB-Angus four-wheel drive pumper ready for it's third and final overseas voyage was a bit of a trial in New Jersey:
Follow That Fire Engine on Facebook
Follow That Fire Engine website
Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
Into the Prairies
Lorenzo made it across the Rockies yesterday and made a stop along the way at Wall, South Dakota. Wall is a small town made famous by its huge drug store that is a big tourist attraction. Lorenzo visited with Chief Ketterman and had him sign the banner before moving on toward Omaha, Nebraska.
Chief Ketterman
He spent a cold night sleeping in the fire truck at a rest stop, and then was up early and on the road to Omaha.
Lorenzo Gets Nervous Around Horse Trailers Now
He pulled into Omaha this morning (Friday) around 10:00 am and had a good visit. The guys there signed the banner, added names to the memorial bell, and checked over the rig before he returned to the road. Lorenzo wanted me to mention that the Omaha Firefighters made him a great salmon lunch.
At the request of the Omaha Firefighters Lorenzo made a stop in Papillion, Nebraska, to visit with FF Jeff Jones who is a cancer survivor and back to work. They had a great turn out and warm reception there.
Thank You, Sutphen For Providing the Fuel For the Mission.
Now Lorenzo is headed up I-80 toward Waukegan Illinois. And wants to get as far along today as he can, so he will arrive on time tomorrow to meet with the Waukegan Firefighters and pick up FF Patrick Gorgan from Michigan City Ind. FD for the next leg of the journey. Befpre leaving Waukegan Lorenzo will meet privately with Katie Oldham to present her with the banner. Any of you in the greater Chicago area that want to join in give the Waukegan FD a call for times and places.
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Schudule for the Next Few Days
Saturday March 26 – Waukegan and Zion Illinois
Sunday March 27 – Madison, Wisconsin – Rockford and Bloomington, Illinois
Monday March 28 – St. Louis, Missouri – Lafayette, Indiana
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Destination: Omaha
We want to show you a pic from the other day that was taken in the Portland, Oregon, Headquarters fire station when the duty crew mustered to meet with us. Take note of not just the terrific patch collection, but the neat wall decoration made with an old life net:
Tuesday morning before leaving Yakima we visited our mechanic Mark Frey and had him take a look to find out where we were losing anti-freeze. Well, he was able to find it pretty fast and it turns out just to have been a defective radiator cap. $4.00 later and Lorenzo was on his way to Spokane Washington. The trip went without further excitement and he arrived to a great welcome by the City of Spokane Fire Department and Assistant Chief Brian Schafer. The crews made him welcome at the station by treating him to a nice dinner and the Station Captain gave up his private room so Lorenzo could get some well deserved rest.
Lorenzo (l.) and Spokane Firefighter John Knighten
Today (Wednesday) he was off by himself to cross the Rocky Mountains, headed to Butte Montana and then to Omaha, Nebraska. He will be arriving in Waukegan, Illinois, on the 26th and will be presenting the banner from the back of the apparatus that has been signed by all the firefighters across the country so far.
Crossing the Rockies
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Upcoming Schedule
Friday March 25 – Omaha, Nebraska
Saturday March 26 – Waukegan and Zion, Illinois
Sunday March 27 – Madison, Wisonsin, then to Rockford and Bloomington, Illinois
Monday March 28 – St. Louis, Missouri
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Sutphen Makes a Strong Firetruck
Here is an update on the adventure of the Code 3 for a Cure Team today. I rode the Greyhound from Yakima, WA to Portland OR. to meet up with Lorenzo there. I was complaining how they could make a 3 hour trip last for 6 hours until talking with Lorenzo. Our arrival times should have been close except for the weather and hi-way-related mishaps that he was facing. The weather on I-5 through the mountains of Northern California was predicted to be snow and possible delays, so after dropping Jeff off, he was traveling alone. Lorenzo decided to take the Coast route up hi-way 101.
Well, the less than desirable driving conditions on that road made his trip quite long. Along the way he had to deal with flooded roads, Tsunami damage, mud slides, and dike in the area that had burst along with the regular slow speeds through the little towns along the way. To say the least, he was late and arrive in Portland around 23:15 hours. The guys at City of Portland station 1 were great, they had dinner waiting for me when I arrived and we made a plate up for Lorenzo and put it in the fridge. I shared with them what our mission is all about and my story of cancer survival and then we just shared fire stories for a while. They made us up a nice room in the bunk house and Lorenzo chose to sleep in a recliner in the "Hog House."
Signing the Banner
Teddy Mayes
Then next morning after a couple of cups of coffee, (they ran several alarms during the night including a fire in an abandon gas station) we did a good rig check and found our apparatus to be a little low on antifreeze. After sharing with the oncoming shift at muster, Bill Humbert, a two time cancer survivor who is retired from Portland Fire Bureau, took us over to their Logistics shop for a good once over. Thanks to the guys there for helping us out along our journey.
Munro, Abundiz, Humbert, Harding
Soon we were heading out on I-5 north to Washington. Along the way we made a stop at the Longview, Washington, Fire Dept. and met with some very enthusiastic young firefighters who were interested in what we had to say. Their Chief Brian Smith himself was a cancer survivor.
Chief Smith
Adding a Name to the Bell Cabinet
From there it got interesting. Just up the road a few miles in heavy traffic, I was driving and passing a slow string of trucks and cars when a pickup pulling a horse trailer came up from behind at a rapid pace, I was committed to my lane and had no place to go, but he decided it was not fast enough. He shot into a small opening on my right side and came flying up along side of us, I thought he was going to rear end the car in front of him, so I slowed and hit my brakes as he made a violent move into my lane, and hit the front of our brand new Sutphen Fire Truck. I hit my air horn and flipped on my emergency lights, expecting to pull over with him to discuss the events,
But to our surprise he just kept on going at a high rate of speed. Lorenzo called 911 to report the accident / hit and run. We attempted to follow and kept him in sight as he exited the freeway. We followed and to our surprise there was a Washington State Patrol trooper sitting at the intersection. We stopped and told him what happened and he stated he was tied up with another accident, so he called another Trouper to assist us. Meanwhile we watched the horse trailer disappear into the wooded area on back roads. Our trooper arrived and as we were taking pictures and doing the paper work, he got a call on his radio that a guy pulling a horse trailer has stopped at the police station about 35 miles up the road reporting that he "had been hit" on I-5. We said goodbye to our trooper friend as he was leaving to go question this guy about why he took the back roads to his destination and why he did not stop.
The Sturdy Bumper
Back on the road we were late for our next stop so we had to miss Olympia this time and headed straight to East Side Fire and Rescue station in Issaquah, Washington. A great visit there and on to Yakima for the night. Mixed rain and snow on Snoqualmie Pass. I-90 slowed us down again, but we made it in to Yakima Station 93 around 21:15 hours. A long day and a long story but the mission goes on.
Next stop … Spokane.
………Capt. Bob Burton
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Mission Plugs On, Despite the Weather
Well, the mission has had its first adjustment due to weather. The crew was stuck Friday night in Carson City, Nevada, due to closure of the hi-way to Sacramento. Thanks to Carson City Fire for all of their assistance in letting the guys bunk out there and helping fix them up with some winter weather gear for the apparatus.
Carson “Ice” City
Lorenzo wrote Code 3 for Kevin Oldham in the snow on the bumper of the apparatus.
Guys from West Wendover signing the banner that will be
given to Katie Oldham when Lorenzo arrives in Waukegan.
We apologize to our friends as Sac-Metro because we had to forego the stop with them this year.
Jeff checks the tire pressure before leaving Carson City.
Lorenzo pauses on the pass leading out of Carson City,
then continued on to Chico.
I will be meeting up with Lorenzo in Portland Sunday night and then I’ll update you next from there.
…… Bob Burton
Itinerary for coming days
Monday March 21 – Olympia and Yakima, Washington
Tuesday March 22 – Spokane, Washington
Wednesday March 23 – Casper, Wyoming
Friday March25 – Omaha, Nebraska
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We Have Room For a Rider For a Few Days
We spent Wednesday night in Kingman, Arizona, after pausing at a truck stop for a P. M. check.
Then Thursday we traveled to Las Vegas before heading north to Salt Lake City where we spent last night. We dropped off team member Bob Silverthorne. Lorenzo will be on his own for a couple of days now, so if any of you firefighters, retired or active, would like to give him some company for the next few days as he makes his way on through Reno, back into California to Sacramento, Chico, Redding and then on to Portland, Oregon, let us know.
If you are a cancer survivor or are currently in the battle, and especially if you can drive a fire apparatus, you are welcome to share your story along the way. Please let the Firegeezer know, too, that you are enjoying reading our postings from the road, and be sure to visit our website at www.code3foracure.org and get a t-shirt ordered to help support the mission.
When we kicked off the tour just this past Monday, the Orange County Register covered the event and published a great article telling more about the tour and some of the background. Please take a few minutes to read the article HERE. You can also see their 8-image photo gallery HERE.
The Register also produced this fine video covering our stop in Irvine, California. Please take the two-plus minutes to watch us:
….. Bob Burton
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday March 19 – Sacramento and Chico, California
Sunday March 20 – on to Portland, Oregon, for the overnight stop
Monday March 21 – Olympia and Yakima, Washington. Overnight at Yakima, Bob’s hometown
Tuesday March 22 – Spokane, Washington
Wednesday March 23 – we begin heading east, stopping at Casper, Wyoming
Please come out and see us if you can.
We Finish Our Tour Through Southern California
Yesterday (Tuesday) we left San Luis Obispo where we had dinner and stayed over Monday night…..
Dinner at “The Doghouse” in San Luis Obispo
From there is was on to Santa Cruz for a visit….
Santa Cruz (and some high coastal fog)
Leaving Santa Cruz, we headed east to Indio where we spent last night…..
Indio Station 87 – Made the Long Hop Before Dark
Today we headed to Phoenix, Arizona, and from there we will travel north to Wickenburg and hope to spend the night in Kingman. We’ll get those pics to you as soon as we can.
…….Bob Burton
Code 3 For a Cure Engine Heads North
Kickoff Success
The Mission for 2011 is now officially underway. Beautiful weather this morning in Ripon California for the kickoff, we would like to thank Chief Dennis Bitters and his department for another great kick off event. Monday the 14th, the crew is Lorenzo Abundiz, Bob Silverthorne, and Jeff Heald. They made their way from Ripon to Santa Cruz, and on to San Luis Obispo where they will be hosted by Chief Charlie Hines and his department.
Our brand new fire apparatus is supplied by Sutphen Corporation and they are very generous and also supply the fuel for our missions. At the end of the journey this apparatus will be available for purchase at a Sutphen dealer, and if any one is looking for a good buy on a great fire truck…..
We have reserved a seat for Kevin Oldham and as we stated earlier this mission is dedicated in his memory. We will let you know when his funeral service will be, and for those departments that are expecting us, we will try to let you know of any changes in the mission schedule.
We will let you know when we will be in your area, and would love to meet all of you readers and share our misson of honor and hope with all.
* * * * * * *
Firegeezer readers in Coweta County, Georgia, have passed along this information about one of their firefighters. Please take heed and see if maybe you have room on your iPod for one more tune:
Corbette Jackson from American Idol and Stokes Nielson from The Lost Trailers have teamed up to raise money for a Newnan hero, Coweta County (Georgia) Fire Fighter Chris Landreau. Chris is 26 years old and was recently diagnosed with Stage 4: T-Cell Lymphoma Lymphoblastic Cancer. Chris and his wife have two young children. Also, Corbette and Chris went to the same high school together.
* * * * *
When Corbette got word that his friend Chris had received this life changing news, one of the things that stood out was that the doctor had told Chris that despite what he’s going through, he had the “Heart Of A Champion”. That phrase struck a chord and Corbette and Stokes got together and wrote this song in about 40 minutes.
* * * * *
The YouTube footage was taken at a benefit show in Chris’ honor. The footage in the car is of the first time that Chris heard the song. It is a very emotional scene, and we hope you can appreciate and support Chris’ fight against cancer.
All they are asking is that you add one more song to your iPod or your computer. You can find the song for sale on iTunes HERE. The price is a mere 99¢
* * * * * * *
Sad Announcement Precedes Today’s Kickoff
Capt. Bob Burton writes:
It is with a heavy heart that I write this update on the Code 3 for a Cure Mission 2011. Kevin Oldham, firefighter from Waukegan IL has lost his battle with cancer. Kevin was a valued member of the Code 3 team. Lorenzo and I had the opportunity to spend some time with Kevin on a short mission this January. Kevin is survived by his wife Katie, and two daughters Stella age 3, and Evelyn age 1. Kevin was 34 and a 10 year veteran of the Waukegan Fire Department.
Kevin (center) joined us in a special 3-state mission this past January.
Pancreatic cancer is considered to be presumptive in some states now, and we need to continue to work to make it 100%.
The Code 3 Mission will be dedicated in his honor this year, and our itinerary will be adjusted to allow us to attend his service. Instead of Kevin riding with us, his name will be the first one to be placed in the Memorial Bell compartment, and his name will be on the door of our apparatus to reserve his seat. In his last phone call, Kevin told us he knew he would not be able to be with us physically this year, but that he would always be riding with the Code 3 Team in spirit.
Kick off remains scheduled for today, March 14th at Mistlin Sports Park in Ripon California.
Please visit the Code 3 web site to see more on this brave firefighter and his battle with a monster. www.code3foracure.org
Firegeezer adds: If you missed the introductory postings explaining this project, click HERE and HERE to get acquainted with the Code 3 for a Cure mission.
Firegeezer wants to remind you about our earlier posting last Saturday, March 5, about the Code for a Cure Mission 2011. If you missed it, or need a reminder, CLICK HERE to review the event. Today’s update was sent by Capt. Bob Burton of Yakima, Washington:
We would like to say thanks to the firefighters of Wichita, Kansas, station 17 for helping Lorenzo Tuesday. He picked up the new engine from the Sutphen dealer and started his drive back to California . Along the way he stopped to visit at Station 17 and the guys there helped him put on the graphics for Code 3 for a Cure and hung the banner on the back, then washed and cleaned the rig and gave it a good once over so he would be ready for the trip. Thanks, Wichita Station 17!
Wichita Fire Station 17
Today (Wednesday) Lorenzo is driving across Texas on his way and getting everything ready for the Kick Off on the 14th.
No new word on Kevin’s condition at this time. We will keep you posted on him. He is one of the strongest, bravest, firefighters that I know. Here is the link to the caring bridge site for Kevin: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kkse
And be sure to check out the Code 3 For a Cure website HERE. If you are in Southern California, be sure to check it to see if you can help launch the 27-state tour that gets underway on Monday.
Thanks, Capt. Bob Burton
Piping Season Starts Soon
PIPE BAND FANS IN THE GREATER WASHINGTON, D. C. AREA will want to circle their social calendars for Saturday February 5. That’s when the Northern Virginia Firefighters Emerald Society Pipe Band will be holding their annual fun raiser fund raiser in Herndon.
Like the flyer says, there will be lots of door prizes, a silent auction, collectibles for sale, and most of all, a rollicking good time! All of the proceeds will go for uniform maintenance and supplies for the coming year.
NoVa Emerald Society Pipe Band WEBSITE.
WHEN A BREW-PUB / HOTEL IN CORNWALL, ENGLAND, brewed up a special beer recipe to benefit the Cornwall Air Ambulance, they decided to hold a contest to name the charity brew. The Driftwood Spars Inn started brewing the reddish-amber colored ale with a policy of donating 25p from the sale of each bottle, and 10p from each pint sold over the bar, to the air ambulance fund.
But they needed a name for the brew and came up with the idea to have a competition to name it. The Falmouth Packet picks up the story:
(The winning name Red Mission) was coined by 25-year-old Laura Bosworth from Lanner, who won a county-wide competition to name the beer. Laura said: “It was a great competition to win because I had to put some real effort in to thinking of a name.
“After researching Cornwall Air Ambulance, I saw the mission counter on the website that said there had been more than 22,000 emergency call outs, plus I knew the colour of the beer was reddish amber. I wrote down a few alternatives, but Red Mission seemed like a good idea.”
Air paramedic Steve Garvey (left), contest winner Laura
Bosworth, and brewmeister Pete Carvers toast the new brew.
(Falmouth Packet photo)
Read the complete article in the Falmouth Packet HERE.
Cornwall Air Ambulance WEBSITE.
Driftwood Spars WEBSITE.
Cornwall Air Ambulance website photo
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If you missed this posting on Saturday, we would like everybody to be able to read this report. Thanks for taking a moment to read this plea. ….Firegeezer.
* * * * *
F. G. Gnome says: My boss Steve, the famous Gnome Handler, is close by a sad and tragic happening this week. Please read this and see if you can pitch in, too.
Firefighter Loses Mother to Cancer ….
Then Loses House to Fire
Sometimes, bad things happen to good people, and this is one of those times.
It’s hard enough going through life as a single mother, raising a young son without any material or emotional support from the father, but then to find out you have to battle cancer at the same time, is beyond most people’s imagination. More hard luck than the average person should have to face at one time.
As the son, imagine the heartbreak at 19 years of age, standing by while your Mother, the only family you’ve ever known, loses her fight to cancer….with no insurance to cover the expenses….then imagine that 3 weeks after the funeral, you also lose your home in a devastating fire.
This is exactly what has happened to Tate, a northwestern Pennsylvania volunteer firefighter and EMT. The young man serves his local VFD and works part time at Emergycare in Erie, Pennsylvania, to help pay his way through college. His mother was a single mom, working to support her and Tate, while living in an older mobile home in a rural area.
Thursday morning, Tate left his home in Townville, PA and was headed to work when his home caught fire. First arriving units reported the trailer “fully involved”. There’s no way to come back from that. The home and contents were a complete loss. Insurance coverage was the bare minimum and there are substantial medical bills left over from his mother’s cancer fight.
photo by Steve Marshall
I know times are tight right now, but for this young man just starting out, the times are downright terrible. Tate is not your ordinary older teenager…he’s one of the good guys….local rednecks would call him “a good ol boy”. He’s worth saving.
This is a hardworking young man who deserves some help, especially right here at the holidays, so I’m appealing to all Firefighters and EMTs nationwide to step up and give us a small donation.
We’ve set up a bank account at Northwest Savings Bank in Meadville, PA to help cover expenses and I can accept PayPal for those of you that aren’t local and want to use a debit or credit card. We need to get a roof over his head and make sure he’s stays in school. Anything you can give, will help.
Steve Marshall, aka “Gnome Handler”
PayPal donations can be sent to me at mainstreetmarshall (at) yahoo (dot) com.
Checks can be mailed to
Steve Marshall
21702 Golden Dr
Meadville PA 16335
made out to:
“Tate Keplinger House Fire Fund”
Thanks ever so much.
F. G. Gnome says: My boss Steve, the famous Gnome Handler, is close by a sad and tragic happening this week. Please read this and see if you can pitch in, too.
Firefighter Loses Mother to Cancer ….
Then Loses House to Fire
Sometimes, bad things happen to good people, and this is one of those times.
It’s hard enough going through life as a single mother, raising a young son without any material or emotional support from the father, but then to find out you have to battle cancer at the same time, is beyond most people’s imagination. More hard luck than the average person should have to face at one time.
As the son, imagine the heartbreak at 19 years of age, standing by while your Mother, the only family you’ve ever known, loses her fight to cancer….with no insurance to cover the expenses….then imagine that 3 weeks after the funeral, you also lose your home in a devastating fire.
This is exactly what has happened to Tate, a northwestern Pennsylvania volunteer firefighter and EMT. The young man serves his local VFD and works part time at Emergycare in Erie, Pennsylvania, to help pay his way through college. His mother was a single mom, working to support her and Tate, while living in an older mobile home in a rural area.
Thursday morning, Tate left his home in Townville, PA and was headed to work when his home caught fire. First arriving units reported the trailer “fully involved”. There’s no way to come back from that. The home and contents were a complete loss. Insurance coverage was the bare minimum and there are substantial medical bills left over from his mother’s cancer fight.
I know times are tight right now, but for this young man just starting out, the times are downright terrible. Tate is not your ordinary older teenager…he’s one of the good guys….local rednecks would call him “a good ol boy”. He’s worth saving.
This is a hardworking young man who deserves some help, especially right here at the holidays, so I’m appealing to all Firefighters and EMTs nationwide to step up and give us a small donation.
We’ve set up a bank account at Northwest Savings Bank in Meadville, PA to help cover expenses and I can accept PayPal for those of you that aren’t local and want to use a debit or credit card. We need to get a roof over his head and make sure he’s stays in school. Anything you can give, will help.
Steve Marshall, aka “Gnome Handler”
PayPal donations can be sent to me at mainstreetmarshall (at) yahoo (dot) com.
Checks can be mailed to
Steve Marshall
21702 Golden Dr
Meadville PA 16335
made out to:
“Tate Keplinger House Fire Fund”
Thanks ever so much.
Firegeezer adds: Many FD’s have a small charity fund for this type of assistance. Could you see if your department can help? Thanks.
All across North America there are “Guns & Hoses” hockey games played for charities. Firefighters and police officers team up to play each other for fun and to raise money for whatever good cause they decide to play for. In Anchorage, Alaska, the police and fire were putting their 11th annual charity game, but with a twist. They combine forces to make up Team Alaska and played a touring team from the New York City Police Department that is touring the country to compete in charity games.
This year’s game in Anchorage created quite a stir and produced a memorable moment at the conclusion. It’s all told in this press release that was issued by the Anchorage PD on Monday:
Winning Raffle Ticket Chills Audience During Charity Hockey Game
Members from the Anchorage Police Department and Anchorage Fire Department joined forces Sunday night (December 5, 2010) as “Team Alaska” against visiting team, the “New York Police Department,” for the 11th Annual Guns ‘n Hoses Charity Hockey game.
The game opened with a joint Police and Fire Honor Guard, along with a medley from the Crow Creek Pipe and Drum band. A moment of silence remembered fallen heroes from both Alaska and New York. The teams played 3 periods of 18-minute stop clock; in the end, the final score was NYPD 10, Team Alaska 3.
During the second intermission, the Anchorage Police SWAT and K-9 teams performed a Hawaiian-themed “hostage rescue demonstration” to showcase some of their many abilities. The crowd cheered as SWAT members rappelled from the rafters and saved the hostage while “K-9 Alex” launched from a surf board to take down the “bad guy.”
Also during the second intermission, a raffle took place. Amongst the prizes were 3 hockey jerseys with the grand prize being a trip for two to Kona, Hawaii, including a weeks accommodations and a $500 gift card to Humpy’s Big Island Alehouse.
The night before the game, the NYPD players bought 20 raffle tickets. They all agreed if they won, they would donate the prize back to the charity to be auctioned off at the end of the game. The winning ticket was drawn randomly amongst hundreds and hundreds of tickets. NYPD did win; the trip was auctioned at the end of the game and the charity received $3,000 from the winning bidder.
The amazing thing was the number on the winning ticket. It brought the NYPD coach to tears and sent chills through the audience when it was displayed on the arena’s jumbotron screen. Much like the ominous date, last night we will never forget.
* * *
The Winning Ticket
* * * * * * *
Thanks to Capt. Bob B. for assistance
ON MONDAY’S LINEUP (HERE) WE WERE talking about some of the ways that different departments were participating in the focused campaign on Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We mentioned that the East Hartford, Connecticut, FD would be illuminating the outsides of their five fire stations all this week with pink lighting.
Fire Chief John Oates has sent us some photos of two of their stations to share with you today.
If you have any pictures of your department’s activities that you’d like share, send them along and we’ll post them.
Thanks, Chief Oates.
East Hartford Fire Department WEBSITE.
ON SUNDAY FIREGEEZER had a pictorial REPORT HERE on the flooding that occurred on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial Park late last week.
The Memorial’s board of directors immediately announced a postponement of the Annual Final Alarm Ceremony and Procession that was scheduled for this Saturday, October 2.
After learning how extensive the flooding problem was, they have now decided to cancel this year’s event and instead schedule two cleanup dates later in October to restore the park. The main building and the memorial were both constructed on the 100-year flood plain and were not affected by the rising waters. The WSFM Board of Directors has just posted this information:
There has been NO DAMAGE to the Memorial Wall, the Statue, the Bell Tower, The Gazebo, the Benches, the Bridge, or to the Visitor Center. The Visitor Center was built high enough so that there was no flood damage at all. We were so fortunate! What has been damaged is a majority of the lawn, shrubs, and mud to most of the sidewalks.
When we schedule the cleanup days, we will need AS MANY VOLUNTEERS AS POSSIBLE! BOTH DAYS! If you can only help for an hour, we would be grateful! We will need rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, leaf blowers and leaf vacuums, power washers, brooms, pitchforks, tarps to haul sticks and leaves, etc.
We will need to power wash all of the statues, the Wall, the sidewalks, benches, light poles, and anything else that has been touched by the flood waters. We will need to check and clean all of the irrigation heads.
There will be sticks, leaves, dead fish, and all sorts of other debris that will need to be cleared. We will pretty much have to hand rake the entire Park! This will be a HUGE TASK! We will very likely have to replace most of the bark mulch around the trees and bushes. All of the stones will be cleaned and checked for placement. Water will have to be pumped from low lying areas to help dry the grass in the areas near the bridge.
If anybody in the upper-Midwest is able to assist on this project, please check HERE or HERE for the cleanup dates as soon as they are posted. It goes without saying that your help will be greatly appreciated.
NOTED FIRE PHOTOGRAPHER STEVE ROTH, owner of 911 Photography has created an eye-appealing calendar for 2011 and is selling it to help raise funds for a new burn building for the Adams County, Pennsylvania, volunteer firefighters.
The calendar is a poster-size sheet that is 22 inches wide and 28 inches high …. just right for your workshop wall or anyplace else that can use a bit of brightness.
Steve and the models all donated their time for this project and every penny collected, save the cost of printing, goes to the Adams County Volunteer Emergency Services Association. As we mentioned above, the funds are going toward the building of a new, modern burn facility at the county training center.
The calendars sell for $10.00 plus $3.00 for postage and packing costs. Send your check for $13.00 to:
911 Photography
20 Chinkapin Drive
New Oxford PA 17350
Orders will be filled and mailed within 48 hours after receipt of the check.
CLICK HERE to visit the 911 Photography website and view some of the photo galleries that Steve has posted.
Here we are at the final day of this year’s Fill-the-Boot campaign for the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation. It is not only the primary charitable activity for the American firefighters, but is also becoming a focus for firefighters in other parts of the world. The M. D.’s principal ambassador Jerry Lewis was in Melbourne, Australia, recently as evidenced in this photo taken in June:
Jerry Lewis, 84 years old and still going all out for MD
The famed Jerry Lewis – Muscular Dystrophy Telethon began Sunday night and most tv stations that are carrying it picked it up in progress around 9 pm Eastern time and have been running it all night long. The show is famed for the star power that Jerry Lewis brings to the stage with the world’s greatest entertainers freely donating their time to perform and entertain the audience while the fund-raising is going on. If you’re not out on the street corners collecting today, then the telethon is a great way to enjoy the afternoon while watching IAFF President Harold Schaitberger make his periodic presentations of the accumulated funds that the firefighters are submitting from their collective efforts.
Charity.com photo
Holiday schedule today, so let’s get the equipment checked out while I go start the coffee. See you back in the day room.
ROLLERCOASTER RIDES ARE OFTEN REFERRED TO as “white knuckle” rides if they are fast and steep. But on Sunday 102 people made it a “white nipple” ride as they set a new record for naked rollercoastering. They gathered at the Green Scream Rollercoaster in Adventure Island, an amusement park at Southend-on-Sea in England.
Reuters
Besides setting the new record, they used the frolic to raise money for charity, a cancer treatment foundation. There were so many participants that they had to make three runs to accommodate all the riders who jointly raised more than £22,000 for the charity.
Reuters
The Daily Mail has MORE.
The Sun has the “R” rated pics along with video that has a “full screen” option, and story HERE .
ITN News had their video crew there, too:
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THE WISCONSIN STATE FIREFIGHTERS MEMORIAL held their 7th annual Ride of Remembrance this past Saturday. You may recall that we featured the event in our Lineup on July 2 HERE.
This year’s ride was a success once again, and the crew sent along some photos taken at the ride’s conclusion where it finished in the city of Newburg.
photos by Jon Coutts
If you didn’t read our posting from the 2nd, I urge you to CLICK HERE and read about the terrific job this organization has done to build a true memorial park to honor their state’s fallen firefighters.
Ride of Remembrance rolls in this month.
THE WISCONSIN STATE FIREFIGHTERS MEMORIAL will be holding their 7th annual Ride of Remembrance on Saturday, July 24. This event is not only a day of camaraderie, but a fund-raiser for the Firefighters Memorial Park that was created to honor the Wisconsin firefighters that have died in the line-of-duty.
The WSFM website tells:
On April 16, 1996 then Governor Tommy G. Thompson signed into law, legislation designating Wisconsin Rapids as the site of the Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial. “Wisconsin firefighters put their lives on the line every time they battle a blaze and it is only fitting that we honor those who were lost in the line of duty,” Gov. Thompson said. “The State Firefighters Memorial is a tremendous project that will make sure we never forget the courage, bravery and dedication of our firefighters. And Wisconsin Rapids is an ideal location for the memorial because of its central location in the state.”
With the city chosen, the Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial Board of Directors set about finding a suitable existing park in the city to house the memorial. They placed the utmost importance on peaceful locations without high traffic or an industrial image. After a careful examination of the sites in the area, the memorial committee selected Ben Hansen Park on the southwest side of the city. The park is along the west side of the Wisconsin River, providing the peaceful and somber atmosphere the memorial requires. In addition, the park’s existing tall trees and rolling terrain add greatly to the tranquility and serenity of the location, making it the perfect place for the memorial.
The Ride of Remembrance is held in a different area of the state each year and normally has 500+ motorcycles with over 700 participants who travel the 100-mile selected route. A firefighter in Dallas has already registered to attend his 5th ride.
This year the ride will start in Manitowac and end at the Newburg Firefighters park [between West Bend and Saukville]. Registration on-site will open at 9:00 am, but pre-registration is available. The fee is $30, $50 for 2-up, and includes both lunch and the evening dinner. (A bargain! … FG)
It looks like a grand time and a great way to spend a summer’s Saturday. Even if you can’t make it, be sure to take the time to check out the Memorial’s excellent website HERE. The online registration info is on the site, too (HERE). View some photos from last year’s memorial service HERE.
The Fire / Rescue departments in Wisconsin have done an absolutely terrific job creating and building this beautiful park and memorial. The other 49 states could take a lesson in how it’s done from Wisconsin. They are to be congratulated for their work.
Memorial Park Visitor Center
Now, before we start polishing up the chrome on the Harley, let’s get this equipment checked out. I need to start some more coffee. See you back in the day room in a little while.
E-ONE IS HOLDING THEIR ANNUAL CONTEST where they award a brand-new pumper to a worthy volunteer fire department. The entry list has been narrowed down to 7 finalists and the winner will be chosen by firefighters everywhere who vote for their favorite through E-One’s website.
One of our readers, Dave Riess Capt/Training Officer of the Hines VFD in Hines, Oregon, writes to us:
Do you believe that lightning can strike the same spot twice?? Well, we in Hines, OR do… as we have once again had our story picked by E-One for their Fire Truck Give-Away contest. So here is my shameless plug to help a brother… Please go to:
http://www.e-one.com/news/eone-stories/vote-for-the-best-story.htm?id=559 and vote for Barney. If you do facebook, we have a page there so you can spread the word to vote for us. Search for Hines Volunteer Fire Dept and add it to your friends and send it to your friends. Thank you.
You can click HERE to read all seven pleas. Fireball says: I particulary liked the story written by Barney of the Hines VFD. Now it is your turn to read and vote for your favorite story.
Good Luck, Dave!
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Hot-Air Ambulance Grounded for Good
6 commentsTHE FARCICAL “CHARITY” IN NORTHERN IRELAND that called itself Ireland Air Ambulance (IAA) has shut down suddenly last week and is winding up its affairs – supposedly. The air ambulance enterprise that never owned an air ambulance first came to our attention in July of last year and we published a REPORT HERE on the dubious activities of the organization that also called itself Alpha-5.
They were registered as a charitable organization in UK and were ostensibly collecting donations from the public to purchase a medical helicopter, hire pilots and medics, and begin operations in Northern Ireland where no air ambulance is currently operating. After about two years of collecting donations, almost 90% of their money had been spent on salaries and “administrative costs,” without even opening an office, let alone making a down payment on a helicopter. We also quoted from BBC News:
Noting that the supermarket ploy was held in Kent, several hundred miles away from Ireland and that the shadow organization didn’t really have any pilots on their payroll, we labeled the scheme as a “scam.” This brought some comments and a steady stream of emails from IAA’s toadies who tried to threaten lawsuits and other silly things without ever offering an alternative to the points that I listed. We also got a couple of emails from a 3rd-rate public relations firm that they’d hired demanding that I either change the story or remove it. Naturally, I didn’t do either one.
Some further research disclosed that the two men who started the scheme were never paramedics or health professionals nor were they acquainted with helicopter operations. They were trash collectors that dreamed up the concept over beers in a pub. Despite the fact that they had no bona fide business plan or experience, they were permitted to continue collecting funds. Today the Ulster Herald wrote:
The perpetrators claim that they are going to re-organize and launch a new air ambulance charity and start again. We’ll see.