FRENCH AMBULANCE WORKERS WERE PUT TO WORK SUNDAY when a French Marine public demonstration went awry.

The Third Marine Parachute Regiment was giving a public show on how they free hostages from terrorists.  The demonstration has been given five times previously and is performed with blank cartridges in their rifles.

But one of the magazines was loaded with live ammo and when the marine discharged his weapon which was aimed at the crowd of onlookers, the bullets sprayed the civilians and left 17 laying in a bloody heap.  Fortunately, all of them have survived and the most-seriously injured of the people have been stabilized, including a 3-yr.-0ld child.

French marines collect shell casings
at site of accidental shooting.

The soldier that fired the live rounds has an exemplary record and for now there is no suspicion of his actions, but the possibility of foul play has not been ruled out.

Agence France Presse has the latest REPORT.
AFP also has some reports from civilians HERE.

IN LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS DEMONSTRATING just why many people don’t respect their city officials.  It was recently disclosed by the Liverpool Daily Post that the local transit authority that operates the tunnels under the river has been charging tolls to the emergency fire and ambulance vehicles.

And just to make it even more silly, they allow free passage on their way through while responding to an emergency, but when they come back returning to their stations, they have to stop and pay the toll.  And handing over a chit doesn’t do it.  Noooo. The driver has to reach into his pocket and pay cash, then seek reimbursement from his own agency.

Last year the fire and ambulance services paid out more than £62,000 ($120,000) in tunnel tolls.  This is all taxpayer money being shuffled from one agency to another, via the employees’ pocket change.

The nonsensical practice was further condemned last night when it was learned that MerseyTravel, the public authority that runs the tunnels and public transportation system, has been doling out over £1 million in free passes to the buses and tunnel to its employees as a regular perc.

Read the complete reports from the Daily Post HERE and HERE.

THE SOUTH CAROLINA LEGISLATURE CONVENED AT NOON TODAY to begin a 3-day session to consider the governor’s vetos of bills passed during their regular session earlier this year.

They will be debating on 20 vetoes that Governor Mark Sanford issued over the past few weeks.  Most of them have to do with giving reduced-tax incentives to encourage defined economic activities.

One of these is the bill to encourage more fire sprinkler installations in commercial buildings.

In what has to be the most ill-timed political stunts ever, he vetoed the bill just hours before the entire state took time to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Sofa Super Center fire that took the lives of nine Charleston firefighters.

The legislature is scheduled to take up this bill for override on Thursday.  Any and all Firegeezer readers who live in South Carolina are urged to contact your Senator or Representative today and ask them to support this override vote.  You don’t have time to put this off.  Do it today.  St. Florian will love you for it.

JOHN AND MARY SCARDUZIO OF EAST GOSHEN, PENNSYLVANIA, always did everything together.  In their 70 years together as man and wife they were never apart except while John was tending his occupation as a tavern-keeper.

After he retired in 1977, they spent 6 months of the year at their beach cottage in Wildwood and the other six months at their long-time home in East Goshen.

When Mary, 91, had to be admitted to a rehabilitation center last year to recover from a broken hip, she and John, 97, moved into a retirement home while she was treated and they decided to stay there.

Early this month on June 5 Mary suffered a major stroke and went to the hospital where she died four days later at 2:10 am on June 9.  After learning of his wife’s death, John’s health deteriorated rapidly and he died the same day at 2:10 pm, exactly 12 hours after Mary’s passing.

Their son John A. Scarduzio told the Daily Local News:

Mary was the more vocal of the pair, often ordering food for both of them and leading him places, saying “Let’s go, John.”

“Everyone was saying that after she died and went up to heaven, she probably was saying, ‘Let’s go, John’, just like she did when they were living,” Scarduzio said.

“I think it was a combination of age and the fact that they were so inseparable for so many years,” Scarduzio said. “But I honestly don’t believe they could have lived without each other.”

Read the entire, sweet story with this touching ending HERE.

REGINA, ALBERTA, FIREFIGHTER KEN HAUCK, 50, was just out for a ride, enjoying the air on his motorcycle Tuesday.  Hauck and some friends were on a 5-day bike trip and he was using his Harley-Davidson.  “It was brand new,” he said of his bike. “And it was probably the last hour of our trip and we had the ride of our life.”

While cruising down Highway 93 near Lake Louise, Alta., at about 55 mph, a 6-yr.-old grizzly bear jumped into the roadway and ran toward the motorcycle.  “It came out at full speed,” Hauck said.  “I hit him smack-dab in the middle and was launched (like) Superman over the handle bars and flew about 60 metres.  I thought there would be some give, but it was like hitting a concrete barrier.”

The resulting collision sent Hauck sailing into the air and a quick return to the pavement, leaving him with a badly shattered arm and a damaged vertebrae.  He’s out of the hospital, but is facing a 6-month recovery period.

The bear got the worst of it, though.  It’s dead.

Firefighter Hauck steps outside the ER
to display his wounds for Canadian Press

The Edmonton Sun has the full STORY.

THE TIMES OF INDIA IS REPORTING that a remote town in the Keonjihar District has finally gotten some revenge on a “killer” elephant that has killed 8 people over the last two years.

On Tuesday evening, when the elephant raided the area for fruits, a mob doused it with petrol and set it on fire. Its entire body in flames, the elephant ran wildly in all directions looking for water. But the mob beat drums and threw firecrackers to block its escape routes. Blinded with pain and disoriented, it would crash to its knees, struggle to its feet and run around again.

The elephant was on the verge of collapse when a downpour put out the flames. He was last seen on Wednesday, severely burnt but walking on NH-215. Forest officials said they have no information about the condition of the elephant. 

“We have no information about this incident. I will definitely start an inquiry,” assistant conservator of forests Bimalendu Acharya said. 

FOR THE FIFTH TIME IN TEN MONTHS, A HUMAN FOOT CLAD IN A SHOE HAS washed ashore in the Vancouver Island area.  This one was found in the same area that the foot found last month was in.

Firegeezer has been following this continuing puzzle HERE and HERE.

While the first four feet were all right feet and shod in size 10 sneakers, this one was a left foot.  It has not yet been disclosed by the police what size or style this recent shoe is.  A British Columbia Constabulary spokeswoman said that this time of year it is not unusual for body parts to come ashore from the ocean.  But the predominance of feet is a matter of interest and this latest discovery will be considered in the ongoing criminal investigation that was begun last year.

The Vancouver Sun has the latest REPORT.

Thanks to Christian L. for assistance.

AP/Perlman

THE DRIVER OF THE TRACTOR-TRAILER THAT STRUCK and killed a firefighter and a sheriff’s deputy in North Carolina (see Firegeezer report HERE)  has been charged in the accident.

WRAL-TV is reporting that Robert Kornegay, 51, of Fayetteville has been served with two charges of misdemeanor death by vehicle and one charge of exceeding a safe speed. A magistrate released him Saturday on his own recognizance.

FireNews.net has the full story HERE. 
WRAL’s update is HERE.

 
The Ford’s first day in service, 1978

A 1978 ST. JOHN AMBULANCE HAS BEEN ENTERED in the famous Mongol Rally.  This notable road race begins in London and travels 10,000 miles to the finish line in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar.

There are no designated routes to follow nor any checkpoints.  The drivers choose their own paths but are forbidden to use GPS devices.  The rally will take the 300 teams across two continents, five mountain ranges, two deserts and as many as 17 countries.

The rules generally require the engines to be no larger than 1 litre, but occasionally exceptions are made for the entertainment value as is the case with the ambulance.  Previous entries have included an ice cream van, a black cab and hearse.

“It’s not exactly your everyday thing,” says the owner Mark Logan.  “We wanted a ludicrous vehicle and looked at a doubledecker bus and a fire engine, but the ambulance, bought from eBay, was the most plausible.”  He will be joined on the adventure by three friends, Stuart Garnham, Mathew Booth and Russell Nunn.

The 1978 fiberglass bodied Ford truck is powered by a Ford Pinto 2.0 litre engine.  It has been fitted with a reinforced suspension system, CD Player, IPod dock, four 6×9 speakers, CB Radio, Fridge, several 12volt DC power points, 240v 800w power inverter, roof rack, additional stowage space and a larger radiator.

The 300 entrants leave London on July 19 and will take most of them about 4 to 6 weeks to complete the trip.

The Mongol Rally is a charity event that raises funds for Mercy Corps, an organization that helps rural communities and herding families in Mongolia with economic, educational and agricultural programmes.

Read more about Logan’s preparations in the Harlow Herald HERE.
Mark Logan’s official team WEBSITE.
The Official Mongol Rally website is HERE.

Note:  Several other teams are posting videos of their preparations on YouTube.  Just enter “mongol rally” on the search box.  There are also some videos from last year’s event on there.