STRAFFORD FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT, IN THE SW CORNER OF MISSOURI, is currently an all-volunteer fire department.  But Fire Chief Jerry Schiman has been pushing to get the citizens to approve a tax increase that will pay for 16 full-time firefighters to work primarily during the daytimes when there are little or no volunteers available.

Strafford FPD photo

The issue was voted on twice in 2007. Strafford voters said no both times, 256-196 in August and 574-524 in November.   The close tally in the last election gives some hope that it might pass this time.

Chief Schiman has obtained a Federal grant for $1.3 million that would provide the seed money for four years to organize and help pay the initial salaries.  But a local revenue source has to be made available first to match the funds and then fully cover the costs after the four years.

This November’s ballot will put the question to the voters again.  They will be asked to approve a 50-cent-per-$100 valuation on property taxes to fund it.  The fire district covers 64 square miles in Greene and Webser Counties.

The Springfield News-Leader has the full STORY.
Strafford Fire Protection District WEBSITE.

THE EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, CITY COUNCIL took actions Monday night to improve the city’s fire department.

According to the Evansville Courier & Press, Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel said the city is investigating complaints of significant maintenance delays for the fire department’s vehicle fleet, including allegations that mechanics signed off on repairs without completing them.

Evansville FD Engine 10  (EFD photo)

The investigation will focus on the department’s repair shop, where changes already are under way. A supervisor has been appointed to oversee the shop’s mechanics and every maintenance request is being reviewed, and all of the department’s trucks will be assessed.

Council also significantly boosted the small equipment funds for both the police and the fire deparments.  The Fire Department’s “hoses and nozzles account,” which covers items such as computer equipment, was increased from $13,340 to $94,340.

Councilman Jeff Kniese, who suggested the changes, said the equipment for police and fire is “atrocious” and called for even more funding for those items. “I still think we need more money directed toward equipment that is sorely needed,” said Kniese, R-1st Ward.  The Evansville FD has 14 stations staffed by 274 career FF’s.

 Read the complete report in the Courier & Press HERE.
Evansville Fire Dept. WEBSITE.
Local 357 WEBSITE.

NEW YORK GOVERNOR DAVID PATERSON HAS JUST VETOED LEGISLATION that was designed to help communities recruit and retain volunteer firefighters and EMS workers.

There have been sporadic reports over the past nine months about this legislation that was carefully crafted jointly by the state legislators, volunteer fire and rescue departments, and the communities that rely on them.  They were seeking to create incentives for people to continue volunteering for the public safety duties.  This bill would have allowed volunteers to receive a $200 state income tax credit for their efforts on behalf of the community.

The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) President Thomas J. Cuff, Jr. issued a press release today slamming the governor for his action.  “This veto directly impacts the recruitment and retention efforts of local fire and EMS agencies, and has happened at a time when the record prices for gasoline are a major cost factor for volunteers, who are already giving of their own time and resources,” said  Cuff.

In his veto memo on the legislation, the Governor cited an indirect cost associated with the new bill that was at odds with the State’s current financial issues.  Cuff answered, “In citing this potential 1.6 million dollar financial impact on the State, both the Governor and his Counsel’s office have completely ignored the billions of dollars in payroll and benefits alone that would have to be paid by local governments if they were forced to replace our dedicated volunteers with paid staff.”

While vetoing the measure, the governor also indicated that he was miffed that the volunteers didn’t come to him first to “work it out” before the bill was passed.  In fact, the bill was already well on its way through the legislative process before the governor took office earlier this year.

Ironically, it was just yesterday that Gov. Paterson announced the creation of a cabinet-level position for national and community service.  Thus granting a major raise in salary for one of his political appointees, Susan Stern.

The FASNY is a state-wide organization that represents 130,000 volunteer firefighters and EMS responders.

Read the entire press release (in .pdf format) HERE.
FASNY WEBSITE.
 

EAST POINT, GEORGIA, IS A CITY THAT IS continually embarrassed by its own actions.  This week’s foo-faw comes as the Mayor is trying to hand out a 5-day suspension to Fire Chief Rosemary Cloud.  She has hired a lawyer to fight it and he is taking the dispute public.

Chief Rosemary Cloud

George O. Lawson, her attorney, says that the five-day suspension without pay, which was issued Sept. 2, is “frivolous.”   The mayor’s office says that she was suspended for being unwilling to make budget cuts and for granting media interviews.  Lawson points out that Chief Cloud did make recommendations for budget cuts and that the city has not explained what media interviews she improperly gave.

She is still working while she awaits an appeal hearing on the matter.  The city has not yet scheduled one.

East Point made the news recently when they shut down two of the city’s five fire stations - 40% of their coverage - and laid off 48 firefighters to make up for a $5 million budget gap.  The city was already failing to meet national standards for response times and the chief said it was too early to determine what impact the layoffs would have on response times.

That last response to a question from the Atlanta newspaper may be what sparked the suspension.  It appears that the city council didn’t want bad news to leak out to the taxpayers.

This past Sunday when the FD tried to fight a fire in a vacant apartment building, the firefighters tried five different hydrants before they could get enough water to charge a hose line.  The first working hydrant they were able to use was a quarter-mile away.

The city has a long-standing problem with inadequate flows from its hydrants.  The mayor told the Journal-Constitution  “The city of East Point has an older [water and sewer] system.  A lot of these lines have been in the ground 50, 60, dare I say, 100 years.”

The city-that-fails-to-function is also under a consent decree with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to improve its sewer system, with a deadline of 2010 to complete most of the work.

Mayor Joseph Macon

The full article from the Journal-Constitution is HERE.
The story on the hydrant problem at the apartment fire is HERE.

On its website, the City claims that “East Point is the crown jewel of the suburban metropolitan Atlanta area. The City of East Point offers the amenities of a large city with the safety, convenience, friendliness and charm of a small town. One of the safest and most economical areas to reside and work, East Point has award-winning public safety divisions including outstanding Police and Fire Departments.”

WITH PROPERTY TAX REFORM KICKING IN next year, some Indiana towns are looking to start charging fees to people who have to use the fire department for putting out fires.

While the purpose of the tax reform was believed to have been a measure to reign in government spending, some places like the City of Muncie are instead looking for new sources of income so that they can keep their bureaucracies intact.

Deputy Mayor Richard Shirey confirmed Tuesday that the mayor’s administration is working on a proposal to charge for fire runs to auto accidents and structure fires.  “It will be a new source of revenue,” he said.

Shirey also said that their initial projections (and we all know how accurate those are…..Ed.) show that they could raise $700,000 annually by charging fire run fees.

Fire Chief Eric Wilson chimes in saying, “In a nutshell, this will not cost taxpayers a dime.”  (unless they have a fire or wreck…Ed.)

Muncie Pump 7  (MFD photo)

But this latest money-grab attempt isn’t going over so well with the City Council.  Council President Sam Marshall did not see support for a fire run fee, given some taxpayers believe they are already paying too much for Muncie fire protection.  “I don’t see that flying,” he said.

Council member Mary Jo Barton said that she did not believe taxpayers would go along paying twice for fire service, with a fee on top of property taxes.

Read the full report in the Muncie Star Press HERE.

ALONG WITH THE WOOD-CHIPS-AND-GLUE FLOOR JOISTS, common attics and siding that melts away from radiant heat, another cost-saver construction material is proving to cause little fires to become huge fires.

CSST (Corrugated Stainless Steel Tubing) is a flexible gas pipe that is being used more and more to carry gas service into homes.

While it has been in use for quite a while as a connector for stoves and furnaces without any problem, lately many home builders have been using it for service lines from the main into the house.  And that’s where the problems arise.

In areas where lightning strikes are prevalent, such as the midwest, lightning bolts coming to ground are seeking out and grounding on these gas pipes, following them into the home and rupturing them, starting fires.  Sometimes a direct hit on a house will seek out the pipe looking for a ground and split it instead of following it.

The hazard arises because these flex-pipes are only 1/15th the thickness of the traditional cast iron gaspipe that has always been used.  That extra-thin wall cannot withstand the energy like the iron does and it fails, then ignites the gas.  It usually occurs in the basement (where those plywood joists are exposed) and a catastrophic fire often follows.

The main fault usually lies with the contractor’s failure to properly ground the CSST line when it is installed.  All pipe manufacturers specify the necessity of proper grounding to maintain safety of the line.  But in Indiana, and some other locations, this practice is not being followed and permits are granted with the unsafe piping.

Robert Annis of the Indianapolis Star reports:

Chris Dattilio, a former sales manager for Omegaflex, pointed to Florida as a state with a high number of lightning strikes but few CSST-related fires. The reason, he said, is the state’s bonding and grounding requirements.

“Throughout the industry, everyone’s installation guides specifies CSST must be bonded to national electric code. But we found, after looking around, that some people don’t do that,” Dattilio said. “When they do install it correctly, we haven’t found any problems at all.”

ESC image 

The Energy Solutions Center (ESC), an industry organization that promotes the use of CSST lists the reasons why contractors are glad to use the pipe:

• Bends and conforms by hand

• Pull gas pipe like electrical wire

• Saves up to 75% of installation time

• Cuts with a standard tube cutter

• No threading or welding hassles

• CSST weighs a fraction of black pipe

• No special tools to seal the fittings

The ESC even goes so far as to say that “every new home should have a ‘gas convenience outlet’ installed at the back of the home to be ready to take full advantage of extending living to the outdoors.”

ESC image

Ron Lipps, a spokesman for the Fishers (Indiana) Fire Department, estimates that half of the lightning-related fires fought by the department can be traced to damaged CSST.  Lightning rupturing the tubing, Lipps said, is akin to setting off a blowtorch in the middle of the living room.

Read the full story of this hazard from the viewpoint of the emergency services in the Indy Star HERE.
The Energy Solutions Center’s viewpoint can be read HERE.
The Titeflex Corporation’s (one of the CSST manufacturers) Technical Bulletin explaining the necessity of proper grounding is HERE in .pdf format.

WARREN, MICHIGAN’S 3rd-LARGEST CITY, is following the path of so many other cities in that state and laying off firefighters while maintaining roller hockey rinks and water parks.

In 2004 the city laid off 35 of their 175 uniformed firefighters and lost another 20 through attrition while maintaining a hiring freeze.  Three years ago the city ceased providing emergency ambulance transportation to the hospital, forcing the sick and injured to rely on private ambulances and paying up to $800 for the call.

Warren, Michigan’s
low-mileage rescue squad.

Steve Neavling of the Detroit Free Press writes:

A troubling trend that particularly affects baby boomers and seniors is emerging in Warren: As the city’s aging population demands more medical attention, the city’s emergency responders are disappearing.

What once was considered a well-staffed fire department a decade ago — about 175 people who responded to heart attacks, strokes, assaults, car crashes and fires — is now down to 120 people and falling. 

He goes on to report that the firefighters have gone five years without a pay increase and their labor contract expired 14 months ago.  The city is offering 2.5% raise for this year and 2% for the second year of a 3-year contract with no raise during the last year.  That would be a total of 4.5% wage increase - approx. the cost-of-living increase for one year - over an eight-year span.

Scott Halleck, president of Local 1383, says, ”You can’t do more with less.  We are close to taking fire trucks out of service because we don’t have the personnel for them.  People are going to feel the impact.”

Even though the city is reducing emergency medical services for its rapidly-growing aging population, they maintain in the official city website:  The City of Warren Parks & Recreation Department provides Warren residents of all ages with quality positive, and productive leisure time experiences. The department strives to make these activities convenient, affordable and numerous in order to enhance the physical and social well being of all residents.

Read the Free Press article HERE.
Local 1383 WEBSITE.

THE GETCHELL FIRE DEPARTMENT in Snohomish County, Washington has outgrown its firehouse and wants to build a new one.  The rural FD is in an isolated area surrounded by farms and lots of open land.

But Fire Chief Travis Hots says that the only place that will suffice is right across the street from the existing firehouse.  But the property across the street holds a century-old farmhouse that has been lovingly restored by its current owner who call it his Paradise and he doesn’t want to sell.

But the Getchell FD is determined and they are starting procedures to seize the property under the eminent domain laws of Washington.

KING-TV Seattle is covering the story, but they don’t say why it isn’t possible for the FD to just take some of the land adjoining the station and just expand.  This will be worth keeping an eye on.

Watch the KING video report:

THE FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR DISTRICT CHIEF ROBERT LEEK, Toronto Fire Service, have been announced.

Chief Leek passed away suddenly during the massive fire at the Sunrise Propane Service plant on Sunday.  He was 55 years old and had been on the department for 25 years.

The Full Fire Services Funeral will be held on Friday at 11 am.

The City of Toronto website has the full details and schedule HERE.

THERE HAS BEEN AN ARREST in the case of the woman found in a bag in her burning house Friday (see Firegeezer report and video HERE).

The medical examiner reported Monday evening that Eva Poe, 44, had been stabbed to death.  Yesterday the Tacoma police interviewed her 27-yr.-old husband of 8 months in the hospital where he is being treated for injuries received from the fire.  After the interview they announced that he will be arrested for her murder after he is released from medical care.

They are saying that the couple began arguing Wednesday night and the conflict carried over until Thursday when the assault probably occurred.  The husband tried to clean up the crime scene and then set the fire to cover up the evidence.

The Tacoma News Tribune has all the details HERE.

*  *  *  *  *

THE “MACHETE LADY” OF SEATTLE (Firegeezer report HERE) is believed to have used gasoline to set herself on fire which then spread through the house.  Neighbors told the Seattle Times that the 52-yr.-old had long been a very nice and pleasant lady but in the past couple of months had been acting strangely.

They recounted that she went around the neighborhood and physically lowered all the street signs.  She also began doing “martial-art dances” in her front yard.

Read the Seattle Times background story HERE.

*  *  *  *  *

A LYNWOOD, WASHINGTON WOMAN WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED with setting a fire in her motel room on Sunday morning.

When Lynwood firefighters arrived on the scene just after 9:30 am they found smoke coming from the woman’s room and several other tenants evacuating and in distress from the smoke which had spread throughout the motel.  Three people were transported to the hospital and a man had to be taken from the 3rd floor by ladder.

Police say that the woman who had been living at the Best Lynnwood Motor Inn for a week, said she intentionally started the fire and walked out of the unit, adding that she started the fire because she believed she would be able to collect financial assistance from the American Red Cross.    The 2-alarm fire cause $400,000 damage to the hotel.

KING-TV Ch. 5 has the REPORT.

STRATHCLYDE FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE in Central Scotland is the UK’s 2nd-largest fire brigade.  The department’s Chief Officer is Brian Sweeney, a dedicated career fire officer who also generates a lot of controversy.

Most recently he has just ordered a full upgrade of all the toilet facilities in the F & R headquarters, including laying out nearly $10,000 for a private bathroom in his office.  The luxury toilet suite now has such amenities as a heated towel bar.

He says it’s ok because it’s been 20 years since the bathrooms have been refurbished.

Last year he kept the news tabloids occupied when he joined a $30,000-a-year private “dining club” and then started dating the director.  That was not long after the memorable terrorist event when the attacker drove a jeep through the front doors of the airport terminal starting a large fire.  When Chief Sweeney arrived on the scene he had his 9-yr.-old son with him and took him along to the forward command unit.  According to some newspapers, the inquisitive youngster erased the whiteboard that showed all the apparatus positioning while the fire was ongoing.  The F & R later denied that it happened.

On a more positive note, recently Chief Sweeney convinced the Fire Board of Directors to spend $60 million on a new training center.  A truly state-of-the-art* facility, it will have the most advanced practical training scenarios including:

 -A Residential Zone with a tenement building, high rise block, two semi-detached houses and a row of garage workshops. This area will be used primarily to teach firefighting techniques, but the village streets will also be the scene of staged road traffic collisions where firefighters will learn how to deal with such incidents.

- An Industrial Zone with an electric substation, chemical plant with butane gas burn-off pipe and railway tankers.

- A Transport Zone comprising a stretch of motorway with an on and off ramp, a railway with a train and a level crossing, and an underground tunnel and platform.

- A Water Rescue Zone and a Technical Rescue Zone.

A description of this new facility can be found HERE.
 

The bathroom story is in today’s Sunday Mail HERE.
Strathclyde Fire & Rescue WEBSITE.

A FORMER QANTAS FLIGHT ATTENDANT was fined $1,500 Friday for causing a false alarm in a fancy upscale hotel in Queensland, New Zealand.

On July 31, after a night on the town, the female crew member set off a fire alarm at the hotel they were staying at, the Crowne Plaza, resulting in around 200 guests being evacuated and two fire engines being called to the scene.

She was fired the next morning along with a male colleague who had refused the pilot’s demand for a breath test before reporting for duty.  The plane was stranded at the resort city’s airport while a relief crew was flown in from Christchurch.

The New Zealand Herald has the STORY.