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Close Call For Firetrucks

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THE NORTON, OHIO, FIRE DEPARTMENT knew that they needed a new building to house Station 1, so they have been planning and acquiring land.  Everything is all set for a groundbreaking later this month with a hoped-for opening in November.  But it won’t be happening any too soon.

On February 24 the on-duty firefighters heard a loud crack coming from the roof.  When they went up to inspect it to see what was wrong, they found that nearly all of the roof trusses had snapped.  About 30-seconds later, the drywall in the station started splitting.  They immediately got all of the trucks out of the station, three ambulances, a rescue truck, two fire engines, a tanker, and a brush truck. 

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Some citizens came by to help the FD load up
and move their equipment out of the building.
(Akron Beacon Journal photo)

The next day a structural engineer said that the building had been infiltrated with dry rot and was in danger of collapse.  Everything else was then removed from the building.  Some of the apparatus were moved over to Station 2, but the rest had to be located in a heated building that was quickly rented.

Yesterday, Thursday March 11, the roof collapsed sometime in the early afternoon.  A city councilman was driving by the vacated firehouse and saw a hole in the roof.  He called the fire chief and the firefighters drove over to see what it was.  As soon as they got there, they had to leave on a fire call, but when they came back the entire roof had collapsed.

WEWS-TV has today’s video report on this latest event:

Read more on Ohio.com HERE and HERE.
Norton Fire Department WEBSITE.

Posted by firegeezer on March 12, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Videos, fire stations • Tagged: ,

Unscheduled Trash Collection

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THE FIREFIGHTERS AT THE SAINT-QUENTIN-sur-ISERE, France, firehouse were surprised Tuesday morning when a garbage truck suddenly dropped in through the roof of the station.

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Le Dauphine

The rear of the terraced firehouse is just below a residential street that is on a hill and the truck suddenly lost its brakes.  As it started coasting backwards and gaining speed all the while, the driver tried vainly to direct the truck to a safe area.  As it approached the firehouse, the collector on the back of the truck dove into the garbage, likely saving his life.

The rear overhang of the truck crashed through the roof leaving the rear wheels suspended.  It was later towed out successfully leaving only a corner of the station damaged and no personal injuries.

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Le Dauphine

Le Dauphine has the STORY.

Posted by fireball on March 11, 2010 • Filed under: News, fire stations • Tagged: ,

To “FD” or Not “FD,” – Politicians Puzzled

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THE SAN CARLOS, CALIFORNIA, CITY COUNCIL is considering a brainstorm presented by their City Manager Mark Weiss.  He thinks that the cash-strapped city could save $3 million to 5.5 million if they shut down the police department and the fire department and contracted other agencies to provide the emergency services.

His plan calls for contracting with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s office to patrol the streets and answer calls, and making an agreement with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire, to come in and answer fire calls.

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According to THIS ARTICLE in the San Jose Mercury-News, Weiss said he prefers the outsourcing plan because the city needs to “do something bolder” than what they have been doing for the past several years.  His alternative proposal to the “outsourcing” is to save the money by, among other tricks, closing the city’s Youth Center and discontinue televising the City Council meetings.  (We are not making this up…Ed.)  The article does not say whether Weiss has gotten any pre-approval from either the Sheriff’s Dept. or CalFire for this scheme.

Firegeezer is of the opinion that the good citizens of San Carlos are in real trouble when their city is being run by somebody who thinks that running a “youth center” is more important than running a police station.  When you think that televising the city council public meetings is more valuable than sending out a fire engine to handle an emergency, then you have completely lost touch with reality.

“If we adopt this, if we totally outsource departments, it will dramatically affect how we do business,” Weiss said.  (At least he’s got that part right….Ed.)

The San Mateo Daily Journal has MORE.
San Carlos Fire Department WEBSITE.

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IN VIGO COUNTY, INDIANA, NEVINS TOWNSHIP Trustee Carl Gregory arbitrarily shut down the town’s volunteer fire department last Monday March 1 after he became upset with some administrative shortcomings of the VFD.

Gregory donned his best coveralls for this interview with WISH-TV last week:

But the township leaders have had second-thoughts on such a drastic reaction to the lack of a few reports and rapidly called a meeting of all the involved parties to settle the dispute.  Work has commenced at the firehouse to satisfy some requirements and the volunteers are expecting to return to answering alarms in a few days.

WTHI-TV Ch. 10 filed this video update last night:

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Posted by firegeezer on March 9, 2010 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire-ology, Funding & Staffing, Videos, commentary, fire stations • Tagged: , , , , ,

Have House Siren, Will Travel

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WHEN THE MAHOPAC (NEW YORK) VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT built their new, $5.7 million firehouse in 2007, they completed the upgrade by purchasing a bigger and louder house siren.  Originally, they planned to install the new siren in the 25,000 sq. ft. building’s cupola, but it is too large.  Plan B called for mounting it on the side of the building where the sound would be directed away from the neighborhood  homes and toward the Rte. 6 corridor.

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Mahopac VFD photo

Nothing doing, said the town officials.  The approved plans for the new construction had no such appurtenance included.  Next came Plan C, mounting the siren on a piece of vacant land owned by New York City.  Request denied.

Finally, they set the siren on a 50-ft. pole in a parking lot just north of the firehouse where it has been operating for just over a year.  Until recently, that is.  The new monster-siren is so loud that it was shaking the nearby homes and causing people to stop whatever they were doing when it went off.  ”You could hear it in the basement of my house with my fingers in my ears,“ said one man.  ”I and the community are elated that the MVFD is finally making good on what they told us by taking down this loud siren and giving us back our quality of life by restoring quiet in our neighborhood,“ said another neighbor after the siren was taken down yesterday.

Fire dept. officers are mulling what to do next.  They are contemplating Plan E which calls for installing a sound device in the cupola that makes electronic siren-sounding noises.

The Journal News brings us up to date on the story HERE.

Mahopac VFD WEBSITE.

Posted by firegeezer on December 3, 2009 • Filed under: Fire-ology, News, fire stations • Tagged: , ,

Fire at the Firehouse

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THE FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP FIRE HALL in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh, was destroyed by a fire Saturday afternoon.  The community hall was rented out for wedding reception that evening and the caterer was preparing the food in the social hall kitchen.  Early reports indicate that the fire started in the stove area where it quickly got up into the attic of the building.

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KDKA-TV

The FD members were able to get all of their apparatus out of the engine bays while they began attacking the fire which grew to 3 alarms.  The severity of the fire soon brought a collapse of the roof over the hall.  The firehouse survived the blaze, but there is extensive interior damage from the smoke and heat.  Most of the fire equipment was salvaged also.

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WTAE-TV

The wedding reception was hastily relocated to a nearby venue and was brought off with plenty of volunteer help.  WTAE-TV Ch. 4 has a nice video report on how the newlyweds’ big day was saved HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on October 4, 2009 • Filed under: fire, fire stations

Thief Loots Fire Engine While Crew is Out Training

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IN OREGON CITY, OREGON, A BRAZEN THIEF BROKE INTO a Tualatin Valley F&RD station fire engine while the company was doing some water rescue training at a local park.  The man stole one firefighter’s wallet and also walked away with three bags filled with rescue equipment.

One of the items he got from the stolen wallet was a debit card and he made haste to use it before the theft was discovered while the card was still valid.  One little detail that he forgot about, though, was those surveillance cameras aimed at the lottery ticket sales counters.

KPTV Ch. 12 Portland takes it from here:

With a good quality image of the thief like that, the police have a good chance of nailing him.

Thanks to Eric F. for alerting us to the fact that it was the fire engine that was burgled.

Posted by firegeezer on September 29, 2009 • Filed under: crime, fire stations

Man Dies After Crashing Car Into Firehouse

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A 40-YR.-OLD MAN DIED SUNDAY EVENING after crashing his car into the Tyro, North Carolina, fire station.

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FireNews.net has the full story and more photos taken by the FD on the scene HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on September 28, 2009 • Filed under: fire stations

Roof Falls In at Firehouse Under Construction

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A FIREHOUSE BEING BUILT IN FRANKLIN, INDIANA, suffered a setback Sunday night when the newly-installed roof trusses collapsed.  A passerby noticed the pile of lumber on the floor of the building and called the police.

The fire department came out to inspect it and could find no readily-apparent reason for the collapse.  There was a heavy rain for a while Sunday evening, but no strong winds or severe weather were reported in that area.

WRTV Ch. 6 Indianapolis sent a video crew out to the site to record the damage:

The building contractor has an inspector on the scene today to help nail down the cause.

Posted by firegeezer on September 28, 2009 • Filed under: Building construction, fire stations

You Never Know Just What's Laying Around

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ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, A FIREFIGHTER WORKING at St. Petersburg, Florida, Station 8 found a small bag of white powder laying inside the station’s washing machine.  It was turned over to the police who have confirmed that the powder was cocaine.  Now an investigation has been opened that will naturally involve the entire firehouse roster.

“We’re extremely disappointed that something of this nature occurred,” said Assistant Fire Chief James Wimberly, Jr. at a press conference this Thursday afternoon. “We’re extremely concerned about the public’s trust and I assure again to the public we’ll do everything possible to conduct a thorough investigation, using the police department’s resources for an administrative and criminal investigation.”

WTVT Ch. 13 reports:

IAFF Local 747 President Will Newton stated, “This is a substance that was found in an area that’s somewhat public, somewhat accessible by anyone and I don’t think we should have jumped to any conclusion that it belonged to one of our members or one of their firefighters.”

No further information has been released as the investigation is still ongoing.

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ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON, the Clark County Columbian REPORTS:

A suspicious device found in a fire station Wednesday morning was determined to be a homemade firework, according to Vancouver Fire Department spokesman Jim Flaherty.

Bomb technicians safely disposed of it, Flaherty reported at 2:30 p.m.

“Now we have to determine how the device got into the station,” Flaherty said.

A crew of five firefighters and the deputy fire marshal of the station at 17408 S.E. 15th Street were evacuated shortly after the 11:45 a.m. incident. The deputy fire marshal had found the firework in a brown bag on his desk.

A portion of Southeast 15th Street near the station was shut down for five minutes at 1:50 p.m. to allow bomb technicians and investigators to access the area.

The fire crew was allowed back in the building just before 2:30 p.m., Flaherty said.

The fire marshal had just returned from vacation leave and found the package when he first returned to his office.

Posted by firegeezer on September 26, 2009 • Filed under: crime, fire stations

Another Car Into Another Fire House

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THE PELHAM, NEW HAMPSHIRE, FIRE DEPARTMENT is the latest victim of a continuing string of firehouses that are getting struck by errant automobiles.  Three Pelham firefighters were just inside the bay doors at 8:30 am Sunday (checking equipment? …. Ed.) when two cars collided at a busy intersection in front of the station.  One of the cars bounced off the the wreck and careened into the front of the firehouse striking it at the support pillar between two of the bay doors.

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WCVB-TV

The firefighters heard the noise and looked out in time to see the car homing in on them and they ducked away to safety.  There is no official report yet on why the accident occurred, but WFXT-TV Ch. 25 Boston has this video report of the crash:

The police have said that both drivers were taken to the hospital with “non-life threatening injuries” and the FD says that the building has significant damage requiring the front wall of the engine room to be replaced.

Posted by firegeezer on September 21, 2009 • Filed under: fire stations

TV Station Illustrates Effects of Firehouse Closing

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BAY CITY, MICHIGAN, HAD FOUR FIRE STATIONS UNTIL  TODAY.  Because of the city’s inability to provide enough manpower due to unfilled vacancies and refusing to pay overtime for coverage, the department is closing Station 5 effective today through at least the end of the year.

Administration hopes that they can reopen the firehouse after Jan. 1 when vacation leave usage drops.  But the citizens are complaining because they prefer the nearby protection of the firefighters and rely on them for more than just putting out fires.

In an unusual presentation of the effects from the closure, Flint television station WNEM-TV used GPS bearings to report on how response times are going to suffer as well as the fiscal costs to the citizens in this video report:

Last year the city council voted to look into reducing the size of the career force and supplementing it with paid-on-call firefighters.  In July of this year they laid off six firefighters with the ultimate goal of reducing the uniformed force to 36, down from last year’s allocated 50 positions.

MLive.com has some more background on the story HERE.

Bay City Fire Department WEBSITE.

Posted by firegeezer on September 20, 2009 • Filed under: current events, fire stations

Silver Bluff Gets A Boost From Firehouse Subs

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IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR, FIREGEEZER TOLD YOU about the unfortunate situation in Aiken County, South Carolina, when a tornado swept through and demolished the Silver Bluff VFD’s firehouse.  (see the report from April 11 HERE.)  Along with the building, most of their equipment was destroyed as well as their two pumpers and a brush unit.

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Yesterday (Wednesday) it was announced that Firehouse Subs has donated $28,000 to help the fire department recover.  The Augusta Chronicle reported:

Silver Bluff Assistant Chief Kevin Lancaster announced the grant Wednesday, saying it would help his department purchase a $10,000 thermal imaging camera as well as a $13,000 extrication device. The camera helps firefighters see whether someone is inside a burning building without having to go into the structure.

The extrication tool, commonly referred to as “the jaws of life,” will help free people trapped after an automobile accident. Mr. Lancaster said the new equipment is more effective on some newer vehicle designs.

Mr. Lancaster said his department was one of about 15 agencies nationwide to receive the grant from Firehouse Subs.

The Silver Bluff FD has also applied for a government stimulus grant to aid in rebuilding the firehouse.  The cost of replacing the building is approx. $50,000, but the insurance payout was only about $250,000.  Both of the pumpers were replaced by their insurance companies and they were able to erect a temporary building to operate out of while they rebuild.

Read the entire article in the Augusta Chronicle HERE.
Silver Bluff Fire Department WEBSITE.
Firehouse Subs WEBSITE.

Hat tip:  Andrew H.

Posted by firegeezer on September 10, 2009 • Filed under: Fire-ology, fire stations

Firehouse Living Doesn't Come Cheap

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IN MANY OLDER CITIES THERE ARE BUILDINGS THAT ORIGINALLY HOUSED FIRE COMPANIES.  While a lot of them have become derelict and been torn down, some of them were taken care of and remodeled when the FD moved out.  Old firehouses in commercial districts are often redesigned as restaurants or professional offices, and those in the residential areas are sometimes converted to living quarters.

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In San Francisco one of these old barns, Chemical Engine 44 was built in 1910 and then remodeled into a residence in 1959 when a couple bought it at public auction for $7,500.  In 2006 it sold for $2.2 million.  The current owners bought it as an investment and sunk a substantial sum into renovating it again.  By adding galleries, they converted it from a two-story to a four-floor layout  with over 6,100 sq. ft. and in May, 2008, they put it up for sale for $6.3 million.  But with the weak housing market, it didn’t generate any interest, so in September they dropped the asking price to $5.9 million.  Three months ago, they dropped it again to its current offered price, $5.175 million.

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Are you interested yet?  Or are you going to risk it and wait to see if it drops a little further?

You can learn more about it from the listing at Realtor.com HERE.  Be sure and click on the round button that says “See all 25 photos.”
The floor plans and a history of the building can be found on the digital sales brochure HERE.

*  *  *

Back in January of 2008 we posted a similar story about another San Francisco firehouse  being offered.  The former Engine 33 house has been occupied since 1974 by Bob and Marilyn Katzman who made it over into a home and studio for their art projects that earned them their living.  They, too, bought it at a city auction, paying $79,000 for the 4,000 sq. ft. building.

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It’s different inside, though.  They have a 1955 Mack pumper in the bay that has been converted into a tour bus that they use to conduct guided tours of the city for visitors.  They have also amassed  a large collection of fire memorabilia and antiques.  Back when we posted the story they were offering to sell the building, all the fire antiques, the truck and their tour business for $3.3 million.  But that didn’t move either.  In fact, the last time I checked I think they had taken it off the market.

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Read our posting from 20 months ago HERE.  It’s got some history, more pictures and a video of the Katzmans giving a tour of the firehouse.  It’s fun, and who knows?  Maybe you’ll feel like making an offer.

Posted by firegeezer on September 6, 2009 • Filed under: fire stations

Errant Car Crashes Into Fire Station

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SHORTLY AFTER 8 PM PACIFIC TIME MONDAY NIGHT a car failed to stay within the traveled portion of the roadway in Washougal, Washington, and crashed into a firehouse.

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image courtesy ECFD

The driver of the car that contained two passengers lost control while rounding a corner and traveled across a large area, threading between a tree and a clump of shrubbery and clipping a corner of the firehouse before coming to rest against a fence.

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ECFD

Both passengers were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The station is operated by the East County Fire District, even though it’s within the Washougal FD’s territory.

The early report from The Columbian is HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on August 18, 2009 • Filed under: fire stations

Fire in the Firehouse

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THE RATHFRILAND FIRE STATION in County Down, Northern Ireland, was burned out Friday morning in a blaze that destroyed the firehouse and the two fire engines inside.

The local volunteer firefighters in the village were alerted to the fire call at 4:15 am Friday and responded to the station where they found that the firehouse itself was the emergency.  With all of their equipment inside, they could only stand outside helplessly and watch until a fire truck from neighboring Newry arrived to attact the blaze.

The UK Press Association has this video report:

Later, fire officials admitted that the firehouse had no smoke or fire alarms installed in it.

The Belfast Telegraph has the STORY.

Posted by firegeezer on July 31, 2009 • Filed under: fire, fire stations

Atlanta Re-Opens Firehouse

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA, FIRE STATION 23 was shuttered last December as part of a city-wide plan to sharply reduce spending during a budget crisis. 

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AJC

The scheme included furloughing most city workers for four hours each week.  Recently, however, the city council passed an increase in the property tax that the bookkeepers predict will generate enough revenue to restore some city services including re-opening fire station 23.

This morning at 7:00 am the fire station returned to service amidst a simple ceremony attended by city officials and members of the neighborhood association who fought vigorously against the shutdown seven months ago.  The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports:

Michael Wagoner, president of the nearby Berkeley Park Neighborhood Association said, “I can hire a private security company to patrol my neighborhood, but I cannot hire a company to put out a fire.”

On Thursday morning, Wagoner was one of several neighbors at the station to welcome the first shift of returning firefighters.

“It’s an exciting day for Berkeley Park and the whole west side in general,” Wagoner said. “It’s exciting to see the guys coming back in.”

The station’s reopening brings a “feeling of safety back,” Wagoner said. “We’re looking forward to hearing the sirens coming through the neighborhood again.”

WAGA-TV Ch. 5 has the video report:

Posted by firegeezer on July 9, 2009 • Filed under: fire stations

Vallejo Closes Another One

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VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA’S LARGEST CITY IN BANKRUPTCY, has closed another firehouse effective 8 am Pacific time this morning.  That leaves only five of their eight fire stations operating and reduces the daily minimum on-duty level to 18.

The station that they are closing is the Mare Island station that is primarily responsible for the area that was formerly a Naval base that was shut down several years ago.  The land is prime for development, and thus a source of future tax revenue, but the city council has never been able to get their act together to initiate the growth.

The Mare Island station also houses the department’s only fire boat and it will be taken out of service also.  The firehouse will continue to be used by the FD as a storage site for reserve apparatus.  Any homes and businesses on the island will now have to wait an additional 3.5 minutes for fire/rescue response to their addresses unless the causeway bridge is up, which will add still another 5 minutes to the response time.

The Times-Herald has the complete STORY.

Posted by firegeezer on July 2, 2009 • Filed under: Fire-ology, fire stations

Flash Flood Inundates Erie Firehouse

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A NEAR-MONSOON TYPE RAINSTORM SWEPT THROUGH ERIE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, Tuesday dumping more than five inches of rain in a short period of time.  With all the storm damages such as lines down and flash flooding, the Belle Valley Fire Department was running multiple calls, mainly for rescue assists.

While they were out of the station, which is located in a basin near Mill Creek, a loose footbridge and several tree limbs came floating down the stream and created a clog and backup where it runs under a bridge.  And then the water started rising at the firehouse. 

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Within a short time, it rose past the 3-foot depth level and eventually reached 5 feet.  With so many members running calls, there was no chance to save all the tools, supplies and equipment in the station.   “They managed to get the vehicles out in time. The rescue truck appears to have some damage because we believe water was sucked into the engine,” Belle Valley Fire Department Treasurer Jim Petrone told Channel 12 news.

But everything else was lost including their computers, running gear, SCBA cylinders and all of their office supplies.  YourErie.com reported:

Fire Chief John Semple says as much as four to five feet of water flowed through the building and washed countless supplies and other equipment away.

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Hose Company President Jeff Skonieczki says it’s too early to tell the cost or full extent of the damage right now but that it will be a huge blow for the department. In the meantime, he says the public is the first priority and that crews will still be answering their calls.

Semple says, “We’ve lost a lot of equipment, the building’s sustained a lot of damage… it’s just going to take a while before things are back to normal.”

“I know it’s going to put us back tremendously financial-wise, if we get through this. You just don’t count on this kind of damage; we could easily be looking at least a half a million dollars on up,” says Skonieczki.

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As soon as the water started receding, six neighboring FD’s brought pumpers and manpower to the station and started pumping out the building and working to salvage whatever equipment that they could.  Then they hosed out the station and helped get the lot cleaned up as best they could.

One lady driving by saw all the salvage activity and handed a $100 bill to one of the FF’s for a donation and then drove away without leaving her name.

With all that setback, the BVFD is still running calls and buckling down to get their station restored.

Belle Valley Fire Department WEBSITE.

Photos courtesy of Belle Valley FD and hat tip to Tom B.

Posted by firegeezer on July 1, 2009 • Filed under: current events, fire stations

NYC Firehouses Saved From Closing

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LAST-MINUTE NUMBER JUGGLING AND ACCOUNTING adjustments resulted in a successful budget plan agreed to by the New York City Council and Mayor Bloomberg last night.  The $59.4 billion budget pact announced by Mayor Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn includes funding to prevent the closing of 4 to 16 firehouses as well as avoiding any uniformed FF layoffs.

WNYW-TV filed this video report on the Mayor’s announcement:

The Daily News has the details of this plan that will be voted on by the council on Thursday or Friday HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on June 16, 2009 • Filed under: current events, fire stations

Fire Station Construction Grants Available

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Firegeezer is passing along this notice that was sent to us from reader Al R. who  rightfully thought it would be of interest to many of you:

THE FOLLOWING HOMELAND SECURITY DEPT. bulletin was distributed on June 4th by the Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC)

Fire Station Construction Grants

Non-federal fire departments and state and local governments that fund and/or operate fire departments can begin applying for part of the $210 million in fire station construction funding to build new or modify existing fire stations available under the Fire Station Construction (FSC) Grant Program.  Completed applications must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. EDT on 10 July 2009.

 

The purpose of the FSC program is to provide economic stimulus through job creation or preservation and improve the safety of firefighters and the communities they serve.  The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) confirmed that the $210 million was provided to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (A.R.R.A.).  The FSC program is being administered by the Assistance to Firefighters Program Office under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Grant Programs Directorate.

 

Funding priorities are explained in the A.R.R.A. Assistance to Firefighters FSC Grants Guidance and Application Kit.  The EMR-ISAC corroborated that in making the awards, DHS will give high consideration to the fire departments described by one or more of the following:

 

·         Own or have otherwise already acquired the land where they plan to construct or modify their station.

·         Serving communities that have suffered the greatest increases in joblessness rates.

·         Replacing unsafe or uninhabitable structures.

·         Expanding fire protection coverage to meet increased service demand in compliance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standards 1710 or 1720. 

·         Using land already zoned for the new or modified structure and where permits for their project have been obtained.

 

Fire departments interested in applying for FSC grant money can obtain online guidance and e-application information at:
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/government/grant/arra/fy09_arra_fsc_guidance.pdf

Posted by firegeezer on June 10, 2009 • Filed under: Fire-ology, fire stations

The Chief Says "No"

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CALGARY, ALBERTA, FIRE STATION #27 was shut down last July because of a serious health hazard.  The fire hall (that’s Canadian for “fire station”) was located at the southern end of the Calgary International Airport property and had first-due responsibilities both at the airfield and the neighborhood bordering the airport.

Early last year it was discovered that the station was harboring an unacceptably-high concentration of  carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.  The fire department believes that the problem was caused by the large amounts of jet exhaust from the planes taxiing next to the station coupled with a poorly designed ventilation system in the building that was constructed in 1962.

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Former Fire Hall 27

The decision was made 11 months ago to vacate the building and transfer the engine along with the four FF positions to the other airport station, #13, at the opposite end of the property.  The inoperable station was turned over to the airport authority.

Now the airport says that all is well, the problems have been fixed and Engine 27 should return to quarters.  But the fire chief is refusing to return the company to the old station.  CBC News is reporting:

Fire Chief Bruce Burrell said there is no point re-opening the station because a new #27 station will be built in a couple of years north of the airport.

“I know the airport authority has taken the remedial action for the structure, but we’ve made the move and we don’t want to move back and forth,” he said.

“We’ve done all our response times. We’re happy with where it is as an interim measure.”

The full story is HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on June 10, 2009 • Filed under: fire stations

Then & Now: The LAFD on YouTube

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From a post on EMT-Bravo West last summer:

Hi all, I realized that I should have posted info on “Then & Now: the LAFD” in this section and am doing so. I just wanted to let everyone know that our original DVD series, “Single Engine Stations” Volumes I & II are back on E-Bay. So if you’ve been looking to get a set, you can there as well as getting them direct from me. Below is a description of the series:

This installment is Single Engine Stations Volume’s I & II and takes us inside of five (5) Los Angeles City Fire Stations (LAFD) that were built in the first half of the 20th century. The stations profiled are located in diverse areas of the city such as Fire Station 43 in Palms (West Los Angeles), Fire Station 21 in South Central, Fire Station 13 in Pico-Union, Fire Station 65 in Watts, and Fire Station 62 in Mar Vista. Due to a facilities improvement bond measure, these five stations either have or will be replaced by newer buildings. Please note that a total of 19 stations will be replaced or remodeled before all is said and done.

Each of the five segments on the DVDs give a short profile of the area the stations serve and moves into a full tour of each station. Tours are led by a member of the crew, usually the Station Captain. The buildings are profiled from an architectural & engineering point of view while stories of the best runs and station history are highlighted. Station apparatus is profiled and filmed as they move to respond to calls. Areas not usually seen by the public such as the dormitories and showers are filmed. No area was off limits to our film crew. Profiles of the stations crew are also gathered during these station visits. This series is filmed in a conversational style that is welcoming to everyone from the professional firefighter (no matter where you are) to the novice who has never seen the inside of a fire station. Each station, though possibly similar in build, offers something completely different from the other. Tours and glimpses of the NEW stations appear on the DVD as well as production photos at the end of each DVD. Total run time for this edition is 2 Hours 16 Minutes!

Stations Currently Archived:

FS 65 (Watts) / 62 (Mar Vista)-Volume I
FS 43 (Palms) / 21 (So. Central) / 13 (Pico Union)-Volume II

FS 82 / Hollywood
FS 30 / Central Avenue
FS 4 /Civic Center
FS 94 / Baldwin Hills

Please note: Then & Now is a continuing series that, to date, has filmed 10 stations (8 of which are on the bond replacement list). Additional DVD’s will be released as they are completed. The 2 DVDs in this series come in a double DVD jewelbox.

This is an LAFD approved project that screened to the Mar Vista Historical Society on 2/20/08 with a full audience including retired LAFD Chief William Bamattre. The film will again appear in Mar Vista on July 16, 2008.

I’ll update this post as additional DVDs are released and/or posted on E-Bay. Also note that our first DVD called “Task Force Stations” Volume I is coming Jun 16.
Chin
Engine54

 Chin Thammasaengsri is a LAFD member who is a writer/producer/filmaker who founded the Westlake Signal Group that made this documentary. 

This month some of the stations features are posted by the Westlake Signal Group on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/user/WestlakeSig

FS 43 (Palms) and FS 04 (Civic Center)

wsg-se2

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by fossilmedic on May 10, 2009 • Filed under: fire stations

Meriden City Council Votes To Save Firehouse

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THE MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, CITY COUNCIL voted to restore one of their firehouses to the annual budget that was approved last night.

Headquarters Station #3 was slated to be shuttered leaving the city with only four under-manned engine companies and one ladder truck.  In last-minute negotiations, the IAFF Local 1148 agreed to give-back one hour of pay per member each week for 38 weeks in exchange for keeping the station open.

That combined with a large turnout of citizens at the council chambers last night convinced most of the councilmen to approve the proposal to keep it open.

WTNH-TV has this video report on the meeting:

Meriden Fire Dept. WEB PAGE.

Local 1148 WEBSITE.

Posted by firegeezer on May 5, 2009 • Filed under: fire stations, labor

Entire FD Thrown Out

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IN ALBERTA, CANADA, LAST THURSDAY the Yellowhead County Council suspended all operations at the Evansburg VFD and dismissed the entire membership.

Mayor of Yellowhead County Gerald Soroka said there was a lack of training and documentation, as well as personnel problems that came to a head about a month ago. The county will rehire volunteers and train them to standard before the fire service will be reinstated.  “We’re dealing with (a low) level of training, of proper rules of protocols, and procedures that need to be adhered to,” Soroka adds.

They estimate that it will take up to 90 days to admit and train enough new members to restore service to the community.  There are several experienced and already-qualified applicants ready to begin.  During the interim arrangements have been made with neighboring departments to cover the town.

The Edmonton Journal has the STORY.

Posted by firegeezer on April 28, 2009 • Filed under: current events, fire stations

Florida Firehouse Reverts To All-Volunteer Status

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FOUR YEARS AGO THE LAND O’ LAKES VFD in Pasco County, Florida, ran out of volunteers and couldn’t operate their station or equipment.  The Pasco County Fire and Rescue Dept. agreed to take over the station on a “temporary” basis and even built new quarters for the department.

Now the county is pulling out and turning the responsibility back to the inactive volunteer organization, saying that the budget deficit no longer allows them to operate the station and that the area is adequately covered by a county station that is just 2-½ miles away.

WTVT Ch. 13 Tampa has the report:

Posted by firegeezer on April 28, 2009 • Filed under: fire stations, labor