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An Anniversary They’d Rather Forget

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CHINESE PEOPLE WORLDWIDE ARE CELEBRATING their Lunar New Year this week, entering the Year of the Tiger.  In China the celebrations include extensive and large fireworks displays with everybody getting in on the act and setting them off all day and night for a week or more.

This year’s celebration marks the 1-year anniversary of the largest firework display Beijing has ever seen, last year’s burning of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.  The 44-story luxury hotel was just weeks away from its grand opening and was part of a brand-new complex of buildings occupied by the state-owned China Central Television agency (CCTV).

During the final night of New Year’s revelry (February 9 of last year), a group of CCTV employees who were managing the construction of the hotel started setting off some massive, and illegal, sky rockets and set the newly furnished hotel afire.  The flames spread immediately through the entire building, dominating the thousands of firework displays taking place in the city.

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By the next day, the entire building was nothing more than a crumbling, concrete shell.  Damages to the building which had taken eight years to design and then build, exceeded $800 million.

Firegeezer covered the fire with two postings on the 9th and 10th.  There are several fire videos in the stories and you can view them by clicking on these links:

http://firegeezer.com/2009/02/09/beijing-high-rise-fully-involved/

http://firegeezer.com/2009/02/10/massive-hotel-fire-started-by-fireworks/

Posted by firegeezer on February 21, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Major Incidents, history • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Morning Lineup – February 13

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Winter weather continues to make some strange news this week.  A very unusual snowstorm traveled straight west-to-east across the southernmost U. S. Thursday, leaving a measurable snowfall in places where it has never been seen in decades.  What made it even more unusual was the wide territory that it covered, including a small piece of the Florida panhandle.

As a result, we had the unique situation where on Friday there was snow on the ground in parts of every state in the U. S., except for Hawai’i.  So far, the people who have taken the time to look haven’t found a recorded instance of that every happening before.  Ok, we’ve seen it arready!  Now let’s melt the dang stuff and get some Springtime in here!

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Reading the news the other day, something that caught my eye was a report datelined from Cass County, Texas.  It was the county name, Cass that I noticed.  It was the first time that I had seen that geographical name used in Texas.  I knew that there were a couple of Cass County’s in the mid-west because my mother was born in one of them.  I have always had a mild curiosity about who this guy Cass was, but never to the extent of checking him out.  While we all understand who was being honored when Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson counties were named, some of the lesser-known leaders of the time tend to be forgotten over the years.  So Cass had some sort of local fame in the mid-west when the states there were formally organizing and joining the Union, but Texas?  I just had to finally answer my question about who this guy is, so I looked him up.

First, geographically there are nine states that have a Cass County in them.  That kind of surprised me, so many.  Eight of them are mid-western states that were all formed from the Northwest Territory.  And the ninth is Texas.  Brigadier General Lewis Cass came to fame in the War of 1812 (which, as you should know, was fought in 1814) and as a reward for his service, President James Madison appointed him to be the governor of the Michigan Territory.  And that began his long political career.  And it explains his affiliation with all those other NW Territory states.

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Gen. Lewis Cass

After serving as territorial governor for 18 years, Pres. Jackson appointed him to his cabinet as Secretary of War and then 5 years later he became ambassador to France.  His political achievements continued to accumulate,  including running for President for the Democratic party against Zachary Taylor.  He also was noted for leading the expedition to locate the source of the Mississippi River.  So he was very famous in his day, yet unknown in our era.  So, what’s the deal with Texas?  Well, during Cass’ tenure as Senator from Michigan after it became a state, Senator Cass strongly supported the annexation of Texas into the U. S.  They were grateful to him for his effort on their behalf.  And now you know….. the rest of the story.

And I know we had better get this equipment checked out now.  Apparently almost all of us can look out the window and see snow.  I’ll get the coffee started.  See you back in the day room in a little while.

buckle up texas

Posted by firegeezer on February 13, 2010 • Filed under: history, morning lineup, weather • Tagged: ,

Maryland Fire History

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YESTERDAY (FRIDAY) MARKED THE 54th anniversary of the deadly fire at the old Arundel Park bingo hall in Brooklyn Park, Maryland. The blaze on January 29, 1956, killed 11 people and injured several hundred more, and is believed to be the worst disaster in a public place in Maryland history.

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Joe Ross, a local author and retired firefighter who published a book on the fire in 2008, will give a one-hour presentation about the fire on February 11, followed by a book signing at the Pascal Senior Center in Glen Burnie. The program begins at 12:30 p.m. The senior center is located at 125 Dorsey Road.

The Arundel Burning website – CLICK HERE – has more information on the fire including a computer-generated graphic of the bingo hall and the FD operations, and a rare 16 mm. film showing the huge parlor in full blaze.

 You can read an excellent 16-page story on the fire also written by Joe Ross in a .pdf document HERE.
Hat tip to George Crosby for the info. and links.
 
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Contemporary photo of the Brooklyn Park VFD
Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
Posted by firegeezer on January 30, 2010 • Filed under: Firefighting Operations, Mass Casualty Incident, Uncategorized, history • Tagged: , , , ,

Looking Back

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(Detail from above)

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………. Fire Engineering, February 1956

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Posted by firegeezer on January 28, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Looking Back, history

A Remarkable Christmas Gift

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AS A SYMBOLIC GIFT TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL, THE STATE OF ISRAEL publicly disclosed earlier this week a treasured archaeolgical discovery in Nazareth.  Scientists, historians and archaeologists have been working at a site that is now believed to be the first-ever discovery of a dwelling in the ancient city that is contemporary with the time of Jesus’ life.

The site was uncovered earlier this year when construction was begun for a museum building at the site of an old convent.  At first it was only thought to be an old building, but by early December the scientists had concluded that it was truly a building from that period.

The discovery is of the utmost importance since it reveals for the very first time a house from the Jewish village of Nazareth and thereby sheds lights on the way of life at the time of Jesus,” Dr. Yardenna Alexandre, excavations director at the Antiquities Authority, was quoted as saying.  Nazareth at that time was a small hamlet of about 50 homes populated with impoverished Jews.  A mere 100 yards from the new-found site stands the Church of the Annunciation which is built on the site that tradition holds is where Joseph and Mary lived when she was visited by the Angel Gabriel who announced to her that she would be carrying the baby Jesus.

The Church of the Annunciation seen alongside the excavation site of the remains of the first
dwelling in Nazareth, Israel that can be dated back to the time of Jesus, Monday,Dec. 21, 2009.
Archaeologist Yardena Alexandre of the Israel Antiquities Authority says remains of a wall, a hideout and
a cistern were found after builders dug up an old convent courtyard in the northern Israeli city.
(AP Photos/Dan Balilty)

Ha’aretz reports:

“This may well have been a place that Jesus and his contemporaries were familiar with,” Alexandre said. A young Jesus may have played around the house with his cousins and friends, she said. “It’s a logical suggestion.”

Alexandre’s team found remains of a wall, a hideout, a courtyard and a water system that appeared to collect water from the roof and supply it to the home.  It is not clear how big the dwelling is – Alexandre’s team has uncovered about 85 square meters of the house, but it may have been for an extended family and could be much larger, she said.

Alexandre said her team also found a camouflaged entry way into a grotto, which she believes was used by Jews at the time to hide from Roman soldiers who were battling Jewish rebels at the time for control of the area.  The grotto would have hid around six people for a few hours, she said.　

Alexandre told reporters that archaeologists also found clay and chalk vessels which were likely used by Galilean Jews of the time. The scientists concluded a Jewish family lived there because of the chalk, which was used by Jews at the time to ensure the purity of the food and water kept inside the vessels.

The shards also date back to the time of Jesus, which includes the late Hellenic, early Roman period that ranges from around 100 B.C. to 100 C.E., Alexandre said. The determination was made by comparing the findings to shards and remains found in other parts of the Galilee typical of that period, she said.

The Associated Press filed this video report from Nazareth:

 

The Jerusalem Post has MORE.

Posted by firegeezer on December 25, 2009 • Filed under: News, Videos, history • Tagged: , , , ,

Fire Claims Historic Berkshire Inn

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THE ENTIRE COUNTRY LOST A TREASURE FRIDAY MORNING when fire swept through the Egremont Inn located in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.  The popular tavern and hotel had been in continuous operation for 230 years, pre-dating the American Revolution.

Egremont Inn

Berkshire Eagle / Garver photo

Egremont firefighters were called out shortly before 5 am Friday morning and found a large amount of fire on the first floor.  After attempting to attack it inside, it was spreading too rapidly for safety’s sake and the Deputy Chief pull the crews out of the building.

WTEN-TV has this video report from the fire scene:

The town fire department utilized a nearby creek for the water supply, but they apparently did a good job getting the flow required to deluge the building.

The Egremont Inn  was listed on the National Register of Historic Sites, but has been completely destroyed.  This time of year it is open only for dinner, so nobody was staying there when the fire broke out.  There was a fire alarm system that alerted the FD, but no suppression system was ever installed.

The Times Union reports:

The challenges presented by the size of the building, the extreme weather conditions, and the water supply generated five alarms bringing in department from thoughout the county as well as from New York and Connecticut.

The Berkshire Eagle has a recent report HERE.

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Egremont Inn photo

Posted by firegeezer on December 12, 2009 • Filed under: Firefighting Operations, Videos, fire, history • Tagged: , , , ,

On This Date in 1946 ….

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….. One of America’s most-deadly hotel fires occurred in Atlanta, Georgia.  The Winecoff Hotel, a supposedly “fireproof building,” had an early morning fire that killed 119 people.

Two years ago on this anniversary date, Dave Statter published a good historic review of the fire and an interesting side-note to the occasion that happened just two days before his posting in STATter911.

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CLICK HERE to read the poignent story of the fire and the subsequent story of the amateur photographer who won a Pulitzer Prize because of it.

Posted by firegeezer on December 7, 2009 • Filed under: News, history • Tagged: , , ,

IAFF Local Agrees to Restore Antique Pumper

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THE CITY OF MT. VERNON, ILLINOIS, IS RUNNING out of room for vehicle storage.  The city manager and city council decided that the old 1939 Diamond T fire engine has to go.  For the past five years, the antique pumper has been stored in a city equipment building, but the room is needed for some arrivals that will be kept there.  City Manager Ron Neibert announced that the city could no longer afford to store and maintain a piece of equipment that was no longer functional.

When the city announced that they would be including the old engine in an auction of city surplus, the members of IAFF Local 738 began a petition drive to save and preserve the important piece of the city fire department’s history.  This past Wednesday Neibert announced that the city and the local have come to an agreement permitting the local to save and preserve the engine.  The Mt. Vernon Register-News writes:

“The understanding would give the union the opportunity to do several things,” Neibert explained. “First, they have to find a place to store the engine outside of city property by the end of this year because the city has new equipment and needs the space. Second, they have 12 months from Jan. 1 to develop and implement a plan to refurbish the vehicle and put it in a location appropriate for the truck to display the history. If they can accomplish those goals, then they can keep it locally.”

Mt. Vernon firefighter and Local 738 member Doug Boczek said the petition drive was a way to preserve the fire department’s history.  “The history of fire service has always been a big thing,” Boczek said. “It’s a really proud thing for not only the fire department but for the city. We’re not trying to keep the fire engine as a union, but as firefighters for the history.”

Read the full story HERE.

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FROM THE LOCAL 738 WEBSITE:

The Diamond T was constructed in St. Louis by the Central Fire Truck Corporation. The MVFD continued to run calls with the older trucks during this time, including a massive blaze that destroyed the Wesley Methodist Church on January 15, 1940. On the same day, the largest fire to date occurred in Woodlawn at the Watkins Hatchery, the largest business in town. The lack of available fire apparatus caused this huge blaze to completely destroy the business. Shortly after that, Chief Partridge proposed the purchase of a “community” fire truck. The truck would be housed in Mt. Vernon and driven by Mt. Vernon firemen, however small volunteer departments would be formed in small towns in the area to actually fight fire with the truck. This was the first time such an idea was proposed in Jefferson County.

On March 3, 1940 the newly constructed fire engine arrived in Mt. Vernon. It was lettered No. 8, as it was only the 8th fire fighting vehicle used by the MVFD. The truck was a 110 hp Diamond T chassis with a 500 gallon per minute pump and a 125 gallon booster tank. The principle features of the new apparatus were the booster tank (new for this area), the foamite and Du-Gas equipment, for fighting oil, gasoline and automotive fire, also new features for this area.

Click on the Local’s webpage HERE for the complete story and more photos.

Posted by firegeezer on November 28, 2009 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, antique apparatus, history, labor • Tagged: , , , ,

Morning Lineup – October 8

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Just for the heck of it, ask some firefighters if they know why Fire Prevention Week is always celebrated on or about the 2nd week of October.  If any of them say that it has something to do with the Great Chicago Fire, give them a “B” for their astuteness.  Save the “A” grade for anyone who can tell that October 9 is the anniversary date for the conflagration that has become one of the more famous fires in modern history.

Actually, it was on the evening of Sunday, October 8 that something happened inside of the barn behind the O’Leary home at 137 DeKoven Street.  A fire started up and quickly consumed the little building.  It was a night of unusually strong winds and the air had been very dry all day.  A watchman in a fire tower saw the glow but he mistakenly presumed it was the remnants of another fire that had occurred the previous day and failed to transmit the alarm.

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When the blaze spread to neighboring homes and started moving through the city, the alarm finally went out.  But the super-heated winds were carrying firebrands ahead of the fire front and starting additional fires all through the city.  The mayor immediately telegraphed to neighboring towns for assistance, but it was to no avail.  The intensity and speed of the fire was overwhelming.  Before long, the fire had spread to the water works building and the destruction shut down the city’s water pumping plant.  At that point the fire department had to give up and all the people in the fire’s path had no recourse but to flee for their lives.

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Most of them ran to the Chicago River or over to the shore of Lake Michigan where they sought refuge.  The entire city could do nothing but watch as a true hell-on-earth event roared through a city of closely-packed wooden structures, accelerated by cyclonic winds.  Finally, late Monday night the winds started to subside and a light rain began to fall and the fire ran out of energy.  Come Tuesday morning it was all over, but the burned area was so hot that they could not inspect it for days later.

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When it was all over, the city had lost completely an area 4 miles long and 3/4 mile wide, including 17,500 buildings – a third of the city’s valuation.  While 125 bodies were recovered, the actual fatality count is estimated at 200 – 300.  Nearly 100,000 people of the total 300,000 population were left homeless.  In the fire zone, only 5 buildings survived.  As the flames were dying down, trainloads of lumber began arriving in the city for rebuilding.

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There is no doubt as to where the fire started, as it was easy to trace back the spread pattern.  But exactly how it began will never be known for sure.  Popular folklore says that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern which ignited the straw.  But in 1893 Michael Ahern, a newspaper reporter who first wrote the story, admitted that he made up the story because he thought it would sell more papers.  There are other theories involving schemes like an illicit craps game taking place in the barn, but they are only theories.  Ironically, Mrs. O’Leary’s home, seen here in a picture taken shortly afterward, was spared from the fire by a shift in wind direction.

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The O’Leary home

In 1956 the former O’Leary property was cleared and the Chicago Fire Department’s fire training academy was built on the site.  There is a stylized sculpture, Pillar of Fire, erected on the spot where the infamous barn stood.

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The 34-ft.-high “Pillar of Fire” sits on the site of
Mrs. O’Leary’s barn, the point of origin
of the Great Chicago Fire.

The fire is out and now it’s time for us to get this equipment checked out.  I’ve got to get some coffee going, so we’ll meet later in the day room.

Posted by firegeezer on October 8, 2009 • Filed under: history, morning lineup

Five years ago ….

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I was startled when the phone rang at 10:45 Saturday night. It was someone I worked with long ago.

“How are you?”

“Not well…”

Denny Hare, a former JEMS staff member, was calling people that were not part of the inner circle. Jim Page died while swimming a couple of hours earlier. He was 68 years old.

I am a James O. Page fan and collaborator. Attended dozens of his keynote presentations. Sitting in a dark and cold convention center room, Page would sometimes share his most personal moments of frustration or crisis.

Success is not a black-or-white linear path.

A FIREFIGHTER’S LIFE

Page was a 21 year old high school graduate when hired by the Monterey Park Fire Department in 1957. Monterey Park is a three-station city fire department within Los Angeles County. He went varsity when Los Angeles County hired him in 1959.

He obtained an undergraduate and a law degree while progressing through the county as a firefighter, engineer, chief’s aide, inspector and captain. By time he was promoted to battalion chief in 1971, he passed his bar exam and self-published his first book, Effective Company Command. My introduction to Chief Page was reading that book in a 1972 fire science class.

Page loved speed. His commuter car was a 1966 Shelby GT-350 Mustang. He also worked excessively, starting a law practice and working overtime as a field battalion chief, to the point that his first marriage ended in divorce.

THAT PARAMEDIC THING

As a staff chief he was assigned to the paramedic squad project. That would lead to his premature departure in 1973. The fire chief did not share Page’s enthusiasm or appreciate his techniques. Most county firefighters held Advanced First Aid cards.

At a social gathering, the chief said that it seemed every problem he encountered involved Page. Shortly thereafter, Page was transferred to Apparatus.

LIFE AFTER LOS ANGELES COUNTY

At 37 Page became the first North Carolina director of EMS. Like the paramedic squad project, Page created a statewide EMS system from scratch. He was fired in 1976 because he prohibited the practice of reading the state EMT written exam to illiterate candidates.

He became the executive director of the ACT Foundation, an advocacy group for out-of-hospital advanced coronary care. Page became a major player in the embryonic world of EMS organizations, attending annual meetings and conferences.

My first face-to-face meeting with Page was when he was a keynote speaker at the Fairfax County (Va.) Cardiac Care Technician Association dinner in 1979.

BUYING INK BY THE BARREL

Taking the slim assets of Paramedics International magazine, Page created the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, “JEMS” in 1980. Building the magazine created both financial and editorial challenges. Many of the early issues has articles under a variety of Page pseudonyms.

Starting the EMS Today conference in 1982 was also a challenge. Page struggled to keep the magazine and the conference running in the face of significant financial losses.

BACK TO THE LAND OF THE STEADY BURNING RED LIGHT

With two years in Monterey Park and 14 years in Los Angeles County, he did not have enough time in the statewide retirement system to draw a pension. Page moved back to California and resumed his fire service career by becoming the Carlsbad fire chief in 1984.

He returned Monterey Park as fire chief in 1986. He was disappointed when his application to be the Los Angeles County fire chief did not make it to the final group of candidates.

He told me he was doing this get his state pension. I think he still had a need for speed. His Monterey Park chief’s car was a 1987 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi, the supercharged model.

STRUGGLING WITH TWO FULL TIME OBLIGATIONS

Page needed to hire additional staff at JEMS to cover the obligations he could not handle while working as a chief. His tenure as the Monterey Park fire chief seemed bittersweet.

Page’s 1989 decision to retire from Monterey Park was after an article making fun of one of the elected officials made the Los Angeles Times.

Reflecting years later, Page speculated that he knew better, but this is how he creates a situation requiring action. He had accrued enough service time to get his pension.

YOU WANT ME?

I went from fan to collaborator when working on the third edition of the IFSTA Company Officer book. I wanted to use some of his passages from Effective Company Command.

We had many conversations about company officer issues, leading to 48 columns published in Fire-Rescue Magazine and joint presentations with Page for the IAFC and Company Officer Development Experience.

Jane bought her husband a session at the Richard Petty Driving Experience. Page was at least 20 years older than the other students. He greatly enjoyed driving a NASCAR stock car around the high banks at speed.

“SLOWING DOWN” AT 65

Page said that he figured he had one more decade to do what he wanted, while he still could enjoy it. He became publisher emeritus of JEMS Communications in December 2001 and started to wind down his workload at Page, Wolfberg and Wirth.

Page still had a need for speed. In Fire-Rescue Magazine, he described becoming a reserve California Highway Patrol officer in 2002. CHP extensively modifies cruisers to provide better and safer performance. I bet he had a blast responding Code 3.

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN

I planned to meet with Jim during the National Association of EMS Educators conference in Hollywood. I was proposing that he develop a “History of EMS” course for GWU.

The second edition of the History of EMS just came out on DVD, and he posted the manuscript from his 1979 book The Paramedics on jems.com. It would be the foundation of a fantastic class.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

[edited version of "Reflections on the Passing of An Icon & Colleague" published in firechief.com on September 10, 2004]

Posted by fossilmedic on September 1, 2009 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, history • Tagged: , , , ,

LODD Honored 66 Years Later

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THIS STORY BEGINS BACK ON FEBRUARY 18, 1943 IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.  World War II was in full blast on two fronts and the Boeing Aircraft Co. was developing and building warplanes on 24-hr. shifts.  One of these newer bombers that would become the B-29 Superfortress, was still in the experimental stage when a prototype took off from Boeing’s airfield on a test flight.  Because of the importance of this new, long-range bomber, it was being flown by Boeing’s top test pilot, the legendary Eddie Allen and ten other Boeing engineers.

It was lunch time in Seattle as the plane was taking off when quickly one of the engines caught fire.  The onboard extinguishing system failed to douse it and the fire rapidly engulfed the entire wing.  As Allen fought desperately to turn the plane around and get back to the airfiield, the entire fusilage filled with heated smoke and fire.  The plane never got altitude and in crashed into a 5-story meat packing plant, the Frye Packing Co.  The impact sprayed the fully loaded fuel tanks throughout the building starting a massive fire.  Due to the lunch hour, there were but 20 employees in the plant.

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The Seattle FD brought the fire under control late in the afternoon, but remained on the scene extinguishing pockets and hot spots.  It was shortly after midnight when a fire started up in the basement and spread into some sawdust.  Captain Rodney Graham and Fireman Luther Dean Bonner, both assigned to Truck 1, took a hose line down to the basement in an attempt to extinguish the new fire.  Ammonia fumes overcame the both of them and they had to be rescued.  But Bonner didn’t survive, dying from smoke inhalation.  Altogether 32 people died in the disaster and to this day it remains the most deadly fire in Seattle’s history.

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Fireman Bonner was 23 yrs. old, married with an infant daughter, and had been on the job for only 115 days.  The recruit fireman was earning $180 a month.  The day after the funeral, his wife Priscilla left town and moved away to live with her sister-in-law’s family.  She was virtually penniless and could not afford a marker for her husband’s grave.  She collected an FD pension until 1946 when she remarried and started a second family.

Fast-forward to 2008 when some members of Seattle Local 27 became curious about this LODD who seemed to have been forgotten and because of the ongoing war was never commemorated by the Department.  Poking around a section of the Evergreen Washelli Cemetery where many of the early 20th century firefighters are buried and armed with a plot map, Firefighter Dave Peery came across a simple concrete marker identifying Luther’s grave that had been completely overgrown and covered with grass.  The ”temporary” marker didn’t even identify Bonner as being a fireman.  KING-TV Ch. 5 filed this video report last month illustrating FF Peery’s search for the missing gravesite:

After getting a commitment from the cemetery to provide a grave marker that’s similar to the other firefighters’ graves, they next set out to track down Luther’s daughter.  This heart-warming video report from KING-TV Ch. 5 picks up the story from here:

Local 27 published a special report on the Frye Packing Plant fire and their search for Bonner’s grave.  It is reproduced online in a .pdf document. It is very thorough and has several photographs along with it.  I urge you to take the time to read it HERE.

KING-TV story on the search for the gravesite HERE.
Time Magazine story on test pilot Eddie Allen ( “the greatest test pilot aviation had ever had” ) HERE.
Local 27 WEBSITE.
Last Resort Fire Dept. – SFD Museum WEBSITE.

Posted by firegeezer on August 31, 2009 • Filed under: history

Trading Up For a Chief's Buggy

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THE CITY OF OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA, HAS JUST SWUNG A DEAL that brought the fire department’s original chief’s buggy back to town.

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photo via Mercury-Register

The 2-wheeled horse cart was found in the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola, still clearly marked with the chief’s rank identifying it as the early-days’ command post.

The Oroville Mercury-Register tells us:

The antique buggy was capable of carrying two firefighters on the buckboard and also has a trailer hitch which was used for a small wagon capable of carrying additional equipment.

“It is exciting to be able to have this historical item returned to Oroville,” said Mayor Steve Jernigan. “Our future plans call for the cart to be placed in the Pioneer Museum.”

The city negotiated a friendly exchange with the WP museum by trading some antique firefighting tools and hose for the buggy.  It’s a real jewel.

Read the full story HERE.

Posted by firegeezer on August 24, 2009 • Filed under: history

Wichita FD Celebrates a Birthday

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THE WICHITA, KANSAS, FIRE DEPARTMENT is celebrating its 123rd birthday this month and they decided to invite the citizens over for a big open-house event at all 22 stations yesterday.  There was a big turnout as folks came by to say hello and visit with their firefighters.  Helping add to the festive day is the fact that the FD opened three new stations this year.

KAKE-TV has this nice video report that includes some old newsreel coverage from two of the department’s most tragic fires:

Posted by firegeezer on August 24, 2009 • Filed under: current events, history

Celebrating a Hundred Years of Horsepower

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THE CAPE GIRARDEAU, MISSOURI, FIRE DEPARTMENT is having a public celebration today marking a milestone in the 129-yr.-old department’s proud history.  It was 100 years ago this week that the city received two horses to pull the fire wagon to the fires, relieving the members of that arduous chore.

The department is using this anniversary as a “hook” to hold a public exhibition and educational opportunity for their citizens.  The Southeast Missourian REPORTS:

The party, set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cape River Heritage Museum, 538 Independence St., will include a host of fire trucks, games for children and light refreshments.

It’s one way Firefighters Sam Welker and Mike Ramsey are working to preserve and share department history.

For more than two years, the men have worked to gather information, photos and memorabilia stretching back to the city’s earliest firefighters. They’ve tracked documents back to 1866 and found the most common name for the initial volunteer force was “The Good Intent Fire Department.”

The two horses, each one weighing more than 1,300 lbs., were named Alex and Joe and cost the town $400.  They also purchased a brand-new fire wagon for $1,100 already braced out for the horses.  It was on May 25 that the team was harnessed to the new engine for the first time and training began.  Yes, they had driver training in those days, too….for both the firemen and the horses.

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Alex & Joe and friends

On June 7 they were given their first test.  A practice alarm was sounded and they stepped into their hitches, pulled out of the station and traveled six blocks in ten minutes.  Alex and Joe were in service.  They served well, discounting the time in September, 1913, when Alex trampled the station mascot Big Ben, a barred rock rooster.

Misfortune plunged the fire department forward in 1916 when on June 5th Alex and Joe were working a fire during a severe storm and both of them were killed by a lightning strike.  Shortly after, the town appropriated funds to purchase their first motorized fire engine and a new era in the department began.

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department has compiled a good, yet concise history and published it on their WEBSITE HERE.

We most recently visited the CGFD back in January when we ran a video report HERE showing the FF’s subjecting their equipment to the ShamWow Fire Engine Wipe-down Test.

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Posted by firegeezer on May 2, 2009 • Filed under: history

A Reminder From The New Madrid Fault

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A SMALL EARTHQUAKE TOOK PLACE in western Tennessee Friday that registered 2.8 on the Richter scale, not enough to do any damage.  But the folks who live in the area over the New Madrid Fault are used to it, even though most people in other parts of the U. S. are not aware of this geological fault.

The New Madrid (mad’-rid) Fault is the most active earthquake zone outside of California and is found in the area that roughly follows Interstate Hwy. 55 from Charleston, Missouri, through New Madrid and Caruthersville, then on to Blytheville, Arkansas.

new-madrid-seismic-zone

The New Madrid seismic zone

While damaging tremors are not as frequent as in California, when they occur, the destruction covers over more than 20 times the area because of underlying geology.  The fault averages more than 200 measured events per year (1.0 or more on the Richter scale), about 20 per month. Tremors large enough to be felt (2.5 – 3.0 on the Richter scale) are noted annually. Every 18 months the fault releases a shock of 4.0 or more, capable of local minor damage. The most recent registering 4.3 along the New Madrid Fault on Thanksgiving evening, 1996, which was felt by citizens in the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, Illinois and Mississippi. Magnitudes of 5.0 or greater occurring about once per decade, can do significant damage, and be felt in several states.

A “damaging” earthquake (6.0 or greater) occurs about every 80 years (the last one in 1895). The results would cause serious damage to schools and masonry buildings from Memphis to St Louis.  A “major” category quake of 7.5 or greater happens every 200- 300 years (the last one in 1812). There is a 25% chance for one of those to occur by 2040.   A New Madrid Fault rupture this size would be felt throughout half the United States and damage 20 states or more. Most likely though, there is a 90% chance for a 6.0 quake by 2040.

Truly, that last major quake that occurred in 1812 was the worst in North America in recorded history.  Several times larger than the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, it was actually a series of 2,000 quakes over a 5-month period with ten of them registering 8.0 or higher.  Eighteen of them were felt throughout the entire eastern half of the U. S. and literally rang church bells as far away as Boston.  The Mississippi River ran backwards, frighening the daylights out of steamboat passengers, and geysers sprouted sending jets 80 feet in the air.  Some buildings were damaged in Charleston, South Carolina, and Washington, D. C.

The heaviest tremor took place on February 7, completely destroying the town of New Madrid and draining several lakes, as well as altering the course of the Mississippi River in several locations resulting in some settlements ending up in a different state entirely.

Friday’s tremor is being taken seriously by seismologists because it follows five similar quakes two months ago in Arkansas which is an area where seismic activity is practically nil.

Just one more thing for fire and rescue planners in the mid-west to worry about.

Posted by firegeezer on January 18, 2009 • Filed under: current events, history

Morning Lineup – December 1

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50 Years of Grief

Fifty years ago today, December 1, 1958, one of the most horrific fires of modern times took place in Chicago, Illinois.  The Our Lady of Angels Catholic parochial school was still in session at 2 pm when a fire started in the basement of a 48-yr.-old wing of the school.  Heavy smoke traveled up an open stairwell, followed by the heat and fire, into the second floor of the school where it was first detected a half-hour later.

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Fire ran through the 2nd floor trapping hundreds of children in their classrooms and when it was over there were 92 children and 3 nuns dead.  The tragedy has haunted the survivors and the families of all the parishoners ever since and is still felt within the fire department for the terrible scene they were faced with.  As the bodies were brought out, an entire city was shocked and sickened.

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Within days of the fire, state and local officials throughout the country launched a massive inspection program of all schools and many improvements were made to fire codes relating to fire doors in schools, storage of combustibles and sprinkler systems.

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In room 210, the students of Sister Mary Albia’s fifth grade class pose for their class photo in 1956, two years before the fire. Some of the students in this photo became victims of the fire. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Lego)

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Inside room 211 where 37% of the eighth-grade class was killed. A fireman, Charles Kamin, rescued seven boys and one girl from a window to the right, out of view, before fire burst into the room, killing the remaining children before his eyes. It was a vision that would haunt him the rest of his life.

 During this past weekend many of the survivors have been gathering to commemorate the tragedy that left their own lives torn forever.  In many cases, almost every childhood friend and classmate perished, scores of children who never had a chance to grow up and experience life itself.

There are several videos online, many on YouTube that you can seek out and view such as this one:

Dave Statter has been taking time this week to gather a good collection of links to articles, documentaries and videos.  You can find them HERE.  Take some time today to browse through them.  But be forewarned, it is an emotional trial to read some of these stories.

I’ll go start the coffee.

Posted by firegeezer on December 1, 2008 • Filed under: history, morning lineup

The Great Boston Fire

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It was on this date, November 9, in 1872 that Boston, Massachusetts, suffered their worst ever fire and what is still one of the most costly fire-related property losses in American history.

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The fire destroyed the entire financial district, causing
the deployment of milita to guard against looting.
(Boston Public Library)

It all started at 7:20 pm in the basement of a warehouse on Summer St.  A quirk in the city’s tax laws exempted business stock that was stored in attics.  So, as the fire spread from flying embers, they were landing on top of rooms stuffed with fire load.

The conflagration grew rapidly and the huge fire lit up the entire New England sky, prompting fire departments from every state around to load up pumpers and firefighters on railroad trains and converge on the city to aid.  The railroads capitalized on the event by also carrying spectators on the rescue trains.

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photo by Joshua Smith

The city’s fire department was already suffering from a horse flu epidemic that had traveled across the country that year.  Every horse in the fire department had been immobilized from the illness and the heavy, steam pumpers had to be pulled by the firefighters to the blazes.

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Boston FD Steamer 10 (Bostonian Society)

Further complicating the efforts, the gas supply lines connected to street lamps and used for lighting in buildings could not be shut off promptly. Gas lines exploded and fed the flames.

The fire was finally contained 12 hours later, but not until it had leveled 65 acres of downtown property including 776 buildings.  The dollar loss, converted to today’s equivalency, exceeded $3.5 Billion.

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Harper’s Weekly lithograh (Boston Public Library)

The devastating effects of the fire directly led to the adoption of more stringent building codes and stronger enforcement efforts throughout the U. S.

Posted by firegeezer on November 9, 2008 • Filed under: history

Boise Fire Exposed Oregon Trail Ruts

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THE TRAGIC BRUSH FIRE IN BOISE, IDAHO, THAT BURNED 19 homes last week (Firegeezer reports HERE, HERE and HERE) did leave one blessing behind.  After burning off the sagebrush it uncovered some heretofore unmarked wagon ruts of the Oregon Trail.

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Idaho Chapter, Oregon-Idaho Trails Assoc.

While the route of the historic migrant trail is pretty well known and many parts of it are marked and available for viewing, this is the first time that this portion of it has become identified.

The Associated Press reports that members of the Idaho Chapter of the Oregon-California Trails Association plan to mark portions of the pioneer trail now visible after the Aug. 25 fire.

Before the blaze, two parallel paths totaling about a half-mile had been covered by sagebrush and cheatgrass. The paths, which are light depressions in the ground, stretch across a field below a ridge where the homes burned.

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The famed trail was in use from 1836 until about 1890 and many stretches of the ruts left by thousands of passing Conestoga wagons are still visible.  This stretch of land is owned by the Idaho Power Co. which is gladly cooperating with the Trails Assoc. to mark the path and erect markers.

KBCI-TV in Boise has a video report of this find along with some views of the newly-exposed ruts HERE.

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Oregon-California Trails Assoc. WEBSITE.

Posted by firegeezer on September 3, 2008 • Filed under: history

The Ramstein 20th Anniversary

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IT WAS ON THIS DAY 20 YEARS AGO, AUGUST 28, 1988 that one of the world’s worst airshow disasters took place.

More than 300,000 people traveled to the Ramstein U. S. Air Force Base in Kaiserslautern, Germany, to see the displays and view the exciting air show.  One of the aerobatic teams performing that day was the Italian Air Force  display team Frecce Tricolori.

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The Italian team consisted of ten Aermacchi MB-339 jet fighters performing their famous “pierced heart” routine.  This act finished with two groups of planes passing each other at low altitude over the runway while a lone plane “pierced” the two groups by flying through them as they passed.  As the lone plane was flying through the formation, he struck two of the other planes sending all three of them into the ground.

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This photo shows the solo plane approaching from the right a split-second before the collision

The solo plane crashed directly in front of the crowd of onlookers, sending the fusilage, engulfed in flaming jet fuel, cartwheeling into the spectators.  One of the other planes crashed into a medical Black Hawk helicopter that was on stand-by duty, fatally burning the pilot of the helicopter. 

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The third plane smashed into the runway and disintegrated into pieces.  The other seven planes regrouped and flew to Sembach Air Base where they landed safely.  The entire event took less than 7 seconds.

A total of 70 people, including the three pilots, died in the accident.  28 of them were killed by shrapnel and most of the rest perished from their horrific burns.  There were 346 serious injuries amid a total of 500 people who required medical attention.

This video shows the collision from several angles:

Posted by firegeezer on August 28, 2008 • Filed under: history

Now You See It …..

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……. AND NOW YOU DON’T.

For more than 115 years the old home of Centennial Fire Co. #4 stood on Water Street in Peekskill, New York.

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Statewide News Network

But recently the abandoned structure that was nestled under the Highway 9 bridge was selected to be moved to another location in a city park a block away where it could be incorporated into a firefighter’s memorial.

But when the movers started the transport, something went out of level on the moving rigs and then…….

Play the video to see what happened:

Peekskill Mayor Mary Foster tells that the stone lintel with the name is still intact and the bricks will still be transported to the new site where they might use them to build a smaller building.

Thanks to J. P. H. for sending this along to us.

Posted by firegeezer on August 22, 2008 • Filed under: fire stations, history

The Sikorsky S-61

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LightRock continues his occasional series on helicopters and firefighting:

In the wake of last week’s fatal crash involving a firefighting helicopter in Northern California, it is perhaps worth learning a little more about the model of helicopter involved and the company that owned and operated the ill-fated aircraft.

Back in October we reported on how an Oregon based company – Erickson Air Crane – had built their business around the Sikorsky H-54 Skycrane and had morphed the original Sikorsky design into a modern and highly capable heavy lift/firefighting helicopter. That report can be found HERE.

The helicopter involved in last week’s accident was a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter. The S-61 is the civilian version of the H-3 Sea King. Sikorsky initially developed the H-3 for the U.S. Navy in the late 1950’s and it initially entered the Navy fleet in 1961.

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During its service life with the Navy, it performed a variety of roles including anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue, as well as being used routinely to transport personnel and cargo. The H-3 served with the USN until early 2006; however, it is still in use in the militaries of Japan, Italy and the U.K., among others. The H-3 also has retained one mission for the U.S. military: Marine Helicopter Squadron HMX-1 continues to use the H-3 as their primary helicopter to transport the President of the United States. The H-3 was and is considered a very stable, smooth and flexible design and, unlike many helicopters, its passenger/cargo area has some headroom, which is one of the reasons that this design has continued to endure in the VIP/Presidential transport role even though many newer helicopter designs have been introduced over the years.

The civilian S-61 was developed shortly after the original H-3. It is very similar to the H-3 except that the fuselage is somewhat longer, optimizing the design for use in transporting personnel and cargo. First introduced to the market in the early 1960’s, the S-61 has continued to serve in a number of commercial roles ever since.

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Canadian Coast Guard photo

Among the operators of the S-61 is Carson Helicopters. Carson was the operator of the aircraft involved in last week’s accident. Carson has been in business since 1963 and has offices in Pennsylvania and Oregon, operating their helicopters worldwide in a variety of roles. The company’s growth has been centered on the S-61, continuing to modernize and enhance the initial Sikorsky design. Carson has made over 20 FAA approved enhancements and upgrades to the S-61, recently and most notably developing a composite main rotor system that the military is now planning on retrofitting onto the helicopters it even uses for Presidential transport. The composite rotor system enhances payload, speed and range. The company’s website also indicates that a composite tail rotor and a digital “glass” cockpit design are in the pipeline. Carson’s S-61 design optimized for firefighting is known as the Fire King.

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Whereas the Erickson Air-Crane we referred to above is optimized for dropping large quantities of water/retardant, the Fire King is intended to be a more multi-mission firefighting aircraft. In addition to a pilot/co-pilot, the Fire King can carry up to 15 passengers and is equipped to support stokes/rescue basket operations, as well as rappelling. It can sling a load of up to 11,000 pounds and is equipped with a 1,000-gallon belly tank for water/retardant. Capable of cruising at 131 knots (about 150 MPH) and travel approximately 500 miles, the Fire King possesses both speed and range.

Without question, last week’s crash has stuck a blow to Carson, as well as the firefighting and rotary-wing aviation communities. However, as significant wildfires become an increasingly common occurrence, we are sure to see Fire Kings continuing to work these fires from above.

Carson Helicopters WEBSITE.

A Carson plane picks up water for wildfire

A Carson drops water on Australian wildfire

Posted by lightrock on August 14, 2008 • Filed under: aircraft, history

20-Year Commemoration of Piper Alpha Fire

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TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY, JULY 6, 1988, THE WORST-EVER FIRE on an offshore oil rig took place.

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The Piper Alpha oil drilling platform was set up in the North Sea and operated by the Occidental Oil Co.  The rig already had a reputation among the universe of oil rig workers of being excessively unsafe, ill-maintained, overcrowded and dangerous.

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Piper Alpha the week before the fire

The platform began service in 1976 as an oil driller and later converted to gas drilling.  On the fateful evening, leaking gas ignited and several explosions followed.  Instantly the entire platform was ablaze trapping many of the workers.  167 of the 226 men on board died of the fire, many of them from CO poisoning and others jumping to their death 100 ft. down to the water.

The flames reached over 300 feet high and several helicopters and boats were immediately dispatched on a rescue mission.  They found that the entire tower was literally destroyed.  One of the rescue boats was set alight from the radiant heat of the fire.

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The Fire and Blast Information Group (FABIG) describes the cause of the disaster:

The disaster began with a routine maintenance procedure. On the morning of the 6th of July, a certain backup propane condensate pump in the processing area needed to have its pressure safety valve checked. The work could not be completed by 18.00 and the workers asked for and received permission to leave the rest of the work until the next day. The tube was sealed with a plate.

Later in the evening during the next work shift, the primary condensate pump failed. None of those present were aware that a vital part of the machine had been removed and decided to start the backup pump. Gas products escaped from the hole left by the valve.

Gas audibly leaked out at high pressure, ignited and exploded, blowing through the firewalls. The fire spread through the damaged firewalls, destroyed some oil lines and soon large quantities of stored oil were burning out of control. The automatic deluge system, which was designed to spray water on such a fire in order to contain it or put it out, was never activated because it had been turned off.

About twenty minutes after the initial explosion, at 10:20, the fire had spread and become hot enough to weaken and then burst the gas risers from the other platforms. These were steel pipes of a diameter from 24 to 36 inches, containing flammable gas products at two thousand pounds per square inch of pressure. When these risers burst, the resulting jet of fuel dramatically increased the size of the fire.

You can read the entire report including a link to the .pdf document of the entire investigation at FABIG’s website HERE.

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The next morning there was almost
nothing left of the platform.

This video shows the fire during one of the major explosions:

Posted by firegeezer on July 6, 2008 • Filed under: history

Morning Lineup – July 1

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JUNE 30 MARKED THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE LARGEST EXPLOSION that has been recorded in modern history.  It was on that morning in 1908 that something celestial entered the earth’s atmosphere over Tunguska, Siberia and exploded approx. 3-5 miles above the ground.

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The force of the explosion leveled every tree for 30 miles around and knocked people who were miles away off their feet or out of their chairs.  One man described how he was knocked across the room in his house and his shirt was so hot that he thought it was on fire.  And he was 40 miles away.  The light given off from the blast was seen thousands of miles away in London where it was still nighttime.  For several weeks afterward, there was so much dust in the atmosphere refracting the sunlight over Asia and all of Europe that the nighttime was so light that people could read outside.

The most recent scientific deduction is that the explosion was equal in strength to 1,000 atomic bombs of the size that dropped over Hiroshima.  But because of the remoteness of the location and the brutal weather of Siberia, it wasn’t until 1927 that a team of Russian scientists led by Leonid Kulik were able to explore the site.  Even after 30 years the region was still stripped as it was in 1908.  In subsequent visits, Kulik was able to interview some people who were there and lived through the experience.

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Leonid Kulik photo taken in 1927

In the decades since, there have been many theories put forth about just what happened.  Of course there are the UFO theories, but none of them have offered any evidence that it was something like an errant space ship that blew up.  The scientific community is certain that it was either a comet, an asteroid or a meteor that came into the atmosphere with such speed that the heat and compression triggered a nuclear-style blast without the radiation.

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1928 photo

One of the things that has particularly puzzled the scientists is the lack of an impact crater.  While it’s possible that the whole thing destroyed itself in the blast, they haven’t found the meteorite rocks that you would expect.

A group of Italian scientists from the University of Bologna have a new theory and they will be traveling to Tunguska, the crash site, next month to look for more evidence.  One of them noticed on a prior trip that Lake Cheko, about 5 miles from the hypocenter of the blast, has the physical characteristics of an impact crater.  Sonar soundings of the 165-ft.-deep lake have shown a conical depression in the center that is consistent with meteor impacts.

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Lake Cheko (Univ. of Bologna photo)

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Univ. of Bologna sonar image of possible
crater site in Lake Cheko.

This video report gives some good background of the event and explains the Italians’ theory about Lake Cheko:

For a good, concise history of the Tunguska event, read the Wikipedia entry HERE.  This article includes a few of Kulik’s interviews and describes the telling blast patterns of the fallen trees.

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This photo was taken in 1998, a full 90 years
after the blast, showing one of the original trees
still  there, twisted and just as it has aways been since.

*  *  *  *  *

Ok, let’s get back to business and get this equipment checked out.  I’m going to start the coffee pot.  Then we can meet in the day room and you can tell what you learned about the Tunguska explosion.

Posted by firegeezer on July 1, 2008 • Filed under: history, morning lineup

A New Fire Website

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A NEW WEBSITE HAS BEEN BROUGHT INTO THE FIRE AND RESCUE WORLD.  It is designed to be a repository of all means of fire history documents.  Aptly named Firehistory its slogan is:  A Historical Repository for the North American Fire Service.

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The website is in good hands with Grant Mishoe, the publisher of SConFire.com who, besides his duties as a fire captain and a web publisher, is the curator of the official American LaFrance Museum in North Charleston, South Carolina.

The site shows lots of promise, but he’s relying on your help in stocking the pages with old photos, papers and proclomations.  Click on over to  www.firehistory.org , then look around and see if there’s anything you can contribute.

Good luck, Grant.

Posted by firegeezer on June 7, 2008 • Filed under: history

Big FD Anniversary Celebration Planned

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THE ESSEX FIRE ENGINE COMPANY No. 1 in Essex, Connecticut, is planning for a big celebration next month.

Essex is the second-0ldest continuously operated fire department in Connecticut.  They were founded on June 22, 1833 and will be celebrating their 175th Anniversary on Sunday, June 22 of this year.

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The day’s festivities will start with a large FD parade through town starting at 12:30 pm.  There are approx. 70 fire departments from around New England along with representatives from Essex, England, scheduled to participate.

Following the parade which finishes at the FD Headquarters station, the celebration continues with free food, drink, live music and demonstrations.  An apparatus display area will exhibit both antique and modern fire equipment.

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Essex hand-drawn hose cart
circa 1900

Essex Fire Engine Co. #1 is an all-volunteer organization operating out of two stations.  To learn more about the FD as well as the Anniversary plans and the history of the department, go to their website HERE.

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Posted by firegeezer on May 16, 2008 • Filed under: Fire-ology, history, parades