Friday the 13th – Be Careful

January 13 is one of those dates that pops up on listings of "fire and rescue significant events" because on that date 30 years ago in 1982 the Washington, D. C., fire department had one of its most demanding days ever.  It was snowing all afternoon with icing conditions when around 4 pm an airliner taking off from National Airport lost altitude and crashed into the 14th Street bridge.  Just as dozens of units were responding and trying to set up rescue operations in the icy Potomac River, a Metro subway operator decided to disregard regulations and tried to reverse a train over a switchpoint.  His action caused a major derailment that killed some passengers and left 25 others injured in a tunnel.  If you want to talk about a challenge in command operations, this is where you start.

Dave Statter has taken a lot of time and professional effort to compile a video summary of that day and he leads into the legacy of that problem which is the evolution into inter-jurisdictional operations and command structure that the greater Washington metro region employs today.  CLICK HERE and take the time to read Dave's excellent essay on that tragic day 30 years ago.  (p.s.:  It was on a Wednesday, though.)  You might ask, what was I doing?  I was on my 4-day break, watching it all on  television.

I want to remind you that today and tomorrow are the last two days to enter the eBook contest.  There's nothing difficult about it, nor complicated, just a bit of fun and a way to help you make the transition into the world of digital publishing.  Time is running out, so make sure to CLICK HERE to review the easy rules and enter the contest.  And you do not need an e-reader to enter and play.

It is time now for us to play equipment check, so let's get started with that.  I'm going to make some more black coffee to keep things going and then we'll meet back in the day room in a little while.  Enjoy this day, but be careful.

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One of our readers, Tom Parquette of Branson, Missouri, is also a fire historian, researching notable fire tragedies in our history.  Recently he prepared and sent us this timely and interesting article about another tunnel fire engine with two front ends.  He tells us:

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Nenad Illisic's report (HERE) regarding the delivery of the Croatian Merkur Tru ZE1 dual cab apparatus for use in the Croatian Tunel Ucka brought to mind one of my favorite studies in fire history:

The Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire of 1999

And the Development of the Janus 4000 Fire Engine

by Tom Parquette

The Mont Blanc tunnel runs between France and Italy. Opened in 1965 the tunnel operated for years with minor fire incidents which were largely handled by the vehicle operators before arrival of any departmental response units. The Mont Blanc Tunnel is about 7.2 miles in length and some 28 feet wide, two lanes. The operation of the tunnel as an infrastructure facility was handled by two national government agencies given that the border of France and Italy was in the tunnel itself. A tunnel authority functioned on the France side and a tunnel authority functioned on the Italian side of the tunnel (border). This included fire departments operating at each end of the tunnel as well.

Italian entrance

March 24, 1999 a Belgian reefer truck entered the tunnel and proceeded until the driver sensed something wrong with his truck and stopped to check it out. At that time the truck burst into flames.

Wikipedia has an excellent (and very accurate) synopsis of this event at this link; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Blanc_Tunnel which, according to my historical research, does fairly represent this event.

A June 30 1999 report by the French Office of Interior regarding the tunnel fire http://www.firetactics.com/MONTBLANCFIRE1999.htm details the status and condition reports of various infrastructure and responders as either deficient or contributory to the severity of the event. It is posited that the fire continued for some 50 hours and prevented entry into the tunnel itself for some 5 days.

I won't repeat what is contained in these reports here (to avoid lengthy repetition) but the study is fascinating and I believe, overall, the casual observer is left with what really was a disconnect between responding authorities (radio frequencies were not compatible between the French and Italian resources) and the use and design elements of the ventilation equipment designed into the tunnel itself.

The usual finger pointing and blame laying took place, of course. In 2005, some 6 years following the disaster, 13 were convicted and sentenced for various 'crimes' and or omissions of responsibility leading to the death of 39 persons including the lead fire commander of, I believe, the Italian 'side'.

See conviction press here: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/27/world/europe/27iht-tunnel.html

The University of Manchester did perform a thorough post event study which is quite informative here: http://www.mace.manchester.ac.uk/project/research/structures/strucfire/CaseStudy/HistoricFires/InfrastructuralFires/mont.htm

During the review, refitting and restructuring of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, it's operation and support systems, the newly created authority comprised of French and Italians actually began working together as a separate entity (the ATMB i.e., Auto Routes Mont Blanc), and contracts were let to design and manufacture apparatus which would be effective and not fall victim to the problems experienced in 1999. The result of that engineering was the BAI MAN Janus 4000 Bi-front. The Janus (for the two headed Greek God of doors and entrances) is a bit larger than the Croatian model and is designed as an attack vehicle as opposed to the passenger/rescue function of the Croatian unit. 2 of the Janus units are in service. My information has it that 3 were actually constructed, but I don't know where the third ended up.

The BAI Janus 4000 Bi-Front was designed and built by BAI of Italy following the 1999 tragedy. The tunnel is over 7 miles long and fire equipment and personnel couldn't reach the victims for two days. The BAI Janus 4000 is really cool. Janus, of course was a Greek god of doors and entrances I think and had two heads. Hence, the name.

It is designed with two complete control cabs as you can see in the photos. The apparatus can travel up to 120 mph in either direction without turning around. It can also maneuver sideways and diagonally like a crab in tight spaces. It is fully pressurized. It carries full fire gear along with a 4,000-gallon litre water tank and 500-gallon foam tank. Each unit costs the US equivalent of $560,000 in 1999. I'm told something on this order was designed, built and employed in the tunnels between New York and New Jersey in the 1920s but haven't been able to really substantiate that. There are 3 of the BAI Janus 4000 Bi-Front units in existence.

………. Tom Parquette, Branson, Missouri

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Friday Morning – One Whopper of an Auto Fire Recalled

Auto fires are routine, almost daily stuff in this business.  Sometimes you get something remarkable like a freeway pileup that leaves a half-dozen cars with new color schemes, but I'll bet that none of you have experienced a car fire quite like the Los Angeles firefighters did in 1929.  On March 5 of that year the city's auto dealers' association was holding its annual Auto Show (one cultural event that persists to this day…. ed.) and to accommodate the crowds along with the large number of displays, they erected four huge tents on a vacant parcel at the corner of Washington and Hill Streets.

LATimes archive / UCLA

Shortly after 4 pm a fire started near the show offices area.  The Los Angeles Times featured the fire on page 1 the next day and wrote in part:

The flames originated, according to investigators, in or near the display of the Monocoupe Company, in the northeast corner of Tent No. 2, just in rear of the offices of the show, and near the restrooms…..

When the fire was discovered it was a small red trickle leaping up the hangings to the top of the tent. The flames soon burned a hole in the canvas and the wind whipped the blaze to a fury and it leaped from tent top to tent top.

Firemen, stationed at the show, made a futile attempt to halt the blaze with the use of the extinguishers scattered about the four tents, but found themselves powerless in the first few moments.

Approximately 2500 spectators were in the four tents when the call of fire was sounded, and there appeared to be no stampede to reach the exits….

Light explosions, as gasoline tanks burst on account of the heat, and heavy tires ignited, adding a light hazard to the attempt of the firemen to move some of the cars from the fire.

At first the fire was attributed to the convenient errant cigarette, but three days later the FD announced that it was an electrical short that started it and they had the two burned electricians to prove it.  The fire loss in today's dollars was well in excess of $1 million.  The day after the fire, the dealers re-opened the show by quickly assembling a collection of cars from their showrooms and exhibiting them in the Shrine auditorium.

LATimes Archive / UCLA

The Times is featuring the story today in a historical flashback article that tells more and has some remarkable photographs included.  You can CLICK HERE to read the entire story as posted today.

This unattributed photo was taken in the
Cadillac – LaSalle exhibit area.

Not all was lost, however.  When the cleanup began, a junkyard across the street just lowered its fence and dragged the hulks across the road to their business.

The Los Angeles Auto Show began its exhibits in 1907 and this week is currently running at the L. A. Convention Center.

First we need to have our own vehicle show and get our equipment checked out.  I'm starting up some more coffee before we meet back in the day room.  Take it easy today and thanks for dropping by.

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"Only you can prevent first responder"

Convicted On Manslaughter Charge

THE PRIMARY CULPRIT IN ONE OF Toronto, Ontario's most famous arsons was finally sentenced late last month to serve 12 years in prison for manslaughter and conspiracy to commit arson.  The building that burned is regarded as the largest single-building fire in Toronto's history and made additional headlines several days later when the body of the man who set the fire was found in the basement of the fully-burned out store.

John Magno and his two brothers Frank and Carlo, owned the large hardware store in the Woodbine area of the city that was a neighborhood landmark.  The business was started and built into a successful operation by their father.   But they wanted to expand by moving to another location and then using the old property to build condominium apartments.  After getting a quote for the cost of demolishing the original building which was still open for business and fully stocked, they decided to take another route.  They contracted with two criminals, Sam Paskalis and Tony Jarcevic, to torch the business on Christmas Eve, 2001.

Paskalis and Jarcevic arrived with two other men shortly before midnight in two vans and loaded them up with some selected goods for themselves and one of the vans then drove away.  The others went to the basement and then poured gasoline around the stock before trying to light it off, thinking that the gasoline would simply burn hot and set the entire store ablaze.  Instead, the vapors ignited and a thunderous explosion blew the building apart and rousted the entire neighborhood.

Toronto Sun

The Toronto Fire Department responded with six full alarms and mounted a valiant and successful attempt to contain the fire to the Woodbine Building Supply store.  The responding units found a badly-burned Paskalis wandering the neighborhood, but nobody else was around.  Before the ambulance reached the hospital, Paskalis slipped into a coma and didn't come out of it for several months.  It was just before that when Magno attempted to cash in on a fire insurance policy claim for $3.5 million that had just been bumped up a couple of months before the fire.

It was two weeks after the fire when the investigators finally worked their way down into the basement searching for the cause when they discovered the charred corpse of Jarcevic.  They were able to make a case against Paskalis after he regained consciousness and convicted him on arson charges while preparing to file a 2nd-degree murder count later.  After spending a year in jail while suffering unbearable pain from his injuries, Paskalis made a plea deal with the prosecuter to have his charges reduced in exchange for his confession and full story of who did what.

Sam Paskalis  (Toronto Star)

After years of court procedings and motions, the Magno brothers were finally brought to trial with Frank and Carlo tried and convicted first.  John, who was the ringleader and planner, was convicted in 2008 but not sentenced until last month.

John Magno arrives at court for
his sentencing last month.  (National Post)

The National Post has a complete and detailed report on this complicated case HERE.
The Vancouver Sun reported last month on the sentencing and included some other updates HERE.

Hat tip to Mark Donovan for assistance.

Ten years after the fire, the only thing remaining from the family fortune
that Dad built is this hole in the ground that remains on Danforth Avenue.
(Google Street View)

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Huge Cache of Silver Found

WHAT MIGHT BE THE LARGEST-EVER PRECIOUS METAL retrieval from a shipwreck is set to take place in the North Atlantic next Spring.  Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. announced last week that they had successfully found and identified the wreck of the SS Gairsoppa, a merchant freighter sunk by a German submarine in February 1941.  The ship was in service to the British Ministry of War Transport and was carrying an estimated 7 million ounces of silver bullion when it went down about 300 miles off the coast of Ireland and 15,000 feet below the surface of the water.  The total value of the cargo is estimated to be at least $200 million.

Site of shipwreck indicated by red button

Greg Stemm, Odyssey CEO, said, "We were fortunate to find the shipwreck sitting upright, with the holds open and easily accessible. This should enable us to unload cargo through the hatches as would happen with a floating ship alongside a cargo terminal."

The stern compass remains at its assigned spot on the rear poop deck.
(Odyssey Marine Exploration photo)

Of the 85 seamen on board, most of them went down with the ship or were murdered by the U-Boat crew who opened their machine guns on the sailors as the attempted to leave on their lifeboats.  About 30 did make it away in the lifeboats, but only one man survived the venture spending two weeks at sea until he landed on the coast of Cornwall.  He lived until 1992, the sole survivor.

Odyssey Marine Exploration has released this video taken by their ultra-deep explorer as it traveled around the ship recording identification evidence:

Read the entire press release from Odyssey Marine Exploration HERE.
Wikipedia has a good description of the ship and the torpedoing action HERE.

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I'm Afraid We Already Have – Listen Up

WITH ALL THE IMMEDIATE FRENZY TAKING PLACE ON MANHATTAN Island during the WTC attacks on 9/11,  people were confused and thinking of only one thing – evacuate.  The bridges and tunnels were all shut down for security reasons and the citizens had no idea what was going on, or why.  While the police and fire were doing their best, another industry sprung into action – the merchant fleet.  Every merchant vessel from miles around headed to the docks and terminals and began a massive operation.  

Landing at the Manhattan docks, they all filled up with fleeing citizens. Then they shuttled them over to New Jersey, Staten Island and Brooklyn.  On their return trips they carried relief squads of firefighters, fire engines, and police officers along with food and water supplies for the people who were stranded.  This procedure went on non-stop until they had evacuated over 300,000 people.  Do you remember that now?

As a measure of respect and honor for the merchant fleet's participation in the events of the day, the U. S. Department of Transportation has produced this very nice video illustrating their efforts:

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Leadership Runs Deep

Bob Lutz, the larger-than-life automobile executive and business leader, shared an interesting story to close the chapter titled "Of Management Styles" in his new book Car Guys vs. Bean Counters

While Lutz was in graduate school of business at UC Berkeley, he was a Douglas A-4 pilot in Marine Attack Squadron 133, a reserve unit flying out of Naval Air Station Alameda.

His narrative starts here:

Rumor had it that our new commanding officer was a modest man. He was already older and had received his commission in World War II, on the battlefield. 

He had no higher education. And to top it off, his "civilian" occupation was "Hoseman Number 2" at the San Francisco Fire Department. He had almost no jet time!

The lieutenants and captains in the squadron, all ambitious graduate students at Cal and Stanford, were shocked: the Marine Corps was giving us an uneducated, elderly fireman as a leader.

At the change-of-command ceremony we discovered that our new CO, Art Bauer, was also of modest stature. Truly, an uninspiring sight.

After the formal ceremony, Lt. Col. Art Bauer called the twenty-odd junior officers together and gave the following talk, as I remember it:

Gentlemen, I don't know why the Corps chose me to lead this unit, but chose me they did, and we are all going to make the most of it.

I know my education is far below yours, and my civilian profession, although I'm proud of what I do, is humble.

All of you have recent active-duty experience, and all of you are more skilled pilots and know more about today's Marine Corps than I'll ever know.

So, I'm not going to run this squadron. You each have your squadron roles, be it Intelligence Officer, Operations Officer, Safety Officer, Maintenance Officer or Administration.

I want and expect you to each do your jobs; talk to each other, be a team, and help each other. I'm going to stay out of your way, because you're all more capable than this old officer.

I don't expect you to respect me for my flying ability, because it's not at your level. But I do want and demand your support and respect, not for me, but for the uniform I wear and the rank that's on it.

You, gentlemen, not I, are going to run this squadron, and I don't want you to let me down.

The doubts and secret snickering soon stopped.

Within eighteen months, VMA-133, under command of Art Bauer, was rated number one reserve squadron in the Marine Corps Reserve, with the highest operational readiness, the highest scores in Inspector General inspections, and the highest scores in ordinance delivery.

Those responsible for senior officer selection in the Marine Corps must have been as surprised as  we were that this modest, self-effacing man, of limited skills but the right leadership touch, had attained such a level of success.

Maybe they knew that a leader like Art Bauer was exactly what this squadron of self-assured and cocky aspiring doctors, lawyers, and business leaders needed.

Special: Available Now at 36% Off

This message carries value to some of our fire service leaders: Micromanagement is not an effective technique

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Thursday Morning

The Gnome Handler pointed out to me yesterday afternoon that it was the 67th anniversary of the tragic Hartford Circus Fire when the big top of the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus caught fire during an afternoon performance with the tent packed with families.

July 6, 1944 – "The Day the Clowns Cried"

It was a typically hot, summer day in Hartford, Connecticut, as 7,000 patrons filed into the big top for the great show.  All the seating was portable wooden bleachers arrayed around the the entire sidewalls of the tent.  About 20 minutes into the performance, the cat tamers had just finished their performance at the #3  ring and were herding their animals through the chutes that led them to the animal wagons.  This activity was temporarily blocking two of the exits.

Circus workers assembling the animal chute
prior to the start of the act.

Suddenly a fire shot up the sidewall behind the #1 ring and the band leader noticed the flames right away.  He stopped the music and instructed the band to play Stars and Stripes Forever, the universal distress signal for all American circus workers.  Every hand in the circus came pouring into the big top and began to try and keep the crowd from panicking and assisting the exodus from the tent.  The fire rapidly got into the roof of the tent where it had been waterproofed by sealing it with a mixture of paraffin and kerosene, a standard practice at the time.  It was happening so fast that as the patrons came streaming out of the performance area, the tent was fully engulfed within a few minutes. 

One of the patrons had his movie camera with him to record the circus acts and captured the people exiting in reasonable order while the tent burns above them:

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Amateur home movie cameras were very rare in those days, and having color film loaded in them was even more rare.  But somebody was there with one and the recorded the fire taking over the tent and the rapid collapse of the roof:

It was all over before the fire department had a chance to arrive and begin any sort of rescue operations.  While most of the people made their escape, there were piles of burned bodies left behind when the fire was out, many of them unrecognizable and some nothing more than scattered pieces of bone.  It was all over in just six minutes.  Six minutes of terror, stampede and bravery.

This film was taken immediately after while steam was still rising from the ashes:

The official death toll was 168 souls, but that is only the number of proven victims as many were never identified or fully recovered.  Most of the dead were found in piles near the exits where they were trapped by the congestion of panicked people crowding into the exitways when the flaming tent roof dropped down on them.  A few people at the bottoms of the piles survived by being protected by the bodies on top of them.

Circus workers view one of the piles of
bodies fused together by the heat.

The cause of the fire was never officially determined, but arson was suspected early on.  In 1950 a man who was a serial arsonist and serving a 40-yr. prison term in Ohio, voluntarily confessed to setting the fire, claiming that he had a vision of a flaming woman who told him to start it.  While it was a preposterous claim, he did relate several facts about the fire that had never been made public and would only have been known by him if he was there.  But most investigators and historians discount his claim and the real arsonist is still legally unidentified.

References:
Time Magazine July 17, 1944 HERE.
Wikipedia entry HERE.
HartfordHistory.net entry HERE.
CircusFire1944.com collection HERE. (has large collection of photographs)
A good eyewitness account from a woman who, as a young girl, was sitting directly
     in the area where the fire started with her family is HERE.

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I think we had better get the equipment checked out now.  I'll go start the coffee.

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Monday Morning – Hard Hat Area

You might want to think about wearing your helmet all day today, or at least until later this afternoon.  According to an article in Sky & Telescope, "Asteroid 2011 MD, a chunk of rock estimated to be 25 to 55 feet (8 to 18 m) across, is expected to pass less than 8,000 miles above Earth’s surface around 1 p.m. EDT (17:00 UT) on Monday, June 27th."  That isn't a huge piece of rock in the grand scheme of things, but it is the largest known asteroid to have come this close.  The little fellow was just discovered five days ago and its discovery and expected trajectory were announced on Thursday. 

NASA prepared this chart showing graphically the asteroid's path

The asteroid's orbit is very similar to that of the Earth's, but our next encounter with it won't be until 2022.  We won't be able to view it with our telescopes because it will only be visible in parts of the southern hemisphere.  If you want to learn more about this non-threat to humanity, read the full aricle in Sky & Telescope HERE.  It's quite interesting.

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One of the genuinely rare artifacts of American cultural history went on the auction block Saturday.  The original of the only photograph ever taken of William Bonney, aka Billy the Kid, was sold to the highest bidder for $2.3 million at a special auction of rare Western memorabilia and artifacts in Denver.

The original tintype is one of four that were taken just outside a saloon in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.  One of the four was destroyed in a fire and two others have been long lost and believed to have been destroyed.  The fourth one was given by Billy to one of his cohorts, Dan Dedrick, and has remained in the family ever since then until the sale this weekend.  This only known survivor is approximately 2 inches by 3 inches and since it's a tintype, it shows a reverse image.  It was this view that led people to wrongly believe that Billy was left-handed because his holster appears to be on his left side.  There was even a popular song at one time about him called "The Left-Handed Gun."

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And finally, from the We're Not the Only Ones Who Are Nuts department comes this video taken at a firehouse in St. Priest, France.  The local fire brigade is holding a Summer Carnival later in July and the pompiers made this music video to promote it.  Surprisingly, it hit the web and "went viral" as they say.  But after you watch it, you will have to agree that it is a lot of fun and understandable why it's become so popular.  Lots of American VFD's have Firemens Carnivals for their annual fund raisers, so maybe some of them will try this technique out for some publicity.   But you're going to have to go some to match this crew's performance skills.  Take a look:

Ok, that's enough fun and games for now.  Let's get this equipment check – Monday check list, don't forget.  I'll get the coffee started and it will be ready by the time you get back to the day room.

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Celebrating 350th Anniversary This Year

CAPTAIN TOM L. FROM THE HUDSON RIVER VALLEY of New York thinks it might be and sent along this story.  The Kingston, New York, Fire Department is celebrating its 350th year of service this year that dates back to 1661,

Kingston Central Fire Station
(thanks to Youngstown Fire Forum)

Kingston was originally a Dutch settlement and the colonial government set up Brantmeesters, or Fire Marshals, to sound the alarm at the sight of any hostile fire.  The Daily Freeman continues:

The history of Kingston’s fire service dates (to 1661), with the appointment of the fire wardens by the Dutch to "sound alarms, organize bucket brigades, and maintain fire lines and enforce codes," according to a chronology drawn by Bernie Matthews, a former fire commissioner who is an expert in fire department history.

"These individuals are paid from the fines assessed and themselves were fined by the government for dereliction of duty," according to the chronology.

Matthews and Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Platte are collaborating on histories of the paid fire service to be published in the form of a journal this year.

The town's paid fire department was organized in 1908 when the department was outfitted with 14 men to man three chemical hose wagons, one tiller ladder truck, an alarm system wagon, and a chief’s wagon, all of which were horse drawn.

Kingston also has a rich collection of artifacts in the Fire Department Museum which is located in a 19th-century firehouse.

The Daily Freeman has a good article about the FD's history and an informative description of the fire museum HERE.

If you think you know of another fire service in the continent that dates back this far, let us know.

Update, Monday evening:
That sure didn't take long!  Firegeezer's unofficial official photographer and noted fire historian Mike Legeros has filled in the blanks for us pertaining to early fire protection services:

1648 – First fire wardens appointed, New Amsterdam. The four are charged
with the responsibility of checking residential chimneys and levying
fines as necessary.

1653 – Boston burns, leads to laws requiring all houses having at least
one ladder. Also leads to public purchasing of fire equipment.

1654 (or 1653) – First fire engine used in America, Boston.

1657 or soon after – First night watch created, New Amsterdam. Eight men
walk the streets after dark, watching for fires and stopping anyone who
looks suspicious. They carry rattles to sound a fire alarm.

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