Skip to content

Archives for law-justice

See all posts in the network tagged with law-justice

Ontario Sacks Entire Air Ambo Board

No comments

Plus Another 18 Pencil Pushers at HQ

THE ONTARIO GOVERNMENT FINANCE MINISTRY has cleaned house at the scandal-plagued air ambulance service, Ornge.  A government spokesman revealed yesterday (Wednesday) that the government has assigned 28 forensic auditors to the offices of Ornge where they are working night and day to wade through the labyrinth of private, for-profit companies that Ornge insiders had set up to possibly funnel money away from the agency and into the private coffers.

The four directors of the air ambulance charity were asked to step down immediately, which they did, and a hand-picked group was appointed to a new 7-member board.  The directors that were tossed were receiving salaries while the new board is all-volunteers made up from respected business leaders.

The Toronto Globe & Mail adds:

The ouster of the board came one day after Mr. McKerlie terminated 18 administrative jobs at head office. As well, Maria Renzella, executive vice-president of corporate services, has gone on medical leave, according to sources. She is the second top executive to do so – Ornge founder and chief executive officer Chris Mazza went on "indefinite" medical leave in December.

Health Minister Deb Matthews is on the defensive over Ornge. Ms. Matthews was aware that Ornge planned to create new business ventures that would make money by trading on the expertise of the taxpayer-funded air ambulance service. Ornge was to receive just 3 per cent of the revenue from these businesses, and the new ventures would pocket the balance, according to a copy of a Stakeholder Briefing dated Jan. 19, 2011 and signed by chairman Rainer Beltzner.

Ornge is responsible for performing life-saving CPR on patients and ferrying them from accident scenes to a hospital. But it is also facing questions about whether patient care was compromised. The Globe has reported that the Health Ministry's Emergency Health Services Branch is investigating 13 cases, including three deaths. Most of these incidents relate to complaints about either response times or the adequacy of Ornge's new helicopter fleet.

Read the full article in the Globe & Mail HERE.

Globe & Mail / Hanley

Ornge was established as a charity but has seemingly been turned into a cash cow for the directors and administrators.  The Toronto Star goes right to the core of the scandal, reporting: 

Scandal has dogged the service since mid-December, with revelations by the Star of high salaries and executive perks, secrecy, less than speedy ambulance dispatches and some mysterious payments from overseas.

What McKerlie did not mention in his email to staff is that very few of the dollars the foundation received since it was created four years ago came from public and patients.

Instead, the money (and gifts like two fancy motorcycles painted orange) came from companies like Pilatus, which sold 10 single-engine airplanes to ORNGE at an estimated total cost of $40 million for use as air ambulances.

In one case, a press release from ORNGE noted that Pilatus donated $343,000 to the Foundation. When ORNGE purchased $144 million worth of helicopters (12 in total) from Agusta Westland, Agusta made a $6.7 million payment to an ORNGE for-profit and gave two orange "choppers" to the Foundation. Another former asset of one of the ORNGE charities was a $50,000 speedboat that founder Chris Mazza wanted to use to teach youth how to wakeboard and water ski safely.

Read The Toronto Star's story HERE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

From Amazon for Next 5 Days Only…

Super Deals on Hundreds of Sports and Outdoor Items

CLICK HERE to view the big discounts.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on January 26, 2012 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Law & Justice

Promotional Opportunities

No comments

It Was Probably the Crash That Did It

THE WESTMONT, ILLINOIS, VILLAGE MANAGER announced on Monday that Fire Chief Frank Trout remains on unpaid administrative leave following his suspension on December 31.

The day before, on December 30 Chief Trout was arrested by the DuPage County Sheriff's office and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving too fast for conditions and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident after his vehicle struck a parked car.  He has a court date scheduled for January18.

Trout was previously a Westmont police officer, rising to sergeant before he was appointed Fire Chief in 1992.  His duties are currently being handled by Deputy Fire Chief Dave Weiss.

Suburban Life newspaper has the STORY.

Hat tip:  Mark H.

*  *  *

SALISBURY, MARYLAND, FIRE CHIEF JEFF SIMPSON resigned suddenly on Monday just 14 months after taking the position.  He was hired in November 2010 following an extensive search by the city and had come from the Hanover County, Virginia, Fire Department.

Daily Times photo

His short resignation letter read:  "Life circumstances are such that I am afforded the opportunity to pursue personal and professional interests and I kindly wish to take advantage of those opportunities at this time."

Has already relinquished his duties and Deputy Chief Rick Hoppes is serving as interim chief.  Tuesday the mayor announced that he will put Chief Hoppes' name to the city council to be appointed permanent chief.

WBOC-TV has the latest report HERE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on January 11, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Law & Justice • Tagged: , , ,

Mexican Casino Arson Update

No comments

The Arrest Count Continues to Climb

THE MASTERMIND BEHIND THE FATAL ARSON of a casino in Monterrey, Mexico, has been arrested.  Baltasar Saucedo Estrada, 38, nicknamed "dog-killer" is alleged to be a local leader of the Zetas drug cartel. The outrageous daytime arson of the Casino Royale on August 25 killed 52 people and shocked the nation.

Reuters

Firegeezer reported on the fire HERE and showed the surveillance videos documenting the raid of the gang members into the casino HERE. Reputedly, the action was taken against the casino owner because he refused to pay "protection money" in an extortion scheme.

So far 20 people who were participants in the raid have been arrested including the regional leader of operations of the cartel (HERE).

Saucedo was arrested Thursday after he crashed his car while trying to outrun police officers who were chasing him. Inside the car they found a large amount of cash and coccaine.

AP

Saucedo had a $1 million bounty on him.  Reuters has filed this video report on this week's capture:

 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on January 7, 2012 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice • Tagged: , , ,

Topless Coffee Shop Arsonist Convicted

2 comments

Eyewitness Testimony Convinces the Jury

THE 2-½ YR. SAGA OF THE INFAMOUS GRAND VIEW Topless Coffee Shop arson in Vassalboro, Maine, has concluded.  On Friday (Dec. 30) a jury convicted Raymond Bellavance, now 50, on two counts of felony arson that carry a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment each.  The trial lasted ten days and included a variety of unusual witnesses and Bellavance's own self-testimony.  The verdict was handed down at 5:50 pm.

Raymond Bellavance

Bellavance claimed that he was nowhere near the shop when it burned down on June 3, 2009.  But an eyewitness who was with him that night told the jury that he saw Bellavance splash gasoline around the outside of the former motel building and light it.  At the time of the fire, the coffee shop owner was sleeping inside the living quarters as well as his wife, their two young children, and two older daughters who also lived there with their boyfriends.

AP / Joel photo

Firegeezer covered this story from the beginning with a report on the FIRE HERE.  This was followed by a report HERE on the re-opening of the business under a tent while the former motel dining room was being rebuilt.

Later in the following December it was announced that the fire was an arson and that a warrant was issued for Raymond Bellavance.  But he immediately beat feet to South Carolina where the U. S. Marshals found him in May 2010  (see Firegeezer video report HERE).  After being extradited back to Maine he has been held without bail since then.

In the trial several witnesses said that Bellavance was always hanging around the shop vying for the favors of one of the waitresses who was a former girl friend of his.  He became angry when she rebuffed him while she was having a sexual affair with the owner whose wife and another two girlfriends of his also lived there.  It gets complicated.

WMTW-TV Ch. 8 filed this video report on the day before the jury began deliberations:

 

A complete summary of the trial and the accusations and counter-accusations was published by the Kennebec Morning Sentinel HERE.
The Kennebec Journal has MORE.

Grand View follow-up:  Earlier this year in May, the owner Donald Crabtree announced that he was giving up trying to stay in business and would close soon.  Besides the expense of rebuilding and declining business, the local government kept a flurry of ordinance violations coming his way to the point where he could not take any more.  Crabtree said the final straw for him was the recent notice from the town of violations over large signs he set up. One advertised a benefit topless car wash, while a portable sign proclaimed: "Boobies Wanted."  He said he removed the signs after he was given seven days by the code officer to do so or else face legal action.  Read that Firegeezer report HERE.

Crabtree has just recently sold the property.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on December 31, 2011 • Filed under: arson, Law & Justice, News, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Former Firefighter Pleads Guilty to Arson

1 comment

Sentence Delayed Until After Rehab Attempt

A FORMER VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER WITH THE MINOT, Maine, fire department pleaded guilty Thursday to an arson charge.

Joshua Michaud  (WMTW -TV)

Joshua Michaud, now 20, was charged with starting a fire in July 2010 in a restaurant that caused $30,000 in damage.  Witnesses said that they saw Michaud near the restaurant dressed in his turnout gear before the fire alarm was sounded.  After determining that the fire had been deliberately set, the fire marshal arrested him following an interview where Michaud admitted setting the fire.

The fire scene in July 2010  (WMTW-TV)

The young man has no prior criminal history and has a lengthy list of character references from leading citizens which led to the judge delaying sentencing until June to see how well an intensive counseling program that he is undergoing will turn out.

The Sun Journal has a good report on this rehab program and the related information on the case HERE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on December 30, 2011 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice • Tagged: , ,

Embezzling Brothers Sentenced

No comments

Pleaded Guilty Last Month

RICHARD AND RANDALL CARR, BROTHERS AND FORMER paid-on-call firefighters in Mahoning County, Ohio, were sentenced yesterday for stealing money from the Beaver Township Fire Department after pleading guilty to felony theft last month (See Firegeezer video report HERE).  Following an audit, it was found that they had been backdating time sheets to indicate that they had been responding to incidents, yet never showing up at the scene.

The Youngstown Vindicator reports this morning:

Two former Beaver Township firefighters accused of theft were sentenced Wednesday to two years of probation, 250 hours of community service, and they were ordered to pay restitution. They were sentenced by Judge Maureen Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Randall Carr and Richard Carr Jr. were instructed to pay $3,861.19 and $2,559, respectively, in restitution to Beaver Township, per the prosecutor’s recommendation, according to court records.

The Beaver Township Fire Department is volunteer, but stipends are provided to ranking officers. Volunteers are paid a nominal fee for each call they respond to. Randall Carr was an assistant chief and received $550 each month; Richard Carr was a lieutenant and received about $110 a month, the fire chief has said.

Both men were placed on paid administrative leave in June when the investigation began, and part of their restitution is the monthly salaries they received during that time, records state.

Richard Carr Jr. also resigned his second-grade teaching job in the South Range school district at the school board’s Nov. 21 meeting.

WKBN-TV Ch. 27 had their camera in the courtroom Wednesday and filed this video report:

 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on December 22, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice, Videos

Plane Potty Arsonist Sentenced

2 comments

Three Years on the Lam Before Trial

EDER ROJAS, THE FORMER FLIGHT ATTENDANT who set a fire in his airplane's bathroom was convicted and sentenced Friday to nearly 7 years in prison.

(Fargo PD)

His saga began 3-½ years ago in May 2008 while he was working a Compass Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Regina (Saskatchewan).  Rojas, reportedly angry with being assigned to an unpopular route, took a lighter and set the paper towels on fire in the lavatory while the plane was in flight.  Rojas, along with another attendant and a passenger, put out the fire with extinguishers as the plane made an emergency landing in Fargo, North Dakota.

Read the full story in earlier Firegeezer reports HERE and HERE.

While awaiting trial, he was ordered to stay in a halfway house in Chicago where he later walked out in the middle of the night and fled to Mexico.  When he failed to appear for his trial, the judge ordered the U. S. Marshal to find Rojas and bring him to the court.  (See Firegeezer HERE.)

Three years later, the FBI and the U. S. Marshal tracked him down to Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico and had him arrested on March 26 of this year.  (Firegeezer HERE.)

In this week's trial Rojas said that he was very sorry and would accept any punishment handed out.  Not buying his croccodile tears, Judge Erickson said Rojas did not truly accept responsibility for the crime.  "You ran away, you had to be extradited," Erickson said. "I'm not going to reward that behavior today, tomorrow, or ever."

Erickson sentenced him to 74 months and ordered him to pay a more than $100,000 fine, most of which will go towards compensating Compass Airlines for damage to the bathroom and the cost of emergency accommodation for passengers.

The Associated Press has the full story on the verdict and sentencing HERE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

At Amazon: Great Deals in the Camera, Photo and Video dept. HERE

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on December 18, 2011 • Filed under: crime, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice • Tagged: ,

Fire Department Shuts Down After Embezzling Officers Drain the Treasury

No comments

No performance bonds?

THE LEWISBERRY COMMUNITY FIRE COMPANY in York County, Pennsylvania, had to close its doors and cease operating in September when it could no longer pay its bills.

This Tuesday police arrested and charged Jennifer Cassada, 37, and Markwood Albright, 37, with theft. Cassada is the department's former president and treasurer while Albright is the former fire chief.  Investigators said the two, who were romantically involved, had taken and spent more than $11,000 on personal items and pleasures.

The York Daily Record reports:

The fire company could no longer pay workers compensation, municipalities dropped its services so it no longer responded to calls, and it was evicted from the fire hall, (Police Chief John) Snyder said.

Members of the fire department had suspicions about how the money was being used, Snyder said, but it took some time to get access to the accounting books.

The investigation began in October 2010 and was passed on to Newberry Township Police from the York County District Attorney's Office in October 2011.

Sgt. Steven Lutz with Newberry Township Police was head of the investigation and found that $4,373 had been spent on a Caribbean cruise, $1,288.38 was used to purchase items online through PayPal, $6,154.14 was used to pay utility bills and $8,990 in cash withdrawals were taken from the general account and the fireman's relief account for no apparent reason, according to charging documents.

They were arraigned and charged with theft by unlawful taking, access device fraud, criminal conspiracy and receiving stolen property. They each posted $25,000 unsecured bail and were released Tuesday.  The investigators believe that much more than that has been stolen, but much of it was in cash and will be hard to trace.

According to the Daily Record, the Lewisberry Borough Council asked the nearby Fairview Fire Department in September to provide primary fire protection in the borough.  They moved in to the building that housed the former Lewisberry Community Fire Company in November are using the same volunteer system, involving volunteers from the old fire department.

WHTM-TV filed this video report:

 

 

*  *  * 

Firegeezer points out that responsible fire departments carry performance bonds, a relatively cheap form of insurance against internal thievery and embezzlement. Why wasn't that done here?

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

 

Posted by on December 15, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, crime, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

High Tech High Noon Showdown

Comments Off

Digital Assymetric Warfare

An amazing development in the Mexican drug wars. 

Diane Shiller, writing in the October 29 Houston Chronicle, posted this article:

An international group of online hackers is warning a Mexican drug cartel to release one of its members, kidnapped from a street protest, or it will publish the identities and addresses of the syndicate's associates, from corrupt police to taxi drivers, as well as reveal the syndicates' businesses. …

"It won't be difficult; we all know who they are and where they are located," says the man, who underlines the group's international ties by speaking Spanish with the accent of a Spaniard while using Mexican slang.

He also implies that the group will expose mainstream journalists who are somehow in cahoots with the Zetas by writing negative articles about the military, the country's biggest fist in the drug war.

"We demand his release," says the Anonymous spokesman, who is wearing a mask like the one worn by the shadowy revolutionary character in the movie V for Vendetta, which came out in 2006. "If anything happens to him, you sons of (expletive) will always remember this upcoming November 5."

Click on headline to read rest of article, which includes a transcript of the video demands: Online hackers threaten to expose cartel's secrets: Group called Anonymous demands release of one of their own who was kidnapped

 

Information is a disruptive power

Just as WikiLeaks raised havoc with international politics, Anonymous has the capability of disrupting the operations of the Los Zetas Cartel and their partners.

Asymmetrical Warfare

Definition: "warfare in which opposing groups or nations have unequal military resources, and the weaker opponent uses unconventional weapons and tactics, as terrorism, to exploit the vulnerabilities of the enemy."

In this situation we have the second largest and most violent Mexican drug cartel being threatened by a decentralized online community of information technologists who are growing into a significant international force.

Anna Heim, writing in TNW Latin America, looks at the online actions taken against alleged Los Zetas supporters that appear to match the approach taken by Anonymous against earlier targets.

October 29: How Anonymous is threatening a Mexican drug cartel

Why should Firegeezer readers care?

After the publicity of a NYPD commander pepper-spraying an Occupy Wall Street protestor, Anonymous made a similar threat last month:

Hello NYPD, We are Anonymous.

Around the internet, we have seen countless videos of your blatant disregard for first amendment rights. Whether it be by tasering, macing, kettling, or otherwise physically harming those involved in the occupy wall street protests.

We will not stand idly by and let these misdeeds go unpunished. We are hereby calling for an immediate apology and resignation of NYPD commissioner Raymond Kelley and the supervising officers involved. We already know who they are, their information is a matter of public record.

And to those police officers that are "just following orders:" We invite you to join us and stand with our cause in solidarity. An enemy of our enemy is our friend. Join us.

If our demands are not met by october sixth, we will unleash hell on your phones, your servers, and anything else we can find.

We are anonymous. We do not forgive. We do not forget. You have nine days.

They released personal information on the officer and disrupted some of the information technology assets of NYPD. They may have organized a denial of service (DoS) attack on the Oakland police department.

The implication is that public safety organization information (organization and personal) and digital technology are vunerable to hackers.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Related: 

Tech-Savvy Occupy Protesters Use Cellphone Video, Social Networking To Publicize Police Abuse (Radley Balko [2011 Oct 29] Huffington Post)

Posted by on October 29, 2011 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, culture, Law & Justice, News, Technology & Communications, Urban Commander, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Arsonist Sentenced Ten Years Later

Comments Off

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)

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on October 17, 2011 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, history, Law & Justice • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Assistant Fire Chief Convicted on Mail, Wire Fraud

Comments Off

Faces Up to 60 Years in Prison

MIAMI, FLORIDA, ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF VELDORA ARTHUR was convicted Friday on three counts of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud.  She now faces up to 20 years imprisonment on each charge.

Arthur's arrest in February of this year was reported in Firegeezer HERE when we told:

MIAMI, FLORIDA’s HIGHEST-RANKING FEMALE FIREFIGHTER was charged by a Federal grand jury, along with three others, for participating in an $11 million mortgage-fraud scheme in 2006.

Veldora Arthur, 45, is an Assistant Chief in the department and earns $184,000 a year. The incitment charges that she and the others allowed their names to be used as "straw man" purchasers of six luxury condominium units. The plot also permitted their credit histories to be used in securing the loans and in exchange they were paid an undisclosed sum of money.

Arthur, who was also Miami's first black female firefighter, was later found to have profited by $317,000 in the scheme.  The U. S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida issued the following press release on Friday September 30:

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, announced that a federal jury found defendants Neil Fagan, Pamela Johnson, and Veldora Arthur guilty of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and all substantive mail-fraud counts set forth in the February 3, 2011 superseding indictment. The indictment included charges of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and substantive mail fraud. The conspiracy and mail fraud counts carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. All defendants were remanded into the custody of the United States Bureau of Prisons following their convictions.

Fagan and Johnson were charged in Counts 1 through 5 of the indictment and were convicted on all counts. According to the evidence, Fagan recruited the straw buyers who bought the properties listed in the indictment and received approximately $1,300,000 in mortgage fraud proceeds. Johnson served as the settlement agent who handled the real estate closings and diverted fraud proceeds to herself and family members. Arthur, charged and convicted of Counts 1, 3, and 5, was an Executive Assistant to the Fire Chief in the City of Miami Fire Department who served as a straw buyer. Arthur received approximately $317,000 in fraud proceeds in less than a month.

The properties in the case were located at 3370 NE 190 Street in Aventura, Florida, which is known as the Hidden Bay Condominium Complex. During the course of the conspiracy approximately $11,000,000 in fraudulent loans were issued, resulting in a loss to lenders of approximately $7,000,000.

Sentencing for Johnson and Fagan has been scheduled for December 15, 2011at 8:30am. Sentencing for Arthur has been scheduled for December 16, 2011 at 8:30 am.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

*  *  *  *  *

Today's Best Deal …

The Logitech Anywhere Mouse – 40% off !!

Meet the Logitech Anywhere Mouse MX in Frustration-Free Packaging. It's the wireless notebook mouse that gives you new freedom to work anywhere without a mouse pad–on virtually any surface. Your laptop bag balanced on your lap at the airport. Your granite kitchen countertop. It even gives you precise cursor control on glass conference tables and hotel desks–the surface where no mouse has worked before.

Today Only
List Price …. $59.95
Today's Price …. $35.99

CLICK HERE for more info. and to order yours today.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on October 3, 2011 • Filed under: crime, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice, News • Tagged: , ,

Ex-Firefighter Arsonists Sentenced

Comments Off

Four of Five Sentenced So Far in Massachusetts

FIVE FORMER FIREFIGHTERS IN HAMPDEN COUNTY, Massachusetts, have pleaded guilty to a series of arsons last summer and are being sentenced for their crimes.  Back on September 3, Firegeezer reported HERE that:

FIVE PAID-ON-CALL FIREFIGHTERS IN HAMPDEN COUNTY, Massachusetts, were arrested and arraigned on arson charges.  The five young men ages 18 through 20 are accused of torching three vacant houses in rural areas, one on June 15, another on June 22, and the other on July 13. All of them are associated with either the Brimfield or Holland fire departments.

Patrick Elliot, 19, of Charlton; Donald Moores ,20, of Brimfield, Jordan Frank, 18, of Brimfield
and Brian Findlay, 18, of Ashford, Conn., left to right, appeared in Palmer District Court last
September for their arraignment on arson charges. Not pictured, Dylan Lajeunesse, 18, of Holland.
(The Republican photo)

Since then, they have all pleaded guilty and this past Friday the two labeled as the ringleaders of the crimes, Patrick Elliot and Brian Findlay were each sentenced to three years in prison plus five years probation along with restitution.

WSHM-TV Ch. 3 had its camera in the courtroom for the sentencing Friday:

 

Dylan LaJeunesse and Donald Moores have already been sentenced to three years probation and restitution.  The fifth of the group Jordan Frank will be sentenced in late November.

WSHM-TV has the details of the story HERE.

Thanks to Mark D.

*  *  *  *  *

Posted by on October 3, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Arrests in Mexican Casino Arson, More Expected

Comments Off

 Fire Trapped and Killed 52 People

THE DEADLY ARSON OF A CASINO in Monterrey, Mexico, on August 25 (see Firegeezer report HERE) is believed to have been a retaliation against the owner for failing to pay an extortion demand by the Zetas drug cartel.  A group of thugs poured gasoline all around the entrance and lobby before torching it off, trapping many of the patrons and employees inside the building.

AFP / Getty

The Federal prosecutor is running a massive investigation and search for the people responsible.  So far, six arrests have been made, one of them a police officer.  The prosecutor's office released a list of another 18 suspects yesterday along with artist's drawings of some of them.  The government announced rewards totalling $1.3 million for information leading to their arrests.

The owner of the casino fled the country, presumably for his own safety, and has been located in the United States.  Investigators are hoping to be able to interview him soon.  The corruption in the Mexican police departments and prosecutors' offices in endemic and widespread.  The Los Angeles Times is reporting today:

Days after the fire, a video emerged showing the brother of Monterrey Mayor Fernando Larrazabal accepting large wads of cash at a blackjack table in another casino. The mayor's own party asked him to step down pending the outcome of the investigation.

The brother, Jonas Larrazabal, said in a statement that he was merely collecting payment for Oaxacan cheese he sells. One of the stacks of cash was estimated to be worth about $32,000.

This video report by Reforma shows the first of four raids by armed cartel members carried out on May 25 where they burst into the casinos in broad daylight, terrorizing the customers and ransacking the casinos.  The next frames show the mayor's brother a few hours later accepting a wad of cash at the blackjack table.  The raids ceased right after the payoff.

 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on September 8, 2011 • Filed under: arson, investigations, Law & Justice, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Firefighter Faces Arson Charges

Comments Off

Experienced Veteran Firefighter

PIERRE SHAWN DAYE, a 13-year veteran firefighter with the Columbia-Richland (South Carolina) Fire Department was arrested Wednesday and charged with 3rd-degree arson.  He was arrested at fire department headquarters and immediately placed on unpaid leave.

He is accused of setting a fire in a duplex home that he owns this past Saturday night while he was off-duty.  The fire was minor, only causing about $4,000 damages, but the preliminary investigation into it pointed to Daye.  The fire department then turned the investigation over to the police department and the charges were then brought after they looked into it.

WIS-TV filed this video report of the arrest:

 

Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins told The State newspaper that this is the first time that he knows of that a Columbia firefighter has been charged with an arson.

Read the full report in The State HERE.
Columbia-Richland Fire Department WEBSITE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on August 25, 2011 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, labor, Law & Justice, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

School Arson Update

1 comment

Million-Dollar Bond Set

THE NOW-FORMER SCHOOL TEACHER who was arrested Monday for burning down the Lincoln, Nebraska, school district's headquarters building in May was formally arraigned yestereday (Wednesday).  Sharon Brewster, 44, was first arrested for suspicion of first-degree arson, but at yesterday's arraignment she was charged with second-degree arson.  The Lincoln Journal-Star tells why:

The charge means prosecutors do not have to prove Brewster had reason to believe anyone was inside the building at the time, just that she intentionally started the fire, Lancaster County Attorney Joe Kelly told reporters after Brewster's afternoon court appearance.

The charge also means Brewster, 44, faces a possible sentence of one to 20 years in prison, not the 50-year maximum that comes with a conviction for first-degree arson. Other possible penalties include restitution and a fine of as much as $25,000.  County Judge Mary Doyle set Brewster's percentage bond at $1 million.

Sharon Brewster

While the police are not disclosing all of their evidence, they are saying that they believe Brewster used a lighter to set a pile of papers afire on her superior's desk.  At the time there was another school employee in the building who discovered the fire.  The Journal-Star continues:

Asked if he believed Brewster intended to destroy the entire building at 5901 O St., (County Attorney) Kelly answered: "No, and I don’t have to prove that. All we have to prove is that she intended to start a fire that was gonna damage the building.

"The investigation has developed a lot of good information about what a motive might have been," Kelly said. "We have quite a bit of information about that, but it’s not appropriate for me to talk about that now.”

Read the full report in the Journal-Star HERE.

The Omaha World-Herald ADDS:

Although LPS officials on Monday pointed to Brewster’s employee badge and electronic key-card as evidence that she had been in the building that day, Lincoln Chief Fire Inspector Bill Moody said it was old-fashioned shoe leather that identified Brewster as a suspect.

A witness had reported seeing someone matching Brewster’s description on the scene, he said. Investigator Ken Hilger’s detective work and interviews of school employees helped him develop a hypothesis that pointed to Brewster.

"We worked 2 1/2 weeks at the fire scene, and we couldn’t come up with anything remotely accidental for a cause," Moody said. "Then we started looking at the people who had come and gone, and Ken developed her as a person of interest. . . . He did an outstanding job."  Moody declined to offer possible motives for setting the fire, saying more information would be available later in court documents.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on August 18, 2011 • Filed under: arson, investigations, Law & Justice, News • Tagged: ,

Teacher Nailed for School Building Arson

Comments Off

Career Change Imminent

A LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, SCHOOL TEACHER was arrested Monday and charged with setting a fire in May that destroyed the school district's headquarters building.

Omaha World-Herald

Sharon E. Brewster, 44, a "gifted education coordinator and reading recovery" teacher, resigned from her job yesterday and surrendered to police who arrested her on suspicion of first-degree arson, a class 1 felony that carries a 50-yr. prison term.  The fire knocked out the district's computer and email system and destroyed every paper document stored by the school system.  The total damages reached $20 million.

Sharon Brewster

Brewster is suspected of setting the fire in a cubicle not far from her own desk during an evening when several other employees were also working in the building.  She was located at the scene by her electronic employee's badge that records everyone's entry and exit at the building.  The authorities are not making public her motive for the arson.

KMTV Ch. 3 has this video report:

 

The Omaha World-Herald has the DETAILS HERE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on August 16, 2011 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Plane Potty Arsonist Extradited From Mexico After 3 Yrs. On the Run

Comments Off

Was Involved in Two Set Fires in Planes While in Flight

EDER ROJAS, NOW AGE 22, has been arrested in Mexico and returned to the U. S. three years after he failed to appear for his trial for setting fire inside an airplane.  The former flight attendant was employed by Compass Airlines, a Northwest Air subsidiary, and was reportedly angry for being assigned to the Minneapolis-to-Regina (Sask.) route when he set a roll of paper towels on fire in the bathroom while the plane was aloft.

NWA stock photo of Compass Airliner

Read the Firegeezer reports on the fire and the fugitive flight attendant's fleeing in May 2008, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

During his initial arraignment three years ago the prosecutor disclosed that Rojas was on another flight five weeks previously where a similar fire occurred in the lavatory while in flight, but he was never charged for that fire.

After unrelenting searching, the FBI and the U. S. Marshals Service located him in Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico and had him arrested on March 26 of this year.  The marshals returned with him this past Wednesday and took him to Fargo, North Dakota where he had been scheduled for trial.  The crime is being tried in Fargo because that is where the plane made its emergency landing following the fire onboard.

Rojas faces the possibility of 20 years in prison on the arson charge and another 10 years for the failure to appear violation.

The Associated Press has the latest details HERE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on August 5, 2011 • Filed under: aircraft, arson, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice • Tagged: , , ,

Promotional Opportunities

Comments Off

Can't Run a Fire Department From a Jail Cell

MECCA, INDIANA, FIRE CHIEF Michael Collom, 38, is being held without bail in the Parke County jail today.  Around 4:45 am this morning (Tuesday) he drove his car through the side of a house into a bedroom killing a man and critically injuring his wife.

WTHI-TV

Stacey Williamson, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene and his 46-yr.-old wife Mary is in critical condition at an Indianapolis hospital where she was flown for treatment.  Four children were in other rooms in the home at the time and were not injured.

Collom is facing a felony charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicted resulting in a death.  The sheriff  department's accident reconstruction team has not completed its investigation into the accident.

WTHI-TV Ch. 10 has this video report from the scene:

 

WSJV-TV has the STORY.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on June 28, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice, Videos • Tagged: , , , ,

The News Ticker

Comments Off

Some More Stories From the Daily News Ticker

THE CIMARRON HILLS (Colorado) FIRE DISTRICT IS BEING taken to court by the citizens who are claiming that the District illegally overcharged them during the past seven years.  According to the suit, the fire district's board surreptitiously raised the tax millage in 2004 by an amount that far exceeded the legal limit imposed by the state.  The fire district's own lawyers conceded that they believe it was illegal and the district has a substantial risk of losing the case.  The citizens are asking for a refund of just over $2 million plus 10% interest.

Meanwhile, the fire chief called a meeting last night (Wednesday) to warn the citizens that if the court rules against the fire district, then layoffs and reduced service will be the immediate result.

KRDO-TV Ch. 13 Colorado Springs has the story HERE along with this video report:

 

A TAPPAN, NEW YORK, WOMAN has pleaded guilty to attempted falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, a misdemeanor.

Kam Yung, 49, reported to Orangetown Police that after a fire was extinguished at her home in April 2010, volunteer firefighters had stolen $7,000 in cash and jewelry from her bedroom. Police investigated and determined she lied. There was never $7,000 there and jewelry was not missing. Yung also admitted to filing a false report with police.

She was sentenced to community service, ordered to pay a fine, a court surcharge and write a letter of apology to the volunteer firefighters of the Tappan, Sparkill and Orangeburg fire departments.  The Pearl River Patch reports:

Orangetown police Lt. Donald Butterworth said his department was encouraged that after its investigation the District Attorney's Office decided to prosecute the case and pushed to included the apology to firefighters as part of the sentence.

Read the full story HERE.

IT'S NOT OFTEN THAT SUCCESS IS REPORTED, but failure almost always is.  Reader Mark S. sent along an article that does just that:

The fire department said an undetected fire was extinguished by an automatic sprinkler at a local industrial supply company.  Workers arriving at the business in the 100 block of Fraser Street shortly before 6 a.m. found the remains of the fire and a wet floor.  Damage is pegged at about $250.

The Kingston, Ontario, Whig-Standard also quotes the Kingston FD assistant chief as telling how much the damage would have been if there were no sprinklers in the building.  Read the full story HERE.  Have you reached out to your local paper encouraging coverage of the "good" news?

AN FDNY EMT has been suspended for 30 days while an investigation is made into an allegation that he fondled a female patient who had just been injured in car crash.  He must have really been enamoured of her because he continued his advances, according to the complaint, by repeatedly phoning and texting her over the next few days.  Reportedly, he got her phone number by taking her cellphone during the ride to the hospital and calling his own number with it, thus leaving a "missed call" message on his phone.

The Staten Island Advance has the sordid STORY.

IN OCTOBER 2009 FIREGEEZER reported on a story from Sedona, Arizona, where a "self-help guru" collected large monies from clueless yuppies to do things like getting purged in a sweat lodge.  Our first paragraph from the article:

WOULD YOU PAY $9,695 to “experience a new technologically-enhanced form of meditation that creates new neurological pathways”? Well, that’s what some New Age Yuppies handed over to self-help expert James Arthur Ray, a self-proclaimed “spiritual warrior.” As part of his exploration of new neurological pathways, he packed over 60 people into a mismade “sweat lodge” near Sedona, Arizona, Thursday night. After a little over two hours with the steaming rocks, people started getting dizzy and passing out. Two of them later died and more than 15 others required hospitalization. Now the Yavapai County Sheriff wants to know why.

Arizona Republic / Tom Tingle photo

Read the entire ARTICLE HERE for the video report of what they found before they arrested Ray after he tried to flee the law.  In February 2010 he resurfaced and surrendered to the sheriff and then was incarcerated under a $5 million bond.

His trial began this past March 1 and the prosecutor was trying to get a conviction of manslaughter for the two deaths.  Yesterday (Wednesday) the trial concluded with the jury delivering verdicts of the lesser charge of negligent homicide.

WSAZ-TV Ch. 10 Phoenix reported from the courthouse:

 

*  *  *  *  *

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

 

Posted by on June 23, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice, News

Firefighter/Arsonist Sentenced

1 comment

Entire Arson Ring Now Imprisoned

THE SIXTH AND FINAL MEMBER OF an arson ring that comprised five volunteer firefighters and one other civilian was sentenced Wednesday in the Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, Court.  Shawn Hoy, 22, agreed to plead guilty in return for having some of the 100 charges against him dropped for his part in the arsons that plagued the area for two years.  Judge William Baldwin then sentenced him to 12 to 24 years in the state prison and ordered him to pay $725,982 in restitution.

Hoy first came to our attention in April 2010 when Firegeezer reported HERE on his arrest along with two other FF's for nine arsons.  Our video report stated,

Matthew Dixon, 18, of Friedensburg, John Eichert, 21, of Orwigsburg, and Shawn Hoy, 21, of Pine Grove were all active members of the Friedensburg Fire Company and have been charged with arson, conspiracy, criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. Police say that the fire department officials have been cooperating in the investigation and that more arrests are imminent.

left to right:  Dixon, Eichert, Hoy.

Not long after that came the arrests of the other three arsonists.  The Pottsville Republican-Herald reports this morning:

With Hoy's sentence, all six men involved in the arson ring have been sentenced to a total of 25 to 50 years in prison and more than $1.93 million in restitution.

Hoy said only, "Yes, sir," when Baldwin asked him if he admitted to the acts to which he was pleading guilty and acknowledged the commonwealth has enough evidence to sustain the charges.

The plea negotiated was for more than 100 charges ranging from arson and risking a catastrophe to burglary, agricultural vandalism and criminal mischief.

Earlier this year, four other former firefighters and a fifth man pleaded guilty in Schuylkill County Court for their roles in the string of fires that plagued Wayne, West Brunswick and East Brunswick townships – former volunteers Matthew T. Dixon, Friedensburg, Jonathan D. Eichert, Orwigsburg, Charles J. Ferguson Jr., Schuylkill Haven, and Justin J. Geiger, Orwigsburg. Also pleading was non-firefighter Devon C. Smith, Auburn.

Eichert, Dixon and Ferguson were volunteers with Friedensburg Fire Company, while Geiger was a volunteer with Deer Lake/West Brunswick Township Fire Company.

The Republican-Herald has more details in their article HERE.
Read last month's Times News article about the previous sentencing of four others that were convicted HERE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on May 19, 2011 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice, News

Champion Firehouse Embezzler Sentenced

1 comment

Diverted Over $3 Million in Nine Years

THEA TAFNER, THE FORMER ambulance committee chairwoman of American Hose and Chemical Fire Company in Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 30 months in prison Monday for stealing nearly $2 million in ambulance fees and medicare payments.

Thea Tafner

This past January Firegeezer reported HERE on her arrest for “knowingly and willfully embezzled, stole and otherwise without authority converted to her use and intentionally misapplied moneys, funds, securities, premiums, credits, property and other assets of a health care benefit program."  Tafner had been hired by the fire company to oversee the financial activity and keep the books for the company's ambulance operations.  American Hose and Chemical had subcontracted with private ambulance services to run the calls, but they dropped out one by one because they weren't getting paid.

It turned out that Tafner had set up a rogue bank account and was funneling money into it over a nine-year period.  During that time she misappropriated $3.7 million, but diverted only $1.8 million to her own use.

The crime left the fire company foundering so badly that the borough council temporarily suspended them from operation later that same month.  (See Firegeezer report HERE.)  She was also an elementary school principal, but she resigned her job on the day the arrest was announced.

Along with the prison term, she was ordered to pay back the $1.8 million that she had stolen.

The Daily Item has today's story HERE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on May 16, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Law & Justice • Tagged: , ,

Remembering 41 EMS responders who died at WTC, including a hero from Prince William County, Virginia

Comments Off

Starting EMS Week by remembering responders who perished at the World Trade Center

The list of who died at the World Trade Center include on-duty, off-duty and volunteers.

The list includes ems credentialed individuals who work or were visiting the World Trade Center complex. When the planes hit they stepped up to help.

For example, northern Virginia resident Jeff Simpson was working for Oracle in New York City, commuting from home every week:

When Jeff Simpson stepped onto the streets of Manhattan, burning debris was falling from the sky and a second airplane was about to slam into the World Trade Center.

Instead of fleeing with his consultant co-workers, Simpson, 38, an emergency medical technician with the Dumfries-Triangle Rescue Squad, raced toward the wreckage, never to be seen again.

His friends and family think he spent his last moments trying to aid the victims of the Sept. 11 disaster.

"I know that he saw that people needed help and went in there without hesitating," said Simpson's widow, Diane, who is raising their 7-year-old triplets. "He knew nobody in the World Trade Center. It makes me very proud."

Jeff Simpson National EMS Memorial Service Honoree page HERE

Go HERE for more information on artAID.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on May 15, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, history, In the Line of Duty, Law & Justice, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Promotional Opportunities

1 comment

Fire Chief Violated His Own Written Orders

The Gallatin County (Montana) Attorney’s office has charged Belgrade/Central Valley Fire Chief Brett Waters with a single misdemeanor following a six-month investigation into allegations of misconduct.  The incident in question took place in May 2010 when Waters summoned one of the fire companies to his house to help repair his front porch and during the task they were delayed responding to a "serious" medical emergency.

The Belgrade News reports:

The firefighters took one of the department’s fire engines to Waters’ Bulltail Road home four or five miles west of Belgrade, according to (Deputy County Attorney) Whipple’s affidavit. They used a Jaws of Life tool and other extrication equipment to push the porch in place so it could be reattached to the house.

While the repairs were under way, an emergency medical call came in involving a man who was not breathing at a residence on Frontage Road, eight to ten miles away, according to Whipple. Rescue breathing was underway and an American Medical Response ambulance had been dispatched.

The crew packed up the Jaws of Life and responded from Waters’home, arriving eight to 13 minutes behind other, less-trained Central Valley personnel.

In 2004 Chief Waters issued a written policy that stated, If you are caught borrowing any equipment, this infraction will be considered as a major offense and disciplinary action will be forthcoming.  Coincidentally, this policy was formally adopted by the local board of trustees just three days before the incident that triggered the investigation.

Brett Waters

One thing that was consistent throughout the investigation were the statements by the firefighters who all said that they felt compelled to "volunteer" to help the chief because his request had the impact of an order and they feared personal repercussions if they refused.

Waters was placed on paid administrative leave in December and resigned from the department last month.  The county attorney stated that there is the possibility of more charges being added.

Read the full story in the Belgrade News HERE.
Central Valley Fire District WEBSITE.

Hat tip:  Mark D.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on May 14, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Law & Justice • Tagged: , , ,

Chicago FD Takes $30 Million Hit in Civil Rights Case

Comments Off

15-Year Legal Battle Finalized

ON FRIDAY A FEDERAL APPEALS COURT issued the final ruling in a long court battle dating back to a 1995 firefighter entrance examination given by the Chicago Fire Department.  The Chicago Sun-Times summarizes the results:

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in a 9-to-0 decision, that, contrary to the city’s contention, African-American candidates hadn’t waited too long before filing a lawsuit that accused the city of discriminating against them for the way it handled a 1995 firefighter’s entrance exam.

On Friday, the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that ruling and sent the case back to the trial court to implement what it called the "hiring remedy" the city has been stalling.

Plaintiffs’ attorney Joshua Karsh said the decision means Chicago must hire 111 African-American firefighters and adjust their pensions as if they had been on the job since 1995. Six-thousand others will share "tens of millions of dollars" in damages, Karsh said.

"The city gave a test back in 1995 that did not measure the ability to be a firefighter. It made it more than six times more likely that white applicants would be hired rather than African Americans with no job-related justification. Nothing about getting a high score on that test predicted anything about whether you’d be a superior firefighter." Karsh said.

The actual cost to the city will be about $30 million.  While many of the former applicants will opt for the settlement, there are many who will still vie to become one of the 111 who will be hired after being randomly picked.  They will still have to pass the physical fitness exam before they can be hired on.

Read the full story in the Sun-Times HERE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on May 13, 2011 • Filed under: Law & Justice, News, Recruiting

“Information in your file indicates that your injury is not affecting your earning ability at this time,”

Comments Off

An unusual memento

It was delivered nine years and 364 days after Police Officer Jason Schechterle was pulled from his crushed and burning cruiser.

An out-of-control cab slammed into Officer Schechterle's Ford Crown Victoria cruiser.

Right in front of Phoenix Engine 5.

It was 11:21 p.m.

Suddenly, there was a fireball.

Capt. Michael Ore’s crew jumped out of the engine and began unraveling the hose.

Then Ore saw the flashing lights. “We’re on the scene of a 962 …!” he shouted into the radio, giving the code for an accident with injuries. “Give me a first-alarm medical. Police car involved.”

And then: “Trapped victim!”

Flames licked at the broken frame of the patrol car, its back seat crushed by the impact.

“Hurry up!” he yelled to his crew. “There’s a man burning to death in there!”

Darren Boyce aimed the hose inside the car, while rookie Henry Narvaez fought to open the driver’s door. “I can’t get it open!”

Ore tossed an ax to Narvaez, who broke through the window. Boyce kept the flames at bay, but the front seat was smoldering beneath the smoke and steam. The stench of melted plastic filled Ore’s nostrils as he and Narvaez tugged at the officer, fighting to free him.

But he was still strapped into his seat belt, and they couldn’t get to the latch.

“Get a knife!” Ore screamed.

A policeman who’d just arrived sliced through the seat belt, while a second officer loosened the legs. Together the men pulled the officer through the window just as an ambulance drove up.

As they shoved him onto the gurney, a piece of skin peeled off the officer’s arm — revealing a small patch of white on an otherwise blackened man. Ore, a 26-year veteran, was stricken.

“I’m not sure we did this guy a favor,” he thought as the ambulance pulled away.

Associated Press (June 09, 2002) An officer lives, but is the cost too grave? After suffering fourth-degree burns, doctors couldn’t believe Jason Schechterle was alive (Part I of a three part article)

Poor outcomes when Police Interceptors are rear-ended at high speed

Jason Schechterle is one of 10 police officers seriously burned after a rear end collision in the Ford "Panther" series.

In the same period, 17 police officers died of burn injuries in cruiser collisions (1981 – 2006). Crown Victoria Police Interceptor Victims

In addition to fuel tank rupture, a high speed rear end collision jams the front doors of the cruiser. The burning officer is trapped.

It took Engine 5 and fellow Phoenix police officers about eight minutes to get Schechterle out of his cruiser.

You are Fit For Duty (really?)

The unusual memento was a letter from the Industrial Commission of Arizona, signed by Antonio Escobar, Awards Specialist II.

Escobar informed Schechterle, who was burned beyond recognition in the crash and has undergone more than 50 surgeries in the past decade, that he is fit for duty as a cop.

"Information in your file indicates that your injury is not affecting your earning ability at this time," the state employee wrote. "If you have any questions about your award, we will be glad to explain anything that seems unclear."

…

"No permanent work restrictions noted."

Then came the bureaucratic kicker: "There are no medical contraindications which would preclude [Schechterle] from returning to the same or similar work, thereby sustaining no loss of earning capacity."

Read the rest of Paul Rubin's article from the May 5, 2011, issue of Phoenix New Times: "Disfigured Former Phoenix Cop Was Incredulous When the State Recently Declared Him Fit for Duty"

Laura McGrory, director of the Industrial Commission, told New Times "Jason doesn't have to do anything. We will re-evaluate his case, period, and go from there. Let's just call this a teaching moment."

Since the crash, Schechterle has made many teaching moments to support others.

A member of the 100 Club of Arizona, he also established a non-profit foundation Beyond The Flames and is a motivational speaker.

“The one true blessing we have, the one thing we have control of, is our attitude. It’s the only thing you have control of, every single day, every situation. You get to decide what your attitude is going to be” – Jason Schechterle

3TV catches up with Jason Schechterle 10 years after fiery crash

Like yesterday's story, "Corporal David Brown follow-up," the worker compensation system is not an advocate for the injured.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on May 11, 2011 • Filed under: cars, EMS Topics, Fires, Law & Justice, Major Incidents, News, Patient Management, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,