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8-Alarm Fire Into Third Day

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Expected to Burn For at Least Two More Days

A LARGE, "FORTRESS-LIKE" WAREHOUSE IN ELIZABETH, New Jersey, has been burning since Wednesday, confounding the FD's attempts to get to the seat of the blaze.

Star-Ledger photo

The large complex is riddled with tunnels, compartmentalization and holes throughout the building making it impractical for FF's to find their way through the maze.  It is believed to have begun on Wednesday afternoon when someone set a junk car on fire inside the building.  It has since spread througout the entire structure and started into a second building where the FD was able to contain it.

The Star-Ledger reports this morning:

A sprawling warehouse fire in Elizabeth that has spewed thick black smoke across northern New Jersey for two days could burn through Christmas, and the structure may suffer several "catastrophic collapses" before the blaze is extinguished, officials said.

The fire swallowed the center section of the largely vacant facility around 6 p.m. today, according to city Deputy Fire Chief Lathey Wirkus. Fire officials say flames from the eight-alarm blaze are so intense they will have to let more portions collapse before they can launch another attack.

The fire has burned for two days as more than 250 firefighters from 35 fire agencies struggled to attack the flames. One firefighter suffered minor injuries Thursday afternoon, Wirkus said.

Elizabeth Fire Chief Tom McNamara said the maze-like design of the building is making it nearly impossible for firefighters to approach the base of the blaze, while the choking smoke and intense flames are stalling prolonged operations inside the structure.

The Star-Ledger also posted this video report on the fire that includes comments by the Elizabeth fire chief and the mayor:

 

The century-old building was first used as an automobile and airplane assembly plant and was more recently a large bakery that produced Girl Scout cookies until ten years ago.  Since then it has been subdivided and used by several occupants including a tire wholesaler who has 1,200 tires stored inside.  Another area is stacked with plywood panels.

Posted by on December 23, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, Videos • Tagged: , ,

5-Alarms Working in San Francisco

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Still Out of Control

Update:  Fire marked under control at 3 pm Pacific.
Update 2:  Fire knocked down 4:30 pm Pacific.  Scroll down for latest info.

A LARGE, WIND-WHIPPED FIRE IN A San Francisco, California, apartment building is burning out of control at the time of this posting.

KGO-TV

The fire began just before noon Pacific time in a large Victorian home and soon spread into an apartment building next to it.  As fire units were arriving it spread rapidly to a second apartment building and was soon through the roof.  The response has been upgraded to 5 alarms.

At last update, no injuries have been reported yet.  There is no further information available while the fire is still working.  Check back for updates later.

This raw video from KGO-TV picks up just before the firefighters were ordered off the roof of the 2nd building:

 

KGO-TV also is running a live-stream video coverage HERE.

KPIX-TV Ch. 5 has filed this video report from their helicopter:

 

KGO-TV also has posted a 34-image photo gallery HERE.

Update, 4:30 pm Pacific:
The fire is under control and knocked down now.  There were 140 firefighters on the scene at one point and this was the city's first 5-alarm fire in six years.

There were two minor injuries reported, one for a firefighter with neck burns and the other for a civilian.

There is still no indication of what started the fire.  It began at the rear of a 4-story Victorian and spread to two other buildings, the large apartment block and a charter school that was closed for the Christmas break.

KGO-TV photos

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Posted by on December 22, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Major Incidents, Videos • Tagged: ,

Washougal Standoff Update – 2 Bodies Recovered

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21 Detectives Combing Scene

THURSDAY MORNING SAW 21 DETECTIVES and arson investigators arriving at the destroyed home in Washougal, Washington, where a gunman held off police while his house burned down Wednesday.  (See Firegeezer report HERE.)

The Columbian

With the aid of a cadaver dog, the investigators located two human bodies and four dog carcasses.  They are looking for a third human because there were three residents and nobody from the household has turned up.  Steven Stanbary, his wife Leona, and Leona's twin sister all resided in the house.  The bodies are charred and it will possibly be a few weeks before any postitive identifications can be made.  It will also be some time before the coroner will be able to determine whether the deaths were caused by bullets or the fire.  However, they were able to deterimine that one of the dogs had been shot.

KOIN-TV Ch. 6 posted this video report on the day's activities:

 

The Columbian has more information about the Stanbarys personal backgrounds HERE.

Posted by on December 9, 2011 • Filed under: arson, crime, Fire Rescue Topics, Major Incidents, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Worcester firefighters trapped in collapse of residential building. UPDATED. Incident timeline as tweeted by @Boston_FF_L29.

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As tweeted by @Boston_FF_L29

UPDATE (6:33 am):

Pictures tweeted by @ProvFireVideos

Sad morning.

Incident timeline by @BOSTON_FF_L29

BOSTON & Needham, Ma., USA Boston Ma.Firefighter (L29). Tweeting Local, National Fire News & MY Opinions, NOT those of L29, L718 or Boston Fire. For Wx tweets follow me @L29_SNEWeather

BOSTON_FF_L29 Normally I would have gone to sleep, but this fire seemed different from the start…and got worse by the minute (7:15)

Pictures posted by Matthew Gregoire, Providence Fire Videos, @ProvFireVideos

Thanks to James for catching our headline typo.

STATter911 with additional video and media reports

Fox 25: Worcester firefighter dies in blaze (live helicopter feed ended)

ABC 5: Massive Blaze Destroys Apartment House

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on December 8, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, News, Rescues, Twitter, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Koblenz Ka-Boom Prevention – Part 2

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Bombs Are Exposed, Evacuation Has Begun

Firegeezer note:  This is a continuation of a story begun Friday about the defusing of more than 20 bombs and mines that were exposed in the River Rhein during a record-dry month in Germany.  Preparations have been made to evacuate 45,000 residents, half the population of Koblenz while two vary dangerous mitigations take place on Sunday.  If you haven't read it, we urge you to read Part 1 from yesterday HERE before you continue.

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THE TWO-TON BOMB WAS surrounded by a sandbag cofferdam on Friday so that the water around it could be pumped out.  The bomb must be out of the water in order to be defused.

On Saturday the water was pumped out, exposing the bomb in preparation for the mitigation operation on Sunday. The bomb has the explosive potential to create a crater 60 feet wide and 16 feet deep and demolish a city block, authorities said.

The evacuation of the city areas affected, a 1.6 km radius, was begun on Friday with a target time of Sunday 9 am for completion.  About 2,500 fire, police and volunteers are guiding the evacuation.   The Local.de reports:

The city has already started getting its people to safety. That includes around 700 people in two hospitals – including some very ill people in intensive care.

The hospital evacuations took place on Saturday  (dpa)

 "This has already started, as it takes a lot of time, but it should be completed on time – most people will be on their way to other hospitals on Friday," (A fire dept. spokesman) said. "The old people’s homes, where we have around 520 people to move, will be evacuated on Sunday itself – we will have around 300 vehicles including ambulances to move them."

Around 200 prisoners will also have to be moved from the jail, which houses people accused and convicted of crimes from theft to murder, spokeswoman Andrea Kästner told The Local.

"We mostly house people in investigative custody, so they have not been convicted, but they are accused of a very broad range of crimes, from theft to murder. Of course some of them could be considered dangerous," she said. "We are gathering information from other prisons in the state about how many spaces they have. It will be a huge operation. We have people working here who have been here since the 1970s and there has certainly not been anything like this in that time."

She said normal prison buses would be used to take the prisoners to other jails where they would spend the night, but then be returned on Monday.

The regular citizens have already begun their self-evacuations and will be gone from the danger zone by morning.  For those without their own transportation there will be buses running from 6:30 am until 9 am on Sunday morning to take them to the designated shelters.

There is a live webcam aimed at the site (not visible until daybreak around 1 am Eastern time) but it will be deactivated during the most crucial time of the defusing operation.  CLICK HERE to watch it.

Updated postings will continue.  Check back on Firegeezer Sunday morning.
If you follow updates on Twitter, the hashtag is #bombeKO

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Posted by on December 3, 2011 • Filed under: Haz-mat, HazMat, Major Incidents • Tagged: , , ,

Updated – Downtown Fire in Wisconsin

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FD Appears to be Making a Good Stop

Updated, 1 pm Central.  Scroll down.

A MAJOR FIRE IN THE VILLAGE OF PULASKI, Wisconsin, is still burning this morning but appears to have been contained.  Fire departments from four other counties are assisting the Pulaski Tri-County Fire Department at the incident.

WLUK-TV image

The fire started around 11 pm Friday night in a bowling alley in the center of the block and spread to at least five other buildings.  There are twelve buildings in the block but the FD thinks they have stopped the spread.

WLUK-TV has this early video report from the scene:

 

Pulaski has hydrants in town, but the large fire flow quickly depleted the water supply and they have been relying on a tanker shuttle to supply the multiple master streams and hose lines.

This updated video report from WLUK-TV has additional information plus more tanker coverage.  (Firegeezer loves a good tanker shuttle.)

 

While they are certain on the location where the fire started, it is not yet known what caused it.

The Green Bay Press Gazette is reporting that shortly after 6:30 am Central, Brown County Emergency Management officials said 16 county (departments) were involved in fighting the fire, and that firefighters from Shawano, Oconto, Outagamie and Calumet counties also had been called to the scene. In all, 23 (fire companies) are battling the blaze.

Two firefighters have been transported for injuries received working the fire.

The fire is still burning at the time of this posting.  We will update the story when more information becomes available.  Check back later for more.

Update, 1 pm Central:
The fire was knocked down to just hot spots by 9:45 am, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette.

All news sources are reporting that the FD is certain that the fire began in the Wood Lanes bowling alley.  The state fire marshal office is sending assistance for the investigation which will probably begin on Sunday.

About 40 people have been displaced from their homes and apartments following their evacuation during the fire.  Several people who lived in rooms and apartments over the businesses involved in the fire have lost their residences.

WLUK-TV has filed an extensive updated video report (with more tankers! ….ed.):

 

This Google Street View shows the block affected by the fire.  The Wood Lanes bowling alley is the brown building second-from the right:

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Posted by on December 3, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Major Incidents, Videos • Tagged: , ,

52-Car Autobahn Pileup Kills 3, Injures 35

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Piling Up Continued For Several Minutes

A CHAIN-REACTION ACCIDENT involving 52 vehicles occurred over a several-minute time span Friday night on A-31 autobahn in Germany.  The wreck began around 7:15 pm when traffic suddenly drove into a fog bank.  As the cars piled up, several people became trapped inside their cars.  Two people who were able to escape from their car started to walk away but were struck and killed by another car that drove into the mess.  A third person died inside his car.  A total of 35 others were injured enough to need transporting.

WN News

There were 150 firefighters and 250 emergency medical workers on the scene for several hours as victims were located in a crash site that  extended one kilometer along the roadway altogether.  It took 24 hours to completely clear the wreckage and debris off the road plus more time to repair damaged spots in the pavement.

WNTV prepared two video reports.  First one taken early during the fog:

 

Next one taken next morning when fog lifted and helicopter could get up:

 

Westfaelische Nachrichten has the STORY.

Hat tip:  Christian Lewalter

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Posted by on November 20, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Major Incidents, rescue, Videos • Tagged: ,

Nursing Home Fire Update

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Nurse Held Without Bond

THE REGISTERED NURSE WHO WAS arrested and charged for the arson at a Sydney, Australia, nursing home Friday has been identified.  Police have disclosed that Roger Dean, 35, has been charged with murder and arson in the one-story nursing home where he worked.  He had been seen earlier on television news reports as he told the journalists that he had helped evacuate  patients as the fire was raging inside.

Dean had been working at the Quakers Hill Nursing Home for about two months.  He had resigned from his previous job at another nursing home following a dispute with the management.

Dean is shown at the 0:45 mark on this earlier video report:

 

He has been charged with four counts of murder, but is expected to also be charged with a fifth following the recent death of one of the survivors.  There are still 32 victims hospitalized with 14 of them in critical condition.  Police are not commenting on the specifics of the arson nor disclosing the motive, if any.

9News has the STORY.

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Suspect Had Been Interviewed by Police Just Prior to Fire

It has been disclosed that Dean had been interviewed by Sydney police just a few hours earlier in connection with his previous work location.  Co-workers there had filed a complaint against Dean and the officers were investigating it.  While talking to Dean at his home Thursday evening, the officers were called away on an emergency leaving the interview incomplete.  The fire was set Friday morning around 5 am.

The Sydney Morning Herald adds:

The deadly blaze took hold at the nursing home, about 500 metres away from Mr Dean's townhouse, just before 5am on Friday. It is believed one fire was set with a cigarette lighter on bed sheets in an unoccupied room. The second fire was set in a room believed to have been occupied.

At the scene on Friday morning, Mr Dean told reporters: ''I just quickly did what I could to get everyone out. The smoke was just overwhelming.''

Dean pictured outside the fire building sucking in
taxpayer-supplied oxygen during the incident.  (AFP)

However, later that evening he was arrested at Mount Druitt police station after a police inquiry that involved interviews with nursing home staff members.

Police said it was expected to take some time to piece together what happened, after two fires were believed to have broken out in separate wings of the Quakers Hill Nursing Home in the early hours of Friday.

The 100-bed facility had three separate areas for high-care residents, low-care patients and those staying in respite care. There were 87 residents in the home on Hambledon Road when the fire broke out. Two people died in their rooms, while a third died after being rescued from the home. A fourth person died in hospital on Friday afternoon and the fifth died yesterday morning. The bodies of the two residents who died in the home were removed on Friday night.

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Posted by on November 20, 2011 • Filed under: arson, Fires, Major Incidents, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

“Occupy” Bat Signal … what response would Dave Statter recommend?

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Two month anniversary – "Bat Signal" during Brooklyn Bridge march

From YouTube narrative posted by ajacxslim:

Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin spoke to Mark Read, one of the Occupy Wall Street organizer who pulled together a team of friends and artists that arranged for the projection to happen.

Read says he got help from two video projection artists, Max Nova and JR Skola, who used a 12,000 lumen projector and programmed the software needed to properly program the message.

He also found an apartment in a nearby housing project from where they safely angle the projection on to the building. He says he offered to rent the apartment from a single mother of three, but when she found out what they wanted to use it for — and saw what happened during the eviction of Zuccotti Park — she refused to take their money.

Boing Boing article: Interview with creator of Occupy Wall Street "bat-signal" projections during Brooklyn Bridge #N17 march. By Xeni Jardin at 11:15 pm Thursday, Nov 17, 2011.

In the Jardin article, Read describes the sity-run housing they projected the image from:

Opposite the Verizon building, there is a bunch of city housing. Subsidized, rent-controlled.

There's a lack of services, lights are out in the hallways, the housing feels like jails, like prisons. I walked around, and put up signs in there offering money to rent out an apartment for a few hours. I didn't say much more.

I received surprisingly few calls, and most of them seemed not quite fully "there." But then I got a call from a person who sounded pretty sane. Her name was Denise Vega. She lived on the 16th floor. Single, working mom, mother of three.

Interesting use from " … a community of friends who deploy spectacle and art in the service of radical politics."

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Update: 

Response to Dave and Mike:

To the BATCAVE! from Freddy Carrasco on Vimeo.

Posted by on November 19, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Major Incidents, Technology & Communications, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Update: Arrest Made – Multi-Fatal Nursing Home Fire in Australia

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Apparent Arson

Update:  Arrest Made, Man Charged.  Scroll down.
Plus More Videos Added.

A FIRE IN A SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, NURSING HOME Friday morning killed at least four elderly residents and sent about 60 others to hospitals for treatment.  Most of the residents affected were bed-ridden and unable to help themselves.  Early reports say that there were two separate fires set in the building. 

Channel 10 News

AdelaideNow is reporting:

The Quakers Hill aged-care facility in Sydney's northwest did not have fire sprinklers installed even though other states require older structures to retro-fit with the firefighting measure.  It is understood that two fires broke out in separate wings of the single-storey structure about 5am this morning.

Homicide detectives will lead Strike Force Westall, which will include forensic investigators, to determine the cause of the fire.

The inferno tore a large hole in the roof of the facility, which had to be structurally secured before investigators entered the scene.

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Meanwhile, it is understood two young officers were among the first on the scene of the fire at Quakers Hill Nursing Home, and raced inside with little or no safety equipment before dragging out a number of residents.

"The commissioner and the deputy commissioner have just met with two very young police, one of them a probationary constable, shirts covered in soot and dirt … who were instrumental in my view in saving lives," Superintendent Robert Redfern told reporters outside the facility in Quakers Hill.

Adelaide Now / Grainger

EuroNews has filed this brief video:

 

ABC-TV (Aus.) has a later in-depth report HERE.
The Sydney Morning Herald has MORE.

Adelaide Now has a 60+ image photo gallery HERE.

ITV News filed this video:

 

ABC News has another good video here showing scenes inside the fire building:

 

UPDATE:  ARREST MADE.
New South Wales Police have arrested a 35-yr.-old man and charged him with four counts of murder.  The man is a registered nurse and lives in the area, but they have not said if he is employed at the nursing home that burned.  Following intense investigation, he was arrested early Saturday morning (note the time difference).

The unnamed man has been refused bail and will be arraigned later in the morning.

The corrected count of injuries stands at 32 with 15 of them in critical care units (five of them with severe burns).  The death toll remains at four. 

ABC News has the latest HERE.

 

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Posted by on November 18, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Major Incidents, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Buildings Destroyed on Fire Island

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7 buildings destroyed last night

From Bill Mason at Newsday:

About 20 fire departments, several called from the mainland, were battling an out-of-control fire early Tuesday in Fire Island Pines that destroyed at least two popular nightspots and a home, officials said.

The Fire Island Pines Fire Department requested help from mainland fire departments Monday night , fire officials said. Suffolk Fire Control officials said about 20 fire departments responded to fight the blaze on Fire Island Boulevard that was reported about 9:15 p.m.

The Fire Island News reported that Walter Boss of the Fire Island Pines Fire Department confirmed late Monday night that the fire destroyed the Pavilion, La Fountaine and a bay-front home. Businesses north of the Pavilion along the harbor appear to have been unscathed, he told The News.

20 departments fight blaze on Fire Island

From Suffolk FD Rant and Nassau FD Rant:

FROM SUFFOLK FD RANT:

TOA: 21:21
LOC: 36 Fire Island BLVD
Size up: Two commercial buildings confirmed on fire, SCPD also stating propane tanks exploding at this time.

From andrewkirtzman: Firemen boarding ferry to the Pines

Breaking News Network

U/D NY| Suffolk| Fire Island| *Working Fire*| 36 Fire Island Blvd| CMD adv fire in several commercial structures. Req extensive M/A from the mainland and brush trucks w/ manpower to the scene. Units rpt'ing "the whole town is on fire"| BNN | NY690/NYL5124/NYL026/NYL103 | #435454

U/D NY| Suffolk| Fire Island| *Working Fire*| 36 Fire Island Blvd| Fire coord adv they have fire in a large structure with a "tremendous fire load" on the 2nd fl which is free burning. Imminent collapse potential. Mainland M/A beginning to arrive. PD marine unit also flowing water. Fire is very doubtful| BNN | NY690/NYL5124/NYL026/NYL103/NYL160 | #435454

U/D NY| Suffolk| Fire Island| *3rd Alarm*| 36 Fire Island Blvd| Report from the scene indicate 7 building involved, at least 17 departments operating, more M/A from the mainland currently enroute to assist.| BNN | NJC4850/NY690/NYL5124/NYL026/NYL103/NYL160 | #435454

Pavilion building (2007)

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on November 15, 2011 • Filed under: Fires, Major Incidents, News, Urban Commander, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Emergency Alert System classics and “what ifs”

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First nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System at 2 pm Eastern

Memorable Miscues:

1971 Fort Wayne mistaken alert – WOWO Radio

Code Word “Hatefulness”: The Great EBS Scare of 1971

On the morning of Saturday, February 20, 1971, Wayland S. Eberhardt, a civilian teletype operator, was going about his routine duties at the National Emergency Warning Center at Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado.

One of the functions of “the Mountain” during this era was to send out the weekly Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) test directive to the nation’s radio and television stations. They were, of course, also responsible for sending out the real warning. When stations received these messages they compared it against a card to determine what action to take

click HERE to read the rest from CONELRAD Adjacent

2007 Chicago mistake – WBBN

On June 26, 2007, the EAS in Illinois was activated at 7:35AM CDT and issued an Emergency Action Notification Message for the United States. This was followed by dead air and then WGN-AM (720) radio (the station designated to simulcast the alert message) being played on almost every television and radio station in the Chicago area and throughout much of Illinois.

The accidental EAN activation was caused when a government contractor installing a new satellite receiver as part of a new national delivery path incorrectly left the receiver connected and wired to the state EOC's EAS transmitter before final closed circuit testing of the new delivery path had been completed.

The EAS experience

There is a YouTube site that collects and share EAS announcements: The EAS Experience

Memphis 2011 flood warning

BBC Post Nuclear Attack Instructions

25 years ago, the BBC drafted a statement to be broadcast in the event of nuclear attack.

We asked Harry Shearer, the voice of The Simpsons' newsreader Kent Brockman, to offer us his interpretation of the statement. So he did it in the style of seminal 1970s newscaster Walter Cronkite… and here's the result.

What if …

FAKE Alert for a Nuclear Attack

 

BBC Coverage of a FAKE Nuclear Attack

 

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on November 9, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Major Incidents, News, Technology & Communications, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mission Hill 5 alarm three-decker fire as tweeted by Boston Fire

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Updates and pictures from @BostonFire

Response at 12:45am to Calumet St. in Mission Hill for a building fire.

Engine 37 reports fire showing and orders a 2nd alarm.

37-39 Calumet St. in Mission Hill. Now a 5th alarm. Large 3 story wood frame duplex. Heavy fire in rear.

Fire now extended to 41 Calumet.

Fire still out of control. Now through front of building. Ladder pipes and decks guns operating.

Tower Ladder 17 operating now

Right now at 2:24 am

About 130 firefighters, lots of medics & police on scene. Many deck guns operating. 6 in the front of building.

Front on building. 3 of 6 guns on Calumet St. Many more in rear.

Through the roof

The Chief of Department, Ron Keating, is the Incident Commander of the fire. He will be retiring on Monday after 41 + years.

Still going 3 hours plus into it.

37-39 Calumet St. Boston 5 alarms.

Rotating crews in Tower Ladder 17.

Fire now contained to original building. Chasing hot spots. Division 2 Deputy Chief now Incident Commander.

Right now at 4:22 am:

In the first few minutes of the fire, Ladder 4 had a report of a person trapped on floor 2. They kicked in a door and found a woman.

She was transported for smoke inhalation by EMS.

Incident Commander starting to bring in fresh firefighters to continue fighting the fire. 3 ladder trucks and 1 tower ladder coming.

Our helmets off again to the Boston Sparks members for hot chocolate, cookies & coffee. They continue to be true friends.

Snow is really picking up at 5:08 am. Firefighters will be here through the morning.

No idea on how many displaced. At least 9 apartments involved. Red Cross is on scene helping a lot of people.

Chief is giving a damage estimate of $1,200,000.00 for 37-39 Calumet, 41 Calumet St. & 35 Calumet St.

Several homes on Wait St. also had large amounts of water in their basements.

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Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on October 30, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, News, Technology & Communications, Twitter, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Boatlift: 500K Evacuated in 9 hours

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The 9/11/2001 Boatlift from lower Manhattan

Tom Hanks narrates the epic story of the 9/11 boatlift that evacuated half a million people from the stricken piers and seawalls of Lower Manhattan. Produced and directed by Eddie Rosenstein. Eyepop Productions, Inc.

BOATLIFT was executive produced by Stephen Flynn and Sean Burke and premiered on September 8th at the 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Summit: Remembrance/Renewal/Resilience in Washington. The Summit kicked off a national movement to foster community and national resilience in the face of future crises.

See www.road2resilience.org to become a part of the campaign to build a more resilient world. The film was made with the generous support by philanthropist Adrienne Arsht, Chairman Emerita, TotalBank (www.arsht.com)

http://www.road2resilience.org

John J. Harvey FDNY Marine 2 (retired 1994)

One of the responding vessels was retired 1931 FDNY fireboat John J. Harvey.

On September 11, 2001, the boat's owners asked FDNY officials for permission to assist in evacuations from Ground Zero. Meanwhile, due to many damaged water mains, fire crews were deprived of water.

Officials radioed the Harvey to drop off her passengers as soon as possible and return to the disaster site to pump water, reactivating her official designation Marine 2.

Alongside FDNY fireboats Firefighter and John D. McKean, she pumped water at the site for 80 hours, until water mains were restored.

The Harvey's story was the subject of a 2002 Maira Kalman book.

http://www.fireboat.org/

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on October 4, 2011 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, Rescues, Special Operations, Urban Commander, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Huge Chemical Plant Fire in Texas

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Continuous updates.  Scroll down.
Tower-ladder overrun by fire….scroll down for video.
Update, 4:40 pm Central:  Fire 80% contained.  Scroll down.

Live Streaming Video

A MASSIVE FIRE AT A CUSTOM CHEMICAL BLENDING plant in Waxahachie, Texas, is now being allowed to burn out after being contained.

(all live streaming has been discontinued)

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STREAMING VIDEO from KDFW-TV

KTVT is also Live Streaming HERE.

KXAS-TV is Live Streaming HERE.

WFAA-TV is Live Streaming HERE.

The fire started just before 11 am Central and brought a series of explosions that are continuing.  The fire quickly engulfed the entire plant of four buildings and multiple storage tanks and cannisters.  The fire became so intense and spreading so rapidly that the FD was immediately overwhelmed and have pulled back for now while the fire burns out of control.

Several other fire departments are responding to assist once an effective attack can be organized.

A railroad siding holding a locomotive and at least 10 tank cars has also been enveloped by the flames.

WFAA-TV

The plant is located in an industrial area and there are no homes nearby that could be threatened.  An elementary school that is a half-mile from the fire has been evacuated and all the students transported to another school.

There are six fire departments on the scene at 12:30 pm Central attempting to establish a containment line.  Several more FD's have been called to respond to the fire.

Tower Ladder Overrun, Lost

Watch the Video below:

 

2:15 pm Central:  Ellis County has declared a Civil Emergency.

WFAA

WFAA-TV has more updated information and an extensive photo gallery HERE.

Update, 4:30 pm Central:
KTXA-TV  is reporting that at 2:30 pm Central:

Waxahachie Fire Chief David Hudgins said despite not being able to reach parts of the fire and having lost one ladder truck, fire crews were still making progress battling the blaze.

"We believe that the fire, right now, is about 80 percent contained. We just got a small area right there where you see the flames coming up that we’re not able to get lines in there because weren’t able to get apparatus over there,"

When CBS 11′s Jack Fink asked the chief when the fire would be extinguished he responded, "We think within a couple hours we’ll be able to. We’ll be letting people back into neighborhoods before 5 o’clock."

Flames and fumes from the blaze were so intense that fire crews ultimately decided to let the fire burn itself out. "All firefighters have been pulled back because of the severity of the situation," explained Amy Hollywood, a spokeswoman for the City of Waxahachie.

During the afternoon press conference Chief Hudgins gave some indication how the blaze got out of control. "We had a [chemical] reaction and a fast-moving fire. The building was sprinkled. We do believe that the fire overran the sprinkler system, and before we [fire crews] could get hooked up to it, it had already spread throughout the whole back of the building," explained Hudgins.

KTXA-TV also posted some impressive video of the fire taken earlier as it was still spreading:

 

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Posted by on October 3, 2011 • Filed under: explosion, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Haz-mat, HazMat, Major Incidents, Videos

Shock … followed by purposeful action

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A brilliant and terrible Tuesday morning

Fourteen months into retirement I am teaching a Fire Officer II class at the Reagan National Airport fire station. The classroom is also their kitchen. The kitchen has a television.

The acting battalion chief steps in, apologizes for the interruption, and turns the television on. 

Good Morning America (ABC) is covering the breaking news of a plane that has hit the World Trade Center.

As the news camera focuses on the entry hole, many of the experienced air-crash-rescue guys are speculating on what type of plane hit the tower and the issues facing FDNY.

After a dozen minutes I try to restart the class. Agree to leave the television on with the sound turned down. I get one or two sentences out when we see the second plane hitting the tower.

Class over!

You do not need a Formal Announcement to Mobilize

As FDNY Firefighter James Hanlon (Ladder 1) points out in the opening of the Naudet Brothers documentary 9|11:

… there were days we would go to the Trade Center five times in a single shift. My point is, we knew those towers as well as anybody. But nobody, nobody, expected September 11th.

When the civilian editors of Fire-Rescue Magazine and Journal of EMS were vetting my article, Attack on the Pentagon: The Initial Fire and EMS Response (April 2002 issue), they struggled with the concept that hundreds of emergency responders initiated action without receiving a formal notification.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Fire Department never expected a 757 to be used as an assault weapon against the Pentagon. When the second plane struck in New York, the dozen off-duty members attending the Fire Officer class joined the 16 on-duty members preparing for the unknown.

They were not alone.

Most of the senior staff and urban search and rescue commanders in my department started purposeful action when they heard of the second plane in New York City. The information came through radio and television, informal digital networks and word-of-mouth.

Rapidly deploying 72 USAR members and 75 tons of equipment

It takes dedicated action by dozens of staff, support and non-USAR firefighters to make a deployment happen.

A point of pride is the ability to assemble the team well within the response deadline for domestic and international response. A deployment represents an administrative five alarm event.

A small role I had while assigned as a company officer at the Fire and Rescue Academy was to respond from home to get the facility unlocked on evenings, weekends and holidays. The Academy, with six classrooms and a large training bay, is the point of staging and assembly for the team.

Far from high tech. The tasks included moving apparatus out of the bay, properly configuring the "quad" – a large space with movable walls to create smaller class spaces, and powering up the facility.

Have to do Something

Ten years ago I also had a part-time job as a civilian Fire Instructor III at the Fire and Rescue Academy.

American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon shortly after I left the airport.

I was stunned. What could I do? No fire gear in the car, not in uniform, my "retired" fire department ID card did not provide KardKey access to headquarters or communications.

Headed for the Academy. Maybe they are assembling a fire crew with Engine 407.  I was at the Academy in 1982 when we loaded up a Suburban with EMS gear and responded in near-blizzard conditions to the Air Florida 90 crash at the 14th Street bridge.

Not this time. All of the on-duty uniformed staff are away, either responding to the Pentagon or the anticipated USAR deployment. None of the remaining staff experienced a USAR deployment. 

I looked up in time to see the South Tower collapse on live TV. 

Purposeful Action – Setting the Academy for USAR deployment

No more wondering what to do.

Without asking for authorization, started moving academy apparatus out of the high bay building and up the hill. Configured the quad. Tried to set up the communications equipment, but no one had the key to the cabinet.

Before the 11 am official federal mobilization notice, the academy was ready …

… and I was on my way home, satisfied that I did something worthwhile in reaction to the unthinkable.

An Inherent Orientation to Action

Emergency service folks are hard-wired to take action.

To validate the impact of our Citizen CPR program we tried to identify the background of every person who performed CPR prior to the arrival of the department. More than half of the citizen responders were off-duty or former police, fire, ems and health care staff. 

The same orientation that motivated Jeff Simpson, a Dumfries-Triangle Rescue Squad volunteer EMT who was near the World Trade Center. 

From the National EMS Memorial:

"I have no doubt whatsoever that, while I was stricken with disbelief and inaction, Jeff was figuring how he could help.

It was clear in the few minutes we were in the plaza that thousands of people had and would continue to be injured. There were many police, fire and EMS squads arriving at the scene and it was toward these and the injured that Jeff was headed the last time I saw him.

Frankly, there was no other reason for him to go towards the World Trade Center. His hotel, work site and safety were in the opposite direction.

With the second plane hitting the tower, Jeff would have been thinking about the increased number of casualties. I believe Jeff was caught in the collapse of the towers.

I do not know if he was inside the towers or working at one of the triage stations that had been set up close to the towers. In either case, he was doing what he was trained to do and spent his final hours helping the victims," stated Joseph T. Finnegan.

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Earlier 9/11 essays:

2011: Remembering 41 EMS responders who died at WTC, including a hero from Prince William County, Virginia

2010: A Terrible and Brilliant Blue Sky Morning

2008: Reprint "The Anger Never Dies"

Posted by on September 11, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, aircraft, Command & Leadership, commentary, communications, EMS Health & Safety, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, Rescues, Response times, Special Operations, Technology & Communications, Training & Development, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Updated: 5 dead, 45 hurt at Indiana Fair Ground stage collapse

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Storm-related wind gust collapses grandstand stage

 

Update, Sunday 2pm Eastern:
The death toll has risen to 5 and authorities are reporting 45 injured so far.
Additional videos and photos added.  Scroll down.

IndyStar.com has the story:

Three people were killed and 24 injured tonight when the grandstand stage collapsed at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, according to Indiana State Police Capt. Brad Weaver.

The gust of the wind brought down the production equipment shortly before 9 p.m. tonight, according to Indianapolis Star reporter David Lindquist, who was at the fairgrounds for the Sugarland concert.

It took less than 20 minutes to free those who were trapped, Lindquist said, crediting fast action by everyone despite the inclement weather.

3 dead, 24 hurt in Indiana State Fair stage collapse

Rescue Efforts:

UPDATE: Information still dynamic

State police reporting three deaths, a tweet from the fairground Twitter account says four.

Stage collapsed into a V.I.P. area called the "Sugar Pit."

From MSNBC live blog of  WTHR coverage:

11:02

Tony Francis was in the second row with his wife. Francis said he is a first responder and his wife is a nurse.

Regarding fatalities, he said, "I saw at least five myself. When I left they had just lifted the master speakers and they found two more underneath that."

Francis said his wife "triaged about ten or twelve people with compound fractures, lacerations, a lot of head injuries and neck injuries."

Indiana State Fair stage collapse: Live blog

UPDATE 2:

Indiana State Police 12:25 AM news conference reports 4 dead and 40 injured.   WTHR report

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

 

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Indiana State Police press conference at 1:45 am

 

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View of stage about 1 hour before the collapse  (Getty / Foley)

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Getty / Foley

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Indy Star / Kryger

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Indy Star / Kryger

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Associated Press / Cummings

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Posted by on August 13, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incident, News, Patient Management, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Busiest Time for London Fire Brigade

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Report from the London Fire Brigade:

New figures released today show that London’s firefighters dealt with over 100 serious fires related to the recent civil disturbances in the capital.

Estimates show the Brigade attended 109 fires in properties where lives were believed to be at risk. Fire crews were also called to hundreds of fires affecting cars, bins and grass land.

The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers received more than 5,000 emergency calls over a four day period from Saturday, 6 August.

The busiest time for control staff came between 6pm on Monday and 7am on Tuesday where staff answered 2,168 calls.

That Monday evening saw huge blazes in Enfield, Croydon and Clapham Junction. Serious fires were also attended in Ealing, Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich, Merton and Southwark.

Fire crews are still at the scene of the Sony Warehouse in Enfield which, at its height, saw 11 fire engines and around 55 firefighters tackling the blaze. Builders started to dismantle the warehouse on Friday giving firefighter’s better access to the deep seated pockets of fire that remain at the site.

During the civil unrest on London’s streets ten firefighters were injured. A woman firefighter was attacked and had her scooter stolen as she was on her way to work in Clapham. Another firefighter was attacked as he left Battersea Fire Station and suffered bruised ribs.

Eight fire engines had there windscreens smashed and two senior officers’ cars were attacked. London

Fire Commissioner, Ron Dobson said: “This has been one of the busiest and most unpleasant periods the London Fire Brigade has ever faced. I’d like to pay tribute to our staff and other emergency services who have remained professional and dignified in the face of adversity.”

The Brigade has launched an arson prevention guide urging businesses to take extra measures to protect themselves as the threat of disturbances across the capital continues.

12 August 2011: Busiest time in recent memory for Brigade

"Like" the London Fire Brigade on Facebook (HERE)

 London Fire Brigade Incident Mapping

A new information source recently provided by the brigade.  Click HERE

Boroughs and ward boundaries shown on a map have been shaded to indicate the total amount of different incidents that have happened in your area over the past year.

This will help you gain a clearer understanding of where the incidents we attend occur across London. The site has been created in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service.

BBC (2011 May 23) 'First' fire incidents map goes online in London

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on August 13, 2011 • Filed under: arson, Command & Leadership, culture, current events, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Major Incidents, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , ,

From a London Command Officer

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The following comments are from a senior fire brigade officer who prefers not to be identified.

We have just had the busiest night since WW2.

We received over 2000 calls to overnight, at one point the call rate was 15 times higher than usual!!!

There were 15 Multi Alarm fires going on at one time, many just yards away from each other

… there was one area (Woolwich in South London) where a Town Centre square had 3 large buildings on fire… each of them may on a normal night have attracted 10 Pumps (3rd Alarm).

. .these three fires were being dealt with by 6 Pumps crews and 1 Aerial (2nd Alarm).

… along a mile of Tottenham High Road (Main Street) we had over 10 buildings alight and countless car and rubbish fires. … I have never seen so much fire in one place at one time.

We had 17 Pumps crews along the high road, dealing with what would in my estimation would have been 3x four pump incidents, 2 x six pump incidents, 2 x 10 Pump incidents and 2 x 20 Pump incidents.

.. a total of what would have been 84 Pumps worth of fires dealt with by just 17.

Sunday night was mainly about looting, … Last night however was unprecedented.

As the night unfolded inner city area by inner city area, suburb by suburb gradually came under attack, the difference was though, every time they looted a building they seemed to set fire to it.

With us having to wait for Riot Police to re-take the area, these fires grew to great proportions before we got in.

Firefighting tactics were predominately ‘defensive’ however, where a life risk was reported and still viable we were putting crews in to carry out primary searches where the building was still viable…

Firefighters love to do their thing and this is an opportunity to get in the thick of it like at no time in living memory, many are volunteering to come in off duty and I have seen lots of tired grimy faces but with a smile that says ‘a job well done’.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Earlier: 70th Anniversary of London Blitz

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
 

Posted by on August 9, 2011 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, current events, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: ,

Poverty, Violence and Flash Mobs

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A map linking rioting and looting against various measurements of wealth and poverty.

The fourth night of rioting in London is smaller, with a huge police presence, but continuing in other towns and cities. 

The Guardian maintains an updated blog HERE as Day Five begins.

They also maintain an interactive map of verified incidents HERE.

Some commentors are saying the rioters are the "ignored underserved" that have seen significant reduction in government-provided services.

Poverty, Police, Reduced Social Services

"I don't call it rioting, I call it an insurrection of the masses of the people.

It is happening in Syria, it is happening in Clapham, it's happening in Liverpool, it's happening in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, and that is the nature of the historical moment."

–Darcus Howe interview with the BBC

(poor sound quality on clip)

Jorge Rivas, writing for Color Lines, provides this related narrative:

68-year-old Darcus Howe, a broadcaster and columnist, who lives in South London where riots have been taking place offered some context this morning for BBC News viewers.

Howe told a BBC News anchor that political leaders had no idea what was coming but if they had taken a moment to “look at young blacks and young whites with a discerning eye and careful hearing” they would of heard messages of what to do to prevent this.

The Trinidad and Tobago native who says he’s been in London for more than 50 years goes on to tell viewers about his young grandson who can’t count how many times he’s been stopped and searched by London police.

And when the news anchors asks if he condones the riots he gives her a piece of his mind. “‎Have some respect for an old West Indian negro and stop accusing me of rioting. Have some respect, I have grandchildren. You sound like an idiot.”

Howe is a notable British writer and is the former editor of the magazine Race Today.

68-Year-Old West Indian Man Schools BBC Anchor on London Riots

Are Chicago Flash Mobs similar?

Julie Jargan and Ilan Brat, writing for The Wall Street Journal described this challenge:

CHICAGO—Police here are girding for another weekend of "flash mob" attacks after arresting 29 people in connection with a recent rash of assaults and robberies in and around the city's tony shopping and dining district.

Twelve crimes involving large groups of young men were reported last weekend, in addition to others earlier this spring.

The incidents are some of the first major problems confronting newly appointed Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.

The attacks have received wide attention in Chicago because they have occurred around the city's affluent north side, including near the "Magnificent Mile," a Michigan Avenue strip popular with tourists.

June 09, 2011 "Chicago Police Brace for 'Flash Mob' Attacks"

You may need a WSJ subscription to read the article.

Here is a Huffington Post article covering the same incidents:

Chicago Flash Mobs Apparently Robbed, Attacked Four Men Over Weekend

Philadelphia Imposes Stricter Weekend Curfew

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter: Anyone under 18 in those areas must now be off the streets by 9 PM.

Change in the city’s curfew for two key areas — Center City and University City — on Friday and Saturday nights.

Some say that social networks like Twitter and Facebook, more and more so-called flash mobs are materializing across the globe, leaving police scrambling to keep tabs on the ‘spontaneous assemblies’.

In London, recent rioting and looting has been blamed in part on groups of youths using Twitter, mobile phone text messages and instant messaging on BlackBerry to organize and keep a step ahead of police.

Flash mobs have reappeared on the streets of Philadelphia – Center City where groups of youths gravitate to a designated location at an appointed time.

Once there, they become a mob that gathers force as it roams the streets, wreaking havoc on businesses while terrifying and sometimes attacking pedestrians.

They are roving groups of teenagers, flash mobs of Philadelphia, out to steal, assault, and destroy. Sometimes, the lawless acts of the flash mobs are spontaneous. Other times, they’re planned and premeditated.

“They’re 12 years old and not around the corner from their home. Where’s their parent?” said Chitwood, the Upper Darby police chief.

“If they’re out doing flash mob thefts when they’re 12, what the hell are they going to be doing when they’re 16?”

August 09, 2011 "Philadelphia Flash Mobs, Rampage 2011" ModernSurvivalBlog.com

Could flash mobs be headed your way? How would your map of wealth and poverty match with rioting and looting?

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on August 9, 2011 • Filed under: arson, current events, Major Incidents, News, Twitter, Urban Commander, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

London Street Scenes

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Two videos from Andy Wix:

Uploaded by AndyWix on Aug 8, 2011

london Riots – Rioters attack Police in Woolwich late monday night moments after this video the weatherspoons pub in the background was set alight at burnt to the ground.

UPDATE: Recently been out and been through Plumstead Thamesmead , woolwich and Greenwich….Groups are gathering and its not looking good looks like the rioting and looting is set to continue for the 4th night running.

VIDEO CONTAINS SCENES OF A VIOLENT NATURE (and adult language)

London Riots Woolwich Wetherspoons Pub Burning (UNSEEN FOOTAGE) the rioting continued across south east london in woolwich se18 has our country really come to this…

INTERVIEW with Andrew Gilligan of The Daily Telegraph

Compares the use of social media for this "lawlessness" versus Middle East political uprisings:

.
 

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on August 9, 2011 • Filed under: arson, Fire Rescue Topics, Major Incidents, News, Urban Commander, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Mob Riots, Burns London Neighborhood

1 comment

Arson and Looting Rampant in Tottenham

MatrixPictures

WHAT BEGAN AS A PEACEFUL "PROTEST" was quickly transformed into a riot incited by a criminal element in London, UK, Saturday night.  The trigger for the protest occurred Thursday evening when police pulled over a taxi that was carrying a career criminal who was wanted for arrest.  The criminal, Mark Duggan, 29, apparently pulled out a gun and shot at the police officers who returned fire and killed him.

Saturday evening a group of about 50 friends and relatives of Duggan began a picketing in front of the local police station, but within a few minutes an organized mob of several hundred people converged on the area and began vandalizing, looting and burning many businesses in the area.

Press Association

They targeted the police station, but were repulsed by a cordon of officers and a tight line of police vans around the building.  Several police cars were set ablaze and the mob's attentions turned to buses and private vehicles along with stores that were mainly stocked with goods such as tv's and computers.

The Telegraph posted this video taken during the early moments of the riot:

 

Tottenham's MP David Lammy was quoted by the press,

"A community that was already hurting has now had its heart ripped out.

"The post office, shops, news agents, mobile phone shops, council building that deal with customer complaints, smashed to pieces by mindless, mindless people last night – many of whom are not from Tottenham and had come from afar into this community intent on causing violence."

Press Association

Sunday morning found the mob disbursed and the fires mostly extinguished.  At latest count, 26 police officers had been injured and 42 people arrested for violent disorder, burglary, and other associated offenses.

Recommended reading for more information in detail and additional photos and videos:
The Telegraph HERE.
The Sun HERE.
The Daily Mail HERE.

Sunday morning raw video from RT

 

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Posted by on August 7, 2011 • Filed under: arson, crime, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Fires, Major Incidents, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Warren RI 9/11 float at July 4th parade

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Nice Tribute

Warren RI fire department pays tribute to the victims of 9/11 during the Bristol RI 4th of July parade 2011.

from CBEMT at IACOJ.com:

I'm on the opposite side of the street from the camera (video posted by milfordwoman) , last in line with another FF carrying water walking past me as I come into view.

Mrs. CB is camera-side. We're both pretty much visible at 00:23.

The monument at the rear of the float has the names of every FDNY, EMS, NYPD, and PAPD member killed that day, right down to Sirius the dog.

Eric Dickervitz writing for EastBayRI.com:

When the Warren Fire Department’s float, a living tribute to 9/11, passed by Rae Jodoin, she and other onlookers were moved by the image of twisted metal and the tired firefighters who stood tall alongside it.

As the float passed by Ms. Jodoin’s Hope Street home, she ran into the street to hand the firefighters a small flag bearing the name of a 9/11 victim.

She and her husband, Mike, had turned their front yard into a memorial for the people who died on 9/11.

A few nights before, the couple were joined by over a dozen family and friends in writing a name of a 9/11 victim on a small American flag.

All 2,977 flags were then displayed on the Jodoins’ front lawn.

Click on the headline to read the rest of: A spectacular Bristol Fourth of July parade

Nice float!

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward
 

Posted by on July 9, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, In the Line of Duty, Line of Duty, Major Incidents, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Your Independence Day moment of Zen … with an Arizona Bonus

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What 5000 pounds of confiscated fireworks do when ignited.

More than 5,000 pounds of fireworks were detonated in one big pile at the New York Police Department firing range in the Bronx on Friday, July 1, 2011.

What it used to look like on FDNY's busiest day:

Rescue 3 July 4th, 1991, an Alan Simmons/Firestorm HD Production

Vintage footage of Rescue 3 shot during the week of July 4th, 1991. Featured are station scenes, receiving alarms, responding, and working at numerous fires in the Bronx and Manhattan.

This seven minute presentation contains selected scenes from the one hour feature available at www.firestormvideos.com

Picked up from Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FirestormHD

1990 was busier!

R1SmokeEater has posted FDNY audio from July 1, 1990. Has about 11 YouTube posts, can start HERE with Brooklyn dispatch at 9 pm.

1989 had Rescue 911 and Bill Shatner!

UPDATE 1!

How could I forget! 

Dave Statter buffed FDNY July 4th in 1993.

Here is his compelling video …. or you can skip down to his self-deprecating remarks.

A lot of sitting and waiting and listening to M-80s exploding during a relatively slow Fourth of July weekend in 1993.

Vito Maggiolo can be heard blaming me for the lack of activity. Though we did take in a couple of fires and a blimp crash.

The blimp incident can be found on this clip – http://tinyurl.com/kv2xpg .

UPDATE 2:  ARIZONA BONUS!

Fireworks are legal in Arizona this year. 

Adele Hampton, writing for Phoenix New Times, provide YouTube video examples of "Five Best Ways to Ruin Your 4th of July"

  • The Sledgehammer Technique
  • In a bathtub
  • Lighting fire with fire
  • Know when enough is enough
  • Don't be a Jackass (may look familar to our Maryland readers)

Go HERE to enjoy.

Hope that your 4th is great!

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on July 3, 2011 • Filed under: arson, Fire Prevention & Education, Fire Rescue Topics, HazMat, Major Incidents, News, Urban Commander, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hotel Fire Working in Florida – Updated

1 comment

Started Sunday Night …. Still Burning

Update, 8:30 am:  Video added.  Scroll down.
Additional Updates posted below.

A MAJOR FIRE IN A KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA, HOTEL is still burning at the time of this posting.  The fire started in the Vacation Lodge hotel, a 2-story, wood framed structure around 10:45 pm Sunday night and quickly got into the attic area where it ran through one entire wing of the hotel.

News13

It appears from the videos that it eventually extended to another wing and according to a fire spokesman, has also destroyed a restaurant attached to the building.

More than 150 people had to be evacuated and at least 12 of them were transported for smoke inhalation.  As of 7 am this morning (Monday) the firefighters from Osceola County still had not contained the massive fire.

News13

Nothing has been determined as to cause and point of origin yet as the fire is still uncontrolled.  Check back later for any updates that we will be posting when available.

Update #1, 8:30 am: 
WFTS-TV Tampa has filed this early video report:

 

The 40-year-old, 420-room hotel is now mainly a residential hotel and most of the occupants have lost all of their personal possessions.

WOFL-TV

WOFL-TV

Update, 12:30 pm:
As off 11:45 am the fire was still burning.  Over 100 firefighters from Osceola and Orange counties were working the blaze.
It has been reported that eight people including two firefighters have been hospitalized for undisclosed injuries.  The old building has lost its bloom several years ago, becoming a residential facility catering to poverty-level tenants.  The Orlando Sentinel reports:

One resident told the Orlando Sentinel the building had a series of problems, including a broken sprinkler system, empty fire extinguishers and smoke detectors without batteries.

The fire investigation, which will likely start Tuesday, will look into the alleged problems with the sprinkler system.

Micheal White, who paid $135 a week to live in Room 1230, said he heard an explosion in Room 1305 before the fire broke out. He said the building had electrical problems, too, including a sparking outlet in his room. The motel capped the outlet instead of fixing it, he said.

He said the motel has been in news recently after the water was shut off for 27 days for nonpayment.

Osceola County Deputy Fire Chief Dan McAvoy said the fire spread from single room, got into the attic and raced throughout building, destroying nearly everything.

He thinks the complex was built for Knoxville World's Fair and later disassembled and trucked here in 1980s as tourist motel.

Kissimmee is in the center of the high-tourism area around the Disney World complex.

WOFL-TV

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Posted by on June 27, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, Major Incidents • Tagged: , ,