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“Salvage and Overhaul” Goes a Step Beyond …..

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A Real Christmas Story With a Bunch of Real Santas

THE ALPHA FIRE COMPANY OF LITTLESTOWN in Adams County, Pennsylvania, showed what the "giving" spirit is, and how a caring bunch of firefighters are willing to go the extra mile  for their neighbors.  This Christmas Story was prepared for us by Steve Roth of 911Photography in Adams County.  His photo crew was on the scene of the house fire that triggered the following goodwill activity:

Operation "Alpha Claus"

by Steve Roth

On Thursday December 20, Alpha Fire Company and surrounding companies were alerted for a working house with possible entrapment at 620 Littlestown Road in Union Township. Crews arrived on-scene within minutes to find heavy fire conditions with no one inside the residence.

All images © 911Photography

Crews made an aggressive interior attack and were able to contain the fire to the sun room and kitchen with little extension to the rest of the house. Unfortunately, the entire house suffered significant heat, smoke, and water damage causing a total loss of contents.

Realizing that a family had lost everything they had and it was only less than a week to Christmas, Alpha Fire Company stepped up to the plate as the community rallied around this family during their time of need.  Alpha became a drop off point for local donations for the family. Company members and local residents soon began filling the halls of Alpha Fire Company with numerous donations including toys, clothing, furniture, and other household items.  Members were developing plans to ensure the family received the donations when the idea of a "Santa Run" was recommended. With approval of the parents, it was devised that Santa and Alpha Fire Company would deliver toys and other presents to the children on Christmas Eve.

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During the fire one of the family pets, a cat, was lost to the fire. The family planned to give their 6 year old daughter a new kitten from Santa. However, a change of plans from the family would soon have firefighters delivering that kitten and numerous toys as "Santa's Ambassadors". The family felt it was important that the firefighters who helped save the family's home be the ones who make the special delivery to their children. They wanted the children to personally meet and thank the firefighters for what they did last week for their family.

Members gathered Sunday evening to wrap numerous toys, stuffed animals, and other items to be given to the family. On Christmas Eve at 1800 hours Alpha Fire Company members arrived at the grandparents' house in full force. Rescue 20 was loaded up full of wrapped gifts to be delivered. Company members were able to fulfill the holiday season by bringing a little extra joy and happiness to help the family that had lost everything just 4 days ago.

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To see the smiles on the children's faces as they added a little extra touch to their lives was worth every minute. We can only hope that as the family continues to recover from this tragedy, they can take comfort knowing that the members of Alpha Fire Company and the community are behind them along the way. This "Santa Run" is just another example of how Alpha Fire Company goes the extra mile to support their community in time of need when the alarm bells are not ringing. A big thank you to each and every member who took time out of their busy holiday schedule the last two days to make this wonderful evening happen.

 

"And a Merry Christmas to all …. and to all a good night"

911Photography photo album of the Dec. 20 fire HERE.
911Phogography photo album of the "Operation Alpha Claus" HERE.

A great bunch of Santas

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Posted by on December 25, 2012 • Filed under: current events, Fire Rescue Topics, News, public relations • Tagged: , ,

More Firefighters “Stepping In It”

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Just What Were They Thinking Of?

SEVERAL JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, FIREFIGHTERS, including a lieutenant and a district chief, are under investigation for serious violations of behavioral and ethics standards.  The incident took place last week at a night club called Whiskey River where a fund-raiser was held for the family of a JFD firefighter who had died recently in an off-duty accident.

During the entertainment, several firefighters took to the stage to play around in their bunker gear and started striking some suggestive poses that aren't conducive to good public relations for the fire department.

via WJXT-TV

The whiskey friskies included a female lieutenant who danced topless with nothing more than her bunker pants suspenders covering her nipples.

Compounding the problem was the presence of a district chief who was enjoying the show along with the rest of the crowd, and apparently never attempted to correct the code-of-conduct violaters.  WJXT-TV reports:

The images that surfaced on 904HappyHour.com are now the focus of an internal investigation in which JFRD policies may have been violated.

In one photo, a firefighter wearing bunker gear and a helmet gets what appears to be a tip from a girl in the crowd. In another photo, two firefighters engage in what some consider lewd behavior.

JFRD spokesman Tom Francis issued a statement Monday, saying, "We are not oblivious to the incident. We have launched an internal investigation and we are reviewing photographic evidence and conducting interviews with those involved. Our compliance officer has been made fully aware of the transgressions. JFRD firefighters should not be wearing city-issued equipment for anything other than official duty. It is unbecoming of the profession."

According to JFRD policies, firefighters are forbidden from wearing anything that identifies themselves as a firefighter in a place that sells alcoholic beverages, unless they're working in a city capacity.

The clear and excessive violations are a serious concern to the JFRD and they are illustrated in the video report from WTEV-TV Ch. 30:

 

It is safe to say that this will be one super-sized headache for the Fire Chief, and will turn out to be a career-changer for several firefighters.

Read more with additional video at WJXT-TV website HERE.

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Posted by on August 8, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, labor, News, public relations, Videos • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – May 23

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Wednesday Morning – Stop and Think Before You Open Your Yap

Everybody in Fire and EMS is constantly thinking about our public image and trying to keep it "positive" in the minds of our citizens.  Even though we try our best to behave, once in a while somebody goes into action before they put their brain in gear and the results can undo a year's worth of good deeds in just seconds.  That's what happened in Union County, New Jersey, a few days ago when a police officer got a serious brain cramp and plunged his department, along with his chief, into a world-wide scorn.  Fox News sent this story out:

Frank Roder, a construction worker from the town of Winfield Park, had taken his son, Aidan, down to the Rahway River to feed ducks Thursday. But when he stopped briefly before settling on a parking space, the impatient boy jumped out and took off — straight toward a ledge 35 feet above the river, Roder recalled.

"He hopped out, and I thought that was OK, I was just going to park," Roder, 38, said, but "he just took off, made a beeline for the edge."

The panic-stricken father jumped out of the cab of his 2006 Jeep Commander and raced after the errant boy, catching him just feet from the edge.  That's when Aidan, eyes as big as saucers, looked behind Roder and said, "Um, Daddy …"

Roder turned in time to see the Jeep nosedive down the embankment and land in the muddy water.

Fox News

Roder hugged the boy and waited as Union County police converged on the scene over the next few hours. A crane pulled the Jeep out, and amazingly, it started right up, though Roder is pretty sure his insurance company will count it as totaled.

He was counting his blessings when a young cop approached him and handed him two tickets. One was for failure to produce the insurance card, which was somewhere in the waterlogged cab. The other was for failing to use his emergency brake.

That's not all.  The Loopy LEO then went so far to say that the man should have disregarded the sprinting moppet and "taken an extra five seconds" to set the parking brake.  Read the full story HERE to see how the police chief is trying to double-clutch his way out of the spotlight, but I don't think he's being very successful with that.

Maybe this cop does this sort of thing frequently, I don't know.  But somethin's gotta change soon now.  Just keep in mind, you are only a few seconds away from dropping into this sort of publicity quicksand if you don't keep your brain in gear all the time.

Let's use that sparkling brainpower now to get this equipment checked out.  I'm going to help sharpen our mental reflexes by getting some good, strong coffee going  before we meet back in the day room.  (Just don't tell anybody what you think about this.)

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NHL Playoffs – Conference Finals

The dark horse Los Angeles Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes put on a good show for the fans last night and played an exciting game that went into overtime.  Putting up six goals in regulation, they were tied 3-3 after two periods and then went scoreless in the third.  The OT winner came 17:42 in the first OT for the  4-3 win.  Phoenix had their chances to win with a 5-on-3 power play in the third period and a power play during the sudden-death overtime.  But the Kings' defense dug in an earned their pay holding off the attacks.

The Kings came into the playoffs seeded last at #8 and marched on through knocking off the top 3 seeds and only losing 2 games total in the first three rounds.  They have a week to rest, heal and get rusty before the first game of the Cup championships round on May 30 versus the winner of the Rangers – Devils series that resumes tonight.  That matchup is tied at 2 games apiece and is assured of playing at least two more games.

Western Conference – Los Angeles (8) vs. Phoenix (3)
Game One: Los Angeles – 4, Phoenix – 2.
Game 2: Los Angeles – 4, Phoenix – 0.
Game 3: Los Angeles – 2, Phoenix – 1.
Game 4 Phoenix – 2, Los Angeles – 0.
Game 5: Los Angeles – 4, Phoenix – 3 OT.

Los Angeles wins series 4 games to 1.

Eastern Conference – New Jersey (6) vs. New York (1)
Game One: New York – 3, New Jersey – 0.
Game 2: New Jersey – 3, New York – 2
Game 3: New York – 3, New Jersey – 0.
Game 4: New Jersey – 4, New York – 1.
Game 5: Wednesday 8 pm Eastern, NBCSN.
Game 6: Friday 8 pm Eastern, NBCSN.

Series tied at two games apiece.

Highlights from last night's game

 

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Posted by on May 23, 2012 • Filed under: morning lineup, public relations • Tagged: ,

Join the Hero Rush

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A Participatory Event for Firefighters AND Spectators

THE NEW EVENT HERO RUSH is making its official debut this year.  A press release from the organization explains it all:

Hero Rush, the dynamic new firefighter-themed obstacle race and experience, has opened registration for 12 U.S. events, the company announced today. Designed for mainstream consumers by lifelong firefighters, Hero Rush will challenge participants from all walks of life to experience what firefighters face every day.

"Runners will tackle a 5K+ course studded with 15-17 obstacles that simulate real emergencies," said co-founder Dave J. Iannone. "They’ll crawl through a smoke-filled maze, scale steep roofs, drag a massive fire hose to the blaze, climb ladders and bust through windows to find victims trapped inside – and a few surprises, too."

Events are currently scheduled for Maryland, Minnesota, Michigan, North Texas, Los Angeles, Oregon, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, Central Florida and Central Texas.

Obstacle races are one of the fastest growing segments of the running industry, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article, with thousands of participants expected at each Hero Rush.

"These events have become very popular over the last two years," said co-founder Christopher Hebert. "They’re perfect for everyone, from experienced runners looking for a new challenge, to teenagers and college students, to people of all ages who just want to get out and get active."

All events will feature an Inferno Midway where both runners and spectators can practice their firefighter skills on stand-alone obstacles and challenges. Local fire departments will give demonstrations and put a fun spin on fire safety education. This family-friendly festival area will also include two kid’s courses, food and drinks, apparel and merchandise tents, music and entertainment.

Hero Rush will give back to the firefighting community through national and local fire-related charities. As the designated national charity, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation will receive a $20 donation for each runner who chooses to run in the "343 Wave" honoring the firefighters killed in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Hero Rush will also identify a local fire-related charity in each city to receive the proceeds from the Kid’s Firefighter Adventure Course.

Details and registration are available at www.herorush.com.

Hero Rush is currently seeking local fire departments, charities and sponsors to get involved – for more information visit www.herorush.com or email resonders@herorush.com.

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Posted by on January 8, 2012 • Filed under: fun, News, public relations • Tagged:

“Everyone Goes Home…”

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Released Wednesday Morning

THE NATIONAL FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS FOUNDATION released their anticipated video to the public this morning.  It was produced in cooperation with the Chicago Fire Department and was embargoed for two weeks until all the personnel at the Chicago Fire Department and the families of their fallen members had the opportunity to view it first.  After watching it you will understand why.

It is being released with the hope that many of you will encourage your local politicians and civic leaders to also take the 38 minutes needed to view it.  It carries a lot of impact and is a remarkable report.

 

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Posted by on December 28, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology, Line of Duty, public relations, safety, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Sometimes Good News Gets Out

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FD and Newspaper Together Spread the Word

IN KINGSTON, ONTARIO, THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER the Whig-Standard will occasionally point out the fire department's message of fire safety and sprinklers.  Firegeezer has mentioned this before (HERE) and another situation arose that led to it again.  On Thursday the Whig-Standard reported:

An automatic sprinkler head is credited for limiting the damage at a Park Street high-rise apartment early Wednesday morning.

Kingston Fire and Rescue responded to the fire that started on a stovetop in a 10th-floor unit. The smoke alarm in the suite had been disabled prior to the fire, but the sprinkler limited damage in the apartment to less than $1,000.

"Without a working smoke alarm, the occupant of this apartment is fortunate to be alive today," Kingston fire inspector Del Blakney said in a news release.

Water flow from the sprinkler extinguished the fire and sounded the building alarm, alerting other occupants.

How about you?  When you have a fire that was so small that the news media wouldn't consider it worth reporting, do you turn it into a "success story" and let them know about it?

Hat tip to Mark S.

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Posted by on October 28, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Prevention & Education, Fire Rescue Topics, public relations • Tagged: ,

This Year’s Top “Bonkers Call-Out”

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Not A True Ambulance Emergency

THE WELSH AMBULANCE SERVICE (UK) HOLDS an annual competition for the top five craziest 9-9-9 calls for an ambulance that are not emergencies.  It is part of their Choose Well campaign that encourages people to call 9-9-9 for life-threatening emergencies only.

A WAS spokesman said: "We want the public to stop, think and choose well before selecting the appropriate medical treatment for their needs. If you dial up an ambulance for toothache instead of booking in with a dentist, that ambulance might be taken away from the next call, a person fighting for life after suffering a heart attack."

Roberts / BBC

The Daily Post tells us:

Top of the list by some distance is the woman who dialled 999 calling an ambulance for her sick parrot – because she couldn’t find the vet’s number in Yellow Pages.

Following close behind was the man who called ambulance control after biting into a plastic bag. He was concerned he had bits of plastic stuck between his teeth.

The Welsh Ambulance Service’s medical director, Dr. Paul Hughes said, "Approximately 45% of the calls we receive from patients dialling 999 are for minor illnesses and injuries like toothache, sore throats, coughs and colds. Every day, these calls are putting people’s lives at risk by taking ambulances away from those having life threatening emergencies."

Read the full STORY HERE see the rest of the "bonkers" calls and some more about the PR campaign.

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Posted by on October 21, 2011 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, public relations • Tagged: ,

Who You Gonna Call?

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Hey!  Lookit What I Can Do!

A DURHAM, ENGLAND, MAN WHO WAS playing a "drinking game" decided to go all out to win "What can you fit over your head?"  He chose to next drop a toilet seat over his head and even managed to wriggle his shoulders through, allowing the seat to become firmly wedged around his torso.

No matter what he did, the unidentified gamer could not remove the toilet seat from his middle.  So, who ya' gonna call?  Naturally, they called the local firehouse, explained the situation and asked if he could drop by.  "Yes!" was the answer and then no doubt the word went around the station to come up front and witness this next arrival.  The Sunday Sun picks up the story:

The man, from Tudhoe, County Durham, arrived at the station with his girlfriend and pal at 7pm on Thursday so the crew could use cutting equipment to release him.

Spennymore / Tudhoe Fire Station

The firefighters are keeping the man’s identity private so they don’t embarrass him, but crew manager Michael Burden said: "The man rang us first to see if we could help and he came with his girlfriend and a friend.

"He looked rather flushed when he arrived but relieved when we managed to get the toilet seat off him. He took the loo seat home with him as a memento."

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Posted by on October 17, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, News, public relations • Tagged: ,

From Class 1 to Class XXX

15 comments

Another Misguided Move to Bring Notoriety to Your FD

Update, Friday:  The fire department has said that the incident with the Venice fire engine took place between two and three years ago, but has just recently been brought to their attention.

THE LOS ANGELES CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT is looking into the recent, unauthorized use of one of their engines, from Station 63 in Venice, that was used as a prop for some video antics featuring a porn movie actress.  KNBC-TV broke the story:

LAFD insiders recently tipped off NBCLA that several firefighters allowed porn producers to use their fire engines in two adult movies that are available on one of the world’s biggest porn websites.

NBC4

In one of the movies, shot at Venice Beach, LAFD Engine 263 is used as the backdrop by an actress performing lewd acts.  Firefighters "set it all up ahead of time" with "the film crew" because they thought it was "good clean fun,"an insider told NBC4 LA.

For several minutes of the movie, the actress appears to have free access to the engine, and asks numerous passersby to fondle her.  "Look, I think we have more friends," she says, as a group of men stop to fondle the actress.

This video report from Channel 4 (un)covers it all:

 

View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.

Fire Chief Brian Cummings does not share the belief that it was just good, clean fun and has ordered a full investigation into incident.

Read the full STORY HERE.

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"Stupid" runs from coast to coast.  Dave Statter at STATter911 has been documenting a recent YouTube folly from Macon, Georgia, that has led to one firing and four lengthy suspensions.  If you haven't caught that one yet, CLICK HERE to see what's going on with that.

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Posted by on September 22, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, culture, current events, Fire Rescue Topics, public relations, Videos

Morning Lineup – September 8

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Thursday Morning – School Days in Norwich

When it comes to fund raising or generating good public relations, I'm always interested in innovative and successful ways to get it done.  Up in Connecticut the Norwich fire companies teamed up with the Norwich school system to give a little punch to the beginning of the school year and to help promote the kindergarten program.

Seven kindergarten students were selected by random drawing to win free rides to school on a fire engine on the first day of classes.  The Day followed one of the kids, Jesse Rauscher this past Tuesday when Rescue 5 showed up at his house to take him to school.  The 5-yr.-old was thrilled and anxious because school openings were delayed for six days by Irene.  The Day writes:

The Rescue 5 firetruck rounded the corner at the 61 Henry St. apartment complex at noon, and 5-year-old Jesse Rauscher pumped both fists in the air and jumped up and down.

Today, the bright red East Great Plain Volunteer Fire Department truck served as Jesse's school bus and firefighter Bill Guile, his bus driver. Guile strapped Jesse in to the front seat, and the boy quickly declared "I'm all set!"

He had to wait a minute to allow his dad to climb into the back seat and also strap in. The truck started to move forward and Guile asked Jesse to push the small black button on the control panel to say goodbye to his mother, Dawn Rauscher, who waved to the truck. The horn blasted. "I love that sound!" Jesse said.

I think you'll have to agree …. when it comes to good public relations, you will have to go a long way to beat a shot like this one:

Jesse Rauscher, 5, gives a hug to East Great Plain firefighter Bill Guile after
getting a ride to his first day of Kindergarten at Mahan School in Norwich Tuesday

Read the full story in The Day HERE.

Let's get the equipment checked out now.  If it's looking and working good, then we just might get some good hugs today, too.  I'll go make some more coffee in a quest to generate some hugs of my own.  See you back in the day room.

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Posted by on September 8, 2011 • Filed under: morning lineup, public relations • Tagged:

Video Captures Live Rescue of Baby (Deer, that is)

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A New Use For an Old Tool

FILE THIS UNDER THE "WHO YOU GONNA' CALL?" Category.  Our long-time friend Rich H. passed along this video clip on YouTube that is introduced presumably by the person who posted it, Eddie Bett.  Following is his statement that accompanied the video:

On the Morning of May 18th 2011 my wife noticed a deer in our yard that appeared to be frantically looking for something in the rocks that form a wall on property line in Brush Prairie Washington. When we first went out with our neighbors, we didn't see anything but the deer wouldn't leave our yard. We went back to our house and watched when after a few minutes the deer came back.

We went out to the area the deer was concentrating on and could hear a baby fawn crying in the rocks. We moved some of the rocks and smaller boulders and saw baby fawn's face in the rocks. He had apparently fallen in or crawled in through one of the gaps and was now trapped. The larger boulders were too heavy to move and we didn't want to have the rocks cave in on the baby deer.

We finally called our Clark County Fire District 3. The B Shift team came out and they were able to move the larger rocks out of the way with the Jaws of Life enough to be able to reach in a pull the baby fawn out and reunited it with its momma. The fawn was probably stuck in there most of the night and quickly went on to nurse off its momma. One of our neighbors took some video clips of the fire department's rescue. I edited the clips into this short clip. After sharing it with some friends they thought that it was just too cute not to share with more people. So my neighbor agreed to let me upload the final clip.

 

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Posted by on August 18, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, public relations, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: ,

Effective P. R. in Ontario

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A Lesson On How To Do It

THE BRAMPTON, ONTARIO, FIRE DEPARTMENT has apparently nurtured a good relationship with their local newspaper, the Brampton Guardian.  Following a recent apartment fire that was handily extinguished by a sole sprinkler head, this is what the Guardian's readers saw when they logged on Sunday:

The opening sentence gets the message right out there:  A residential sprinkler system saved the day for an east end resident whose apartment caught fire recently, Brampton Fire and Emergency Services reports.  Then the article fills in the usual basic information that tells the reader what happened, etc.

The chief of the fire prevention division issued the public information and kept the story on-message in a good, succinct way and the newspaper's writer even finished up the story with another plug for residential sprinkler effectiveness.

Read the full ARTICLE HERE and keep this in mind.  Good job to Brampton Fire.

Brampton Fire and Emergency Services WEBSITE.

Thanks to reader Mark S. for sending this along.

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Posted by on August 9, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, public relations • Tagged: , ,

News Editor Joins A Firehose Barrel Contest

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On a Hot Summer's Night

Recently the editor of the Long Valley Patch, Jason Koestenblatt in Washington Township, New Jersey, was working on a story about the area's volunteer firefighters.  It's part of a human-interest series that  he's working on about different ways that the citizens work behind the scenes to make the area better for everybody.

Five Area Fire Companies Got Together For
Socializing and Multi-Company Drills.
(Long Valley Patch photo)

When he attended a drill he didn't know he was going to get wet, but he experienced the fun and exercise of a barrel fight, the hoseline equivalent of a tug-of-war.  He writes:

I had the opportunity to suit up and take part in one of the ‘fights’. When I arrived at the fire company, I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and I was still sweating. Now throw on the gear and hold a hose strong enough to push a single person to the ground (remember, there were teams of three), and compete for up to five minutes or until one team won, whichever came first.

When my team finished the drill (we lost on distance, but didn’t allow for the barrel to reach our pole), I was dripping sweat. I couldn’t get the gear off fast enough, and it took a few minutes to catch my breath.

The rules say that you can't squirt the other team, but apparently they don't say anything about the spectators.  Check out the VIDEO HERE to see what we mean.

There's more to his story than that, so take a few minutes to read the entire ARTICLE HERE.  It's a good example of how first-responders can cooperate with media people to get the word out about some of their activities with some background reporting.

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Posted by on July 22, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, public relations, Training, training-fire-rescue-topics

A Feline Rescue without pipe-cutting or positive pressure.

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Demythologizing an Urban Legend

Mike Seely, writing in today's Seattle Weekly blog, describes a July 5th dilemma.

After exhausting all other means to get Quincy down:

I decided to pay a personal visit to our local firehouse three blocks away.

Through a window, I saw a handful of firefighters hanging out near the front door, and rang the after-hours bell.

They answered, and I sheepishly asked them if they'd be willing to rescue a cat stranded on a roof down the street.

They chuckled at the request, but quickly agreed to have a look.

Upon meeting me at the house, the leader of the squadron informed me that if they were to receive an actual emergency summons, they'd have to promptly split and come back, provided things calmed to a point where they could come back.

You need to read the rest of the article here: Firefighters Really Do Rescue Cats: Demythologizing an Urban Legend

There is excitement, intrigue and a frozen peanut butter and banana pie.

Tip of the helmet to the Seattle Fire Department Ladder 13 crew from Highland Park!

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

PS: Seattle Fire Department's 22 page 2009 Emergency Response Report is another great approach showing OUTCOME based criteria to support budgeted activities. 

Worth a look! Click HERE.

Posted by on July 6, 2011 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, culture, Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, News, public relations, Special Operations, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Another Fire Chief Tells The Truth To The Citizens

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It Takes Courage To Do It

FIREGEEZER AND SOME OTHERS have been pointing out the need for fire chiefs and union locals to be forthright and spell out for the citizens the true cost of cutting jobs and closing fire stations under the pretense of "saving money."  A few fire chiefs have been upfront about it and now another one has stepped up.

North Attleboro, Massachusetts, Fire Chief Peter Lamb called a "town hall" style meeting and gave the citizens a presentation showing how they are being underserved now and what will happen if the town goes through with further budget cuts.  He explained why the NFPA standards call for a minimum of 15 to 17 firefighters for a first-alarm call, they are now operating with just 11 on duty and sometimes down to 9.

Chief Lamb  (Sun Chronicle)

He further showed how response times are going to be adversely affected by the necessary shutdown of the 2nd ambulance or the closing of one of the fire stations entirely.

The Attleboro Sun Chronicle has the report on last night's meeting HERE.

The money quote that Firegeezer endorses:

Lamb said the town's method of making cuts across the board is unfair to the police and fire departments. All town departments received budget cuts of 1.5 percent, but Lamb said some departments are "less necessary than fire and police."

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Posted by on June 1, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Fire Rescue Topics, public relations • Tagged: ,

FDNY Winter 2009: Engine 40 / Tower Ladder 35

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FDNY as seen by a high school videographer

ken10055 posted this video last June. From his narrative:

a documentary based on what happens inside a FDNY fire house. Entered into the Locust Valley Film Festival. post comments so i can make my next film better.

Locust Valley High School
6th Annual Film Festival

On March 24th, 2011 Locust Valley High School will host the 6th Annual High School Film Festival, which highlights original films by high school students across Long Island.

Films are judged in seven categories: Animation (up to 5 minutes), Commercial (up to 90 seconds), Public Service Announcement (up to 2 minutes), Short Documentary (Up to 6 minutes), Short Film (up to 7 minutes), Movie Trailer (up to 2 minutes), and Music Video (up to 5 minutes).

Interested schools should RSVP by December 6, 2010. All Film Festival submissions are due by Feb. 4, 2011. Entries should be submitted as “.mov” files on either a CD or DVD, with only one entry per disk.

Ken10055 disabled the embed feature from You Tube, click below to see the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoeJ59ds-oY

The Bronx Times also posted the video.  Hope that it does well in the March film festival.

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on January 18, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, public relations, Urban Commander, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

A “too happy” Happy Medic?

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BREAKING NEWS!

The Happy Medic was engulfed in orange joy when the SF Giants won the World Series.

A tweet from him early this morning (west coast) indicates that he is in the BACK of a law enforcement Crown Vic.

More Chronicles of EMS “research?”

Working on Law Enforcement 4.0?

Stay tuned ….

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on November 2, 2010 • Filed under: Command & Leadership, culture, current events, News, public relations, Training & Development, Twitter • Tagged: , ,

“Toilet Bites Man”

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Combining Social Media, Haz-Mat and Technical Rescue.

While not as improper or heartbreaking as the Spalding County, Georgia, fatal traffic accident (STATter911 article here), this is an unusual “toilet bites man” fire department response that raises some social media concerns.

This appears to be documented by a Chinese news organization and shown on Independent Television News (ITN) London.

Unfortunately, they neither follow the social media recommendations from Dave Statter or Billy Goldfeder (HERE)

(tip of the hat to NewsBlues)

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on October 20, 2010 • Filed under: EMS Topics, News, public relations, Special Operations, Twitter, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Countering assaults on public safety

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This is thought-provoking:

Public service employees in the Netherlands face aggression and violence on the streets more and more often. Onlookers unfortunately do not intervene often enough when they encounter a situation like this.

A live interactive billboard in Amsterdam and Rotterdam is used to place people in a similar situation witch confronts them with their inactivity.

Video concludes with four action steps:

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on August 6, 2010 • Filed under: crime, culture, EMS Health & Safety, Firefighter Safety & Health, News, public relations, Urban Commander, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

“Python of the Toilets” Caught at Last

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AFTER ELUDING THE BELEAGURED RESIDENTS of an apartment building in Vitrolles, France, for two weeks, a 7-½ ft. long python was finally caught yesterday.  The long creature had escaped from it’s cage in one of the apartments and found its way into the sewer lines.  It got its nickname “Python of the Toilets” after it made its appearance in the toilet bowls of two apartments.  One woman lifted the lid to do you-know-what and was greeted by the snake.  She screamed and immediately pulled the flush handle, sending the runaway back into the drains.  Another woman had the same experience and called in her husband who tried to grab the critter, but failed to reach it in time.

So who ya’ gonna call?

Finally the residents called the pompiers who, along with a group of policemen, tracked the snake back to the outdoor sewer lines where they found it after opening three access covers.  Like firefighters everywhere, their first line of attack was the CO2 extinguisher. 

La Provence

After successfully “cooling” the animal, one of the policemen got his hand on the head and pulled it out of the sewer.  It has been taken to a zoo near Vitrolles.

La Provence

La Provence has the STORY.

Firegeezer readers will recall a similar REPORT HERE about a poisonous cobra loose in a German apartment where the firefighters literally ripped out the walls and floors of the building getting at the viper.

Posted by on June 18, 2010 • Filed under: current events, Fire Rescue Topics, News, public relations

Can’t a Medic Have Fun Anymore?

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THE AGENCY HEADS OF AMBULANCE VICTORIA in Australia have their down-under knickers in a twist this morning following a wave of Facebook postings with one of their ambulances featured in some photos.  The pix were taken Saturday night at a party when an ambulance crew dropped by to visit with their friends.

The Herald Sun tells us:

Under ambulance service protocols paramedics are allowed, and even encouraged, to be out in their immediate communities while on call because it can help cut down response times.

But the suitability of attending a party is being questioned after photos posted online show the female ambulance officer in her uniform posing with friends, who are holding drinks as they stand in front of her ambulance.

Other partygoers are wearing much less as they pose with the emergency vehicle – black underwear, thigh-high boots and see-through yellow plastic ponchos.

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Herald Sun image

Now the management of the service wants to talk to the two medics to find out what was going on.  While they are in service but not on a call, they are encouraged to be on the street in their area in a meagre attempt to cut down on their response times.  Ambulance Victoria has had a lot of criticism lately following several deaths after ambulances have taken 30, 40 minutes and more to arrive on scene.

Read the entire article in the Herald Sun HERE.

Posted by on May 26, 2010 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, public relations, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged:

Morning Lineup – May 13

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The other day we looked at the San Ramon Fire Protection District’s innovative creation of a smartphone app that connects their citizens (and anybody else who is interested) directly with the FPD in various ways.  If you missed it, read our Lineup HERE where we showed you some of the ways they’re using it.

While checking out the FD’s story on their app development, I got to looking around their extensive and very innovative official website and I’m really impressed with their product.  Not only is it using web technology in a very tasteful way, but it is relevant to the information delivery and not just a “see what I can do” blast of technology.  You can see that the moment you enter their website.  It’s the creativeness that impresses me the most.  No standard list of little page topics in a box along the left edge of the site, but an active list of tabs that literally invite you to click and follow.  You’ll see what I mean when you try it out.

sanramonhome

Besides the flash-and-dash dynamics of the site itself, what’s inside is even more innovative.  Just roll your cursor over the section tab you want to visit and then click on the semi-page that opens.  You will get complete descriptions and photographs of all the stations and apparatus along with the accreditations the department holds.  The dispatch tab will take you to links where you can listen to the live-stream of their dispatch radio channel and related links.  The tabs for Community Outreach and Recent Events are very well thought out and maintained.  And they keep the taxpayers informed about how their money is being spent in the Construction Projects section.

There is genuine dedication to the public’s education evidenced in both the Photo Gallery and Video Gallery sections.  I could go on and on with this, but it’s best if you take time and look through the website yourself.  Be aware that you might end up spending a fair amount of time looking at the work.  Interestingly, the website was put into service just 13 months ago in April 2009.  But it’s probably that fresh start that allowed them to be so innovative with it.  Somebody got in early and nailed down the champion of generic URL’s for their site: 

http://www.firedepartment.org/default.asp 

When the webpage craze first arrived several years ago, there was a big rush to get online and almost every FD, rescue squad, and even individual stations began posting “stuff” on their individual websites.  After a while,  the novelty wore off and contributors lost interest leaving a universe of stale web pages that nobody looks at anymore because they are never updated.  Some official department websites never had any repeat viewers in the first place because they were just plain awful.  No information or any other reason to look at them.

But forward-thinking agencies know the value of keeping their marque out in public, because if you can keep the taxpayer interested, informed, and proud of their local emergency agencies, then you get better cooperation and that includes funding as well as support.  I’d like to see more departments follow San Ramon’s lead and make their citizens excited over their work and accomplishments.

We’d better get  this equipment checked out now, so while you start on that I’ll go make a fresh pot.  See you in the day room in a little while.

Posted by on May 13, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup, public relations, technology, Technology & Communications • Tagged:

All He Needs is Some IAFF Applications…

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IN BAGHDAD, IRAQ, A CORPS OF U. S. SOLDIERS are serving as fire service advisers as part of the nation reconstruction effort.  Lt. Col. Gary Esson heads up the fire service advisory unit of the 414th Civil Affairs Battalion, Provincial Reconstruction Team, and he explains:

The first step was to improve living standards inside Iraqi fire stations.  “If there was an [American Base] closing, we would contact them for any furniture that they would give up,” said Esson. “Items like desks, beds and chairs, your basic living items.”

The second step was to get the Iraqi firefighters proper recognition throughout the local community. According to Esson, Iraqi firefighters are not held in the same high regard as the police.

Sgt. Phillip Valentine, 366th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, has written a good article explaining the program and giving examples of some of the work that the fire advisors are doing.

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Capt. Brian Siccone, a fire and rescue technician
in the International Zone shows a group of
Girl Scouts the proper way to use a
fire extinguisher.

Please take a moment and read the story published by the Operation Iraqi Freedom website HERE.

Hat tip:  Todd H.

Posted by on May 8, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Prevention & Education, Fire Rescue Topics, public relations • Tagged:

Dishing it Back to the Home Builders

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IN SANFORD, MAINE, FIRE MARSHAL PETER CUTRER is taking a positive approach to public education in order to counter the real estate and home builders lobby.  As they are doing in every other state, the construction industry in Maine is resorting to outright lies in an attempt to scare the taxpayers and their elected representatives.  The Maine legislature is currently studying the new building code that goes into effect on July 1 with the consideration of a bill that has been offered to eliminate the home sprinkler clause.  (Sound like a state near you? … Ed.)

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WGME-TV

FM Cutrer recently set up a demonstration for the press including the local tv.  Using a donated, vacant house, he installed a sprinkler head in one room with some sparse furnishings including window curtains and in the opposite end of the house he furnished another room in the same way, but without the sprinkler head.  You already know how it turned out, but the news people were impressed and hopefully, the people watching their local newscasts were too.

WCSH-TV Ch. 6 Portland ran this story on their station Sunday:

WGME-TV Ch. 13 showed a report that Firegeezer likes better and you can VIEW IT HERE.

If you agree that this is an effective counter-campaign, then show your support for FM Cutrer and leave your comments on the stations websites HERE and HERE.

Posted by on April 5, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Prevention & Education, public relations, Videos

Maybe They Work There….

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….OR MAYBE THEY DON’T.  In Orlando, Florida, a disappointed citizen armed with a cell phone left a bar with his girlfriend early Sunday morning and saw an OFD firetruck that had stopped to chat with some party girls who wanted to get their pictures taken with the firetruck. 

As the 12 or so women posed in and on the fire engine for their shots, Andrew Pyle whipped out his killer camera and took his own photo then sent it to the mayor, explaining:

 ”As we approached the intersection of Central and Orange, we watched as approximately twelve girls hung all over an Orlando Fire Department Fire Engine, actually climbing on top of it, posing for pictures with the crew, kissing one of the firefighters, exchanging cell phone numbers with the crew, literally spilling drinks on the fire engine.”

And your point is, Andrew?

WOFL-TV Ch. 5 is covering this simmering scandal with a video report:

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Posted by on March 31, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, public relations, Videos • Tagged: ,