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Challenging Containment in Ancient Town Center in Germany – 3 Rescues Included

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Old Buildings Wall-to-Wall

A DIFFICULT FIRE IN HECHINGEN, GERMANY, Monday evening destroyed a centuries-old home in the town center and heavily damaged four others before the firefighters could put a stop on it.  The ancient town is noted for its extremely narrow streets and alleys that are the only access to many of the buildings.

The fire alarm was sent at 4:45 pm and the Hechingen Feuerwehr found smoke showing from the top floor and three people trapped and waiting at windows for rescue.  While more engines and three additional aerials were being dispatched to the town, Hechingen's tower-ladder removed the two men at one of the windows and a 78-yr.-old woman who was at another 3rd-floor window.

The firefighters went to the upper floor to attack the fire, but the false ceilings began falling on them and the entire  circuit of live electric wiring dropped down on them causeing one to receive a heavy shock.  As the fire began running the attic and spreading to the neighboring structures, the fire commander ordered the fire building to be evacuated.  Extreme sub-freezing temperatures were also causing hose stream runoff to immediately freeze over.

This on-the-scene video report from TV24 includes some good fire footage:

 

With the arrival of help from other fire brigades, a perimeter was set up to contain  the fire which was then breaking through the roofs.  When it was put out several hours later, five buildings had been destroyed or heavily damaged.

Spray and runoff were immediately freezing over  (SWP)

The fire brigade remained on the scene through the night taking care of hot spots and daybreak saw the arrival of a crane to tear down the remains of the fire building and begin debris removal.  Investigators hope to be able to begin looking for the cause sometime today (Tuesday).

SWP

Full news reports are included in Schwarzwaelder HERE and SWP  HERE.

Thanks to Christian Lewalter of Feuerwehr Blog.

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Posted by on February 7, 2012 • Filed under: fire, Fires, rescue, Rescues, Videos

Highway Crash in Ontario Leaves 11 Dead

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Passenger Van Involved

A PASSENGER VAN CARRYING MIGRANT WORKERS was struck broadside by a flat-bed truck Monday evening at a rural intersection near Stratford, Ontario, in the far southeastern portion of the Province.  The collision killed ten people in the van and the driver of the truck.  Three people have survived and are hospitalized.

CTV image

The accident occurred around 5 pm and was caused by the van that passed through a stopsign into the path of the truck.  The impact drove the van into the side of a nearby house.

Rescuers cut off the entire side of the van to extricate
the 13 passengers, many wearing seat belts.  (Toronto Star)

Currently the police do not yet know if the van simply drove through the stopsign or did stop first and then pull out, unaware of the approaching truck.  The deceased drivers of both vehicles will have blood samples taken for alcohol testing.  The passengers of the van were all migrant workers from Peru who are employed at a nearby chicken farm.

The wreckage of the truck's tractor testifies to the violence
of the collision and the certainty of the driver's failure to survive.
(Toronto Star)

Linda Rockwood, chief of the Perth County EMS. said seven ambulances responded to the crash, along with OPP Perth County police officers and Shakespeare volunteer firefighters.

CTV has the STORY.
The Toronto Star has a video report from the scene HERE.
The Globe and Mail has MORE.

Thanks to Matt W.

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Posted by on February 7, 2012 • Filed under: Mass Casualty Incident, rescue, Rescues • Tagged: ,

FF’s On Elevator Rescue Get Stuck On Elevator

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"When one thing goes wrong …."

A CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, MAN GOT STUCK IN AN ELEVATOR Sunday night.  When the firefighter who was able to reach him got the victim onto another car, it became stuck and both of them were trapped and in need of freeing.

The Chicago Tribune encapsulates what happened:

Firefighters were called to the Park Monroe Condominiums, 65 E. Monroe St. about 9:15 p.m. to rescue a man who was trapped in a stalled elevator between the 21st and 22nd floor of the 49-story building, said Chief Kevin McGregor, a fire department spokesman.

WGN-TV

A firefighter went up in another elevator in an adjoining shaft, exited through the ceiling hatch to get to the other elevator's hatch to transfer the trapped man and bring him down.

But after the transfer was made, the second elevator stalled and wouldn't come down, McGregor said.

Firefighters considered breaking through a brick wall to get into the elevator through the shaft and using ropes to bring the trapped men out, but didn't have to after an Otis Elevator Co. engineer was able to reset the elevator switch from the roof, put it in "inspection mode" and operate it manually, McGregor said.

It turned out that an electrical problem was causing the system to malfunction.

WLS-TV posted this brief video report where you get to see the building and some flashing lights:

 

Firegeezer adds his 2¢ worth:  If you are wondering why they didn't just open the car doors and exit onto the nearest floor the way you're trained to, it appears to have been an express elevator serving the upper floors of the 49-story building.  Therefore it was probably an enclosed shaft on the lower half prohibiting an access through the door.

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Posted by on February 6, 2012 • Filed under: rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged:

Car Crash Kills Fire Chief and Injures Assistant Chief in Pennsylvania

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No Chance to React

THE FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA (near Erie) FIRE CHIEF and Assistant Fire Chief were traveling to a training session at 7 pm Thursday evening when a car coming the opposite direction crossed the center of the roadway and struck them head-on.

David Flint  (WICU-TV)

The crash killed Chief David Flint and seriously injured Asst. Chief Sharon Petri.  The driver of the other car, Joshua Nickerson, 29, was treated for minor injuries and released.

The Erie Times-News adds:

Flint was taken to UPMC Hamot, where he was pronounced dead at 8:14 p.m. An autopsy conducted Friday determined that Flint died of blunt-force trauma to the trunk, Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook said.

WFXP-TV

Flint was not wearing a seat belt, state police said. A passenger in Flint's car, 40-year-old Sharon C. Petri, of Edinboro, also was unbelted, police said. Petri was taken from the accident scene to UPMC Hamot. She was listed in fair condition on Friday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Nickerson was taken to Hamot for treatment of moderate injuries. He was later released from the hospital. Nickerson was wearing a seat belt, police said.

Flint had been the fire chief for six years.

WJET-TV has more plus a good video report HERE.

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Posted by on February 4, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, current events, News, rescue, Rescues • Tagged: , , ,

Updated – Chicago Fire Engine Crash Injures Ten

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Four Firefighters Included in Injury Count

Update, 9:30 am Eastern:  Alcohol said to be determining factor.  Scroll down.

CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT ENGINE 62 was involved in a collision Tuesday evening around 6:23 pm that injured ten people including four firefighters.  The engine was responding to a medical call when it approached an intersection and slowed to look for traffic.  All cars in the intersection had stopped, so the pumper proceded into the intersection.  Without warning or reason, one of the stopped cars suddenly started forward and pulled into the path of the fire engine causing a destructive collision as the engine T-boned the right side of the car.

WSBT-TV image

The two adults and three children in the car were all trapped and had to be extricated.  They were all transported in serious condition.  A sixth passenger was only slightly injured.  The four firefighters were also transported in good to fair condition.

Police are investigating and still trying to find out why the 18-yr.-old driver suddenly started driving the car when he did.  The intersection is controlled by a 4-way stop sign.  Some witnesses say that the engine had its lights on, but they did not hear the siren.

WLS-TV prepared this video report from the scene:

 

Chicago Tribune has the STORY.
The Sun-Times has more plus photos HERE.

Update, 9:30 am Eastern:
The Chicago Tribune is now reporting that alcohol is suspected to be a contributing factor in the crash.  The Tribune writes:

Authorities say they suspect alcohol played a role in the collision between a Chicago fire truck and a carload of people in the Far South Side that injured 10 people.

None of the victims — including three children and four Chicago firefighters — suffered life-threatening injuries when the truck, responding to a fire call, collided with a mid-size sedan at Halsted and 128th streets, police said. A female passenger did suffer a broken neck, authorities said.

One source said the sedan's driver, a man, had a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit. A second source said police were seeking felony charges against the driver. Both sources requested anonymity because they weren't cleared to discuss the matter publicly.

A police spokesman said he was awaiting further information and declined to comment.

 

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Posted by on February 1, 2012 • Filed under: apparatus, Fire Rescue Topics, rescue, Rescues, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus • Tagged: , ,

Florida Brush Fire Smoke Leads To Multiple Highway Deaths

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Fiery Crashes Kill at Least 10

A MIXTURE OF MORNING FOG AND SMOKE FROM A BRUSH FIRE caused zero-visibility conditions on I-75 south of Gainesville, Florida, Sunday morning.  Within minutes after 3:30 am a series of chain collisions began in both the northbound and southbound lanes of the Interstate highway with many of the vehicles catching on fire and burning up. 

Gainesville Sun

The Associated Press tells:

Steven R. Camps, 23, of Gainesville, said traffic stopped along the northbound lanes because of heavy smoke and fog. "You couldn't see anything. People were pulling off the road," he said.

Camps said he and his friend began talking to a man in the car stopped next to them about the road conditions, when another vehicle hit the man's car.  Camps said the man's vehicle was crushed under a semi-truck stopped in front of them. Camps said his car was hit twice, but he and his friend were able to jump out. They took cover in the grass on the shoulder of the road.

"You could hear cars hitting each other. People were crying. People were screaming. It was crazy," he said. "If I could give you an idea of what it looked like, I would say it looked like the end of world."

Gainesville Sun

He said cars and trucks were on fire and they could hear explosions as the vehicles burned.

"It was happening on both sides of the road, so there was nowhere to go. It blew my mind," he said. "It was like a war zone. It literally looked like someone was picking up cars and throwing them."

Gainsville Sun

The State Police told the press that when the first police, fire and EMS units began arriving, the smoke was so thick that they had to proceed on foot and head toward the moans and screams of the victims to locate them.

Fox News reports that photographs of the scene revealed a gruesome aftermath, with twisted, burned-out vehicles scattered across the pavement and smoke still rising above the wreckage. Cars appeared to have smashed into the big rigs and, in one case, a motor home. Some cars were crushed beneath the heavier trucks.

Reporters who were allowed to view the site saw one tractor-trailer that was burned down to its skeleton, charred pages of books and magazines in its cargo area. Bodies were still visible inside a burned-out Grand Prix. The rubber on the tires of every vehicle had burned away, leaving only steel belts.

Gainesville Sun

State police estimated that wreckage was strewn for nearly a mile in both directions.

The Gainesville Sun has the story and a 67-image photo gallery HERE.

Fox News provided some raw video of the aftermath:

 

Several dead in multiple crashes on I-75: MyFoxORLANDO.com

Hat tip to Mark D.

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Posted by on January 29, 2012 • Filed under: fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Fires, rescue, Rescues • Tagged: , ,

Elderly Woman Dies in Fire Engine Collision

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Drove Into Fire Engine's Path

AN 80-YR.-OLD WOMAN WAS KILLED SATURDAY when her car was struck broadside by Denver, Colorado, Engine 22 as it was responding to a house fire.

KMGH-TV image

Witnesses all told police that same story, that the firetruck had the green light at the intersection and was traveling at a reduced speed when the woman drove through her red light and directly into the engine's path.  The engine's driver had no chance to avoid the collision and struck the car right at the driver's door.

KDVR-TV image

The fire engine pushed the car about 30 yards along the street and clipped two other cars along the way.  The firefighters immediately went to the aid of the woman who had to be extricated before they could begin CPR on her.  Unfortunately she arrived at the hospital DOA and was pronounced there.  None of the passengers in the other two cars were injured.

9News posted this video report from the scene:

 

KMGH-TV has the details HERE.

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Posted by on January 29, 2012 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, rescue, Rescues, Vehicle Operations & Apparatus, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Ladder Rescue in China

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Familiar Technique

LADDER RESCUE TECHNIQUES in the Far East are not much different than in the West.  This video taken on Wednesday in the central Chinese city of Yueyang was at a major fire in a 3-story apartment building.  The only other information that came with it is that the woman is over 70 years old and is paralyzed.

 
Ils sauvent d'une mort horrible une handicapée by Zoomin_France

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Posted by on January 21, 2012 • Filed under: rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Truck Into Bedroom Kills Driver

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Sleeping Couple Unhurt

TA / Lemuth

A FLASH-FREEZE IN THE STUTTGART, GERMANY, area Thursday evening caused chaos on the highways and more than 300 accidents.  The most unusual wreck was a freight truck that suddenly slid off the road in Meiningen and jacknifed into a house with the truck cab crashing through a bedroom.

Bild

The 42-yr.-old truck driver was ejected from the cab during the crash and died on the scene from his injuries.  The man and wife who were sleeping in the bedroom were unhurt.

Dieter and Heike Bohme, the unhappy but lucky couple
who were sleeping just feet away from the truck.  (Bild)

The house was left unstable and ready to collapse.  A police spokesman said that the house would have to be shored up and made safe before they could even try to move the truck away.

Bild

Bild has the STORY.

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Posted by on January 20, 2012 • Filed under: Building construction, rescue, Rescues • Tagged: , ,

Dramatic Citizen Fire Rescue in France

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Police on the Scene With a Ladder

A 90-YR.-OLD WOMAN WAS RESCUED from her blazing apartment by a passing soldier, a crew of policemen and two neighbors Tuesday evening.

The woman's kitchen was ablaze and she first tried to put it out herself without success.  As the fire spread into her apartment, her escape was cut off and she could only retreat to her balcony.  The smoke was visible from a nearby police station and several officers responded immediately to the scene where they commandeered a ladder from a craftsman's work van.

While the soldier started scaling the ladder, the others went inside to try an incursion into the apartment, but were unable to get inside.  They then went down one floor and came out on the balcony below the fire apartment.  The soldier and a policeman going up the ladder were accompanied by two young men from the neighborhood and they all combined to make the dramatic rescue seen on the home video:

 

The comments on the video are bystanders repeating that the fire brigade is too slow arriving.

The old woman was severely stricken with smoke inhalation and was rushed to the hospital.  The fire brigade arrived soon after and removed another six victims with their tower platform. 

All photos via L'Alsace

The fire was extinguished with one hose line, but three apartments were burned while two more on the floor below had water damage.  Eight people were treated for smoke inhalation.

The rescuer, Corporal Dmitri Higelin, 22, is recently returned from four years in the army where he served in Afghanistan.  He says he is ok with just some minor burns on his legs.

Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace has the STORY.

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Posted by on January 18, 2012 • Filed under: fire, Fires, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Merchant Ship Ka-Boom in Korean Waters

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Not a Good Week For the Shipping Business

A MERCHANT FREIGHTER THAT CARRIES PETROLEUM products had a hull-breaking explosion Sunday morning off the coast of South Korea.

Korea Coast Guard photo via Reuters

The ship had just left the port at Incheon when it blew up.  It is believed that five of the 16-man crew were killed and perhaps six more are missing.

The Korea Herald tells us:

Doola Shipping, which operates the ship, said the explosion seems to have taken place while gas was being drained from the oil tank. "The vessel usually transports diesel, but this time it carried gasoline. We are now examining whether it had any relation to the explosion," a company official said.

Korea Coast Guard photo via Reuters

The explosion was not caused by any external shock, Coast Guard officials said, adding it suddenly occurred when some crew members were cleaning the oil tank on the deck. They will request a forensic test for the case, the officials said.

Apparently the gasoline had been offloaded at Incheon and it was the vapors in the tank that exploded.  There was no product leaked into the sea as a result of the accident.  An investigation is open to determine what happened.

Euro News posted this raw video showing a closeup view of the ship from sea level:

 

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Posted by on January 15, 2012 • Filed under: explosion, Fire Rescue Topics, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , , , ,

Cruise Ship Rips Hull, Sinks. Scores Missing

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More Than 4,200 on Board

A LUXURY CRUISE LINER RAN AGROUND near Tuscany, Italy, late Friday night, ripping a 160-ft.-long seam in the hull.  The Costa Concordia, carrying about 3,200 paying passengers and 1,000 crew, had just embarked that evening for a 2-week cruise on the Mediterranean Sea.  The mandatory evacuation drill wasn't scheduled to be held until Saturday evening. 

BBC News

The USA Today further reports:

Survivor Christine Hammer, from Bonn, Germany, shivered near the harbor of Porto Santo Stefano, on the mainland, after stepping off a ferry from Giglio. She was wearing elegant dinner clothes — a gray cashmere sweater, a silk scarf — along with a large pair of hiking boots, which a kind islander gave her after she lost her shoes in the scramble to escape. Left behind in her cabin were her passport, credit cards and phone.

Hammer, 65, told The Associated Press that she was eating her first course, an appetizer of cuttlefish, sauteed mushrooms and salad, on her first night aboard her first-ever cruise, which was a gift to her and her husband, Gert, from her local church where she volunteers.

Suddenly, "we heard a crash. Glasses and plates fell down and we went out of the dining room and we were told it wasn't anything dangerous," she said.

Several passengers concurred, saying crew members for a good 45 minutes told passengers there was a simple "technical problem" that had caused the lights to go off. Seasoned cruisers, however, knew better and went to get their life jackets from their cabins and report to their "muster stations," the emergency stations each passenger is assigned to, they said.

Once there, though, crew members delayed lowering the lifeboats even thought the ship was listing badly, they said.

"We had to scream at the controllers to release the boats from the side," said Mike van Dijk, a 54-year-old from Pretoria, South Aftica. "We were standing in the corridors and they weren't allowing us to get onto the boats. It was a scramble, an absolute scramble."

As they were donning their life vests and getting into the life rafts, several dozen people panicked and began jumping into the sea.  A few managed to swim to the nearby island of Giglio, but at least 3 drowned and nearly 70 others are missing. 

Stranded lifeboat gives mute testimony to
the ship's crew's incompetence.

As the ship took on water it began listing and several of the lifeboats were unable to be lowered off the steep incline of the ship's side.  As other ships and nearby ferry boats began arriving to aid in the rescue, several helicopters hovered overhead lighting up the area for the rescue effort.  The helicopters also plucked about 50 passengers from danger and took them to the island.

After all known survivors were removed, rescue divers began searching through the ship for any victims.

ABC News prepared this early video report:

 

The residents of Giglio immediately began opening up schools, churches and other large buildings to shelter and take care of the passengers until they could eventually be transferred to Porto Santo Stefano on the mainland.  Elizabeth Nanni from the island's tourist information service told the BBC, "Usually there are 700 people on the island at this time of year, so receiving 4,000 and some in the middle of the night wasn't easy," she said. "Some people jumped in the sea so they had hypothermia."

BBC graphic

There will be many questions raised at the inquiry into the wreck, including why was the ship so close to shore in treacherous waters?  Also, why was the mandatory evacuation drill not held promptly after setting sail as is required?  Why was the ship's crew so unprepared for an emergency that they could not function during the evacuation?

For more details see:
USA Today HERE.
BBC News has MORE.
CNN International HERE.

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Posted by on January 14, 2012 • Filed under: rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: ,

40-Vehicle Pileup Kills 2 in New Orleans

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Heavy Fog Conditions May Have Been a Factor

A PRE-DAWN PILEUP ON I-10 ENTERING New Orleans, Lousiana, Thursday left 2 people dead and about 59 others injured.

WVUE-TV image

The vehicles included cars and trucks of all sizes that were left in a tangled mess along the westbound lanes at 4:30 am.  There are reports that there were heavy fog conditions in that area at the time.  Besides the two fatalities another 22 people were transported for a variety of injuries ranging from minor to critical.  An additional 37 injured were either treated on the scene or refused treatment.

The two fatalities are being preliminarily identified as a 54-yr.-old man who was in a pickup truck and another man whose age was not given and was traveling in a different pickup.

WWL-TV

All of the eastbound and westbound lanes were  closed all morning so that emergency vehicles and the dozens of tow trucks needed could gain access to the crash site.

WWL-TV has the story HERE .

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Posted by on December 29, 2011 • Filed under: Mass Casualty Incident, rescue, Rescues • Tagged: , ,

Paramedic Dies During Canyon Rescue

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Helicopter Rescue Goes Awry

AN AUSTRALIAN PARAMEDIC WAS KILLED ON CHRISTMAS EVE during a rescue attempt of two "canyoners" who were trapped at the foot of a cataract in New South Wales.  Michael "Mick" Wilson, 41, was lowered on a helicopter cable to the stricken hikers and had successfully lifted one of them into the helicopter.  He had been lowered back down for the second victim and had him attached to his person as the helicopter began winching them up.  For a reason not yet known, the pair were slammed against the canyon wall just as the ascension began.  The pilot immediately lowered them the few feet back to ground and cut the cable.  Wilson was fatally injured in the incident.

Several additional helicopter rescue teams were then dispatched to the scene and four more rescuers were ready to go down to retrieve the victims, but the weather was too treacherous to immediately bring them back up.  Paramedic Wilson and the surviving victim had to be left together on the ledge overnight until daylight and better weather conditions returned.  Wilson died during the time they were waiting.

At 7am Christmas morning the rescuers were able to bring the two victims back to the ground above.

Rescuers prepare the body of their colleague to be lifted up
to the helicopter.  (Ten News image)

Mr. Wilson was a member of the highly-skilled Special Casualty Access Team and had received many commendations for his heroic rescues.

The Daily Telegraph reported:

An experienced paramedic of more than 15 years, his death has rocked the NSW Ambulance Service and left his wife of 16 years Kellie and their children Eliza, 14, Grace 12, and Hugo, 5, facing a life without him.

"We are so proud to have loved him and to have been loved by him," Mrs Wilson said outside the home the family shared. There are many people out there that owe their lives to my beautiful husband.

"His death has left an immeasurable void. He would come home from work and tell me the stories of his day and as a family we would gather around and listen to the extraordinary things he had done.

"Michael was an amazing clinician and he saved countless, countless lives. They take their work very seriously and they work very hard to mitigate risk but I was also aware that Michael did what he did because he truly wanted to help others."

According to The Australian,

It is the first time in 30 years a NSW paramedic has been killed on duty. A team of investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been set up, but indications are the probe could take up to 12 months to complete.

The team will interview the helicopter crew, retrieve flight data, inspect the helicopter and gather operational and training records from the operator.  Police will also interview the two canyoners.

Ten News prepared this video report that includes footage of the final rescue:

 

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Posted by on December 26, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Line of Duty, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Santa Makes a Save!

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A Brief Pause During His Toy Run

WITNESSES IN DALLAS COUNTY, TEXAS, WERE AMAZED Tuesday as they watched Santa Claus hop out of a car and pull a crash victim from his burning pickup truck.  After dragging the man to safety, Santa then started directing traffic around the accident scene as the truck burned.

WFAA-TV

As the police, fire and EMS units arrived, Santa climbed back into his sleigh-car and drove away.  He didn't leave his name behind, but presumably everyone already knew who it was and where he lives.

WFAA-TV made an extra effort and tracked him down and it turns out to be a former volunteer firefighter who was delivering Christmas bundles to the needy when he came across the 2-car accident.  They interview the Santa Samaritan in this video report:

 

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Posted by on December 21, 2011 • Filed under: culture, fire, Fires, rescue, Rescues, Videos

Firefighters Burned in Brooklyn

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5 Members of Rescue 2 Injured – 2 Seriously

A FIRE IN A 3-STORY BROWNSTONE IN BROOKLYN, New York, Monday morning took off trapping five members of Rescue 2 who were on the third floor.  They were trapped in the front rooms but were able to make it over to windows where ladder crews rescued them through the windows.  In one dramatic moment, one of the FF's protective clothing caught on fire and he bailed head first onto the aerial where the ladderman began pounding out the flames while another FF played a hose stream on him.

New York Daily News

The New York Post had a videographer on the scene who captured the dramatic moment:

 

While the injury reports understandably are fluid, the latest at this time of writing, provided by FirefighterCloseCalls, says that the most critical injuries are listed:   1 firefighter has critical, 3rd degree hand burns and multiple other 2nd and 3rd degree spot burns (45% overall) and will be in surgery. The 2nd most serious firefighter has several 2nd and 3rd degree burns and is doing well.  Of the other three injured, one is serious and the other three are stable.

"The good news here today is the protective equipment they were wearing really helped them not sustain what could have been true life-threatening injuries," FDNY Deputy Chief Edward Baggott told the press corps.

The fire that began around 9 am went to two alarms and brought 100 firefighters to the scene.  It was knocked down in about an hour.  The family of six who live in the house were not at home when the fire started and the cause is still being investigated.

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Posted by on December 19, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , ,

This is Not a Drill

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3 Vehicles – 6 Injured in Chicagoland

Two people in the SUV required extrication  (Larry Shapiro photo)

THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE EXTRICATION CONTESTS that are run to challenge competition, but the real thing that happened Sunday in Glenview, Illinois.  ChicagoAreaFire photographers Larry Shapiro and Tim Olk were on the scene and recorded the operation that required two extrications.  Larry Shapiro describes the incident:

Shortly after noon (Sunday) the Glenview Fire Department was notified of a multi-vehicle accident with a rollover and entrapment in the 2900 block of Glenview Road. Unconfirmed reports are that the police department had a cellphone caller advise of an erratic driver and while on the phone the caller may have witnessed the accident. Glenview Fire responded with two engines, two ambulances, a truck, and Battalion 6. Upon arrival at the scene two additional ambulances were requested and a third engine for manpower.

A Jeep SUV was on top of one sedan and a third vehicle was about 30 feet down the road with extensive damage. Companies began two extrications; one to free the driver of the car and the second to free two patients from the SUV. The three occupants of the car underneath the SUV were out of the vehicle when units arrived.

The driver of the third car, 30 ft. down the road, was the
most challenging of the extrications.  (Larry Shapiro photo)

View the entire photo story including a unique panoramic photo of the entire scene in ChicagoAreaFire HERE.

Check out Larry's 191-image photo gallery from the incident HERE.
Also Tim Olk's 120-image photo gallery HERE.

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Posted by on December 18, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, rescue, Rescues • Tagged: , , ,

Mad Gunman Attacks Crowd in Belgium

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Five People Killed and 125 Wounded

Update, Wednesday AM:  Body found in shed behind shooter's home.  Scroll down.

A CRAZED MAN CLIMBED ATOP A BAKERY in downtown Liege, Belgium, midday Tuesday and began shooting into crowds of Christmas shoppers while also hurling grenades from the rooftop onto the helpless people.

The attack took place at the city's main square, the Place Saint-Lambert.  Police say the man's name is Nordine Amrani, 33, and that he acted alone in his assault.  The cold-blooded attack stopped when Amrani turned a gun on himself and shot himself in his head.  By then there were 6 people dead (including Amrani) and at least 125 injured, many seriously.  Among the dead were a 23-month-old baby and two teenage boys.

Amrani carried a rifle, a handgun, and three grenades up to the roof of the Hot Spot Bakery overlooking the plaza and opened fire on the unsuspecting crowd.  Police say that he began the attack by tossing the three grenades into clusters of people who were waiting for buses.  Then he opened fire with the rifle causing panic as people tried to run for safety.  He concluded the assault by killing himself just a few minutes later.

The suicide Amrani lays along his spent magazines and weapons.

Sky News prepared this video report that includes footage taken during the attack:

 

The Liege firefighters and ambulance workers were faced with an immediate challenge of facing a scene with more than 120 victims laying in the plaza with a variety of violent injuries by gunfire and shrapnell.

Amrani was already known to the police for being a career criminal and he had just been released from prison on parole after serving most of a 54-month term for drugs and weapons convictions.  Police do not yet know what the motive was or what precipitated the attacks.

Graphic prepared by BBC News

Detailed coverage at length on the event can be read at these recommended (English language) websites: 

BBC News
Los Angeles Times
The Globe and Mail

 

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 Update, Wednesday morning:

Police have found the body of a middle-aged woman in the shed behind Amrani's house where he had previously kept his "pot farm."  The woman had been shot once in the head and is tentatively identified as a cleaning lady who lives or works in the neighborhood.  They also found more weapons and a stockpile of ammunition in the same shed.

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Posted by on December 14, 2011 • Filed under: crime, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Bystanders Rescue Man From Burning Car

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Large Blaze at Gas Station

SOME BRAVE BYSTANDERS RAN TO THE AID of a man trapped inside a burning car at the gas island of a convenience store in Dayton, Ohio, Saturday afternoon.

WDTN-TV

Police say the man had suffered a medical incident while driving and collided with two other cars at an intersection after noon.  His car then careened into a row of gas pumps at a convenience store and started burning.  The flames then caught a second car fire.  As this was happening a man who was shopping ran to hit the emergency shutoff, then joined two others in pulling the injured man from his car.  A young boy in one of the cars was also injured.

Dayton Daily News

When the FD arrived the firefighters pushed the second car back and attacked the main fire with a foam line, extinguishing the fire quickly.

Daily News

Medics transported the man to a burn unit and the boy was taken to Children's Hospital with minor injuries.

Daily News

 

WDTN-TV filed this video report:

 

A bystander with a home video camera got some raw video of the burning cars:

 

The Dayton Daily News has the STORY.

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Posted by on December 11, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Rescue in Wilmington

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Two Young Children Unconscious

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, FIREFIGHTERS responded to a rowhouse fire Friday afternoon and found heavy smoke showing along with several neighbors and police officers attempting to reach two children known to be on the second floor.

Axeman ventilates while search crews enter 2nd floor  (News Journal)

The thick smoke was rebuffing the citizens' attempts to get inside the house, but Ladder Co. 2 members Lt. Eric Haley and FF Neil Skinner made it to the top floor and located the 3-yr.-old girl and 1-yr.-old boy who were both overcome by the smoke and unconscious.  They brought the children downstairs and passed them off to waiting policemen who transferred them to the paramedic units.  The girl was already in cardiac arrest when they brought her out.

This video report from DelawareOnline  captured the dramatic moment when the rescue was made:

 

The girl was revived in the ambulance and both children are in critical condition at the hospitals.  They were apparently not burned, however.

The house did not have any smoke detectors.

The News Journal has the full STORY HERE.
News Journal 12-image photo gallery HERE.
Wilmington Fire Department WEBPAGE.

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Posted by on December 10, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, rescue, Rescues, 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: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cowardly Driver Crashes Into Home Starting a Fire, Then Runs Away Leaving Injured Passenger Behind

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But The Police Caught Him Anyway

A 20-YEAR-OLD MAN IS SITTING in jail this morning facing a long list of charges after he crashed his car Saturday morning in Rochester Hills, Michigan.  The accident took place around 5 am when the not-yet identified driver traveling at a high speed jumped a curb and crashed into a double-wide mobile home starting a fire.  The car ended up just feet away from the residents who barely escaped before the fire swept through their home and completely destroyed it.

Paramedics tend to the critically injured passenger  (WXYZ-TV )

The car had a 20-yr.-old female passenger who was critically injured in the wreck, but she was fortunate that a neighbor was outside at the time and witnessed the incident.  The neighbor, Philip Shackelford told the Detroit area press:

Shackelford described the driver as belligerent, "He was saying please don’t call the police. I told him I think it’s a little late for that. Can you help me with her? And he just refused to help. He just was trying to get out his side."

Shackelford was able to pull the girl, 20-year-old Diamond Richardson from the car then ran over to check on his neighbors inside the burning trailer. A mother and her son were inside.

Meanwhile, the driver ran off and left Richardson behind. According to Richardson’s family, she is in critical condition with a broken back, collar bone and jaw.

The driver was found shortly after noon at his sister's house in the same neighborhood.  The police took him to a hospital for treatment and following his release they arrested him.

WXYZ-TV filed this video report:

 

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Posted by on November 27, 2011 • Filed under: fire, Fires, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , ,

Two Seriously Injured in Ambulance-Car Collision

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Where else?  At an Intersection

A CONNEAUT LAKE RESCUE SQUAD ambulance was in a collision that ended up involving five other vehicles Wednesday night in Meadville, Pennsylvania.  The ambulance was responding to a call with lights and siren activated when it met an auto in a controlled intersection.

Meadville Live photo

Two people in the auto were seriously injured and had to be extricated before they were transported.  The two medics were uninjured. 

Meadville Live

The crash knocked the ambulane into the oncoming traffic lane where a minor chain-reaction collision took place.  Nobody in the other cars were injured.  There is no report yet on the cause or fault in the accident.

Early report in Meadville Live HERE.

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Posted by on November 25, 2011 • Filed under: ambulances, EMS Topics, rescue, Rescues, Vehicle Operation & Ambulances • Tagged: , , ,

Christmas “Miracle” in New Zealand

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Not One Single Injury

A NEW ZEALAND HELICOPTER PILOT will be going to church for sure this Sunday.  Earlier this morning (Wednesday) around 10:30 am local time, Greg Gribble was using his helicopter in a work zone to help set up a 70-ft.-high fiber-optic Christmas tree for the New Zealand Telecom when the rotors appeared to strike a cable.

Fairfax Media photo

The impact caused the aircraft's rotor blades to start breaking apart while sending the fuselage spinning out of control just 15 feet off the ground.  The helicopter broke into pieces while flinging the strapped-in pilot around the cabin before it came to rest nose up on the ground.  Fortunately there was no fuel leak to trigger a hot and potentially fatal fire and several of the construction workers were able to climb onto the wreckage and free the pilot who remained conscious the entire time.

NZTV was videorecording the operation for their news broadcast when the incident took place.  They captured the entire wreck plus the daring rescue by the site workers who leapt onboard to get Gribble to safety amidst the obvious fire hazard:

 

Amazingly, despite the flying debris being pitched around, nobody on the ground was struck or injured.

Greg Gribble

Greg Gribble is the owner of the family business Helisika Helicopters and is in his mid-50's according to his daughter.  He was treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital just a few hours later.

Stuff.co.nz has a good, complete report plus an 11-image photo gallery HERE.

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Posted by on November 23, 2011 • Filed under: aircraft, Fire Rescue Topics, rescue, Rescues, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

FF Killed in Wreck – Father Responds on Call

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Severe Shock to Father

NEAR FLEIN, GERMANY, SATURDAY MORNING a 28-yr.-old off-duty firefighter was killed in a collision with a transit bus on a country road.  Shortly before 8 am the bus and car, a VW Golf, collided on a gentle curve head-on, sending the VW careening along the guard rail. 

The car, seen farther down the road, smashed into the
guardrail and slid several yards beyond the impact point.

The unnamed driver of the car was a member of the Fleiner Fire Brigade and perished immediately on the scene.  It was the Fleiner firefighters that responded to the call and the driver's father was unknowingly one of the responding FF's on the first-arriving engine.

When the engine arrived on the scene, the father went into a heavy shock and had to be treated on the scene by the doctor.

The 45-yr.-old bus driver was similarly stricken and had to be transported.  Seven passengers on the bus were also treated, but not transported.

Three engines, an ambulance and a medical fastcar with a doctor were all dispatched on the call with about 20 fire and EMS people responding.

There is no information yet on what caused the collision.

Stimme News has the story and a video report from the scene HERE.
Stimme has a 10-image photo gallery HERE.

Hat tip:  Christian Lewalter

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Posted by on November 14, 2011 • Filed under: EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, rescue, Rescues • Tagged: