THE TINY TENNESSEE TOWN OF LUTTRELL lost its second firetruck in eight months from rollover accidents.

Dave Statter has the photos and details from both accidents at STATter911 HERE.

SATURDAY WE REPORTED (HERE) ON A VOLUNTEER FF who was struck by a pickup while he was directing traffic at a fire scene.  The elderly gentleman was taken to the hospital in critical condition and the truck that hit him was nearly demolished.

That was not a case of “road rage,” but just inattentiveness.  But it illustrates what can happen and who wins when a vehicle collides with a human.  This brought an email from one of our readers, Firefighter Dave in the PacNW who shares:

I remember many years ago while on traffic control detail, I saw someone about to disobey my directions and approaching quickly, so I stepped towards the path of the car to get their attention.  It kind of worked.  They swerved, flipped me off, and raced around the wreck.  Dumb me!

Afterwards, a great Captain nicely pointed out to me that there was no benefit, if the car was going to mow down my brothers, to also get myself mowed down.  Yell a warning, throw your stop paddle or a cone or something at them if you must, but stay bodily out of the way.

(Firegeezer learned long ago that tossing a lighted road flare in the passenger-side window slows them down, too.  But I don’t think the lads are allowed to direct traffic with road flares anymore.)

You have to be especially vigilant when some yayhoo becomes suddenly agitated and enraged at the inconvenient traffic obstruction.  A good example of how irrational somebody can become occurred in Portland, Oregon on Sunday when a young motorist chased down a bicyclist who had yelled at him for driving too fast.  The Oregonian reports:

A nearby resident caught part of the Sunday night confrontation on a cell phone video, a harrowing image of the cyclist hanging onto the hood of the car as it sped north on Southeast 58th Avenue.

The bicyclist, Jason S. Rehnberg, 37, said he jumped onto the car’s hood as it accelerated toward him. He first clutched the windshield wipers, then dug his fingers into the narrow crack between the hood and windshield.

Based on statements from Rehnberg and a witness, the man drove for three blocks at speeds up to 30 mph with Rehnberg on the hood. A resident filming the action with a cell phone captured about a half-block of that ride. The video caught the Escort’s tires screeching and the motorist’s sudden slamming on the brakes at Stark Street in an apparent attempt to dump Rehnberg off the hood, according to the affidavit.

It didn’t work. The car turned right onto Stark Street and drove two more blocks before it slowed and Rehnberg said he was able to slide off before pushing himself out of the way.

Police arrested the driver James Millican at 7:31 p.m. at his home in the 200 block of Northeast 68th Avenue. Police said he appeared intoxicated. A further inquiry showed he had a 0.11 percent blood-alcohol reading and admitted to having three drinks earlier in the day, court records show.

Millican had his license suspended from Feb. 27 through May 22 this year after receiving at least four traffic-related tickets in two years, including failing to drive within a traffic lane, failing to use seat belts and failing to obey a traffic signal.

Probably more drunk than enraged, it still points out that you just don’t know who is driving that car coming your way.  You have to ALWAYS BE CAREFUL.

KPTV Portland has the video clip of the bizarre ride on the hood and ran this report:

You can read the entire article in The Oregonian HERE.

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU SEEN A SPLASHY PRESS EVENT where the local fire department has announced that they will be checking everywhere to make sure that smoke detectors are installed?

The Grande Program always starts out with the individual fire companies hitting the street and going door-to-door offering free detectors for places that lack them.  After a couple of weeks, it loses its fizzle and the neighborhood checks become less frequent.  Then by the time two months have passed, it’s forgotten about and planning begins on the next publicity event.

This didn’t happen in Nottinghamshire, England, though.  The BBC News is reporting (HERE) that the county fire service has been actively engaged in a similar campaign for four years now.  Since the program has started, they have conducted 39,000 safety checks and installed more than 53,000 smoke alarms.

Station Manager Andy Bettison said that the campaign is aimed at households with elderly and “vulnerable” residents which includes single mothers and people with alcohol-abuse problems.  He said that the firefighters look for proper cooking methods, properly installed electrical sockets and smoke alarms. 

Now that is dedication.

AN UPSTATE NEW YORK VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER  was struck and seriously injured Friday while directing traffic at an accident scene.

FirefighterCloseCalls reports:

Sodus VFD Firefighter Gary Wahl, 65, was directing traffic at an accident scene in Williamson. Wahl was reportedly hit by a pick-up truck that was traveling around 55 miles-an-hour….the driver was reaching for an object and didn’t see the fireman. FF Wahl is now in satisfactory condition and charges are pending against the driver of the pickup truck, who suffered minor injuries.

Wahl was struck with enough force
to cause this much damage to the truck. 

Authorities say Wahl was blocking traffic when he was hit by a truck traveling about 55 miles per hour, which is the designated speed limit.  He was downgraded to guarded condition following surgery Friday night.

Rochester TV station WHAM has this video report:

A HELENA, MONTANA, WOMAN IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION with a serious head trauma after her mini-van was struck by a fire engine Thursday afternoon.

The engine from the West Valley VFD was responding to a grass fire when, according to Montana State Police, the woman drove through a stop sign into the path of the fire truck which had its lights and siren activated.

Both drivers were wearing seat belts, but the engine driver suffered a broken hand.

The Helena Record has the STORY.

A WYANDOT COUNTY, OHIO, FIRE ENGINE WAS RESPONDING to an auto fire inside an attached garage Monday night when it left the roadway and rolled over.

The driver, Richard L. Kear, 58, was ejected from the truck and died at the hospital about two hours later.  The only other FF on board was only slightly injured and was able to start first-aid on Kear while waiting for EMS to arrive.

Chief Goldfeder at FirefighterCloseCalls is keeping current with the story HERE.

AT THE SIX FLAGS AMUSEMENT PARK NEAR ATLANTA, GEORGIA, Saturday, a 17-yr.-old boy was killed when he was struck by the Batman Coaster inside a restricted area.

The Batman ride carries the passengers
upside-down through a series of
inverted loops.  (AJC photo)

The teen and another boy had left the park earlier in the day to buy some lunch outside.  Instead of returning through the entrance gate, they climbed over the park’s security fence in another area.  Once inside, they then climbed  a safety fence that surrounds the ride, even though it is plainly marked with Danger and No Trespassing signs. 

There is speculation that he was looking to retrieve a hat that he had lost earlier while riding the coaster.  While climbing around the coaster ride, the cars came by at about 50 mph and struck the youth killing him instantly by decapitation.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the full STORY.

The AP filed this video report:

THE U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION HAS JUST issued a recall of the following item:

Crafters Square Hot Melt Mini Glue Guns

This item from China was imported by Greenbriar International Inc. and distributed by Dollar Tree Stores Inc.  The recall involves about 253,000 of the cheap-o glue guns which were being sold at Dollar Tree, Dollar Bill$, Dollar Express, Greenbacks, Only One $1, and Deal$ stores nationwide from February 2007 through August 2007 for about $1.

The glue guns dispense hot glue and are intended for craft projects. The recalled glue gun is black with a yellow trigger and is approximately 4 1/2 inches from the back of the gun to the tip. Attached is a 44-inch electrical cord. “Crafters Square” and product number 818261-72 or 818261-75 are located on the guns’ packaging.

The recalled glue guns can short circuit, causing the gun to smoke and catch fire. This poses fire, burn and shock hazards to consumers.  Dollar Tree is aware of seven incidents in which these glue guns short circuited resulting in two injuries, including electrical shock and burns.

Firegeezer is well aware that people in the fire and rescue service are smart enough to know that an electrical appliance that sells for one dollar isn’t going to be very reliable.  But we are often called into other people’s houses who aren’t quite that sharp.  We’re providing this information to help you in your “smell of something burning” calls.

THE ONTARIO PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT announced that beginning in April, 2010, all newly-built apartment and condo buildings higher than 3 stories will have to be sprinklered.

API Group photo

This will bring the provincial building code closer to the levels found in the rest of Canada.  “The experience of other jurisdictions across North America is clear: Residential sprinklers reduce injuries, deaths and property loss due to fire,” says Pat Burke, Fire Marshal of Ontario.

Richard Boyes, president of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, said that “Ultimately, we would like to see sprinklers being made mandatory in all new residential units including single-family dwellings, townhouses and low-rise buildings.”

Boyes said Vancouver and Scottsdale, Ariz., both require sprinklers in all residential buildings and there hasn’t been a single fire fatality in either municipality since they mandated them 18 and 22 years ago respectively.

CTV has the STORY.

IN WALES SUNDAY A FIRE ENGINE FROM THE NORTH WALES Fire and Rescue Service was involved in a collision with an auto while responding to another wreck.

There were six firefighters on board the engine from the Aberdyfi station when it crashed and rolled over, injuring two of the FF’s. 

BBC News

A North Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: “Two firefighters have been transferred by ambulance to hospital – one suffering from head injuries and one from leg injuries. It is believed that the people travelling in the car were treated for shock by paramedics at the scene.”

The accident that they were responding to involved a car that was left teetering over a railway embankment.

The North Wales Daily Post has the full STORY.