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1914: The Guns of August

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Firefighting and the Great War

Ninety-seven years ago this month Europe’s leading nations clashed in what came to be known as "The Great War." Germany, Russia, England and France tumbled into a brawling maelstrom that would decimate an entire generation and re-define the tactics of warfare.

Though World War II would be deadlier, the Great War shattered the concept of innocence as slaughter was introduced onto the battlefield with a scope and regularity previously unknown. As comparison, the US fought the Vietnam War during which 58,212 Americans were killed. At the Battle of the Somme, which began on 1 July 1916, 19,240 British soldiers were killed–on the first day. A number equaling 1/3 of all the deaths in the 17-year Vietnam War was tallied in a single day on the fields of France, most of them before lunch. The scale of the carnage was astonishing.

While the politics of royalty may have started the war, the killing was fueled by technology and tactics which were famously mismatched. 20th century technology collided with stodgy 19th century battlefield tactics and the results were horrific. High explosive artillery shells, artillery with hydraulic recoil capability, Vickers and Maxim machine guns, flamethrowers and chemical weapons in tandem with stalemated, immobile troops engaged in trench warfare created a recipe for battlefield hell.

Much of this was made possible because leaders who led the Allies were steeped in the philosophy of offensive war making and tactics. Used to the moving battle complete with cavalry charges and quick marching advances they were utterly unprepared for the puzzles posed by static warfare where you could sing to, or along with, your enemies in the trenches across the way. Tens of thousands would die before commanders adjusted to the tactical reality of defensive war against a new generation of lethal weaponry.

Firefighting leadership, though on a much lesser scale, suffers a similar tactical conundrum but with a twist. The tools of "modern" firefighting allow for the placement of troops in extremely exposed positions. The combination of protective clothing, self-contained breathing apparatus, forced-air ventilation and even aerial apparatus allow firefighters to be placed rapidly into fire areas that are not under control and which represent marginal environments where any change in the equation can result in disastrous and irreversible consequences.

The professional "excuse" for placing firefighters into these exposed positions (and often the cause of their deaths) is for largely futile and mechanistic search and rescue activities. It is the Great War equivalent of the whistle blow ordering troops over the top of the trench and directly onto the barbed wire. It makes no sense but it was how the battle was (is) conducted. You can, with almost complete certainty, write the news story following the death of one or more firefighters and it will inevitably contain two sentences related to a catastrophic search effort:

"He had one thing in mind—find anyone left inside."

"Everyone made it out unharmed…"

(Those two sentences are quoted from the Asheville, NC, Citizen-Times story on the recent death of Jeff Bowen.)

At least two factors militate in favor of the ever increasing unpredictability of interior fire environments in non-sprinkled occupancies. The first is the use of composite and light weight building materials which decrease the ability for the structure to withstand fire damage making early, catastrophic or partial collapses possible. The second is the improvement in window fixtures that are vastly more robust and much less likely to fail early and which can be very difficult to open for controlled ventilation, escape or rescue. These are just two of the "poison gas" and "high explosive shells" we now face.

The tools of modern firefighting will continue to improve thus allowing troops to continue to enter unprotected forward environments for purposes often best classed as specious and absurd. It will ultimately be up to experienced firefighters and officers to change our tactics or risk being categorized in the manner of the man who led British Forces during World War 1. Field Marshal Douglas Haig was ever referred to as "the butcher."

………. Eric Lamar

Sources:
Barbara Tuchman
John Keegan
Martin Gilbert

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Texas Launches Wildfire Relief Fund

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VFD's Treasuries Depleted by Wildfires

THE LARGE AND PROLONGED WILDFIRES that swept across Texas over the past six weeks have caused a genuine hardship to the hundreds of volunteer fire departments, most of them in remote, rural areas.  As the ceaseless and massive grass fires set records for damage and destruction, many of the VFD's ran out of money because of the demands for fuel and repairs, plus equipment replacement.  While many of them were even working fires outside their own counties, it was not unusual to find the firefighters using their own personal credit cards to fill the fuel tanks in their firetrucks.

AP

An emergency fund that relies on donations has been set up to help pay for the needed supplies that these departments need badly and yesterday (Tuesday May 24) a press conference was held to introduce the Texas Wildfire Relief Fund.  The San Angelo Standard Times reported:

At a news conference Tuesday morning at the Capitol, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples — flanked by several West Texas state lawmakers whose districts have been affected by the fires — emphasized the financial drain of what he said has been "one of the worst wildfire seasons on record" and implored Texans to donate to the Texas Wildfire Relief Fund set up by the State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Association of Texas.

Staples applauded the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas for its $100,000 donation to the fund — the first significant contribution — but said it pales in comparison to the existing financial need.

Texas State Firemen's and Fire Marshals' Assoc.

"Although it is a significant contribution, it is pennies compared to the need out there, the need that is so great to help these volunteer firefighters to carry out their mission," Staples said. "But all Texans have the opportunity to give to this relief fund."

The state has set up its own account to receive donations to help fund firefighting costs, which have grown to almost $102 million statewide, according to the most recent estimates from the Texas Forest Service.

Read the entire article HERE.

To put it simply, the VFD's are out of money, but the fires are continuing to plague the state.  In addition, the funds will be used to purchase the lightweight wildfire PPE that many of the firefighters desperately need.  Structural running gear is too heavy for grass fire use and most of them are only clad in cotton T-shirts and pants while they are in the brush.

KXAN-TV Ch. 36 Austin covered the fund's introduction in this video report:

 

You do not need to live in Texas in order to donate.  You or your own department can donate to this very worthy fund directly online by CLICKING HERE and fill in the blanks.

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What’s in YOUR Bag?

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Teague Kenny makes a great suggestion

Go to The Tailboard to get the details ….. (Gettin' Ready: HERE)

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Somebody Will Be Getting a New Nickname Soon

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This is Not a Caption Contest Entry

FIREFIGHTERS IN ST. AUGUSTIN, GERMANY, were confronted with an obstacle during their recovery of a woman from an icy river last month.  The Feuerwehr Augustin has just now released this photo and the story about the water rescue attended by an ambulance crew that was reluctant to get wet.

The woman had been caught in flood waters on January 16 and was trapped in a swift current and extremely cold waters when the fire department arrived.  Earlier a police officer had plunged into the waters and kept the woman safe while the firefighters, using a life ring and safety rope, got hold of the victim and pulled her to safety.  But her place of refuge was surrounded by about one inch of water and the two ambulance medics would not wade through the puddle-depth waters to treat her, claiming that the were not equipped to walk through the water because their feet would get wet.

So the two “water averse” medics were carried piggy-back to where the woman was laying awaiting examination before they put her into an air ambulance that was standing by to transport her to the hospital.

Feuerwehr Augustin photo

After the incident was over, the fire officer would not say anything publicly about this new rescue technique other than to say that it was discussed “behind closed doors.”  The spokesman for the ambulance service put his best attempt at protecting his agency’s reputation by saying that the ambulance crews are not provided with equipment comparable to the  Feuerwehrmans and it would have been too costly for them to wade out there.  The cost being measure by the medic having to take off work for the rest of the day because of his wet feet.

The police official in charge was not too impressed with that excuse, pointing out that his officer had plunged into the river wearing his regular uniform and service revolver.

The General-Anzeiger has this story HERE

Firegeezer notes that the medics have no doubt picked up some new nicknames by now.  Perhaps the FF’s pressed into mule duty will have a new one as well.
Hat tip:  Christian Lewalter.

An Awesome Name Change

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A EUGENE, OREGON, MAN THINKS HE has found the path to success….by changing his name.  Douglas Allen Smith, who lists his occupation as “unemployed cabinet installer,” was always intrigued by a character on the NBC television series “Chuck” portrayed as Dr. Devon “Captain Awesome” Woodcomb.  “I just thought it was really funny that Devon’s father always called him Captain Awesome because ‘a poor nickname builds good character,’ ” Smith said.

So he appeared before the Lane County Circuit Court and appealed to have his name changed to Captain Awesome.  He makes it clear that his first name is not a title, but his name.  “Hi, I’m Captain,” is his usual greeting.  Mr. Awesome said that he had a little more difficulty than is usual getting his name changed.  The first judge questioned his seriousness in making the request and told him to hire a lawyer to represent him.  But Captain didn’t want to do that.  Instead, he did some boning up on the appropriate law and file his request again. 

This time, things went a bit more smoothly.  Judge Douglas Mitchell asked him a few questions, then required him to raise his hand and swear that he wasn’t making this name change for fraudulent reasons.  Then he not only proclaimed him to be Captain Awesome, but he even allowed Awesome’s request to be able to sign his name with a graphic, an arrow pointing to the right, a smiley face, and a left-pointing arrow.

The Department of Motor Vehicles accepted his new signature when he got his driver’s license changed to reflect his new name, but his bank won’t recognize it, saying that it’s too easily forged.

Captain Awesome proudly displays his signature on
the back of his new driver’s license.

But he should have a lot better luck getting a date now.  After all, why should anybody spend time looking for Mr. Right when Captain Awesome is already there.

The Eugene Register-Guard has the STORY.

Off-Duty Fire Chief Murdered

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THE FIRE CHIEF OF MAILLY-MAILLET, FRANCE, was shot and killed last Thursday while trying to mediate a domestic dispute.  Eric Demailly, 49, was the commander of the village’s volunteer fire brigade and was also the unofficial town arbitrator who had a reputation as a man of consensus, which seeks to resolve conflicts and to alleviate rather than escalate the dispute.

Eric Demailly

On Thursday, a national holiday for Veteran’s Day, Vincent Louchet was in town with some friends and he decided to visit his former wife Sylviaine who he was divorced from.  An argument broke out around 10 pm and a noisy fight ensued, followed by Vincent’s retreat to a garage he keeps for workshop projects.  Eric Demailly, who was also a career firefighter in Somme, went to the workshop to try and calm Vincent down and restore peace to the family.

While inside the garage alone with Louchet, Demailly was shot dead while they were alone.  It is not known what was said or done to cause the violent act.  Recuers and firefighters responded immediately to the scene, many having heard the two gunshots, but they were unable to save their chief.

Louchet immediately fled the scene, but a rapidly-assembled squad of 30 policemen tracked him down and arrested him about an hour later.  He is being held until his first court hearing.

Scene of the murder

The Courier-Piccard has the story and more details HERE.

San Antonio Ladder Truck Rollover

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AN AERIAL TRUCK FROM THE SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Fire Department rolled over on its side Sunday night, trapping one of the firefighters inside.

Express-News photo

Truck 35 was responding to a fire call around 6 pm local time and was making a left turn onto an access road to I-410, the city’s beltway.  The truck slammed down onto its right side injuring all four firefighters on board and leaving the man riding the right-side rear seat trapped.  The SAFD Technical Rescue team from station 11 was called in for the extrication that took nearly two hours. 

KSAT-TV image

“This is not like cutting into an Impala. This is like 36,000 pounds of equipment. It took a lot of effort, a very challenging extrication, for us to lift and cut parts of this truck to remove the firefighter,” San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood said.

The injuries were all “bumps and bruises” according to Chief Hood, except for the trapped FF who suffered an unspecified leg injury.

KENS-TV Ch. 5 filed this video report from the scene during the extrication:

 

There was no information acquired yet on how fast the truck was traveling or the circumstances of the structure fire that it was responding to.

The San Antonio Express-News has a photo gallery HERE.

Firefighter Shot at Auto Fire

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A FIREFIGHTER WAS SHOT WHILE WORKING at an auto fire in Grenoble, France, Friday night. 

Le Dauphine photo

An alarm was called at 10:30 pm for a car on fire in a parking lot at an apartment complex and the firefighters from the Saint-Martin-d’Hères station responded on the call where they found an auto well ablaze.  While they were putting the fire out, a 24-yr.-old FF suddenly  felt a sharp pain in his arm and notified his superior.  When his colleagues took a close look at the area of pain, they found what appeared to be a gunshot wound.

The victim did not see the shooter or where the shot came from.  An ambulance crew tended his wound and then transported him to the hospital in Grenoble.  Fortunately, the injury is superficial and no permanent damage appears to have been done.

The Grenoble police responded immediately to the scene and began investigating the source of the shooting.

BFM-TV  posted a video report:

 

Le Dauphine has the STORY.

London FF Strike Update

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Note:  Firegeezer and FossilMedic have been following the labor conflict in London, England, between the Fire Brigades Union and the fire administration HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

 “It was a complete farce. All we could do was stand outside, panicking
because the fire was getting worse.”

THOSE WERE THE WORDS OF A LADY whose house burned down Saturday while a crew of replacement firefighters attempted to put out the fire during the first of two planned work stoppages by the FBU following the government’s decision to literally fire all 5,557 firefighters and break their contract effective November 11.  Following a vote by the members, they approved the two job actions comprising a walkout for eight hours from 10 am to 6 pm on October 23 and November 1.

The first walkout took place Saturday and the Fire Brigade’s promise to maintain adequate coverage for the city failed to function.  As we previously reported, the city took 27 engines and hid them away for this contingency and then pressed them into service Saturday using contract firefighters who had been given a mere 2 weeks training.  The results were exemplified by Evridiki Spanos whose was quoted above.   The Evening Standard reports:

Spanos made six 999 calls as smoke poured from their roof but had to wait about 20 minutes for privately-hired firefighters to arrive. A crew should normally arrive within six minutes.  Mrs Spanos said the stand-ins — hired by the London fire brigade to provide cover during an eight-hour strike on Saturday — took a further 20 minutes to connect hoses to a street hydrant.When they did begin to tackle the electrical fire at their terrace home in Enfield, she claimed, they were unable to direct the water jets on target.  “One stood at the front of the house and another at the back, but the two water arcs missed the fire completely,” said the department store worker, 49.  “They were going over the top of each other, over the roof, not hitting the spot. It was a complete farce.

The fire was finally put out three hours later after the regular shift of firefighters came on duty at 6 pm when the walkout ended.  The top floor and the roof were burned out.

Mrs. Spanos and the family residence after the
regular firefighters arrived.  (Evening Standard photo)

 

The London Fire Brigade’s fire chief claimed that during the day there were several physical impediments to the fire engines by the strikers such as barricading the engine bays and surrounding working crews  to intimidate them.  The FBU president denies any such activity being committed by his members.

This video was taken after the day’s walkout had ended.  A group of firefighters were ”welcoming” the strikebreakers as they returned to the barn where the 27 replacement engines are being kept. 

 

During that first 8-hour shift the makeshift brigade responded to 49 incidents.

The next work stoppage is scheduled for a weekday, Monday November 1.

Sheriff Blames Forest Service for Wildfire

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THE RESIDENTS OF BEAVER COUNTY, UTAH, ARE SICK of being sickened by the smoke from a wildfire that the U. S. Forest Service has allowed to burn for more than two months.  The named Twitchell Canyon Fire was started by natural causes, but evidence shows that the U. S. Forest Service, who has jurisdiction over this area, has deliberately allowed the fire to continue burning in order to clear out underbrush. 

Twitchell Canyon fire photographed from the
International Space Station.  (NASA photo)

After 74 days of the acrid smoke hanging over their homes, many residents are literally getting sick from the air.  The Associated Press reports:

Beaver County Sheriff Cameron Noel said he’s given up trying to cooperate with federal land managers.  “My concern is that if any farmer in Beaver burns a ditch bank and it gets out of control, I have to go and arrest him with reckless endangerment — but what do we do with the Forest Service?” Noel told The Spectrum of St. George. “There are 42,000 acres burned and not a thing we can do about it. That’s sick.”

Noel said he’s been swamped with complaints about the fire, but can’t do anything about it.  “I’m not real happy with the BLM and Forest Service and the way they do things with law enforcement,” he said.

The fire has actually burned more than 44,000 acres, or about 68 square miles, and is only 28 percent contained, fire officials said.

KTVX-TV Ch. 4 Salt Lake reports on this situation and interviews the sheriff via telephone in this video report:

The Forest Service public spokeswoman adamantly insists that the fire is not “out of control.”  But a fire burning for more than two months and still only 28% contained renders that statement to be dubious at best.

Now with the Forest Service being publicly embarrassed by the ill-advised decision, they are bringing in more firefighters, including six hotshot crews, and engines to try and knock the thing down.  Just in the last two days they have increased the containment boundaries to 65%.

 

Heavy Damage in Vacant Castle Fire

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A MAJOR FIRE CAUSED HEAVY DAMAGE to the historic Chateau Latour in Liancourt, France, Tuesday afternoon.

The smoke could be seen from miles away. The alarm was received at 3:40 pm and when the first firefighters arrived, the roof of the building was fully engulfed in flames.  Firefighters of Liancourt, Clermont, Nogent-sur-Oise, Creil, also Senlis Precy-sur-Oise Beauvais were dispatched to the scene, a total of sixty firefighters.  Tuesday night firefighters continued to work hot spots in the castle.  Two of them were slightly injured in the operation.

The chateau was originally part of a large wine estate begun in 1866, but in modern times the land was the site of a major prison.  The chateau was used by prison staff for meals, meetings and training.  It was vacated in 2004 when a new prison was built replacing Latour.  Since it has been vacant the police have had a constant problem with vagrants and intruders in the building.

Daily Motion has this raw video of the fire:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdsiep

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdsfb2

Courrier Picard has the STORY.
View a 66-image photo gallery HERE.
SDIS 60 (Fire Dept.) WEBSITE.

Transformer Explosion Starts Show-Stopping Fire

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KMGH-TV

A DENVER, COLORADO, ELECTRICAL TRANSFORMER SUB-STATION the occupies most of a city block had an explosion Monday evening that led to a spectacular fire and left nearly 40,000 people without power.

KMGH-TV

When the FD arrived the flames were shooting 70 ft. high.  The first-in company, Engine 15 is located adjacent to the substation and the entire firehouse was rocked by the explosion.  They were able to respond immediately.  A fire dept. spokeman said that they had it extinguished in 20 minutes, but that there was substantial damage to the walled-in substation owned by Xcel Energy.

KMGH-TV

Power was restored before Tuesday sunup by rerouting supply through other lines, but the people in the affected area will suffer rotating brownouts for a couple of days until the equipment can be replaced.

KMGH-TV Ch. 7 has this video update:

d

A Sunday Emergency !

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Season Three, Episode 12

Body Language

A teen-age girl trips out after eating daffodil bulbs.

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Around the Fire Web

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If you took a break from the computer over the long weekend, here are some good stories that passed through while you were gone:

*  The South Carolina Fire Wire has had some server problems, too.  Grant Mishoe want you to know that he’s back online now and if full service.  SConFire is one of the older fire news blogs and does a great job of covering the Palmetto State’s fire and rescue service.  So make sure to click HERE to check it out and see what’s the latest from there.

And while you’re setting up your “Add to Favorites” list, be sure to include Capt. Mishoe’s other excellent website on American Fire Service history HERE.  It’s a hidden treasure that you will find fascinating.

*  Dave Statter, the publisher of STATter911 is heading into his last week at Channel 9 before he retires from television (He’s remaining online, though).  These past couple of weeks he has been running videos daily from the station archives of stories he’s covered during the past 25 years.  If you’ve missed some of them, he has the ones he’s shown so far on one page HERE.  They’re a lot of fun to watch, so check them out.

*  Last week the FDNY’s new fireboat Three Forty Three led the grand flotilla up the Hudson River to kick off the city’s annual Fleet Week.  FirefighterNation gave it good coverage with the full story and some good photos HERE.

Firefighter Daily hosted a First Due Blog Carnival last week.  It’s a great place to view a collection of other bloggers’ favorite articles from the past month, all on one page.  Take the time and CLICK HERE to read through them.  You might even discover some new (to you) blogs to add to the Favorites list.

Maryland Fire History

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YESTERDAY (FRIDAY) MARKED THE 54th anniversary of the deadly fire at the old Arundel Park bingo hall in Brooklyn Park, Maryland. The blaze on January 29, 1956, killed 11 people and injured several hundred more, and is believed to be the worst disaster in a public place in Maryland history.

arundel b

Joe Ross, a local author and retired firefighter who published a book on the fire in 2008, will give a one-hour presentation about the fire on February 11, followed by a book signing at the Pascal Senior Center in Glen Burnie. The program begins at 12:30 p.m. The senior center is located at 125 Dorsey Road.

The Arundel Burning website – CLICK HERE – has more information on the fire including a computer-generated graphic of the bingo hall and the FD operations, and a rare 16 mm. film showing the huge parlor in full blaze.

 You can read an excellent 16-page story on the fire also written by Joe Ross in a .pdf document HERE.
Hat tip to George Crosby for the info. and links.
 
arundel a
 
Contemporary photo of the Brooklyn Park VFD
Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

Arrest Made in Jockey Arson/Murders

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A 37-YR.-OLD MAN WAS ARRESTED WEDNESDAY AND CHARGED BEFORE A MAGISTRATE Friday with the deaths of two apprentice jockeys who died in a fire in an apartment on September 5 in Yorkshire, England.

jockey b

Jamie Kyne (left) and Jan Wilson
(RacingFotos.com)

Firegeezer carried a video REPORT HERE September 6 on the gruesome deaths of Jan Wilson, a 19-yr.-old woman from Scotland who had recently won her first race, and Jamie Kyne, 18, who  had been touted as one of Ireland’s most promising young jockeys.  The two victims were attending a small party with other apprentices when somebody set a deliberate fire in the hallway, trapping the occupants inside.  One of the residents who shared the flat with Kyne managed to jump out the upper story window and survived.

jockey a peter brownThe suspect, Peter Brown of North Yorkshire appeared for 3 minutes to verify his identity before he was remanded to custody to await a hearing before the Crown Court on December 4.  His soliciter declined to apply for bail.

It was claimed that the blaze started following a minor row when a man was refused entry into the flat where the jockeys and their friends were having the party.  Brown lived in the block of flats at the time.  He was originally arrested just hours after the fire but was released without charge.

Didn’t See the Flashing Lights

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A CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, MAN DRIVING WHILE DRUNK STEERED his car right into the side of a Chicago FD truck early Monday morning.  The fire engine had all its emergency lights operating and was backing into its firehouse as Hector Valedez, 44, crashed into it.

valedez

Hector Valedez

According to the Chicago Sun-Times:

Officers discovered he had no driver’s license and officers allegedly found a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and bloodshot eyes, according to police.

An officer asked him if he had been drinking and he allegedly said he had a “few beers.’’ He was taken into custody, according to police who said a test revealed his blood alcohol level was  .177,  more than twice the legal limit.

He was charged with felony aggravated DUI, misdemeanor DUI and driving without a license, along with failure to yield to an emergency vehicle and damage to public property.

We're Back !

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NORMAL OPERATIONS WILL be resuming.

Updates

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TWO OF TODAY’S STORIES HAVE JUST BEEN UPDATED.

Scroll down to the original postings to read these updates:

*  Elizabeth firefighter run over by his own engine.  The full details of the accident have been posted.

*  A Tulsa, Oklahoma, firefighter has been arrested and charged with destroying the bay doors of the fire station that is being renovated.

Fatal Car Crash and Fire in UK

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This is old news, but I’m experimenting with this video.  So if it shows up, then check out the crash.

 Double-click on the video to play

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5bFYyhospY

(Thanks, John)

Legendary L. A. Strip Club Burns

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THE FAMED WEST HOLLYWOOD STRIP CLUB, “The Body Shop” on Sunset Blvd. burned this morning. 

[photopress:body_a_lat.jpg,full,centered]
Los Angeles Times photo

The fire was reported shortly before 7 am Pacific time and was contained by the firefighters to the one business.  Despite having the fire knocked down in about an hour, the building sustained at least 70% damages.  Fire was showing through the roof when the 1st-in units arrived.

[photopress:body_b_KABC.jpg,full,centered]
KABC-TV image

The Los Angeles County FD worked the job with about 40 firefighters and the investigation into the cause is just getting started.

The Body Shop’s website describes the business as “the longest-running strip club in L. A.” having been in business since the early 1960′s.

KABC filed some raw video:

Mid-Week Musical Interlude

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WITH A SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY MASSEY FERGUSON ON THE BASS.

(Just love the mike positioned over the exhaust pipe)

Buffalo Firetruck Collision

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BUFFALO, NEW YORK, LADDER 7  was responding to an alarm Thursday afternoon when a car drove into the side of it.

Two firefighters and two passengers in the car were all transported to the hospital.  There is no report yet on the extent of their injuries.

Investigation into the cause of the wreck is continuing.

WIVB-TV Channel 4 has this video report:

Bullet Holes To Stay As A Reminder

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LAST WEEK FIREGEEZER REPORTED (HERE) and (HERE) ON THE INDEPENDENCE, KENTUCKY, fire engine that was fired on by a deranged man when they came to his home that was burning.

It was decided yesterday that they will not get the bullet holes in the pumper repaired. Instead they will remain so that everybody will not forget that you never know what to expect when you arrive at an emergency scene.

WKRC Ch. 12 Cincinnati has the video report on this announcement:

Drive Carefully ….

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Caution:  Beer Crossing