CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA, FIREFIGHTERS were called out to a garage fire Tuesday morning and after quickly knocking the fire down, they discovered a body inside the garage.
The fire was dispatched around 2:20 am when some neighbors saw smoke and flames coming from the single-family residence. The FD arrived within a few minutes and had the fire out in about ten minutes. The Las Vegas Metro police investigators responded after the fire was deemed suspicious by the FD, and they later determined that the victim was a likely homicide.
The victim has not yet been officially identified nor his cause of death. The coroner's office will be the source of that information when they determine both. The resident of the house, according to neighbors, was a man who lived alone.
Do we get an exemption from the "walking under the ladder" rule?
Do you remember the flap that cropped up last year in Clark County, Nevada, about "systematic sick leave abuse?" The county's fire commissioner, Steve Sisolak was accusing a large percentage of the 700-member department of "gaming" the sick leave system as a way to bolster each other's overtime pay. I vaguely recall that at one point Sisolak said as many as 1/3 of the firefighters were playing this game. Having been on the "inside" of a fire department for a good portion of my life, I couldn't figure out how something like that would work. For instance, how would my burning off a day of sick leave bring about a guarantee that I would in turn be chosen to work overtime to make up for it?
Anyway, Sisolak was so dedicated to pursuing this perceived problem in the press instead of through internal affairs, that most of us were understandably dubious over his claims of a wide-spread, coordinated plan. A grand investigation was launched amidst great publicity and headlines while the commissioner gleefully dragged the reputations of 700 firefighters through the mud (whatever mud there is in the desert).
Sisolak the Enforcer
(LV Sun file photo)
Now the results are in and our radical friend Ron Y. has sent along the early returns on this wide-spread scandal. It was unofficially leaked yesterday that out of 700 devious, untrustworthy firefighters, one will be fired and another 16 will face some sort of disciplinary action. That's 2% of the work force. Oh, did I remind you that this publicity stunt was announced while contract negotiations were being held for the rank-and-file? “They learn this stuff as young firefighters and keep doing it," Sisolak helpfully added to the discussion. He did not disclosed what percentage of the rest of the county's workforce was involved in things like time-sheet manipulation.
In a demonstration of how to twist statistics, the Las Vegas Sun says in this morning's article, "the allegations surfaced in a March 2010 Clark County compensation study that found the average number of shifts taken off for sick leave by roughly 700 firefighters came to almost twice as many as rank-and-file employees and about four times those of management." Listen up, anytime somebody compares the firefighters with the city hall pencil-pushers, you know you're about to hear some bull hockey. This is a perfect example. Firefighters work a 24-hour shift. For you slow-thinkers out there, that's the equivalent of three 8-hour shifts that the pencil-pushers put in. So when a FF takes off one shift, it's the equivalent in hours of 3 shifts for an office worker. Take it from there. As a way to balance the effects, in my department a 24-hour day of sick leave is charged with two sick leave days. Twice as many as regular employees for one day of feel-me-bads. Scandalous!
Let's stay well long enough to get this equipment checked out now. I'm going to get some therapeutic coffee started so we'll be all set to recuperate in the day room later.
* * * * * * *
Conference Semi-Finals
Standings as of Friday Morning
San Jose avoided the embarrassment of a total collapse by pulling off a win against Detroit last night. In the deciding 7th game, the Sharks scored the go-ahead goal midway through the 3rd period and were able to hold on to the lead to win the game 3-2 and move on to the Western Conference finals.
Western Conference Finals
San Jose Sharks at Vancouver Canucks – Game 1 Sunday night.
Eastern Conference Finals
Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins - Game 1 Saturday night.
FORMER CLARK COUNTY (NEVADA) FIRE CAPTAIN Martin Vohwinkel, 56, was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison after previously pleading guilty to one count of using a facility of interstate commerce to coerce and entice a minor for sex in a plea bargain.
Martin Vohwinkel
Firegeezer first reported HERE that Vohwinkel had placed a Craigslist ad requesting a “casual encounter” with a young girl. A Clark County detective picked up on the ad and responded while posing as a 14-yr.-old girl. Vohwinkel told the “girl” he was 45 and sent a nude photo of himself standing in front of a mirror, police said. In a later photo, Vohwinkel’s face was displayed and he was wearing a firefighter’s uniform, according to the arrest report. He also told the “girl” that his name was Marty and he needed sex soon.
The mandatory sentence for ten years also carries a lifetime supervision after he is released. He was a member of the Clark County Fire Rescue Department for 29 years.
CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA, FIREFIGHTERS ARE STILL ON THE SCENE this morning mopping up the remains of a massive outdoor fire at a pallet factory. The fire was discovered around 7:30 pm Tuesday night and burned through most of the night. The extreme summer heat in the desert city of Henderson called for extra alarms to provide relief crews and rotation of companies.
KTNV-TV
The fire spread to a neighboring building causing additional damages and several businesses in the industrial park were evacuated as a precaution. A Holiday Inn located close by was also evacuated as smoke began filling the hotel. All of the guests had to be relocated.
It was reported that several propane bottles became involved in the fire and their explosions were a factor in the fire as well. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
KVVU-TV has this video report from the scene:
KTNV-TV has some good raw video from the fire that runs for nearly 15 minutes:
A CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA, (Las Vegas area) FIRE CAPTAIN HAS BEEN suspended without pay following his arrest Friday. Martin Vohwinkel, 55, was charged with using technology to lure children for sexual purposes. He had placed a Craigslist ad requesting a “casual encounter” with a young girl. A Clark County detective picked up on the ad and responded while posing as a 14-yr.-old girl.
Martin Vohwinkel
The Las Vegas Sun reported:
Vohwinkel told the “girl” he was 45 and sent a nude photo of himself standing in front of a mirror, police said. In a later photo, Vohwinkel’s face was displayed and he was wearing a firefighter’s uniform, according to the arrest report.
Vohwinkel asked the “girl” where he could pick her up and stated that he wanted to have sex, investigators said. They arranged to meet Friday morning in a Henderson parking lot. He offered to bring marijuana with him, which he referred to as “chronic,” police said.
When police arrived they saw Vohwinkel pulling into the parking lot driving a white Toyota Tundra with a firefighter sticker, police said.
At the scene, police called the cell phone number Vohwinkel had provided for the girl. His cell phone rang.
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