Skip to content


Controversial Dallas Fire Chief Quits

3 comments

Voted "America's Worst Boss" in 2010

DALLAS, TEXAS, FIRE CHIEF EDDIE BURNS abruptly resigned Friday after still another embarrassing disclosure was beginning to surface, capping off a 5-year tenure as chief of the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department.

Chief Eddie Burns

Chief Burns handed in his resignation yesterday, effective September 1, as the city council was learning about his involvement in the operation of a night club in nearby Arlington, the City Center Bar and Grill.  This was just the latest, and apparently last straw, in his brief time at the top where he has caused the city to be successfully sued several times for sexual harrassment costing the city millions of dollars in damage settlements and legal fees (and still adding up).  He was also accused by three FD labor organizations of being incompetent and devoid of any confidence by the rank and file.

Last year he was awarded the dubious title of America's Worst Boss of 2010  by eBossWatch.com.  WFAA-TV filed this video report on the announcement yesterday:

 

Read Burns' memo to the department employees announcing his sudden retirement HERE.  He explains that he is resigning to pursue other business interests and it is believed that the business he is referring to is the Center City Bar and Grill, easily found located right behind the RaceTrac gasoline station on E. Division Street.

*  *  *

Center City Bar and Grill photo

He will be using annual leave from now until his resignation date and Assistant Chief Louie Bright will head the department as interim chief while the city begins the process to hire a new fire chief.

Center City Bar and Grill WEBSITE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Morning Lineup- July 10

Comments Off

Sunday Morning – How Do You Get Out of Here?

If you haven't yet read our posting from yesterday about the on-stage fire at the Rihanna concert (HERE), make sure you view the first video taken by a concert-goer that shows the audience uncertain of what to do.  Looking at it again, my observation leads me to believe that Dallas Fire-Rescue was just moments away from a real disaster.  Nowhere do I see any evidence of the arena staff providing any guidance for the exiting of that huge crowd they have in there.  The people that have started toward the exit are orderly, but you can see that the bottleneck is already starting to build.  And you don't see any noticable movement toward the alternate exits which would greatly speed up the evacuation.

One of the basic rules of crowd control is that people will automatically travel to the door that they used to get into the auditorium.  And since almost everybody arrived through the main entrance, they immediately turn and try to retrace their path.  As soon as there was an indication of an unfriendly fire onstage, the arena people should have sprung into action and started directing people to the nearest exits.  You can bet that the security staff was already stationed at all the exits throughout the concert anyway.  Where are they when they are needed?  Maybe they were there doing that, but I don't see it.  If that fire had started spreading suddenly instead of being attacked by that stagehand, there would have been some major trampling going on.

By the time I was 12 years old, it had been impressed on me that whenever you enter a theater, arena, or similar large gathering place, that you always look around and see where the nearest emergency exit is when you reach your seat.  All my life I have been taking note of not only the nearest exit, but where all the others are, too.  But basic life skills like that are no longer being taught to children.  (You know, things like "walk on the left facing traffic.")  So the AA Arena ended up with several thousand people single-mindedly pressing toward the one door that was just moments away from killing them.

Now Rihanna, she knew just where to go when she turned and literally ran off the stage after seeing the shower of firebrands dropping onto the stage.  And thus proving once again that the late Frank Brannigan was right when he reminded us that, "Panic will save your life ….. as long as you're the first one to panic and you're headed in the right direction."

Now let's head in the right direction to get this equipment checked out.   I know the shortest route to the Bunn-O-Matic, so I'll head in that direction.  See you in the day room later.

Update:  Dave Statter goes into the evacuation "problem" in depth on STATter911 HERE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Another Garbage Truck Rescue

Comments Off

Early Morning Rescue for Dallas Firefighters

A MAN SLEEPING IN A TRASH CONTAINER GOT a rude awakening early Monday morning when a trash truck picked up his dumpster and shook him out into the compactor.  The truck driver heard his cry for help as he was driving away and stopped to call 9-1-1.

WFAA-TV

Speaking to WFAA-TV, Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief Roy Ferguson said it was a difficult rescue operation. “The way he was hung inside the trash, we couldn’t get him out; we had to dig him out,” he said.  “Because he was injured so badly, we had to raise him up with a Stokes basket and get him up to where we could get him out and get him on the ambulance.”  Firefighters said the man suffered a broken hip and possibly other injuries.

KDFW-TV Ch. 4 has a video report:

 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Fatal Fire Races Through Dallas Apartments

2 comments

Update, Monday:  3rd body found.  Scroll down.

A WOMAN AND HER CHILD PERISHED Saturday morning when a fast-moving fire sailed through a Dallas, Texas, apartment building.  Seven other people were injured, five of them needing hospitalization, from their escape efforts.  The fire destroyed 37 of the 48 units in the 2-story building that was built in the early 1960′s without any firewalls in it.

 

WFAA-TV

The as-yet unidentified woman who died was reportedly in her mid-30′s.  Throughout the day Saturday firefighters combed through the extensive debris with the aid of a bulldozer taking the building apart piece by piece looking for any other possible victims.  At least 130 people have been displaced by the fire.

KTVT image

One resident of another building in the complex, Jose Moreno gives a gripping eyewitness account of the desperations encountered in the escapes that the occupants made before the arrival of the FD in this report from KTVT HERE.

All of the residents remarked that there never were any smoke alarms sounding in the building.  It was only the noise of people screaming and banging that woke them up.  According to authorities the building has a spotty and unfavorable record with code compiances.

KDFW-TC Ch. 4 has filed this video report:

WFAA-TV

Update, Monday morning:
Late Sunday afternoon some relatives of a resident approached investigators and told them that a man was still unaccounted for and gave them his apartment number.  A concerted search in that part of the debris later turned up the body of the victim, an adult male.

The remaining portions of the building were condemned by the building inspector and the entire structure has been demolished.

Source: Dallas Morning News.

4 Alarms Working in Dallas

4 comments

A 4-ALARM FIRE IN DALLAS, TEXAS, HAS BURNED DOWN a city-block size shopping arcade that was built in the 1920′s.

dallas c WFAA

WFAA-TV

The mall’s primary tenants  were four restaurant/bars that were very popular in the Greeville section of Dallas along with several smaller shops and night clubs.  The fire was first reported at 5:45 am Central time while the restaurants were serving breakfast diners.  The fire got into the common attic of the entire mall structure and quickly spread throughout the building.  The subsequent alarms were struck at 5:46, 5:57 and 6:01.

The Dallas Observer is reporting that there are 72 firefighters on the scene with 12 engines, four trucks and four rescue vehicles.  While it is already known that the fire began in Terilli’s Restaurant, it is not yet known what the cause was.

This video report from WFAA-TV has good fire footage:

The fire is knocked down now (9 am Central) but units will be on the scene much longer.

dallas a observer

Dallas Observer

Read the article in the Dallas Observer for more photos and additional information HERE.

Dallas Chief Cleared of Harassment Charges

Comments Off

EARLIER THIS YEAR ON AUGUST 20 we posted an article (HERE) that began: 

TWO HIGH-RANKING OFFICIALS, ONE UNIFORMED AND ONE CIVILIAN, AT DALLAS FIRE-RESCUE left their jobs abruptly yesterday and Tuesday.  Assistant Chief John Cook, one of two chiefs brought in from outside last year by Fire Chief Eddie Burns, resigned suddenly on Tuesday and left his post immediately.

Leanne Siri-Edwards, a civilian who served as the department’s executive general manager, was called in to the Dallas City Manager’s office yesterday at lunch time and fired on the spot without explanation.  As she left the office she was immediately escorted from the building and her personal items were removed from her office and delivered to her outside the building.

Siri-Edwards had been demoted in April, with a resulting 30% pay reduction, and had immediately filed a formal complaint of sexual harassment against Fire-Rescue Chief Eddie Burns.  The City Manager then hired an independent firm to conduct an investigation into the complaints and late yesterday (Friday) the results were released.

The report showed that most of the allegations, including sexual harassment, gender discrimination, physical assault and retaliatory conduct, could not be proven and none of them against Chief Burns.

The department is not in the clear, though.  The investigation also concluded that there is a strong pattern of sexual discrimination within the department and listed some of the more egregious examples. 

Dallas tv Channel 4 goes into more detail in this REPORT.
The Dallas Morning News has MORE.

WFAA-TV has this video report: