MARSEILLES — A juvenile was charged with arson and burglary Friday after an investigation into a massive fire that started around 2 p.m. and destroyed an old foundry and two other buildings in Marseilles. The six-alarm fire knocked out power through most of town. Full Story HERE at News Tribune
Ask the River to Text You a Water Alert
Sign up at http://water.usgs.gov/wateralert.
Now you can receive instant, customized updates about water conditions by subscribing to WaterAlert, a new service from the U.S. Geological Survey. Whether you are watching for floods, interested in recreational activities or concerned about the quality of water in your well, WaterAlert allows you to receive daily or hourly updates about current conditions in rivers, lakes and groundwater when they match conditions of concern to you.
“Real-time water data are essential to those making daily decisions about water-related activities, whether for resource management, business operations, flood response or recreation,” said Matt Larsen, USGS Associate Director for Water. “WaterAlert continues USGS efforts to make data immediately available and relevant to every user.”
WaterAlert allows users to receive updates about river flows, groundwater levels, water temperatures, rainfall and water quality at any of more than 9,500 sites where USGS collects real-time water information. This information is crucial for managing water resources, including during floods, droughts and chemical spills.
“This is fantastic,” said Jim Cantore, Weather Channel field meteorologist. “The new WaterAlert system from the USGS provides the latest river information to people in harm's way. This could be the first alert to a developing flood and can even help out during drought periods.”
WaterAlert also allows kayakers, rafters and boaters to better understand when conditions are optimal and safe for recreational activities.
“The WaterAlert service is a fantastic resource for boaters of all abilities and disciplines,” said Wade Blackwood, executive director of the American Canoe Association. “During rain events, water levels on some rivers can rise quickly. This service will be useful as a warning system and will keep paddlers aware of water conditions in order to paddle safely.”
WaterAlert users start at http://water.usgs.gov/wateralert and select a specific site. Users then select the preferred delivery method (email or text), whether they want hourly or daily notifications, which data parameter they are interested in, and the threshold for those parameters. Users can set the system to alert them when conditions are above a value, below a value, and between or outside of a range.
For example, emergency managers may be interested in setting up alerts when thresholds are exceeded, such as in the case of a flood. Water-supply managers could set an alert for times when groundwater well levels are low enough to require shutdown of supply pumps. Recreational rafters may find it useful to set a threshold that lets them know when the water levels are high enough to pass over rocks but not so high as to be unsafe. There is no limit to the number of subscriptions per user at a single site or multiple sites.
The USGS operates an extensive, real-time water information network, involving 9,081 continuous and partial record streamgages, as well as 369 lake, 1,278 well and 3,632 precipitation gages throughout the United States. USGS Water Science Centers in each state can provide more detailed information on water conditions and USGS response to local events.
USGS provides science for a changing world. Visit USGS.gov, and follow us on Twitter @USGS and our other social media channels.
When arriving on scene you never know what you will find, Lakeville MN FF responded to a crash on I35 this morning and found one of those situations.
Bees loose after fatal Lakeville crash LAKEVILLE, Minn. -- At least one person has died in a multi-vehicle accident in Lakeville involving a bee truck on Interstate 35 late Monday morning. Full Story HERE
"It was a black haze. Never seen anything like that," said Lakeville Fire Chief Scott Nelson. "I opened my door and got stung in the face."
Video HERE
USFA Firefighter Fatalities (3)
Notice of Firefighter Fatality: Shawnee, KS John Glaser of the Shawnee Fire Department in Shawnee, KS has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2010-05-22
Notice of Firefighter Fatality: Pine Bluff, AR David Curlin of the Pine Bluff Fire Department in Pine Bluff, AR has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2010-01-03
Notice of Firefighter Fatality: Scales Mound, IL Kurt Meusel of the Scales Mound Fire Protection District in Scales Mound, IL has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2010-05-22
Paul Johnson of the Crow Roost Fire Department in Fort Cobb, OK has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2010-05-19
Fire Chief Johnson passed away from an apparent heart attack while en route to a structure fire. Johnson was operating the department's pumper when he became ill and asked Fire Captain Cheri Poindexter, who was riding in the cab with him, to take the wheel as he slumped over and became unresponsive. Poindexter managed to get the rig stopped and immediately called a Mayday over the radio. Another Crow Roost apparatus, also responding to the incident, stopped to render aid with an AED they had on board. The firefighters worked on Chief Johnson for 20 minutes until a Carnegie Ambulance arrived and subsequently transported Johnson to the Carnegie Hospital where he succumbed to his injury. Incident Location: Sooner Rd, Edmond, OK 73013 (USNG: 14S PE 4277 3849)
May 17, 2010 (3 days ago)
Donnie Caldwell of the Ghent Area Volunteer Fire Department in Ghent, WV has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2007-01-30
Lieutenant Caldwell, one of the firefighters injured in the 2007 Little General Store explosion in Ghent, West Virginia, has passed away from complications related to the injuries he sustained in the blast. The propane explosion killed two other firefighters at the incident scene, Captain Fred Burroughs, and Firefighter-EMT Craig Dorsey. Two propane service technicians were also killed and five other people were injured. The explosion leveled the store, destroyed a responding ambulance, and damaged other nearby vehicles. A report from the investigation of the fatal incident conducted by the United States Chemical Safety Board can be found at: http://www.csb.gov/assets/document/CSBFinalReportLittleGeneral.pdf. Incident Location: US 19 & Flat Top Lake Road (USNG: 17S MB 90126 64215).
Washington, DC — The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) United States Fire Administration (USFA) issued a special report today examining the characteristics of grill fires on residential properties. The report, Grill Fires on Residential Properties (PDF, 663 Kb), was developed by USFA’s National Fire Data Center and is further evidence of FEMA’s commitment to sharing information with fire departments and first responders around the country to help them keep their communities safe.
Grills, hibachis, and barbecues on residential properties continue to be a high fire risk,” said Kelvin J. Cochran, United States Fire Administrator. “It is crucial that households be mindful of fire safety when using these pieces of equipment, especially as the summer season approaches. Please join with the USFA in sharing this report’s information with your communities so that the necessary precautions can be taken to help prevent fires and save lives.”
The report is part of the Topical Fire Report Series and is based on 2006 to 2008 data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). According to the report, an estimated 5,700 grill fires on residential properties occur annually in the United States, resulting in an estimated average of 10 deaths, 100 injuries, and $37 million in property loss. Over half (57 percent) of grill fires on residential properties occur in the four months of May, June, July, and August and almost half (49 percent) of these fires occur during the hours of 5 to 8 p.m. In addition, 32 percent of grill fires on residential properties start on patios, terraces, screened-in porches, or courtyards, while an additional 24 percent start on exterior balconies and unenclosed porches. Finally, propane is the power source in 69 percent of all grill fires on residential properties.
The topical reports are designed to explore facets of the U.S. fire problem as depicted through data collected in NFIRS. Each topical report briefly addresses the nature of the specific fire or fire-related topic, highlights important findings from the data, and may suggest other resources to consider for further information. Also included are recent examples of fire incidents that demonstrate some of the issues addressed in the report or that put the report topic in context.
For further information regarding other topical reports or any programs and training available at the United States Fire Administration, visit www.usfa.fema.gov.
Landmark Residential Fire Study Shows How Crew Sizes and Arrival
Times Influence Saving Lives and Property
A landmark study issued today by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and research collaborators including CFAI-Risk, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), shows that the size of firefighting crews has a substantial effect on the fire service’s ability to protect lives and property in residential fires.
The study included more than 60 controlled fire experiments to determine the impact of crew size, first-due engine arrival time and subsequent apparatus arrival times on firefighter safety and effectiveness at a low-hazard residential structure fire.
The results of the field experiments apply only to fires in low-hazard residential structures as described in the NFPA Standard 1710, but it provides a strong starting point,” said Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, Assistant to the General President, IAFF.
Primary findings of the experiments indicated that the following factors had the most significant impact on the success of fire fighting operations:
Overall Scene Time: The four-person firefighting crews were able to complete 22 essential firefighting and rescue tasks in a typical residential structure 30 percent faster than two-person crews and 25 percent faster than three-person crews.
Time to Water on Fire: The four-person crews were able to deliver water to a similar-sized fire 15 percent faster than the two-person crews and 6 percent faster than three-person crews, steps that help to reduce property damage and lower danger to the firefighters.
Ground Ladders and Ventilation: The four-person crews completed laddering and ventilation (for life safety and rescue) 30% faster than the two-person crews and 25% faster than the three-person crews.
Primary Search: The four-person crews completed a primary search and rescue 30 percent faster than two-person crews and 5 percent faster than three-person crews.
Occupant Rescue: Three different “standard” fires were simulated using NIST’s Fire Dynamic Simulator to examine how the interior conditions change for trapped occupants and the firefighters if the fire develops more slowly or more rapidly than observed in the actual experiments. The fire modeling simulations demonstrated that two-person, late-arriving crews can face a fire that is twice the intensity of the fire faced by fire-person, early arriving crews. Additionally, the modeling demonstrated that trapped occupants receive less exposure to toxic combustion products, such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, if the firefighters arrive earlier and involve three or more persons per crew.
“The results of this study will be especially useful to the many fire departments across the nation that are challenged by budget crises, rising call volume, personnel and equipment shortages, security issues and an overall expectation to do more with less” said CFAI-Risk and CPSE, Inc., President Chief Randy R. Bruegman. President Bruegman was a featured speaker at the press briefing. Click here to view his comments.
This study was funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.
The next step for the research team is to develop a training package for firefighters and public officials that would enable them to have both quantitative and qualitative understanding of the research. This project is also being funding by FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.
Click here to view the complete Report on Residential Fireground Field Experiments.
John Polimine of the Scalp Level & Paint Volunteer Fire Company in Windber, PA has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2010-05-01
Initial Summary:
During a training exercise at the Dutchess County Fire Training Center, Captain Iaccino experienced severe chest pains. While en route, via ambulance, to a local hospital, he went into cardiac arrest and never regained consciousness.
