Another close call with a manifold in New Jersey Hope you have checked yours since the last report of this happening?

Hampton Twp. FD says firefighter was thrown after portable hydrant exploded.

Firefighter Close Calls is gathering information for IAFC on any similar incidents (other than Lambertville) for the IAFC Safety, Health & Survival Section. Click here to provide details.

The pictures and information below are from Deputy Chief Bruce Cole of the Hampton Township Fire Department in Sussex County, New Jersey:

On 7-27-09 the Hampton Twp Fire Dept in Sussex County, NJ, was conducting a training exercise. The drill involved 3 tankers and 2 pumpers. It was to be a water shuttle exercise. Eng 48-62 was set up as the hole pumper at the draft site to fill the water tankers. There was 100' of 5" LDH from 48-62 to the portable hydrant, (The hydrant was a Snap Tite water Thief/Manifold,with 5" LDH intake and 4 2-1/2" discharges).

We were using two (2) of the 4 discharges with 100' of 2 1/2" hose from each discharge. The flow rate was 125psi. The order was given for the hydrant to be shut down as the tanker was full. The fire fighter controlling the hydrant began the process of a slow shut down and the pump operator on Engine 48-62 began to reduce his pressure. As the Hampton Twp fire fighter was leaning over the control valves shutting down, for undetermined reasons the portable hydrant exploded. The force of the explosion threw the fire fighter into the air, Her boots were found approximately 50' from were she landed and 25' apart from each other her helmet landed next to one of her boots. Hampton Twp EMS, which was on scene for the drill, started 1st aid procedures and the fire fighter was airlifted to a trauma center.

Chief Cole adds that the firefighter in Monday's incident was treated and released.

You may recall a similar incident in Lambertville, New Jersey on March 28. You can find Snap-tite's report on that incident here. We have emailed and phoned Snap-tite officials and will pass along any comments they provide.

What do you mean, water is heavy?

IN WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A REHEARSAL FOR AN upcoming “You might be a redneck if…..” episode, two men in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, were arrested Saturday after their pickup crashed.  The truck was towing a trailer on which they’d place a 1,500 gallon tank and then filled with water stolen from a fire hydrant.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Dwayne Ritchie said that a witness saw the men with a large hose attached to the hydrant, filling the tank. Realizing the men were taking the water, one of the witnesses took a photo of the crime in progress before reporting it to the sheriff’s office.

As they were driving away, the overloaded trailer blew a tire and drove both the trailer and the pickup into a ditch.

The two men were charged with Theft in the 5th Degree, Interference with Officials Acts and Public Intoxication. Both men were being held over the weekend in the Pottawattamie County jail.

They said that they were going to use the water for  a “Slip - N - Slide” setup.

A new version of MARPLOT is available at

http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/cameo/marplot.htm

MARPLOT® (Mapping Application for Response, Planning, and Local Operational Tasks) is a

general-purpose mapping application program that allows you to create, view, and modify maps quickly and easily. It also allows you to link objects on your computer maps to data in other programs.

What is MARPLOT?

_ General-purpose mapping application program

_ Used for creating, viewing, and modifying maps

_ Links objects to data in other programs

_ Used with CAMEO or LandView™ applications

_ Contains information that can be shown on a map

MARPLOT is part of CAMEO’s suite of three separate, integrated software applications

» MARPLOT – Mapping application

» CAMEO – Chemical database and Information modules

» ALOHA – Air dispersion modeling

CAMEO is computer software for chemical emergency planners and responders

Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO)

 

EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) developed this web site to facilitate the use of CAMEO and to offer online technical support. Please visit periodically for the latest news, information, and resources.

http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/cameo/index.htm

ALOHA (Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres)

ALOHA (Areal Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres) is a computer program designed especially for use by people responding to chemical releases, as well as for emergency planning and training. ALOHA models key hazards—toxicity, flammability, thermal radiation (heat), and overpressure (explosion blast force)—related to chemical releases that result in toxic gas dispersions, fires, and/or explosions. (Note: In versions prior to 5.4, ALOHA only models the toxic threat: specifically, how a toxic gas cloud might disperse in the atmosphere after an accidental chemical release.)

http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/cameo/aloha.htm

LandView is an innovative “community right-to-know” software tool in the format of an electronic atlas.

LandView has its roots in the CAMEO software (Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations). CAMEO was developed by the EPA and the NOAA to facilitate the implementation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. This far-reaching law requires communities to develop emergency response plans addressing chemical hazards and to make available to the public information on chemical hazards in the community.

This product contains both database management software and mapping software used in the CAMEO system to create a simple computer mapping system involving two programs - MARPLOT^® and LandView.

http://www.census.gov/geo/landview/

Home heavily damaged by a gas explosion.

FLORENCE, Ky. -- From Firehouse.com

Fire crews spent much of Sunday afternoon examining a home heavily damaged by a gas explosion.

Firefighters said they were called about 3:25 p.m., when an explosion reported at the vacant home near the intersection of Dixie Highway and Main Street.

Commanders said the leak was blowing into a nearby doctor's office when firefighters arrived, and both buildings sustained serious damage.

"The first suspicion is going to be natural gas. There's a natural gas leak somewhere in the building. What caused the leak, why the building exploded -- at this time those are the things we need to investigate," said Florence Fire Chief Marc Mumech.

Uncle Jay Explains July 27, 2009

Attention! Health care reform bill to Emergency, STAT! Obama makes a casual comment about Barbarians at Henry Louis Gates, and suddenly all health breaks loose!

Unsanctioned volunteer crew operating in Rockland County, New York. Arrive and put the Fire put out before the official fire department arrives.

Photos by Hillcrest fire Chief Kim Weppler.

From Jenna Carlesso at LoHud.com:

A continuing dispute over fighting fires in this small Hasidic village once again boiled to the surface when firefighters from Hillcrest yesterday responded to a blaze at the grand rabbi's home and found that a group of unsanctioned local volunteers with a makeshift firetruck had already begun dousing the flames.
Hillcrest Fire Chief Kim Weppler said he was concerned that the volunteers, who are part of New Square Emergency Services, may injure themselves or others because they have tried to battle blazes without proper training or equipment.
"This could have been a deadly situation. One of their members or someone from the community could've gotten hurt, and it delayed us getting in there," Weppler said.
But village officials say their relationship with Hillcrest and Rockland County fire administrators has been friendly, and their volunteers were only trying to help.
"As of now our intentions are not to fight house fires," Deputy Mayor Israel Spitzer said. "We will sit down (with Rockland fire officials) and make sure we come to an agreement and get all the necessary training in order to qualify."

Spitzer said talks of arranging a meeting between village leaders and Rockland fire administrators had been in the works long before yesterday's fire.
"We are definitely eager and looking forward to making sure we are working together, and we are both working for the safety of the community," he said.
The Moleston Fire District, which oversees the Hillcrest department, took issue with New Square some two years ago because of building and safety violations there. The district threatened to stop providing emergency services to the village unless a meeting was held to discuss improving communications and setting time frames for building inspections and safety improvements.
A little more than a year ago, Weppler said, he began noticing a makeshift firetruck the size of an ambulance with a 200-gallon water tank turning up at fires across New Square.
Often, he said, volunteers would use it to fight flames without contacting the Hillcrest department. State law mandates that they report all fires to the chief of the fire district, in this case, Weppler.
"It's absolutely illegal," he said yesterday. "They are untrained personnel civilians participating in firefighting activities."

The village has set up its own emergency response system, said Gordon Wren, Rockland's fire coordinator. Rather than dialing 911, residents call a different number unique to New Square.
"Today is one of the first times they've had something potentially serious, but we don't know for sure because they don't tell us," he said yesterday.
Wren said he worries about the volunteers because they don't have equipment designed to protect them from smoke.
"I give these guys credit for being so courageous, but I don't think they understand the danger of what they're doing," he said.
Yesterday's fire at 10 Jefferson Ave. consumed a portion of the roof above a library.
As Hillcrest firefighters arrived, New Square volunteers were reeling in two hoses they had used to drench the flames, Weppler said.
No one was injured.
Aron Kaff, the village's public safety coordinator, said volunteers had grabbed fire extinguishers from a nearby elementary school to defeat the fire.
"They are here to help anybody in the community," he said. "They don't take it upon themselves to go after house fires."
Both sides expect to reach an agreement on policies and procedures once a meeting is established.
"There's been some discussion on this, but obviously much more needs to be done," Wren said. "The key here is to get all the appropriate parties together and come up with solutions."

One more link in the Oklahoma saga - Trooper Daniel Martin suspended for 5 days & Ordered to anger assessment. OHP says stop and arrest justified. Finds medic obstructed officer.

Remember the story from May 24th on the OHP confronting an Medic at an traffic stop, Here’s More

OHP discipline letter to Trooper Daniel Martin

Read OHP official statement

Watch OHP announcement

Paramedic Maurice White Jr. files suit against Trooper Martin and our earlier coverage of this story

Starting today and continuing through Tuesday, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Martin is serving a five day suspension without pay. OHP says Trooper Martin showed “conduct unbecoming an officer” in the videotaped confrontation with a Creek Nation ambulance crew on May 24 in Paden, Oklahoma. The trooper has also been ordered to undergo "anger assessment".

Despite those findings, OHP's investigation found that Trooper Martin was justified in stopping the ambulance and making an arrest of Paramedic Maurice White Jr, saying that White obstructed a police officer.

Now there has been a  filing of a federal lawsuit against Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Daniel Martin by Creek Nation Paramedic Maurice White Jr.

Here are excerpts from an article by Ron Jackson at NewsOK.com:
Maurice White, Jr. claims his civil rights were violated by trooper Daniel Martin, whose actions remain under review by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Martin, 37, stopped White's ambulance on U.S. 62. He said the driver, Paul Franks, made an obscene gesture when the trooper tried to pass with his lights and sirens on.
The lawsuit alleges, "Martin had no right or reason to arrest Mr. White who was discharging his fiduciary obligation to his patient, who had committed no crime and who had offered to submit to arrest at the hospital."
The lawsuit further claims, "Martin used unreasonable force in his seizing of Mr. White" by "throttling him by the neck with his hand." The court document also describes Martin's actions as "deliberate, reckless, wanton and/or cruel ..."

Couple of items of note

Asbestos-contaminated vermiculite insulation poses health hazard

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is warning the public and electricians, plumbers and other contractors who perform work in attics about the potential risks of asbestos exposure from contaminated vermiculite insulation. Vermiculite from a Libby, Mont., mine containing asbestos was sold from 1919 to 1990 and used in the majority of vermiculite insulation in the United States. EPA's guidance document (English/Spanish) and vermiculite Web page offer ways to help reduce exposure.

Vermiculite

http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/verm.html

DHS Coordinates National Level Exercise to Prevent Terrorist Attacks with Federal, State, Local Tribal, Private Sector, and International Partners

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will launch on Monday the five-day National Level Exercise 2009 (NLE 09)—the first national level exercise to focus on terrorism prevention—in conjunction with federal, state, local, tribal, private sector and international partners.

“Coordinating with our partners across the United States and around the world is critical to protecting the nation from terrorist attacks,” said Secretary Janet Napolitano. “The National Level Exercise allows us to test our capabilities in real-time to refine and strengthen our strategies for preventing terrorist attacks.”

The Congressionally mandated exercise—directed by the White House and coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)—promotes intelligence and information sharing between and among federal, state, tribal, local, private sector and international participants. The NLE 09 scenario focuses on preventing a terrorist from entering the United States to carry out additional attacks in the aftermath of a terrorist event outside of the country, prioritizing intelligence and law enforcement activities that detect, disrupt and deter preventable terrorist incidents.

“FEMA’s focus is to make sure that our entire response team, from the general public up to the highest level of government, is taking steps now to increase preparedness – regardless of what the next emergency or disaster is,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “This exercise is an important step in our ongoing preparedness efforts, and allows FEMA and its federal partners to better serve and protect our citizens.”

The Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, Justice, and State, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and a broad spectrum of component agencies, offices and commands will all participate in the exercise. NLE 09 activities will take place at command posts, emergency operation centers, intelligence centers and field locations throughout the country, including federal headquarters facilities in the Washington, D.C. area as well as federal, regional, state, tribal, local and private sector facilities in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and California. International partner nations will include Australia, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. The Navajo Nation will also participate.

Following the exercise, a comprehensive evaluation process will assess counterterrorism and law enforcement prevention capabilities regionally, nationally and internationally.

To learn more about NLE 09, visit http://www.fema.gov/media/fact_sheets/nle09.shtm

Guinness World Record Fire Truck Parade Updated

North Dakota - A southeastern North Dakota town believes it has set a new world record for having the most fire trucks in a parade. The town of Casselton recruited 181 fire trucks from throughout the Upper Midwest to take part in Saturday's Cass County Summerfest parade. The old record was 159 trucks.

Greg Kempel is the Casselton ambulance crew member and winery owner who led the effort. He says the town plans to send photographs and other documents on Monday to the Guiness Book of World Records, so judges can confirm the record.

The town of Oberdiessbach, Switzerland, set the previous record three years ago.

Watch their website, www.casscountysummerfest.com/firetruckparade.htm

 

Fire Truck Crash Caught on Tape - Detroit

A run by a Detroit fire crew on the city's southwest side took a turn for the worse Tuesday evening. Watch Video

As a Ladder 13 fire truck, with the sirens blaring, turned from Lawndale Road onto West Vernor Street, and crashed into two vehicles, a surveillance camera from a nearby party store rolled.

Story by clickondetroit.com

Dramatic Video of Milwaukee Rescue

Raw Video - You Tube Video of Milwaukee Rescue by two off duty FF

Click here for story and interviews with John Rechlitz

Interview with John and Joel Rechlitz on the Today Show

By far, this is the video and story of the day. Firegeezer found this one showing two off-duty Milwaukee firefighters making a dramatic rescue on Sunday of a 32-year-old woman and her two children, ages two and four who were trapped in their overturned burning vehicle. The firefighters received help from an off-duty police officer and neighbors.

The four-year-old boy was the last removed and was the most seriously injured with burns over 30-percent of his body. The firefighters are brothers John and Joel Rechlitz. They were also burned.

John Rechlitz received an urgent call from his wife about the fire. Joy Rechlitz and Joel's wife Kelly were heading to pick up a birthday cake for John and Joy's 17-year-old daughter. The brothers raced to the fire 3-blocks away. Read the details in this story by Linda Spice of the Journal Sentinel.

They were assisted by off-duty Lieutenant Mark Wroblewski of the Milwaukee Police Department. They all live in the neighborhood where the crash occurred.

Firefighter injured, truck destroyed in crash

Firefighter injured, truck destroyed in crash

from FirefighterCloseCalls.Com - Home of the Secret List

An Alvaton volunteer firefighter was injured and a fire truck destroyed after the truck rolled over Monday on Boyce-Fairview Road. While responding to a report of an outbuilding fire at 1166 Greenbrier Road shortly after 3 p.m., firefighter William Tabor, 26, of Bowling Green said he veered from the road to avoid a collision with a white Impala that was driving on the wrong side of the road, according to a Warren County Sheriff’s Office release. The truck rolled over and came to rest on its wheels. Tabor was taken to The Medical Center, where he was treated and released Monday for injuries which included a fractured eye socket and jaw bone. Engine 28 was virtually destroyed and the driver of the Impala did not stop, according to...

Kentucky Firefighter Injured in Rollover

NIOSH Releases Firefighter Fatality Reports

NIOSH has recently released the following Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Reports: F2009-06 Jan 25, 2009 Two career fire fighters die after falling from elevated aerial platform – Texas http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200906.html F2007-27 Jul 24, 2007 Volunteer fire fighter dies after ten-foot fall from engine – Ohio http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200727.html F2007-17 May 19, 2007 A career captain dies and a fire fighter/driver is seriously injured when two fire trucks collide at an intersection – Connecticut http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200717.html F2009-01 Oct 13, 2008 Fire fighter suffers sudden cardiac death during rural water supply training – Illinois http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200901.html

Mother, daughter and son were trapped in burning SUV Off-Duty Wisconsin Responders Rescue Family

 

A group of people including two off-duty firefighters and an off-duty police lieutenant rescued a woman and her two children from a burning SUV that crashed on Milwaukee's south side Sunday afternoon. Firehouse has the full story Most of the rescue was filmed by a bystander. The video shows the 1992 Chevrolet Blazer on its left side near S. 22nd Place and W. Layton Ave., its back half engulfed in flames and black smoke.

Click on Picture for Video

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/32006843#32006843"

Tanker Fire Causes Collapse of Overpass

Tanker Fire Causes Collapse of Overpass

Hazel Park and Area Firefighters Challenged with Large Fire Tonight a tanker carrying 9,000 gallons of flammable liquids traveling on I-75 was involved in an accident with a Meijer delivery truck.  Reports indicate the truck hit a portion of the bridge support and rolled over and ignited in fire.  Crews from Hazel Park, Ferndale, Royal Oak, Detroit, and beyond are working to extingusih the fire which is feed by the flammable liquid carried on the tanker vehicle. Initial reports have indicated that the driver of the two vehicles may have been killed.  The fire has caused a portion of the Nine Mile Road bridge to collapse onto the freeway. A partial evacuation of the area has been conducted and both directions of the freeway will be closed for some time.

Structural stability of engineered lumber in fire conditions online course

This online firefighter training course is the result of a research partnership among UL, the Chicago Fire Department, IAFC, and Michigan State University, funded in part by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This self-guided course, which focuses on the structural stability of engineered lumber under fire conditions, is targeted toward the 1.1 million fire service personnel in the United States and Canada. The knowledge developed and shared in this course is critically important to firefighter and civilian safety. http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/offerings/industries/buildingmaterials/fire/structural/

Knox County, Tennessee. Fire engine rolls on way to medical call

From WBIR-TV: A Rural/Metro fire truck has rolled off the 8400 block of Thorn Grove Pike while responding to a medical call. An ambulance and fire truck were dispatched to a home on McCarty Avenue for a complaint off chest pains at 11:40. At 11:51, the occupants of the Engine 226 called in to say the truck had rolled off the road. On the scene, Rural/Metro spokesman Larry Wilder said the two firefighters inside the truck had no apparent injuries, but they were being taken to UT Medical Center for evaluation. Image from WATE-TV The firefighters in the truck report they were on their way to the medical call when an oncoming vehicle drifted into their lane. In avoiding it, they drifted slightly off the road. When they tried to get back on the road, the truck jumped to the other side of the road and rolled off. Rural/Metro crews are salvaging whatever firefighting equipment they can off the truck before attempting to get the truck back on its wheels. There's no estimate of damage done to the truck at this point.

IAFC DISPUTES ARTICLE REGARDING FIRE ACT GRANT TESTIMONY

From Fire fighter close calls

I think like many of you, we have seen the below article in Firehouse.com this afternoon that gave us, some very serious concern.
THIS IS PART OF WHAT WAS PUBLISHED ON FIREHOUSE.COM:
"The neediest fire companies across the country would be all but eliminated from receiving fire grants under a proposal penned by several major fire service organizations.
If approved, the match for departments serving populations of 20,000 or fewer would jump from 5 to 15 percent, while those with populations between 20,000 to 50,000 would be 15 percent, up 5 percent from what they pay now.
The largest departments, however, would see a 5 percent decline in the funds they would have to promise. Right now, it's 20 percent, but their share would be just 15 percent.
The proposal by the IAFF, IAFC, NFPA and CFSI surfaced Wednesday during a House subcommittee hearing on the Fire Act grant program reauthorization.
The NVFC was not consulted, and other groups including the International Association of Arson Investigators did not sign off on the 15 percent proposal. "
TO BE CLEAR: The IAFC absolutely denies what was published as being accurate and they have countered with a response (below). The IAFC is requesting an immediate correction from Firehouse.com.
THIS IS PART OF WHAT THE IAFC HAS IMMEDIATELY RESPONDED WITH:
"This morning, Firehouse.com released an article that erroneously indicated that the IAFC supports raising the FIRE grant program’s local match for smaller departments.  The IAFC does not support raising the match for jurisdictions serving smaller populations. (The entire IAFC response is shown below, scroll down)
HERE is the entire article from Firehouse.com
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?sectionId=46&id=64458
HERE is information related to the testimony from the IAFC:
http://www.iafc.org/displayindustryarticle.cfm?articlenbr=39771
(Below is the IAFC STATEMENT regarding Firehouse.com's article being inaccurate)
It is no secret that we are gravely concerned about making sure that both the FIRE ACT GRANTS as well as the SAFER Grants receive full funding, including bringing the FIRE ACT Grants back up to last years funding, as well raising SAFER to the level as is currently proposed. More to follow.
========================================================== 
IAFC MEMBER ALERT-Contact: IAFC Government Relations Department
The IAFC Cites Inaccuracy in Firehouse.com Article on FIRE Grants,
Requests Immediate Correction
Fairfax, Va., July 9, 2009... This morning, Firehouse.com released an article that erroneously indicated that the IAFC supports raising the FIRE grant program’s local match for smaller departments.  The IAFC does not support raising the match for jurisdictions serving smaller populations.
According to the current statute, fire departments with a population of greater than 50,000 have to meet a 20 percent match.  A jurisdiction with 20,000 to 50,000 residents has to meet a 10 percent match, and a jurisdiction with 20,000 or fewer residents only has to meet a 5 percent match. 
The IAFC joined with the IAFF, CFSI and NFPA in support of a proposal to reduce the match for communities of greater than 50,000 from 20 percent to 15 percent.  The IAFC does not support increasing the match for the smaller jurisdictions, and has made that clear in both its testimony before the House Science and Technology Committee and in meetings on Capitol Hill.
The IAFC also has recommended that Congress create a waiver for jurisdictions that cannot meet these local match requirements.  To quote Chief Johnson during yesterday’s hearing before the House Science and Technology Committee, “According to the existing statute, most jurisdictions must meet a 20 percent match, while jurisdictions serving smaller populations must meet matches as low as 5 percent.  Some jurisdictions cannot meet these requirements due to the economic downturn, but still need training or need to replace antiquated equipment.  The IAFC recommends that Congress create the authority for DHS to waive the local match requirement for these needy departments.”
To read Chief Johnson’s written testimony, please go to:
http://www.iafc.org/displayindustryarticle.cfm?articlenbr=39771
The IAFC has asked that Firehouse.com correct its story, and Chief Johnson will talk with the Firehouse.com reporter tomorrow morning to make sure that the IAFC position is accurately understood.

LODD

Notice of Firefighter Fatality: Mandeville, LA

from USFA Firefighter Fatalities

Joseph T. Grace of the Saint Tammany Fire Protection District #4 - Mandeville Fire Department in Mandeville, LA has died as the result of an on-duty incident that occurred on 2009-07-09

On the evening of 7/8/09, Joseph Grace participated in a departmental drill for a "man down" drill. He had also responded to multiple incidents during the day of the 7/8/09 and over night into the early morning of 7/9/09. At approximately 0645 hours on 7/9/09, he responded to an incident prior to going off shift around 0730 hours. He reported to his second job as a paramedic and was in the process of cooking breakfast when crew members entered the kitchen and found him collapsed around 0830 hours. Care was initiated on scene and he was transported to a local care facility before being transferred to a larger medical center where he remained until his death. The nature of the fatal injury is still to be reported.

Another Backdraft caught on tape

I do love to get links like this and pass them on, here is another backdraft caught on tape. Click here for the video on You Tube

This is one from a fire on Tuesday morning in New Hanover County, North Carolina. Here is the description that goes with the video:

On July 7th, 2009 New Hanover County Firefighters encountered a backdraft/smoke explosion while fighting a fire in a large two story single family residence. One Lieutenant was injured slightly, but has returned to work.

The pictures below are from WECT-TV's website. Click here for a few more details.

Fire Truck Overturned In Raleigh

North Carolina – Friday, A Raleigh fire truck has overturned at Dawson and South streets, leaving three firefighters injured. Police on the scene speculate the driver was trying to make a left on South Street from Dawson Street and did a three-quarter flip into a grassy area off the road. The wreck occurred around 10:50 a.m. about a block away from a downtown fire station.

ABC local news has a video

Local NBC News 

WATCH VIDEO
Fire truck overturns, injuring three

Both drivers of the tiller truck involved in the accident have “extensive experience” driving the vehicle, Styons said. The driver of the front of the vehicle has 15-years of firefighting experience. The driver in the back has 13-years of experience.

What the F**K

Proposed AFG Changes Could Ax Rural Depts.

Looks like the full time fire departments were represented and not the small volunteer department that desperately need this fire act grant!

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The neediest fire companies across the country would be all but eliminated from receiving fire grants under a proposal penned by several major fire service organizations.

If approved, the match for departments serving populations of 20,000 or fewer would jump from 5 to 15 percent, while those with populations between 20,000 to 50,000 would be 15 percent, up 5 percent from what they pay now.

The proposal by the IAFF, IAFC, NFPA and CFSI surfaced Wednesday during a House subcommittee hearing on the Fire Act grant program reauthorization.

The NVFC was not consulted, and other groups including the International Association of Arson Investigators did not sign off on the 15 percent proposal.

Read the Full story here Firehouse news

Photo Courtesy of Ben Eachus

A panel of fire service officials testified before a House subcommittee on the reauthorization of the AFG grant program.

See any volunteers here, nope can’t afford to take off their job, fly to Washington and testify, who paid for this?

N.J. Man Dies After Falling Into Vat of Chocolate

CAMDEN, N.J. --

Authorities say a man has died after falling into a vat of melted chocolate in a New Jersey processing plant.

The Camden County prosecutor's office identified the victim as 29-year-old Vincent Smith II of Camden. He was a temporary worker at the Cocoa Services Inc. plant.

The accident happened Wednesday morning as Smith was loading chocolate into a vat where it's melted and mixed before being shipped elsewhere to be made into candy.

Prosecutor's spokesman Jason Laughlin says a co-worker tried to shut off the machine and two others tried to pull Smith out of the 8-foot-deep vat. He was hit and fatally injured by the agitator that mixes the chocolate.

Cocoa Services hires a second company - Lyons and Sons - to do the mixing.

Line of Duty

Firefighter David Grass, Jr. of the Ste. Genevieve Fire Department Dies In Line of Duty

David Grass of the Ste. Genevieve Fire Department has died in the line of duty after participating in a department sponsored physical fitness program. Grass, 34, had been a firefighter since January and was preparing for a state certification course.

Our condolences go out to the Grass family, friends and the members of the Ste. Genevieve Fire Department.

Update on the Disney World monorail crash - Early video after monorail crash, One person was killed as Two trains collide

Early video immediately after the collision of the two monorail trains.

Orlando Sentinel coverage

Watch story from WFTV-TV

Woman trapped for 90-minutes, Runaway fire engine injures three people in Indiana. - Video

Watch story from WTHR-TV

Story from FireFightingNews.com

More from Firefighter Close Calls

A woman was trapped for 90-minutes under a fire engine Saturday night after the 1988 Grumman took off while firefighters tended to an injured person. It happened around Lake Santee during Fourth of July fireworks. The firefighters from the Clarksburg VFD told the sheriff's department they had put the rig in park, it started "winding up" and "just started bouncing and going".

A nurse who was already helping the person the fire crew had come to assist, was the one who was trapped. Her leg was caught between the steering rod and axle.

More from the AP:
A rolling, unmanned fire truck injured two pedestrians and a motorist inside a parked vehicle at a southeastern Indiana Fourth of July fireworks display.
The Decatur County Sheriff's Department says volunteer firefighters were responding to another emergency about 10 p.m. Saturday when the injuries occurred at Lake Santee, about 50 miles southeast of Indianapolis.
The sheriff's department says no one was inside the Clarksburg Volunteer Fire Department truck when it began moving and struck the two pedestrians and the parked vehicle. It's not clear why it began moving.
The sheriff's department isn't disclosing the extent of the injuries, nor is Decatur County Memorial Hospital in Greensburg, where the three were taken.

Gasoline Tanker Rollover on I-95 - No Ignition

 

A TANKER CARRYING 10,000 GALS. OF GASOLINE WAS INVOLVED in a 4-vehicle accident Monday morning that left 10 people injured, at least one critically.  The accident took place on I-95 near Newburyport, Massachusetts, about 300 yards from the bridge over the Merrimack River.

WCVB

Witnesses say that one of the cars was driving very erratically on the highway causing other vehicles to take evasive actions when he eventually collided with the tanker and two other cars.  The truck rolled over and one of the compartments ruptured with a resulting gasoline leak.  Fortunately there was no ignition of the product.

Boston TV station WFXT had a reporter on the scene file this story at 4 pm:

10 people have been injured, one of them seriously. The seriously injured person has been taken to a Boston hospital by helicopter. All three passengers cars and the Tractor Trailer were going North bound.

WCVB image by Stan Forman

Right now, there is a command center being set on Laurel Road, which runs parallel to I-95. There are about 6-12 homes on that road being evacuated. There is also an big environmental cleanup going on and the Coast Guard is taking measures to protect the Merrimack River from dangerous chemicals. They are also spraying the foam everywhere because it’s windy and they are afraid of an explosion if there are any sparks.

WXFT also filed these two raw videos taken from their helicopter:

WHDH-TV also filed this video:

At 4:00 pm the gasoline hazard had been mitigated and the tanker uprighted.  The main labor now is the environmental cleanup in progress.  The opposite-travel lanes of the Interstate have been re-opened.

WCVB-TV has a 41-image photo gallery HERE.

Chief Bennie Crane Dies

REST IN PEACE CHIEF BENNIE CRANE

   REST IN PEACE CHIEF

Monday, July 6, 2009

While not a line of duty death, Chief Crane was a good friend to us on the Sandwich Fire Department and I wanted to pass this on. We had many a good time when he came to talk at the station and at schools Chief Bennie Crane passed away on July 4, 2009, after a long illness. A popular speaker and certified facilitator, Crane began his fire service career with the Chicago (IL) Fire Department in 1961  

and retired as district chief in 1995. He was a field instructor with the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute and Northwestern University. Crane was a longtime member of the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) Associate Advisory Board, reviewing call for presentations submissions that helped to shape the educational content of the FDIC. He was a frequent speaker on leadership and diversity at FDIC and wrote on those topics for Fire Engineering. Crane also co-authored with Dr. Julian Williams the book Personal Empowerment: Achieving Individual and Departmental Excellence (Fire Engineering, 2002). He owned Bennie L. Crane & Associates, a consultant organization serving the public sector.
Fire Engineering Editor in Chief/FDIC Education Director Bobby Halton on Crane's passing: "Fire Engineering and the fire service were deeply saddened this weekend to hear of the passing of this great friend, mentor, and leader of the American fire service. Bennie always had a kind word of encouragement, a contagious smile, and a good word for every firefighter he met. We all knew him as a man of deep faith, tremendous commitment to the fire service, and unfaltering belief in the goodness of his fellow man. Bennie was a wonderful gentleman and an excellent friend, and he will be deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved him."
More Bennie Crane: http://www.mpowerself.com/

LODD

Missouri Fire Chief Dies at July 4 Blaze

Courtesy of Nevada Daily Mail

Schell City is mourning the death of Schell City Fire Chief Dale Haddix, 70, who perished after having responded to a July 4 fire caused by what officials described as "the improper use of fireworks."

Haddix died while assisting with firefighting efforts, and officials hope an autopsy on Haddix, whose body has been transported to Springfield for examination, will determine a cause of death.

"We don't have any results yet and it might take awhile, we'll just have to see." Vernon County Sheriff Ron Peckman said.

Read More....

New York Firefighter Dies of Complications from Injury

Firehouse.comNews

A New York firefighter injured in October in a fall from a fire truck died Sunday of complications.

Robert Johnson, 75, had been in a coma since the Oct. 20 incident that occurred during a public education effort at a school, according to published reports.

Johnson was a 17-year member of the Mahopac Falls Volunteer Fire Department.

Read More....

Another First on the Scene Video

I love these  types of videos that show the arrival, here is another one from Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department. Good for showing bad AND GOOD tactics on the scene.

Chief Spokesman Mark Brady was first arriving at a garage fire in Lanham on July 1, 2009. His video catches Engine 848 and Truck 828 pulling up to 9308 Annapolis Road. You will notice the man in the white helmet on the engine stretching the first line. Indication that Engine 848 responded with just two firefighters. Staffing was made up from the truck company on the scene.

Fire truck rolls over into ditch to avoid accident

A fire truck rolled over after it tried to avoid slamming into traffic on route to a call on June 30.

Full coverage here with video

Fire truck rolls over into ditch to avoid accident (06/30/2009)

Firefighters in Whitby had a close call on Tuesday when their fire truck rolled over into a ditch. The truck veered into the ditch to avoid slamming into traffic, earning the driver praise.

The driver attempted to avoid slamming into other vehicles after allegedly being cut off.

"He did everything in his power, and was successful in not hitting anybody else and bringing the truck to a safe landing in a ditch -- but nobody was injured," Deputy Chief Bob Mowat of Whitby Fire told CTV Toronto on Tuesday.