Wednesday, July 23, 2014  No one was seriously injured in a three-vehicle crash involving an Ocala Fire Rescue vehicle on its way to a call Tuesday night.


Officer Bennie Wilson of the Ocala Police Department said Richard M. Doucett, an OFR battalion chief, was heading east on Southwest 20th Street in his vehicle using lights and sirens on his way to call.

A 2003 Nissan Altima, driven by Peter Allen Nettles, was sitting at Southwest 31st Avenue, preparing to cross SW 20th Street and continue on SW 31st Avenue.

The officer said that, in an apparent attempt to beat the emergency vehicle, Nettles entered the intersection. His Altima was hit on the driver’s side.

Both vehicles then traveled a short distance before crashing into a third vehicle, a 2012 Toyota Corolla, driven by Jaime G. Gonzalez-Urdaneta, who had three passengers.

Doucett, 45, was not seriously injured, Wilson said. Nettles, ... [ more ]

Wednesday, July 23, 2014  A firefighter was injured while battling a blaze in Bayonne Tuesday night, authorities said.

A fire erupted in a two-story home in the 100-block of West 26th Street shortly before 11 p.m., authorities said.  

When firefighters arrived, they saw heavy smoke billowing from the basement and first floor of the building, authorities said.

While trying to extinguish the fire, a firefighter fell down a smoke-filled stairway leading to the basement and injured his wrist, hip and leg, authorities said.   

The firefighter was taken from the scene to Bayonne Medical Center and later released, authorities said.

The fire was soon extinguished, authorities said. Fire investigators believe the blaze originated in the laundry area of the home's basement, authorities said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, authorities said.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014  A police chase Tuesday night ended when a stolen car collided with a fire truck in downtown Wilmington, injuring a firefighter and two others, officials said.

The crash happened about 8 p.m. at the intersection of West 11th and Washington streets, Fire Chief Anthony Goode said.

The pursuit began inside the city before leaving Wilmington. After returning to the city via Interstate 95, Goode said the car was traveling eastbound on West 11th Street and struck the back end of a ladder truck moving through the intersection with Washington Street.

The firefighters, who were already heading to another in the area, turned their attention to smoke and flames that developed in the car's engine compartment while a passenger inside the vehicle was rescued, he said.

"Firefighters Click here to listen grabbed extinguishers and put out and doused the flames that were in the car compartment," he said.

Officers used a Taser to subdue driver, w... [ more ]

Wednesday, July 23, 2014  When you see the destruction, it's hard to imagine what once stood on a large lot in the tiny town of Pateros.

"This was the main house double wide three bedroom."

For Justin and Kassia Crump what once stood here was home.

"I pulled up and saw a big ole plume of smoke and flames. There was nothing I could save," recounted Justin Crump.

The firestorm that blew through town levelled it-- took everything. The kids' toys, the swingset, the bicycles, gone.

"I cried. I really did. I tried not to but I did," Crump said.

The Crumps had already come to know this fire intimately. Both are volunteer firefighters. Justin had been working the fire and Kassia was at home when that call came to get out.

"Second time again here we go," said Crump.

The second time, because just five years ago, Krump says they lost their home to an electrical fire. "There's no words that really explain. Everything we saved the first time ... [ more ]

Tuesday, July 22, 2014  The headline making Monarch (MO) Fire Protection District has suspended a fire captain for two days without pay for speaking to the media about a board plan buy bullet-proof vests for protection.
The firefighters union, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2665, said the decision was made Thursday.
Board secretary Jane Cunningham confirmed the decision and said it was unanimous.  She declined to comment further about the matter, saying it was a personnel issue.
Gelven spoke to the Post-Dispatch and other media outlets in April about the vest controversy. The board planned to use them to line a half-wall that sits in front of a desk board members use at meetings.
The firefighters union said it plans to file a grievance over the Gelven's punishment. Brad Peters, vice president of the local, said the First Amendment rights of Gelven were violated. Peters said Gelven was off-duty when he answered reporters' questions about a matter of public... [ more ]

Tuesday, July 22, 2014  We just received this notice from the Sutphen Corporation regarding certain aerial devices and their focus and concern related to firefighter safety.Sutphen is instructing customers to remove all SPH 100, SP 110, SPI 112, and SAI 110 Aerial devices from service, until further notice, effective immediately.  
The Company states that customers are instructed to use the affected apparatus in the capacity of an engine/pumper or support vehicle only.  
The Company will stay in close contact with its customers to report details and when the units may be place back in service.
“At this time, our priority is the safety of our firefighters,” says Drew Sutphen, President of the Company.  “In light of the recent incidents, we recognize there is an immediate need to take precautionary action.  I would rather take every... [ more ]

Tuesday, July 22, 2014  hree Hall County firefighters were injured at a fire training Tuesday and are being taken to nearby hospitals.

According to the Hall County Fire Department, there was some type of mechanical failure involving a ladder truck at their training facility.

SKYFOX 5 captured images of the scene.

There is no word on the condition of the injured firefighters at this time.

FOX 5 will continue to update this developing story.

Monday, July 21, 2014  Investigators are working to learn what caused a motorcycle and a truck to collide on a Cambria County roadway Monday afternoon. The accident between the motorcycle and tri-axle truck happened just before 4 p.m. along Route 271 near the Pike Road intersection in the Mundys Corner area of Jackson Township, according to Cambria County emergency dispatch. Officials said the person riding the motorcycle was transported to Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center for treatment of injuries. The extent of those injuries was not known. A state police accident reconstruction team was called in to investigate the crash. The names of involved in the crash were not immediately released. The truck driver was not injured. Crews closed Route 271 between Pike Road and the Route 22 interchange to allow for the investigation. About an hour after the accident, Jackson Township Fire Police members were directing traffic near the Pike Road intersection when one of the fire police members was ... [ more ]

Monday, July 21, 2014  A New Brunswick man is facing impaired driving charges after allegedly crashing his pickup truck into the Nackawic Fire Department, sparking a fire in the building.

Police and fire crews responded to the fire around 7:30 a.m. Monday.

“I noticed the guy sort of driving weird so I seen him pull into the fire hall and then all I hear is a ‘bang’ and a cloud of smoke come up,” says witness Matt McBride.

The Nackawic Fire Department has been badly damaged by fire after a truck crashed into the building Monday morning.




McBride says he had just arrived at work, located down the street from the fire hall. He says the fire was raging by the time he arrived on scene.

“I showed up and there’s probably 15-foot flames,” he sa... [ more ]

Sunday, July 20, 2014  Braden Leonard was riding his mountain bike at Ballard Park not far from his home here in Newport when he fell into some thorns.

What happened after that is incredible.

A rare infection claimed his right hand and nearly killed him.

“I consider myself pretty lucky. Some say you have a great attitude. Well, I had a 30 percent chance of survival when I started out at the hospital,” Leonard told NBC 10.

Lucky says the man who now does not have a right hand.

It was amputated when a flesh eating bacteria invaded his body six weeks ago.

How did he get such an infection?

When he fell off his bike, a thorn punctured his palm. “The thorn was the insertion point for the bacteria,” he would later learn.

That was June 4th.

The next afternoon, his hand started to swell and hurt.

He went to the hospital.

“If I had taken a nap rather than go in when I did, if I ha... [ more ]

Friday, July 18, 2014  A major fire broke out at Lotus Business Park on Andheri link road on Friday morning. There were no reports of any civilian casualties yet as people working in the offices were quickly evacuated by the fire brigade

Fire brigade, Navy and Coast Guard personnel are fighting a grim battle to rescue firemen trapped on the terrace of building. One firefighter has reportedly died and few more are seriously injured in the incident. Rescue operations are in progress to rescue several firefighters, who are still stuck on the terrace of Lotus building.

A Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) official said that around 15-20 fire fighters were stuck on the terrace of Lotus Business Park. Dramatic video footages showed Navy and and Coast Guard helicopters lowering ropes on the rooftop to help the stranded firemen clamber up to safety from their perilous perch.

- See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/fire-still-raging-at-andheri-s-lo... [ more ]

Thursday, July 17, 2014  All,

Five South Korean Firefighters died in the Line of Duty this morning when their helicopter crashed. The helicopter was returning to its headquarters, about 237 kilometers east of Seoul, after participating in search operations for 11 people still missing from that April 16 ferry disaster.

The Fire Service said the firefighters arrived aboard the helicopter at the ferry sinking site off the country's southwest coast on Monday.

According to witnesses, the helicopter, mfg in 2001, caught fire in the air before nosediving into the street. 1 civilian was injured.

Our condolences to all affected. RIP.

Take Care. Be Careful. Pass It On.

BillyG

The Secret List 7-17-2014 0555 hrs

www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com

Thursday, July 17, 2014  Determined killers, deranged gunmen and terrorist threats have forced local emergency responders to rethink their approach — and their safety — in active-shooter and multiple-casualty scenarios.

Last week, the Clark County Fire Department announced it had received 118 sets of body armor, thanks to a federal grant. As reported by the Review-Journal’s Ben Botkin, each battalion can provide working firefighters and paramedics with vests that stop rifle shots and helmets that deflect shrapnel. Going forward, the added protection will allow firefighters to immediately respond with police to aid those injured in an attack, rather than wait for police to clear an area — a response delay that can cost victims their lives.

With new capabilities comes new training. Firefighters will have to learn police tactics such as entry, concealment and taking cover.

“It’s a paradigm shift for all of us,” Clark County Fire Capt. Evan Hannah sai... [ more ]