Monday, July 21, 2014  This is the terrifying moment a burning car careered towards a hot dog stall in a firefighting display gone wrong.

The scrap car was set alight as part of a demonstration at Somerset Steam and Country Show, with a team of firefighters on hand to extinguish it.

Fortunately, the blue Ford Escort fire was extinguished without the food stall catching fire

Firefighters and show officials tried in vain to hold back the blue Ford Escort car as the 50-strong crowd watched on in horror.

The burning motor finally came to a stop on the tow hitch of the catering unit, which had been evacuated moments before.

Had the car not been stopped by the food truck it would have kept rolling into the funfair behind where dozens of families were enjoying the rides.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2699025/Moment-burning-car-careered-hot-dog-stand-firefighting-display-went-badly-wrong-steam-fair-sparking-real-life-emergency... [ more ]

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 ]

Tuesday, July 15, 2014  Here is a great video on Autism and the First Responder


http://youtu.be/mnua3jeek30


Thanks to the Willow Grove Fire Company for putting this together.

Monday, July 14, 2014  Four firefighters were hospitalized early this morning after inhaling nitric acid, a toxic and potentially explosive chemical, at a metal plating company in Lawrence, said acting Lawrence Deputy Fire Chief Jack Meaney.

The firefighters were treated at Lawrence General Hospital and released this afternoon, he said.

They responded to a report of a chemical release at 22 Ballard Road around 1:30 a.m., said firefighter Mike Forensi. The building is owned by N-Tek Inc., which was closed when the incident occurred.

A man who answered the phone at a number listed for N-Tek Inc declined to comment this afternoon.

The chemical release prompted firefighters and a state hazmat team to close down a section of Ballard Road near the building and evacuate two homes in Lawrence and one in Andover, Meaney said. The residents have since been allowed to return to their homes.

The hazmat team remains at the scene this afternoon t... [ more ]

Monday, July 14, 2014  A fire chief and a volunteer firefighter were hospitalized after their cars collided en route to emergency call Sunday in North Bellmore, according to Nassau County Police.

Cops said a 34-year-old North Bellmore Fire Department chief was driving north on Newbridge Road in a chief's vehicle while responding to an emergency call. As he reached Belmond Avenue at 1:43 p.m., his vehicle collided with a 1997 Jeep Wrangler that was being driven by 27-year-old volunteer firefighter who was making a left turn and heading for the same call, cops said.

A Bellmore Fire Department ambulance responded to the scene and rushed both men to a nearby hospital.

The fire chief sustained knee and back injuries, police said. The firefighter, who was ejected from the Jeep, sustained head and neck injuries and was listed in "critical but stable condition," cops said.

Both vehicles were impounded for brake and safety i... [ more ]

Monday, July 14, 2014  A man faces multiple charges, including a felony, after threatening to shoot at the crew of a medical helicopter for flying too low over his property.

The incident happened at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday at Mercy West Hospital in Green Township.

Investigators say the crew of a UC Health Air Care helicopter was making a "routine patient transfer" from another hospital when Leonard Pflanz, 56, got out of his vehicle and began yelling at the pilot of the aircraft.

"Through the conversation he ended up making some threats to the pilot that he was going to shoot at the helicopter if he would land that low again over his house (on Philloret Drive), " said Cpl. Daniel Vath with Green Township Police Department.

Witnesses told officials from the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office a similar account of what transpired.

The alleged threat grounded the helicopter for a time, keeping the crew from responding... [ more ]

Monday, July 14, 2014  A Long Island Volunteer Fire Chief and a Volunteer Firefighter were hospitalized after their cars collided while both were turning out for a working fire in North Bellmore, Nassau County, Long Island, New York. The 34-year-old North Bellmore Fire Department Deputy Chief was driving north on Newbridge Road in a chief's vehicle while responding to the working fire. As he reached Belmond Avenue at 1343 hours., his vehicle collided with a 1997 Jeep Wrangler that was being driven by 27-year-old volunteer Firefighter who was making a left turn and heading to the firehouse.
The fire chief sustained knee and back injuries. The Firefighter, who was ejected from the Jeep, sustained head and neck injuries and was listed in "critical but stable condition. Both vehicles were impounded for brake and safety inspections. We wish both a successful recovery.
 

Sunday, July 13, 2014  A Long Island (Nassau County, NY) volunteer Firefighter is in serious condition following a responding collision. Initial reports are that a Chief Officer in a marked vehicle and a Firefighter in a personal car collided with one another in North Bellmore, N.Y. this afternoon. Both were turning out to what was a working structural fire. Please keep the member, the families, the Chief and the North Bellmore members in your prayers. More to follow as it's released. 

Sunday, July 13, 2014  Two EMS paramedics and a Honolulu firefighter had to be taken to the hospital to get treated for injuries due to a crash.

Around 10:30 this morning, the three emergency responders were in an ambulance helping a patient who had a medical emergency when the ambulance crashed on the Atkinson exit-ramp at Ala Moana Center.

One paramedic was seriously injured in the crash. The other paramedic and firefighter had only minor injuries.

The patient was taken to the hospital in another ambulance.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.