Sunday, December 8, 2013   In an article today by NY Times writer Michael Schmidt, the headline reads: "In Mass Attacks, New Advice Lets Medics Rush In" Well.....Not Exactly.
His article (link below) states that instead of following long-established protocols that call for firefighters / EMS to take cover and stage until a threat is over, Federal officials and medical experts who have studied the Boston Marathon bombing and mass shootings like the one in Newtown, Conn., have concluded that MANAGED aggressive emergency medical response could be critical in saving lives.


That DOES NOT change the fact the fire and EMS personnel must still size up prior to taking action. The new guidelines also address the issue of all involved personnel being equipped with proper PPE: body armor. And bei... [ more ]

Sunday, December 8, 2013  Three SFFD commanders who directed firefighting and rescue efforts after the crash of an Asiana Airlines jetliner at San Francisco International Airport in July had never taken a training course required of rank-and-file first responders at aircraft disasters.
Unlike the firefighters they were supervising, two of the San Francisco Fire Department commanders were not required under Federal Aviation Administration rules to take the course because they were not stationed at the airport. The third, a captain who oversees firefighters at SFO, was scheduled to be trained but had been on the job for just one month.
Although the federal rules don't require commanders to take any special aircraft-disaster training, fire departments around the country have typically chosen airport supervisors from among firefighters who have taken a basic, weeklong course, experts say. In several other countries, all fire commanders must undergo both basic and advanced training.
The S.F. Fire De... [ more ]

Sunday, December 8, 2013  More than 40 fire chiefs from across the state met in one place this weekend. The annual South Dakota Fire Chiefs Association Conference is a time for the chiefs to bounce ideas off of each other, learn new leadership techniques and see the latest technology. They’re not just talking about fighting fires but the fight against suicide among firefighters.
     
When you think firefighter, you picture putting out fires and saving lives but there's a lot of stress that comes with the job.

"It might be after the call or a week or month later that those stress with calls can start to weigh on a firefighter and the chief needs to understand how to implement programs to make their firefighters safer," said Sioux Falls Fire Rescue Chief Jim Sideras.

That's why these Fire Chiefs meet each year. A way to talk about how to not only keep their communities safe but help one another keep their crews safe from things like suicide.

“The ... [ more ]

Sunday, December 8, 2013  On Sunday, December 8, at approximately 2:10p.m., Rescue Engine 141 from Newburg volunteer Fire Department was responding to a motor vehicle accident in St. Mary’s County.

While responding to the call the engine lost control and struck a guardrail, it continued down an embankment, coming to rest on it’s roof.

No other vehicles were involved.

Five members were on board, all were transported to an area hospital to be checked out, at least one minor injury was reported.

Sunday, December 8, 2013  A ceiling collapsed on five Redmond firefighters Saturday as they were working to divert a water leak from an apartment complex. One firefighter was injured and transported to Evergreen Hospital. He has since been released.Firefighters had responded to several water-related calls due to frozen pipes thawing Saturday, and one group was working in the third-floor master bedroom in a building at The Heights at Bear Creek complex off of Avondale Road Northeast when the entire plaster-board ceiling collapsed onto the crew.

After uncovering themselves from the debris, four of the firefighters found one crew member was still buried due to injuries to his left shoulder and leg.

The injured firefighter was evacuated from the building, then evaluated and treated by Redmond firefighters and paramedics  before being taken to Evergreen Hospital, according to a news release.

“Initially we thought his injuries were a lot worse because the pain he was in – ... [ more ]

Sunday, December 8, 2013  Two Marion firefighters suffered minor operating at a three-story house fire Saturday afternoon. The two members received second-degree burns to the legs and neck while searching for potential occupants around 3:49 p.m. at 305 W. Columbia St. They were told a female was still inside the home when they arrived. Firefighters began a search of the property-no one was home.

Sunday, December 8, 2013  At about 1400 hours today,  Rescue Engine 141 from Newburg  Volunteer Fire Department was responding to a motor vehicle crash in St. Mary’s County.
While responding to the call the engine lost control and struck a guardrail, it continued down an embankment, coming to rest on it’s roof. Thankfully all members are fine following EMS evaluation.

Saturday, December 7, 2013  Sometimes a firefighter's worst enemy is water.

A devastating water main break in Castro County, Calif. on Friday caused a massive sinkhole to open up in the street, pulling in a fire truck, Patch reports.

The break occurred at around 7 p.m., dispatchers told the site. Water flowed into several houses, causing damage. The gaping, 10-foot by 15-foot sinkhole was big enough to partially swallow the 40,000 pound emergency vehicle, Contra Costa Times reports.

Nobody was injured, but there was extensive damage to equipment and nearby homes. Heavy towing machines were used to pull the fire truck out.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the b... [ more ]

Saturday, December 7, 2013  A Bloomington man driving a station wagon struck the back of a fire truck that was at the scene of car accident at Kinser and the Bypass Wednesday evening, police report.

The station wagon driver was arrested on a preliminary charge of drunk driving.

Bloomington police, firefighters and members of IU Health Bloomington Hospital’s ambulance service were called to the scene of a three-car accident at the intersection of North Kinser Pike and the Ind. 45/46 Bypass at 6:48 p.m. Wednesday. The cars had minor damage.

A city fire truck was blocking two lanes of eastbound traffic, when the fire truck was struck from behind by a maroon 1998 Saturn station wagon, according to Bloomington police Lt. Steve Kellams.

The driver of the station wagon, 64-year-old Dana Gayle Farless, was first taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries.

He was later booked into the Monroe County Jail on a preliminary charge of operating... [ more ]

Saturday, December 7, 2013  For the younger visitors to FireFighterCloseCalls, today, "Pearl Harbor Day" we remember the attack on Pearl Harbor, which was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941. 



188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 2,402 personnel were killed and 1,282 were wounded in the Line of Duty. We remember them all from "The Greatest Generation" who served along with all those who continue to serve today including the Honolulu FD and Federal FD Firefighters.

PURPLE HEARTS: REMEMBERING THE FIREFIGHTERS KILLED & INJURED IN THE LINE OF DUTY AT PEARL HARBOR: As the Hickam Field firefighting apparatus was knocked out by the attack, Honolulu Fire companies responded to assist with the fires. 


At 0826 a Japanese aerial bomb was dropped on crews from HFD Engine Co.1, 4, and 6. 3 Firefighters, Captain John Carreir... [ more ]

Friday, December 6, 2013  Arkansas' Grassy Knob VFD lost a water tanker on Tuesday when it crashed down a 600-foot ravine near Beaver Lake, totaling the vehicle. Grassy Knob Fire Chief Bob McVey was heading to Springfield, Mo., early Tuesday morning to take the 3,000-gallon water tanker in for repairs to its pump when a light buzzed indicating the air pressure was low.

McVey pulled over on Mundell Road near Starkey Marina, walked around the vehicle to look for an air leak and didn't find anything. He went inside to use the restroom before going on his way, and when he came back, the tanker was gone. "It was idling for five or six minutes," McVey said. "Why it rolled down the hill, I could not tell you."

The tanker had rolled down into a 600-foot-deep ravine on Doug Powell's property and overturned.
"Through the fog and the darkness, I couldn't see it at first," McVey said.
"I was sound asleep," Powell said, adding that his neighbor likened the sound of the rolling truck... [ more ]

Thursday, December 5, 2013  When people find out you're a firefighter, the first question they ask is: "What made you join the fire service?"

This is typically followed by: "My dad, grandpa, or uncle was on the job."

That wasn't the case for me. Instead, interest in a career in public safety came in waves throughout my adolescence. I assure you, I am a first and last generation firefighter.

It first started at age 13, when I was spending the night at a friend's house in the neighborhood where I grew up. After seeing an ambulance race down the street, we went outside to find the house two doors down on fire. The closest fire company hadn't arrived yet.

I had a front-row seat to the entire scene. I heard the sirens, smelled the smoke, saw the rigs arrive, and watched as these courageous men entered the house and pulled three people out of the fire.

They performed CPR on the victims right on the front lawn. Unfortunately, two of them didn't ma... [ more ]

Thursday, December 5, 2013  A fire department command vehicle was destroyed in a police chase Tuesday night after it was stolen from the downtown Olympia fire station.

The drama began at about 10 p.m. when the battalion chief returned briefly to the station after a fire earlier in the evening, said Laura Wohl of the Olympia police.

The chief inadvertently left his keys in the vehicle while he went inside. When he came out of the building to return to the fire scene, he found that the vehicle was missing.

Police were notified of the theft and the vehicle was spotted soon afterward by Tumwater officers as it was travelling at high speed on Capitol Boulevard, a major thoroughfare.

The police officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to pull over. The suspect continued to drive from Tumwater to Tenino, where officers were able to deploy spike strips.

The spike strips disabled the vehicle, which then slid off the road and crashed. The susp... [ more ]

Wednesday, December 4, 2013  It broke out around 6:07 p.m. in the 400 block of Trowbridge Street, which is near Southeastern Avenue and South Keystone Avenue.

Officials say neighbors saw smoke and alerted the occupants.

A Mayday call was made when one of the fire crew's exit was temporarily blocked. Clutter from inside fell and blocked the back door. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters on the scene say six people live in the house. The owner was not home when the fire started. Authorities say that person just had heart surgery.

The house was a total loss and damages were estimated at $80,000.

Firefighters say there were many electrical cords located in the home's basement although the cause was not immediately determined. The fire was under investigation.

Medics took two Indianapolis firefighters to the hospital after a fire late Tuesday.

Fire crews were called to a house on fire on North Bradley Avenue near South Sherma... [ more ]

Wednesday, December 4, 2013  Two firefighters suffered minor injuries battling a fire at a home just outside Naperville Tuesday, according to Lisle-Woodridge Fire District officials.

Firefighters responded to 24W700 Ohio Street after receiving a 911 call reporting smoke inside the home about 3:39 p.m. Tuesday, officials said in a news release.

While most of the fire was put out quickly, it took about six hours to work on hidden fires. Emergency units remained on scene until just after 1 a.m. today.

Three people who were home at the time made it out safely, but two firefighters suffered minor injuries, according to the release. They were taken to a local hospital and have since b... [ more ]