CALIFORNIA FIRE CHIEF DIES IN THE LINE OF
DUTY-Medical Emergency
The Secret List www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com
Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit Battalion Chief Rob Van Wormer
lost consciousness and died in the Line of Duty last night while on
assignment. The cause and circumstances of Chief Van Wormer’s death isn’t
immediately known. He fell ill, was treated and was transported to Dominican
Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 2000 hours.
Chief Van Wormer, 47, had served with Cal Fire for 24 years
and served as both Fire Chief and a Fire Investigator. His brother, Kirk, is a
Cal Fire Battalion Chief in the Sonoma Lake-Napa Unit.
Our condolences to all affected. RIP.
=FIREFIGHTER DOWN AT DWELLING FIRE:
An Elk Creek, Colorado Firefighter was
hospitalized after an early morning fire in Jefferson County this morning.
Companies responded to the fire at 0530 hours near Pine, Colo. Elk Creek
Fire Chief Bill McLaughlin said a Firefighter collapsed due to smoke inhalation
after he was trying to knock the house fire. He was airlifted to St.
Anthony’s Hospital from the North Fork Fire Station. However, he is expected to
be released from the hospital soon.
=AMERICA STILL BURNING?
Next year marks the 40th anniversary of the landmark report,
America Burning
Bill Webb, Executive Director of the Congressional Fire
Services Institute (CFSI) has written a piece worthy of 5 minutes of
your time.
40 YEARS AGO…wow……obviously,
members of Congress back then recognized that America Burning was more than
just another federal report; this one had traction. It presented a strong,
justifiable case for creating a new federal agency for our nation’s fire and
emergency services.
While Congress did its part establishing USFA, it never
provided the financial resources for the agency to fulfill its core missions.
America Burning called for $153 million in annual funding. That was
forty years ago. So it’s safe to say that it would far exceed the $44
million USFA received in Fiscal Year 2012.
As we look ahead at the future of USFA, we need to realize that “our
federal agency” cannot deliver on its mission if its funding level
continues on a downward path.
READ Bill’s entire piece…and the action he is
“squeaking” for:
http://firechief.com/blog/america-burning-anniversary-reminder-what-still-needs-be-done
STORM GETS
READY TO SLAM THE EASTERN USA:
Here are some sites you can use to follow the storm activities:
http://www.noaa.gov/stormcentral/ (NOAA
STORM CENTRAL)
https://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/alert.php (ACTIVE
WORKING FIRE INCIDENTS POSTED HERE 24/7)
http://www.noaawatch.gov/ (NOAA)
http://www.weather.gov/ (NATIONAL
WEATHER)
http://mema.maryland.gov/Pages/homeEmergency_hurricane.aspx (MARYLAND
EMA)
http://dema.delaware.gov/ (DELAWARE
EMA)
http://readynj.posterous.com/ (NJ
OEM)
http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/OEM/Docs/PDF/nys_storm_surge_zones.pdf (Long
Island Storm Surge Zones)
http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/home/home.shtml (NYC
OEM)
http://www.ct.gov/demhs/site/default.asp (CT
OEM)
http://alertpage.net/ (SUBSCRIBE
TO RECEIVE FIRE/EMS WORKING INCIDENTS)
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/ (LISTEN
to live fire/EMS/PD Radio Traffic)
REMINDER: It seems that nearly ever large storm such
as this results in the critical injury or death of firefighters. Please use
EXTREME caution in water, response, rescues, wires and related storm extreme
emergencies. Size Up and Think.
Take Care-BE CAREFUL,
BillyG
The Secret List 10-28-12 / 2122 Hours
