UPDATES: WI LODD, MD Kids Trapped, A Message (The Secret List)

Hey..

Here are some updates and a message below:

UPDATE: WISCONSIN LINE OF DUTY DEATH: MORE DETAILS RELEASED:

Lt. Rick H. Borkin, a 16-year veteran of the Thiensville VFD, died Monday evening after experiencing respiratory problems during a training exercise at the Milwaukee Area Technical College campus in Oak Creek, the Ozaukee County Coroner stated…."He had a history of respiratory problems but wanted to participate in the exercise anyway,"

Thiensville Fire Chief Brian Reiels said Lt. Borkin, 42, had been sick for about a week before attending the Firefighter II certification training. Lt. Borkin was one of three Thiensville firefighters who attended the training.

During a physically challenging part of the training, he indicated he wasn’t feeling real well and sat down and collapsed soon afterward.

Lt Borkin was immediately attended by paramedics but was pronounced dead at the scene about 203- last night. Lt. Borkin was promoted in May to training officer….he was employed by Infinity Telecommunications and is survived by his wife, Stephanie, and a 13-year-old son. Rest in Peace, Lou.

UPDATE: RADIO TRAFFIC FROM THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY TRIPLET RESCUE:

One of the reasons we send this stuff out and have for 12 years is so all of us, us included, can use it and learn from it. This one is an excellent case study for any elected official who may be involved in the "budget review process" to review and listen to…and then determine "what would happen if that fire happened here"…here are some thoughts to ponder and discuss around the firehouse table:

==What’s your staffing and response at 1300 hours on a weekday?

==What’s your staffing anytime?

==What do you send on a 1st alarm to a dwelling fire?

(How many rigs, how many FF’s, how many bosses?..who will command it? Who will supervise the exterior and interior divisions? Who handles FF tracking/accountability?)

==How long will it take all required companies to arrive? (We say that because if the 1st due arrives quick but the next due are 5-10 minutes away-we have to understand what we can "realistically" do-and not do, given the circumstances.)

==Do the closest firehouses respond initially irregardless of whose jurisdiction the fire may be in?

==How fast can you get lines stretched and water on the fire or to protect those interior? How do you know?

==How fast can you get ladders thrown all around the dwelling? Who does that?

==Is EMS/ALS due on all 1st alarms to support a possible rescue or injured firefighters?

==Is a trained RIT team on the 1st alarm automatically?

These rhetorical questions give ANY FD plenty to think about (and act on, depending) after reading the below and listening to the radio traffic. Below is a narrative from Montgomery County Fire & Rescue PIO Pete Piringer describing the sequence of events where three young brothers were rescued last week:

On Wednesday, December 3, 2008 units from the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue were dispatched for the report of a fire at a house located at 4806 Jamestown Road. 3 kids were rescued by firefighters and taken to the hospital. A father and 2 firefighters were injured and were also transported to local hospitals. The children remain at the hospital in and are in critical condition. The father was transported in serious condition to the MedStar Burn Unit, as well. It is believed the fire smoldered and burned undetected for an extended period before being detected by the Nanny. Damage is estimated at $500,000. The family will be displaced. Two family pet dogs also survived, one was temporarily unaccounted for. The house did not have functional smoke alarms at the time of the fire. Due to recent upgrades and remodeling, new wireless and interconnected smoke alarms were in the process of being installed to replace older, hard-wired smoke alarms.

Thanks to Dave Statter for the efforts and the link and Pete Piringer for the details:

http://www.wusa9.com/news/columnist/blogs/2008/12/radio-traffic-from-montgomery-county.html

A MESSAGE:

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Take care-BE CAREFUL.

BillyG

The Secret List 12-9-08 / 2110 hours

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