First in Shreveport.
Second in BFD?
Archives for
See all posts in the network tagged with
This photo comes via PhillyFireNews.com and FirstWestChester.org where you can read more about this arson fire in a vacant dwelling. The First West Chester Fire Company has a ton of images from this fire on their site.
I have two small children, one 5 and one 6. My children get invited to a lot of birthday parties. We have several different places that are popular for birthday parties. One place I hate to go is Chuck-E-Cheese. Sure it was fun as a kid, but now I would rather have a root canal. It is just too freakin loud.
On the other hand, I love going to Pump It Up! Why? Because I love a great challenge by other fathers on the obstacle course! To be quite honest, I think I am undefeated right now. I might even be considered a professional! It is a place where I can be just like the kids! What is better than that? Yeah I know…plenty…but it is up there isn’t it?
Decatur Township Firefighters are enjoying the same! These firefighters enjoy beating each other up on duty as a stress reliever!
Check out this fire attack from afar. I am not sure exactly what is going on here, but I can tell one thing…Those firefighters are not being too productive with their attack. What do you all think?
Great news for Monopoly players everywhere. Soon we will be blessed with a firefighter edition Monopoly game. While many Fire Chiefs have been playing games with departments for a long time, now average jakes can become the Fire Chief if they have what it takes!
You can sign up for news of the future release of the game here. There is also a facebook group set up for Monopoly Firefighter Edition here!
Monopoly Firefighter Edition
Check out these videos on the story of the NFFF (link to their site here)
There are many blogs out there run anonymously (including this one…kinda). Those bloggers have relished in the fact that they are anonymous and no one can find out who they are!!! Until now. Recently, a model sued google for the name of an anonymous blogger. She won and Google served up the name of the blogger. The blogger had said nasty things about the model on a blog.
The model told the blogger she forgave her…but that she was still going to sue for defamation! Read the entire story.
This is something bloggers have to be careful of. Lying, defamation, libel, assualt. Whether you are anonymous or not. I do not know of any Fire Service Blogs that might cross the line. I will keep a look out!
Two ships collide off the coast of Malaysia.
Firefighters battle fire on the Liberian-registered tanker Formosaproduct Brick in the Strait of Malacca outside Port Dickson, 100 km (62 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur August 19, 2009. Image from ChinaDaily.com
An oil tanker collided with a bulk carrier in the Malacca Straits (South of Kuala Lumpur) causing both ships to catch fire. The crew of the bulk carrier was able to put their fire out while the oil tanker fire was a little larger as you can see in the photo above. The collision and subsequent fires occurred last night around 9:30pm (not sure what time zone though).
There are 9 members of the crew missing from the oil tanker Formosaproduct Brick. 16 other crew members were rescued. Read the entire story here.
Sliding Chute
Check out this Firefighter sliding chute. Thanks to Timothy Clemans for leaving the link with a comment on the original post here.
This chute is found in the Ontario International Airport Fire Station in California. It can be viewed a a youtube video series “There Goes a Fire Truck”. Image below and video after that. The chute is a little different and longer than the one posted in the previous post. The Sliding Chute can be seen at 6:40.
Keep sending in other images/videos of sliding chutes. This is pretty neat stuff that you don’t find everyday.
Fire Slide. Image from VAFireNews.com
Firegeezer recently posted a question for everyone to help out answer about the safety of Fire Poles. I am not trying to steal this thunder, so please visit the post to see the exact question and offer an answer if you have one.
Actually, what I wanted to show was a Sliding Chute. This slide was actually recently placed in a BRAND NEW firehouse in Dale City located in Prince William County, Virginia. VAFireNews.com has the story and many great photos of the inside and outside of the station. The really cool thing is that not only does the firehouse have a fire pole and a sliding chute, they also have plaques explaining the history of them. See what I mean below. Click here or on the images for the entire photo story.
Does anyone else know of other firehouses with sliding chutes in them? Photo evidence would be nice!
And be sure to check out the original post over at FireGeezer.
The plaque at the sliding chute reads:
Prior to the invention of the slide pole, stairs and sliding chutes were common in fire stations. The chutes allowed the firefighters to quickly get to the horses and wagons, which were housed in a stable below the sleeping quarters in the hayloft.
The horses would try to climb the stairs to the hayloft, so designers responded with spiral staircases. While hard for the horses to climb, these types of stairs were slow for the firefighters to descend.
The sliding chute was eventually replaced by the sliding pole, however the chute remains a quick and safe way to get to the apparatus from upper floors of the fire station.
I got the heads up for this link from the boys at Engine9RFD. Check out the Old School Firefighting of the FDNY. Click on the picture below. Photos by Michael Dick. Warning: contains some graphic images.
Photo by Michael Dick - FDNYsBravest.com
Here is another one that finds the brothers up against it upon arrival.
At 2:13am GFD was toned out for a reported house on fire at Louisiana and RIdge Road, the header and glow were clearly visible from 80-94 and MLK. Crews had hydrant problems from the start, after a short exterior attack Truck 4 was used briefly to knock some of the fire down. Multiple lines were used and nobody was injured at the fire scene.
This youtube user promises more fires while he is in Detroit. This fire is impressive. Obviously not near enough water to really make a dent in the fire, but the house is fully involved. Notice the engineer hosing off the engine to keep the paint on it.
Box alarm at 3399 E Palmer St, C1 on scene dwelling fire going well throughout.
I don’t have a clue where this occurred. Greenwood somewhere. Enjoy!
Check out these guys who are operating with a few less brain cells than the rest of us. Always good to keep us rollin!
I just read an article titled “How localities can avoid police and firefighter layoffs”. The editorial was written by Taylor Mayor Cameron Priebe, 58, returned to Taylor government in 2005 after working nine years as director of public services in Wayne County. Priebe can be contacted by e-mail at taylornews@aol.com. Please correct me if I am wrong but Priebe did not answer the statement in the title. While it is apparent he is an administrator, he failed to explain the method to the situation he poses in the title.
Again, correct me if I am wrong.
What I got out of the article was that Priebe has helped create a group of other City/County administrators to fight this PA312 and make it what it isn’t. The purpose of PA312 was to help municipalities by keeping FD and PD employees from striking. Priebe’s issue is the fact that the issues will be hammered out by binding arbitration. That very arbitration, Priebe feels could make financial obligations too heavy for governments to cover.
At least that is what I got out of it. So I guess his answer to “How localities can avoid police and firefighter layoffs” is to keep them all on board, just pay them less. But really, it seemed as though the title was catchy enough to get everyone’s attention to read, and then get them to come drive down his one way street.
FireGeezer originally posted this story here. 43 women and children have died and 90 injured in a fire at a wedding party in Kuwait City. The party was held for women and children, the men hold a separate party. Both parties were held in tents. The ex-wife of the groom has admitted to pouring gasoline on the tent and lighting the fire.
Firefighters said that the blaze took less than three minutes to rip through the marquee, in which as many as 180 women and children were celebrating the wedding party. Many of those who died were killed in the stampede for the sole exit.
The original story is here on FoxNews.com
People gather around the burnt debris after a fire broke out at a wedding tent on Saturday night Aug. 15, 2009 in Kuwait City, Kuwait. The fire at a wedding tent in Kuwait that killed 41 women and children consumed the the structure in a blazing inferno lasting just three minutes, the fire department chief said Sunday (AP Photo)
This weeks Monday Morning Shoutout goes out to one of the mainstays of Fire Blogs. The LAFD News & Information Blog has been online since 2004 making it one of the oldest “Fire Blogs”. I have followed along this blog for years now. The blog, headed by Brian Humphrey, is only one part of a system that Fire/EMS departments should strive for. The best part of the blog is the way it develops a relationship between the LAFD and the citizens and visitors of LA.
Brian regularly blogs about incidents, training, events, and all other things LAFD.
You can read more about Brian Humphrey in a 2006 article on him, the blog, and the communications center of LAFD here.
The article reads:
I grabbed a nice lunch yesterday with LAFD blogger/spokesman/ubergeek Brian Humphrey (more about his cool projects below) who showed me around what’s variously called the Bunker, the Ant Farm and the Emergency Operations Center – the central dispatch point for every single emergency handled by L.A.’s 103 fire stations …
Then goes on to say
In the private sector, Brian would be a 6-figure-salaried CTO with an army of developers. But here, he’s just a solo webmaster/blogger working 24-hour shifts four stories under City Hall East, for a huge, busy department, on city wages …
It was brought to my attention that the Contact Form on FireCritic.com was not working. I apologize. It is now up and running. Thanks to Joe Schmoe for the heads up.
If you have tried unsuccessfully to contact The Fire Critic, just simply try again.
You can also email me at FireCritic@FireCritic.com
A photographer / actress poses at Easton fire station. Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. provided the photo, with the woman's face blacked out. (Contributed photo / August 13, 2009) Photo from Mcall.com
Easton Pennsylvania Fire Department
A woman who had been photographed in Easton’s Central fire station apparently was not topless according to Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. The woman had been thought to have photographed topless by some reports. The Mayor quickly got to the bottom of the incident and found out that she was never topless. Even so, there will not be any disciplinary action because the City doesn’t have any guidelines for photos taken at City fire stations.
The photo shoot was put on by Tony Napoli, who was the original subject of the photoshoot. The woman was actually the photographer who then found herself on the other side of the camera lense. She was photographed in a red bikini top, but not topless.
The moral of the story is maybe to just not put yourself in these situations in the first place. While they mostly are innocent, passersby may not think so therefore it is not worth the gamble. Everyone should know by now that the last word listened to and/or believed is ours! Or you could just walk away.
Check out this fire in Italy. Three host of fire-fighting fire in gasiło Novotel Street. 1. August in Italy.
Photograph: Peter Wittman źródło: Fotorzepa Source: Fotorzepa
Video below. VAFireNews.com and STATTer911.com have previously run this, but I have to chime in.
I have been on numerous vehicle fires. Some of them were bad, others not so bad. Some of the vehicles were big and others little. Most accidental start in the engine compartment while most incendiary are started in the passenger compartment.
However, I have never been on a car fire that required a fan. Nor have I been on a car fire where we utilized the spreaders and/or cutters to open the hood. Usually the irons do just fine if you know what you are doing. The pike pole is tops though. I also noticed that the first guys to the vehicle with SCBA on aren’t carrying any tools.
Just grab the line and the irons and do work! Just because it is on the rig doesn’t mean you have to use it.
I understand that the reason for all the companies on scene is because the call came in as a car fire near the building. Therefore, I can understand the full compliment although the 1st in should have disregarded them to get the other apparatus back in service.
If you remember, I covered a story on Houston Council Member Jolanda Jones here. At the time it seemed as though she was a big supporter of the firefighters. Now, not so much…
Jolanda Jones apparently refered to Houston’s IAFF President Jeff Caynon as a “house negro” in a meeting with him. Much to his displeasure, he wrote a letter to Jones stating:
In a sharply worded letter, union President Jeff Caynon says, “What evolved at the meeting shocked and disappointed us. Our attempts to answer your questions and update you were repeatedly interrupted and shouted down when our knowledge of the situation contradicted your inaccurate conclusions. Worse yet were your threats, attempts to intimidate, profane outbursts, and racist ranting.” Read the rest
The Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 341 don’t take politics lightly. They have been hard at work in getting the proper people elected that will help them with the issues the effect Fire/EMS Service in the City.
FirefighterHourly.com reports that Local 341 has pulled their endorsement of Jones in the upcoming election. Link
You can watch the video report on the incident here.
The Houston FD is already dealing with many claims of racism, sexism, and harassment within the stations. I have reported on the hazing here, and a former recruit who made a stupid remark that cost him his job here.
Check out this video of an accident in Warsaw, Poland. The videographer catches the unit leaving the station and then several still photos and video at the scene. What caught my eye was the rapid EMT deployment around the 1:00 minute mark in the video. Do they not have seat belts in Poland? That guy would have been part of the incident if the driver made any quick adjustments while entering the scene.
Editor’s Note: I don’t know what they call the EMS personnel in Poland so I went with EMT.
Here is a joke for you all…I laughed til it hurt, so I figured I would let you all have a read. If you have seen it before then read it again!
Just try reading this without laughing till you cry!!!
Pocket Taser Stun Gun, a great gift for the wife. A guy who purchased his lovely wife a pocket Taser for their anniversary submitted this:
Last weekend I saw something at Larry’s Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 15th anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Julie. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse- sized taser. The effects of the taser were supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety….??
WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home.
I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button and pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I’d get
the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs. AWESOME!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave. Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn’t be all that bad with only two triple-A batteries, right?
There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target. I must
admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did
want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong?
So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and taser in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.
All the while I’m looking at this little device measuring about 5″ long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference; pretty cute really and (loaded with two itsy, bitsy triple-A batteries) thinking to myself, ‘no possible
way!’ What happened next is almost beyond description, but I’ll do my best.. .?
I’m sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as to say, ‘don’t do it dumbass,’ reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn’t hurt all that bad. I decided
to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and .. . HOLY MOTHER OF GOD . . WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION . . . WHAT THE HELL!!!
I’m pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal
position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs? The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room.
Note: If you ever feel compelled to ‘mug’ yourself with a taser, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor.. A three second burst would be considered conservative?
IT HURT LIKE HELL!!!
A minute or so later (I can’t be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so from where it originally was. My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I had no control over the drooling. Apparently I pooped on myself, but was too numb to know for sure and my sense of smell was gone. I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head which I
believe came from my hair. I’m still looking for my testicles and I’m offering a significant reward for their safe return!
P.s… My wife, who can’t stop laughing about my experience, loved the gift, and now regularly threatens me with it!
If you think education is difficult, try being stupid !!!
Recent Comments on FireCritic.com