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Fire Critic and IronFiremen Converge on The Big Apple Again…This Time to Support the Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund

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Willie Wines Jr. (IronFiremen.com), Zach Green (MN8FoxFire.com), and I showed up today in New York City. Haw Dilly! Willie and I drove in…<cough>, I drove in and Willie slept off his hangover today. We showed up in Hoboken, New Jersey and met up with Zach. Once Willie got his thumb out of his mouth, we headed directly to FDNY Rescue 2 to drop off the check from money we raised for the Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund. Let me tell you…it was a blast. Remember, we had been here last trip (read more here). However, this time it was more…it was better. We were supporting them. They had just returned from a fire and were eating. We didn’t want to interrupt, but we enjoyed some coffee while they ate.

Yeah, they made a pot of coffee. It meant the world to me. One Effin cup of coffee was all I needed. If you remember, I have been kicking myself since our last trip for NOT drinking the cup of coffee I was offered. This time I drank it…and they opened up to us more as time went on.

Remember, we are in their house. We felt welcome. However, if you ever travel with Willie or I, you will quickly learn that you get in and get out before anyone gets tired of you being there. Often this means leaving before you might need to…but you leave on good terms.

We visited. I drank a cup of coffee, as did Willie and Zach, and then we left. We felt great. Oh, and we left several Brotherhood Chips…just as we always do!

Here are some pics. Below that is the press release on the money we raised for the Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund.

Zach Green, Captain Liam Flaherty, Willie Wines Jr., and Rhett Fleitz presenting the check from Swoope VFC in Virginia for $100 just after presenting a check from MN8 for $1900. The total donated was around $2300 for the Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund.



More than $2,300 Raised to Help F.D.N.Y. Rescue 2 Injured Firefighters

Effort Led by MN8-Foxfire, FireCritic.com and IronFiremen.com Cincinnati, OH, January 31, 2012— More than $2,300 was raised through efforts by MN8-Foxfire, the developer of breakthrough illuminating products for firefighters, Lt. Rhett Fleitz of the Fire Critic blog (FireCritic.com) and Captain Willie Wines Jr. of the Wooden Ladders and Iron Firemen blog (IronFiremen.com) to support two injured firefighters with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Rescue 2. During the weeklong fundraiser, MN8-Foxfire donated 50 percent of product sales through the company website to the FDNY Rescue 2 Mayday Fund. Contributions were also collected through donations from firefighters and individuals.

Today, MN8-Foxfire President Zachary Green, Fleitz and Wines presented a check to the FDNY Rescue 2 Mayday Fund to Captain Liam Flaherty at the Rescue 2 station in New York. “We were especially devastated to learn about the fire that injured the two Rescue 2 firefighters, as we have a special connection with Rescue 2 since we spent time with Captain Flaherty and his crew last year,” said Green. “It was an honor to have participated in the efforts to raise money to help these heroes and visit with Rescue 2 again today,” said Wines. “When something happens to one of our firefighting brothers, the firefighting community pulls together,” said Fleitz. “I’m proud to be part of a brotherhood that cares about and helps one another.”

On Monday, December 19, 2011, two firefighters from Rescue 2 suffered severe burns during a brownstone structure fire and were in critical condition upon hospital admittance. Both men face long recoveries. One is still hospitalized in critical condition and the other is now recovering at home under the care of a burn center outpatient program.

Best of the Rest – Quick Drills, Shoutouts, FDNY Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund, Jay Bettencourt, and much more

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Best of the Rest is a weekly column aired every Tuesday. If you have something to share, let me know! Our shoutouts (formerly the Monday Morning Shoutout) is now in this column and includes a Facebook fan page, blog or web site, and a Twitter user.

Shoutouts:

Facebook fan page of the week: The Fire Service Warrior – it is about being combat ready in the fire service. Need I say more?

Blog/ web site of the week: S.A.F.E. Firefighter Blog – S.A.F.E. stands for Smart, Aggressive, Fundamental, Efficient.

Twitter user of the week: Greg Friese has been a long time friend of mine who I met through various circles. He stays connected using social media. If you are into social media, EMS, or Education you should follow him. @GFriese

Quick Drills:

You can view all of the weekly drills by FirefighterCloseCalls.com here. Try these two at the firehouse this week:

News:

FDNY Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund – The Fire Critic, IronFiremen.com, and MN8 FoxFire have teamed up to raise money for the Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund. Read more about it here, here, here, and here. Go Directly to MN8 FoxFire web site to donate/purchase. 50% of purchases go to the fund. 100% of donations go to the fund.

Captain Jeff Bowen

STATter911.com – Dave Statter is out first with this story about what Jay Bettencourt went through in the futile rescue of Jeff Bowen. We are turning STATter911.com over this morning and tomorrow to Firefighter Jay Bettencourt of North Carolina’s Asheville Fire Department. You may recognize Jay’s name from our coverage of the fire on July 28, 2011 at a medical office building at 445 Biltmore Avenue that took the life of Jay’s friend, mentor and captain, Jeff Bowen. Jay was seriously injured in the fire. This is a must read story!

The Fire Service WarriorQuit Telling Me To Change My Culture. Although this was written a year ago, the post has found some new life being passed around facebook. It is short, sweet, and to the point! Check it out.

Police Officer Saves a Dog Stuck in a Fence – The End Will Blow You Away - You will NOT believe the end of this video! It’s hilarious and amazing all at the same time. After the police officer frees a dog stuck in a fence, the dog shows his appreciation in the cutest way ever.

Fire Truck Blog - Many of you have been asking for an update on 11-year-old Kyle McGetrick, the Barnegat, New Jersey boy who has been battling cancer for seven years. Jim Duffy, who read about Kyle here on FireTruckBlog.com in December, will have Kyle as a guest tonight on the Internet radio showFireground Strategies & Other Stuff From the Street that Jim does with Deputy Chief Anthony Avillo on Fire Engineering Talk Radio. It starts at 7:30 PM Eastern Time. Here’s the link 

Hybrid MedicWhy it’s important to be nice - You as a provider have a fiduciary responsibility, that is, having the characteristics of trust. If you display behavior that is not consistent of being worthy of trust, then the patients will not trust you to deliver the best care and certainly not for their family. This is important in all cases, but even more so in cases that involve poor outcomes, because poor outcomes could equal lawsuits even if you delivered stellar care, simply on the assumption that because you acted poorly that you performed equally as poor.

FireGeezerSemi wipes out ambulance at accident scene - A TOLEDO, OHIO, AMBULANCE WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED Saturday morning after a tractor-trailer jacknifed and crashed into the unit that was stopped at an accident scene.

FireRescue1Zoe Saldana plays real-life hero after Calif. car crash. CULVER CITY, Calif. — A new celebrity hero has joined the ranks of real-life do-gooders. Zoe Saldana jumped to the rescue of an injured elderly woman this week in Culver City, Calif., after witnessing a car accident that left the driver with a scratched and bloodied face.

Surround and drowned in Detroit

This house fire happened on Hawkins Rd. off Hammond Lane in Centreach. No injuries. Great job by Centereach FD with a little help from Selden FD

Team up with The Fire Critic, IronFiremen, and MN8 FoxFire to Support the Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund

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Willie and I will be meeting up with Zach Green of MN8 FoxFire in New York City next week. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity, even though it meant fitting in another trip in an already hectic schedule. I am behind…way behind. I am looking forward to the trip, but now I am REALLY looking forward to the trip.

Willie and Zach’s minds never quit thinking about what do to next. Willie bounces ideas off me like a crackhead trying to score his next fix. Some are just completely absurd. Like the time he wanted to land in the middle of Lucas Oil Stadium at FDIC in a hot air balloon. He was deflated and dejected when I told him that the stadium had a roof on it. Or the time he wanted to drive to Hawaii…Oh, and I cannot forget the one about dressing up in drag and parading…never mind, that was my idea.

Rescue 2 FDNY Web Site

I digress

Willie and Zach hit the ball out of the park with this last idea. It fits perfect into our schedule, supports the brotherhood, spreads a message, and the ones who help out can get something tangible out of it as well. Willie writes about this effort here. Zach writes about it here.

Rewind to December 19, 2011 at a fire in Brooklyn that left Firefighters James Gersbeck and Robert Weidmann seriously injured. The men are members of FDNY’s Company Rescue 2. Gersbeck and Weidmann were searching the top floor of a Brownstone when the entire floor flashed and trapped both members inside.

Firefighter Gersbeck was removed through the interior after somehow making  it (diving into) the stairwell. Firefighter Weidmann made an unbelievable push through the flames making his way out a front window and onto an awaiting aerial ladder.

Captain Willie Wines Jr. sits at the table and talks shop with the firefighters of FDNY Rescue 2

Willie and I have teamed up with MN8 FoxFire for a fund raising effort for the Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund

For the next week, today (Monday January 23, 2012) through next Monday (January 30, 2012) Zach will donate 50% of all online sales of MN8 FoxFire products to the Rescue 2 MAYDAY fund!

50% of all ONLINE sales will go to the Rescue 2 MAYDAY Fund! 

The offer is good for ANY MN8 FoxFire Products … Tetrahedrons, Helmet Bands, Equipment Bands, Tool Wrap or the Epoxy Kits! Or you can simply donate funds that 100% go to the fund.

The MN8 FoxFire team worked through the weekend to have everything set up on their site for this to happen.

This is what giving back is all about. I am not sure of any other company willing to pledge such a sizable chunk of profit for a cause such as this. However, if there is let me know and I will share it right here on my site.

Willie, Zach, and I will present the check to Rescue 2′s Captain Flaherty next week in Brooklyn.

Learn MORE, view the MN8 FoxFire Product line, make your PURCHASE or DONATE by clicking HERE 

Here is the full press release:

Joint Fundraiser to Benefit F.D.N.Y. Rescue 2 Injured Firefighters Established by MN8-Foxfire, FireCritic.com and IronFiremen.com

Cincinnati, OH, January 23, 2012— MN8-Foxfire, the developer of breakthrough illuminating products for firefighters, Lt. Rhett Fleitz of the Fire Critic blog (FireCritic.com) and Captain Willie Wines Jr. of the Wooden Ladders and Iron Firemen blog (IronFiremen.com) have teamed up to establish a joint fundraiser to support two injured firefighters with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Rescue 2. The fundraiser begins on Monday, January 23 and ends at midnight on Monday, January 30. During this time, MN8-Foxfire will donate 50 percent of all product sales through the company website to the FDNY Rescue 2 Mayday Fund. Opportunities for individuals to make donations without a product purchase will also be available through the MN8-Foxfire website at www.mn8products.com.

On Monday, December 19, 2011, two firefighters from Rescue 2 suffered severe burns during a brownstone structure fire and were in critical condition upon hospital admittance. Both men face long recoveries. One is still hospitalized in critical condition and the other is now recovering at home under the care of a burn center outpatient program.

“We were devastated to hear about the fire involving the Brooklyn firefighters as we have a special connection with Rescue 2,” said Zachary Green, president of MN8-Foxfire. “I’d met and spent some time Captain Liam Flaherty (from Rescue 2) in San Diego last year. Then last fall, Willie, Rhett and I visited Rescue 2 and they welcomed us like we were part of their team.”

“We had great discussions over coffee with Captain Flaherty and his men at their kitchen table and even watched a hockey game with them while we were there,” said Wines.

Fleitz, Wines and Green will travel to New York to personally present a check towards the FDNY Rescue 2 Mayday Fund during the first week of February. “There is such a sense of brotherhood among firefighters,” said Fleitz. “And when one of our brothers is in need, the firefighting community pulls together. We want to do all we can to help these men and their families.”

All Foxfire illuminating products are eligible for the 50 percent Rescue 2 Mayday fundraiser, including illuminating helmet bands, coating kits, grip wrap, tetrahedrons, equipment bands and t-shirts.

About MN8-Foxfire

MN8-Foxfire is a firefighter owned company offering energy efficient and eco-friendly products utilizing breakthrough advanced illumination technology. MN8’s product offerings for the fire safety industry, marketed under the name Foxfire®, have earned a reputation for safety, high quality and performance-proven. This is readily apparent in Foxfire’s photoluminescent helmet bands, coating kits, grip wrap, equipment bands, helmet tetrahedrons and other products. Both the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and Cincinnati Innovates have recognized MN8-Foxfire for its efforts in developing technology that keeps firefighters safe. The company is headquartered in Wyoming, Ohio, a Cincinnati suburb. For more information, visit www.mn8products.com.

Four-Alarm Brooklyn Fire Injures 14, Including 12 Firefighters

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Thanks to @RES911CUE via twitter for the heads up on this story. Twitter it folks! Keep me in the loop and follow @FireCritic!

Story and video link

BAY RIDGE (WPIX) – A four-alarm fire erupted in Brooklyn late Wednesday night, injuring 12 firefighters and two residents.

At about 11:45pm, firefighters responded to blaze at 6805 Third Avenue in Bay Ridge. There was soon heavy fire on each of floor of the four-story mixed occupancy apartment building and conditions quickly escalated to four-alarms.

All occupants either self-evacuated or assisted out of the building via fire escapes, according to FDNY Deputy Chief James Leonard.

“I thought it was something small, that we were going to leave and we were going to come right back. I didn’t think it was this [serious],” said evacuated resident Rebecca Rivera.