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Fire Videos Around the World From Cleveland to Houston & Thailand to Canada and More!

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This is a bit of a long post…and it involves plenty of video. I got in front of the computer searching for what fires were caught on video and uploaded to Youtube…and I found a ton!

There is also a great video about the Mayday, Rescue, and Rescesutation of a Lt. in Columbus, Ohio at Paul Hasenmeier’s blog “Pass the Training & Tradition Blog”. The video describes what happened when Lt. Mike Polaski went down at a bread and butter house fire in Columbus. It occured in the basement and firefighters were quick to put their training into action and rescue one of their own. The fruits of their training and labor is that Mike survived the event. Great job guys!

I am actually sitting here working at ole #13 on C-shift. I am paying back another guy for working for him. I am sitting right next to Captain Willie Wines Jr. and we are having a great time! I even made him a cake for his 20th anniversary on the department. I made him  a cake with a bunny rabbit on it. The messed up thing is that I only put one ear on the rabbit. Willie, with the sick mind that he has, thinks it was actually something else. I just don’t see how he thought I would put that on his cake! I mean really, what kind of person does he think I am?

Now, on to the videos!

Here is a house fire (or a row of houses on fire maybe) on Fox Street in Gillingham (which is in Kent…somewhere in the UK)

This fire occured outside of Seattle. This was teh second fire in this house and it was still being rebuilt/remodeled after the first fire. Fire destroyed a home early Friday morning in Lynnwood, the second time the house was gutted by fire in less than a year.Snohomish Co. Fire District #1 spokeswoman Leslie Hynes said crews were called to the home in the 14700 block of Manor Way about 5:20 a.m. and the house was already engulfed in

http://lynnwood.komonews.com/news/911/fire-destroys-home-second-time/650443

Here is a house fire in Bicknell, Indiana

This fire is in Pattaya near Bangkok, Thailand

House fire in Norwich, Connecticut (next two videos)

Chicago, Illinois – Firefighters working on the roof at 18th Place.

Charleston, South Carolina – House fire on Rutledge Avenue (3 videos)

Cleveland, Ohio – Fire at East 57th Street

New Orleans, Louisiana – House fire on Harvest Valley Street

Kanata, Ottawa, Canada – House fire started by lightning

Garland, Texas – House fire on Hampshire Street

Vancouver, BC – 3 cars on fire

Shreveport, Louisiana – House fire

Houston, Texas – House fire on Sherman Street (2 videos)

Posted by on July 1, 2011 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Fires, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Furthering Discussion of the Backstep Firefighter on the Houston LODD’s

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Bill Carey of Backstep Firefighter did a bang up job in discussing the similarities and differences in the 2005 Houston LODD and the 2009 Houston LODD’s. He really spent some time writing a fine article and bringing question to various points within the post.

He asked me my thoughts on the matter and I was unable to get them to him in a timely manner, so here they are.

I scanned over the recent report on the 2009 LODD’s of Captain James Harlow and Firefighter Damion Hobbs.

While I am not as in depth as Bill is, I offer my thoughts which came to mind. My thoughts are more National in thought than just on the Houston FD.

backstepfirefighterThe report pointed to a couple of things:

  1. The lack of use of a thermal imaging camera (TIC)
  2. The firefighters leaving the hoseline
  3. The Captain not doing a 360 degree walkaround
  4. The Captain not taking his radio

1. The lack of use of a thermal imaging camera (TIC)

Most departments roll with a firefighter, an officer, and a driver. If the driver is pumping, two firefighters are going in. Two firefighters to make an attack on the fire with a hoseline. One on the nozzle pulling hose, the other helping drag hose and talking on the radio if need be.

Who is going to carry the TIC? If that is an issue, put more staffing on the apparatus. In the HFD LODD report, it does state that in this case there were 3 firefighters going in but one had issues with their mask. In my department that would be an imaginary firefighter…We run with 3 total.

I agree that TIC’s have their place in finding victims,  the seat of the fire, or possible means of egress. However, it is not the end-all!

2. The firefighters leaving the hoseline

From what I could tell, this point was processed by where the hoseline was laying vs. where the two men’s bodies were found.

I can only imagine that their last minutes on this earth were sheer terror and panic. I like to think that if I were in their shoes I would revert to training, experience, and knowledge and throw my brother firefighter over my shoulder and walk out the front door. However, we both know that we have gotten tunnel vision, fought panic and anxiety in situations less as life threatening as this.

I cannot correlate their final resting spots as cause for stating that they left the hoselines for any other reason than they realized death might have been imminent had they not.

3. The Captain not doing a 360 degree walkaround

Ah…the 360 walk-around. That ever present topic/tactic in presentations, training, and literature. That thing that I have never seen a first arriving officer do. That thing that incoming Incident Commanders rarely do.

I will put stock in this one….with caveats.

In a perfect world, we would pull up past the house getting three sides of the layout on arrival. My 2 firefighters in the back (remember that never happens in my dept.) would pull a line and force the door while I checked out the Charlie Side. I would then get back to the front of the house with my firefighters and develop a quick strategy (meaning possibly changing the point of entry upon my view of the backside of the house)

If I didn’t, the next in companies would or at least the BC upon arrival.

The truth in my department (urban firefighting hydrants/apparatus/crews bountiful on fires) is that if I were to do a walkaround, the next in engine would put the fire out before I got back up front…hypothetically.

I guess in my perfect World, if it were more than a bread and butter/room and contents fire we would do a walk-around or the BC close behind would do one and relay any pertinent information to us prior to us getting in too deep.

4. The Captain not taking his radio

He forgot it apparently. I have no excuses on this one. For the company officer, having a radio is a must. We have all forgotten something at one time or another. Did it prove fatal in this case? Maybe, there is no telling that if he had it he would have been able to get firefighters to his crew quick enough to save their lives.

Be sure to check out Bill Carey’s breakdown of the LODD here as well.

Posted by on March 10, 2010 • Filed under: Line of Duty, News • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Too Hot to Handle?

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Heather as seen in the HFD Pipes and Drums Calendar. Click on the image to purchase now... $12 to support the HFD Pipes and Drums...and get this awesome photo!

Heather as seen in the HFD Pipes and Drums Calendar. Click on the image to purchase now... $12 to support the HFD Pipes and Drums...and get this awesome photo!

Dave Statter ran a story about a Houston Pipes and Drums Calendar that is causing an uproar. The story accompanied another story in Houston that is related sexist and racist remarks surrounding female firefighters. I covered some of that story in the past and will leave it up to Dave to hammer out. The links are here and here.

On the other hand, the deal with the Houston Pipes and Drums Calendar is right up my alley. Why you might ask? Well mostly because of the picture to the right. You might remember the Top Ten Female Firefighting Calendars post I ran a couple months ago. Yes, I am very proud to have taken the time to dissect such and important issue facing Firefighters across the Globe….And Yes, I am willing to be the talent scout if anyone needs me in the future.

Therefore I need to step in where Dave left off. I took it upon myself to hunt down Heather and speak with her. That was actually pretty easy, I have a friend who is friends with everyone…Joel? Did she actually speak with me you might ask? Of course she did via email. I just told sent her a picture of ruggedly handsome Justin Schorr myself and she bought it!

As I said, Heather graced the Fire Critic blog once before (see number 1). This morning, as I was sipping some coffee made just like FireGeezer said to prepare it, and I nearly lost all senses. There she was again…

Heather in all her glory has posed for a benefit calendar for the Houston Pipes and Drums. The calendar was created to raise money for their group. Buy the calendar you will not be disappointed. Mine should be in the mail soon as I ordered it online already (order yours here).

This is an example of an image in one of the Houston Firefighters Calendar. You can order your 2010 Houston Firefighter Calendars here.

This is an example of an image in one of the Houston Firefighters Calendar. You can order your 2010 Houston Firefighter Calendars here.

This brings me to the situation. SOME people are making a big to do about Heathers dress…or lack there of.

I must say, she looks stunning. Hell if I had a washboard stomach you would be looking at it right now.

Judging by Heather’s photo above and the one to the right could we be talking about a double standard?

Why is it that we cannot choose for ourselves what we want to look at and what we want to purchase. My guess is that these calendars will sell like hotcakes!

Heather offers the following on the situation:

I standby my decision and the fundraiser.  The Houston Pipe and Drum Team are an awesome group of dedicated fire fighters who unselfishly give their time, energy and effort to beautifully memorialize our fallen Brothers and Sisters across the US, many times paying for instruments, uniforms and travel from their own pockets.  They are a part of a long standing tradition in the fire department and one of the only ones we are allowed to still have and enjoy.  I was thrilled to be able to help and had no problems with the vision of the photographer and and the pictures taken. There were no department rules violated and the benefit is in no way affiliated with the city.  We all appreciate the support.

And may I add that I am damn proud to be a Houston Fire Fighter and would not change a thing about my near 15 years here.  I have and still work with some of the BEST!
I will add one note that none of the local news channels in Houston asked Heather’s side of the story prior to running the story on the nightly news.

In one article found here it states:

“It’s pretty indicative of your view of women,” said Joe Ahmad, the attorney for Draycott, Keyes and other female firefighters. “The problem with photos like this is they maintain the image of women who aren’t viewed in term of being competent at the workplace but merely as sexual objects.”

The Fire Critic says that as long as women inhabit the Earth they will be seen as sexual objects by men. That is just a fact…maybe not all men, but that is another story all together. The same way cougars flock to handsome half naked pictures of male firefighters in their own calendars and view them as sexual objects.

This does not mean that women cannot fight fire. This actually has nothing to do with it. Just because Heather has a fantastic body doesn’t mean that men will think she cannot fight fire. I actually think the opposite. Just by looking at Heather you can tell that she eats healthy, works out often, and take care of herself. Isn’t that what everyone is talking about now anyways…Healthy firefighters. So what gives of this double standard? I say forget about it.

In a response to scrutiny about the calendar, the HFD Pipes and Drums offered this:

I do not feel that the calendar is exploitative.  I do not believe that the calendar has “gone to far”.  This calendar was designed and produced by the same group that has produced many calendars, including the Houston Fire Fighter’s Calendar.  They produced the calendar at their own cost and will be donating the proceeds to the band.  Without the support of the community, the band would not be able to honor the careers and memories of the brave firefighters that have dedicated their lives to the service and protection of the citizens of Houston, and the greater Houston area.


Posted by on January 16, 2010 • Filed under: Must Read, News • Tagged: , , , , , ,

"A lot of Guys Think This Won't Happen To Them"

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The quote “A lot of Guys Think This Won’t Happen To Them” was made by Houston Captain Abbt. Captain Abbt was trapped in a high rise fire for over 18 minutes after calling MAYDAY while attempting rescue of trapped victims.

I know that many of my readers have probably seen this video. If you haven’t, you have to watch it. All of it. If you have seen it, watch it again. Listen. Firefighters, Company Officers, Incident Commanders, Chiefs, all of you listen and watch and realize that Captain Abbt is right…”A lot of Guys Think This Won’t Happen To Them”.

This is as close a call as ever when rescuing viable victims. Most of us have signed up with the understanding that we MIGHT be put in a situation where our lives COULD be lost while trying to save another. That is who we are, that is what we are about. Don’t let the Safety Talk fool you, our jobs are dangerous. We have to be safe, but we also have to do what we have to do to get the job done. Captain Abbt’s life was spared, although the ones he was rescuing weren’t.

I don’t know about you, but my hair stands on end when I watch the end of this video.

Part one can be seen here. It includes the call for MAYDAY by Captain Abbt, Rescue and Suppresion efforts on the Exterior of the building and pertaining radio traffic. Part two is embedded below.

Posted by on September 24, 2009 • Filed under: News, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Jolanda Jones Disgraces Houston Firefighters

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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.

Posted by on August 14, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , ,

Houston Fire Department Hazing?

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The Houston Fire Department is having a bought of negative news. The Fire Critic has previously posted on the AC being broke at Station 25 and a recruit costing them $500,000 recently.

The latest news is not really news at all. The story from Click2Houston.com (with video) is titled “Apparent HFD Hazing Videos Posted On Internet”. My question is “apparent to who”? If you watch the video til the end you will see that there haven’t been any complaints that this was hazing. If you click on the link above you will also get to see the actions which are under question as being hazing. Unfortunately, the youtube user mfoster84 removed the videos from youtube so I will not be able to show you the raw videos.

Basically, we are talking about minor firehouse hi jinx. Nothing I haven’t heard about happening before and some that I have partaken in. Hazing? The Fire Critic says HELL NO!

This seems like the news channel is trying to exasperate the already stressed department and create more havoc. They will never know what it is like to be a firefighter.

These humorous actions usually build the team while having fun together. Having water dumped on you is part of becoming a member of the team. Once it is done to you, you then partake when the next new guy is brought on.

I noticed the following on Firehouse forums

GeorgeWendtCFI says:

Here’s the big deal…

Discipline.

If the FD has a rule againt ANYTHING, it is a rule that must be obeyed. It doesn’t matter what it is. The rules are there to be obeyed. Period. The FD is a paramilitary organization. If you don’t like it, don’t join.

All other discussion about any -ism starts there.

I could not agree more… Policies have to be followed! Am I missing something? Does the Houston Fire Department have a policy against having fun? Getting wet? Eating cinnamon? Maybe they have a policy against hazing that he is referring to, but this is not hazing.

I noticed this anonymous comment on Statter 911′s coverage of the story:

This behavior has no place in the modern firehouse. Does anyone think that a business or professional office would allow this behavior? What makes us so different. We stress professional training and education to our young people then bring them in and treat them like children. Dont give me the”we need to release stress B.S. if you need that get a massage.

Where the hell does this guy work? In an office? What is a modern firehouse? I heard my Chief use that term once. Are the old ones no good anymore? When was the cut off date? Yes we are professional but we can’t have fun? What a kill joy. I would hate to work for that guy. His attitude sucks. If you aren’t having fun go do something else. Do you really think that all the people working all those other professions in the world don’t have fun at their jobs? Let me guess? You aren’t asked to partake in this fun and in middle school you were the last one picked for dodgeball? Loosen up!

houstonClick the image for a link to the video

Learn more about Houston Firehouse 68 here

Posted by on July 13, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: ,

2nd Class Citizens

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Morale…it is all about morale. Firefighters usually don’t have a huge audience when it comes to complaining about working conditions or pay and benefits. Occasionally we get all together and stage a public demonstration in order to have the media help us inform the public of our issues but it rarely works. In the end, as good as we may have felt while standing shoulder to shoulder with our brother and sister firefighters, we usually lose our battles to the bureaucracy.

With that end our morale suffers. Our morale also suffers under inept management and leadership, loss of pay and benefits, micromanagement, among other things.

The least we can ask of our employers is for proper living conditions. Houston firefighters are finding out what happens when their stations are not kept up properly. Firefighters are living without air conditioning in fire station 25. Councilwoman Jolanda Jones took it upon herself to bring the media into the firehouse to report on the lack of a working air conditioner, which she states is a basic necessity. The A/C unit has been broke for at least 2 months. Kudos to Councilwoman Jones, hopefully the A/C will be fixed soon.

Don’t the guys who are willing to do just about anything for their citizens and visitors of their city deserve the same basic living conditions!

Posted by on June 28, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: ,

Fire Cadet costs Houston FD Half a Million Dollars

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At least that is what the report states…kinda. I am jumping to the end of the article found here. According to the Houston Fire Department, it costs $500,000 to put a recruit through recruit school. Boy have I got a deal for the Houston FD. I know of a way to save them a ton of money, and no I am not talking about Geico. I think my department puts the cost at around $50,000 for a 16 week recruit school (full-time recruit school). Maybe someone added an extra zero? If not, I kinda feel as though I got cheated. Do they get their own personal fire engine?

That is besides the point.

The article is about a recruit who made some kind of racial slur and then promptly was told that his opinion was not needed or warranted.

“I heard he said that he wanted to work at an all-white station, all-white neighborhood, where he had to learn to speak Spanish,” said Capt. Otis Jordan.

I commend the Houston FD for their quick actions in terminating the recruits employment after finding out that the comments were indeed made by the recruit.

If you have not learned by now, you have to check your feelings at the door before you go to work. We aren’t paid for our opinion….man that would be nice for a guy like me though.

We have to treat everyone the same and that is the right thing to do anyways. Comments such as those mentioned above have no place in the fire service. It is guys like that who make us all look bad.

Two thumbs up to the Houston FD. Read the entire article here.

Posted by on June 22, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , ,