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Raw Video: Deadly Gas Explosion Rocks Tacony Section of Philadelphia

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A Gas Explosion killed a gas worker in Philadelphia tonight. The explosion was caught on video. Firefighters were called out to Disston Street near Torresdale Avenue at 7:20 pm for a smell of gas. Firefighters arrived at 7:26 pm. The explosion occurred at 7:36 pm. Four other gas workers and 1 firefighter are reported injured.

The explosion was caught on tape by NBC or Fox…both are claiming it! There are more videos after the jump (here)

Raw Video: Tacony Gas Main Explosion: MyFoxPHILLY.com

still photo taken from video from NBCPhiladelphia.com. Click the picture for the video

NBCPhiladelphia.com:

A giant explosion rocked the Tacony Section of Philadelphia Tuesday night claiming the life of gas worker, PGW sources said.
The deadly blast happened as crews were working to patch a high-pressure gas main break.
“The street is all blown up,” Mayor Michael Nutter said.
The dramatic blast that sent flames and sparks high into the sky was caught on tape by an NBC10 videographer on the scene.
The body of a PGW employee was found after flames calmed down, according to sources.

Statter911.com is also covering it here

For More Video Click Here

(more…)

Posted by on January 18, 2011 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighting Operations, Fires, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I Say Fire Him…Spalding County Video Voyeur and Wannabe Firefighter Doesn’t Deserve to Be Called a “Firefighter”

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I have said for a long time in my department that we have a job that is hard to lose. It is hard to get fired. Yet time and time again, some find the easiest ways to get fired.

What I am referring to in this post is firefighters who make the wrong decisions. In the latest case, it is a Spalding County, Georgia firefighter who is currently suspended with pay for taking video at the scene at a gruesome and fatal accident. The Spalding County firefighter is under investigation for the taking and sharing the video he took on his cell phone.

Victims have names, families, loved ones, and identities. We need to respect that.

The video was taken 4 months ago, on July 17th, when 23 year old Danya Kempson Schacht was killed in an automobile accident on highway 1941. She had two children.

That video ended up being sent to the victims parents, Lucretia and Jeff Kempson.

Unacceptable!

I believe in due process. This man should be afforded the justice of being innocent until proven guilty.

However, it seems as though the writing is on the wall.

Why do I think he should be fired?

That is simple. If indeed he took the video and shared it as the story states, he should be fired. We aren’t the news media. We are firefighters. If he wants a job behind a camera, he should go get one.

From 11alive.com in Atlanta:

The Kempsons received a text message containing the graphic video two months after the crash.

“At the moment we heard about this, the anger was just, there’s no way this could be,” Jeff Kempson said. “I was praying when I looked at that video it wasn’t her.”

The images are painful enough, but the Kempsons said the audio is agonizing, too, since they say it reveals a lack of concern and urgency by first responders.

“They didn’t care for my daughter,” Lucretia Kempson said. “I have a hard time that she wasn’t treated with love.”

We (firefighters) are killing our once polished perception by the public…one dumb ass firefighter at a time.

Links to the Story:

Posted by on October 21, 2010 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, Firefighting Operations, Fires, Major Incidents, News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Be Careful What You Wish For…

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NBC’s Trauma is being canceled. I recently found out after David Konig blogged about it. I shared the post on my facebook page, but I didn’t weigh in on his view of it. FC Note: not the FC page, my personal profile. Feel free to friend request me so you can see what I looked like in high school, what movies I like, and what books I have read.

There has been a lot of talk about NBC’s show Trauma. I have tried to keep a level head about all of it. I realized early on that Medics everywhere were pointing fingers saying things like “That isn’t realistic”, “That isn’t how you do that”, “That isn’t what they are saying it is”. It almost seemed as if some of it was said in an air of jealousy. Like medics everywhere had been snubbed out of being asked to be professional advisers for the show. After all, there were instances where it seemed they didn’t have one at all.

I did not realize that the Association of Air Medical Services and the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians would come out in strict opposition. I could have seen them make a statement about certain misconceptions.

I have to think that ratings played a huge role in the cancellation. Face it, if the ratings were great then Hollywood would have scoffed at a bunch of clinicians complaining about inaccuracies.

Blogs and websites might have had something to do with the poor ratings. The amount of bad reviews might have been enough to hurt the ratings.

To be honest, I have to side with the Happy Medics take. Although he actaully has a commenter who really laid it out great. Check out the post and read the 17+ comments on there.

Just don’t expect anyone to go out on a limb to do another EMS show again anytime soon.

Posted by on October 31, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , , ,

Trauma – The Fire Critic's Take

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Michael Muller photo of "Marisa Benez" played by Aimee Garcia

Michael Muller photo of "Marisa Benez" aka MRSA and played by Aimee Garcia

Now that things have wound down after the premier of NBC’s new show Trauma I would like to offer my take.

I read a complete review here prior to the show premiering (A.J. Heightman is Editor-in-Chief of JEMS you can read it here.). I was involved in live chat during the show. I listened to the talk. I was amazed that the guys [Jamie Davis (Mediccast.com), Greg Friese (EMS EduCast), and Chris Montera (EMS Garage)] doing the chat/podcast were able to get Aimee Garcia (her blog on the show here) on the show to talk to us. That was wild!

If you would like to listen to the podcast you can click here.

Here are my thoughts.First and foremost, The Happy Medic said it best “TRAUMA is a TV show about Paramedics, not FOR Paramedics“.

We are talking about a primetime tv show that is centered around getting people to watch it. It is not a documentary, it is a tv show.

It was a premier…Therefore there HAS to be excitement = helicopters crashing…total carnage.

It is about paramedics…Therefore there has to be some technical skills = the cricotomy of the child in the car.

It is about people…Therefore they have to build characters = the ending of the show where everyone goes home.

It is in prime time…Therefore there has to be sex. Face it sex sells. The opening is one medic humping another medic like a rabbit.

It is a show…Therefore there has to be characters you love and others you love to hate (Rabbit aka Captain VERSED).

Face it. No one wants to watch two overweight, disgruntled, middle-aged, and ugly paramedics running bleeding rectums at the local old folks home all the while complaining about having to ride the box.

They want to see daring rescues, blood and guts, carnage, wrecks, broken bones, helicopters, and gore.

Much like you don’t see the guys on Rescue Me running alarm activations in downtown NYC.

As for paramedics and firefighters being critical of the show, that comes with the territory. I don’t blame them. They see their profession being twisted in Hollywood and feel slighted. That is acceptable. But like I said before, if the producers were to create a show based on the average everyday calls we run…they would not be producers much longer.

As for any effects that Trauma has on the Fire/EMS Service…I am not really sure there will be any. Last night during the after show podcast session, one medic posed the question if we thought that everyone will expect a helicopter on scene when they call 911. I don’t think so. If so, they will be sadly mistaken.

I think the show was interesting. I plan to tune in next week to see what is going on. I don’t watch a lot of shows in prime time network television. My wife watches Grey’s Anatomy…so I watch along. I am more of a Deadliest Catch, Andrew Zimmern, Man vs. Food, Anthony Bourdain kinda guy. I do enjoy watching Rescue Me when it is on though. I will see if I can fit in Trauma for a weekly viewRS.

I think the medics will watch it too. The ones who liked it will tune in naturally. The ones who hated it will watch to see what happens next and to scoff when something is not done quite like in the field.

What do you think?

Posted by on September 29, 2009 • Filed under: News • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Trauma Show on NBC…Thumbs up or Thumbs down

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I just finished watching Trauma on NBC. I enjoyed the interactive chat session/podcast with Jamie Davis, Greg Friese, and others. During the evening we were joined by Aimee Garcia who plays Marisa the helicopter pilot.

I have to admit I missed some of the show. Between typing in the chatroom, twittering, updating the blog, firefox crashing 7 times, IE crashing twice, moving from pc to desktop it was a full assault on my brain.

The chat was fun though. We discussed all kinds of things related to what was going on during the show. We also hit on @paramedicdan a little.

The chatting did come up with some new nicknames…Rabbit is now Captain VERSED and Marisa is now MRSA.

I am sure there will be more.

Great job guys. I enjoyed chatting.

Now here is the question…anyone want to entertain a podcast or something else for the new show First In? I blogged about First In previously (read here). The show will premier September 30th at 10pm.

Let me know if anyone is interested. We might just do some other social network interaction. I am game for anything, although I am working that night.

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

NBC's Trauma Premiers Monday Night

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Tomorrow night, NBC’s Trauma premiers. There is a chance I will be involved on a podcast of sorts about the new show. I have not worked out all the logistical stuff and realize I am way out of my league with guys like Jamie Davis (Mediccast.com), Greg Friese (EMS EduCast), and Chris Montera (EMS Garage). There will be live tweeting during the show. Look for #traumashow.

Yeah, I know. What the hell am I doing with these guys. Better yet, what the hell are they doing with me. Well apparently, these guys put it together and somewhere along the line my name was brought up. Probably because I like to talk. Either way, we all know those paramedical types need a little grounding every once in while right. I’m kidding!

If you want a kill joy, you can read the less then appealing review of “Trauma” by A.J. Heightman is Editor-in-Chief of JEMS you can read it here. It is a very detailed…ok it is the entire show in text pretty much. I must say that I am looking forward to the opening scene. Not that we don’t see enough sex on Rescue Me.

The premiere of Trauma doesn’t begin with a well-dressed crew checking their drugs and equipment before their first run. It starts with the sights and sounds of the boyfriend/girlfriend crew having sex in the patient compartment of their rig.

Then, before you can get the words “I can’t believe it” out of your lips, you hear the dispatcher (who obviously knows the way the crew starts their shift), tell “Naughty Nancy” Carnahan to button her blouse and respond to an emergency call.

The Fire Critic says: What the hell? I thought all medics started out the shifted by getting screwed…right when the Captain says…your on the box!

As for sex in the firehouse…this is more realistic of what it looks like. With all the glory at the end. Get the F@!# out of my F#@#$ing Gear! WARNING: Male Buttocks nude…maybe NSFW.

Posted by on September 27, 2009 • Filed under: News, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , ,