Firefighters battle flames, snow, and bitter temperatures. View article here.
Cold temperatures and a thick blanket of snow dogged firefighters early Sunday as they battled a house blaze in Lancaster Township.
“It definitely made things tough for us,” Lancaster Township Fire Department Chief Ron Comfort Jr. said.
Firefighters were dispatched to 1725 Southport Drive at 1:19 a.m. after several people in the neighborhood called 911 to report the house was ablaze.
Alex Capece of Raising Ladders has been blogging since becoming a firefighter/paramedic for DCFD (Sept. 2008). He flaunts his ability behind a camera every chance he gets. His story is actually quite interesting as well.
His photography isn’t the only great part of his blog though. He writes with passion and he does it very well.
He has now added a new notch in the blogging bedpost….video. He recently uploaded a video to the Nikon Festival “A Day Through Your Lens” competition. The video is awesome! Alex works at Engine 26 and captures some great video including some helmet camera footage!
I am not exactly sure how the contest works, but it appears to me that his video has been chosen as one of the top 50 contenders. Now I believe it is up to the judges.
Oh yeah…and I am one who always tries to give credit where it is due so I must admit that Captain Wines of the Engine 9 Blog gave me the heads up on this one!
Check out this video of a fully involved house on arrival in Chicago.
Yeah….I am one of those guys who still can’t get over the use of 3/4 boots, but it works for them so be it. I am also not a fan of long coats for dexterity reasons.
Check out this house fire in Norway? The fire is blowing out many windows as the video begins playing. Then pay attention to :14 seconds in at the possible smoke explosion in the rear of the structure.
The firefighters are certainly up against it in this fire, but they were able to get the last word. At one point you can see firefighters exiting the structure at the same time exterior crews are flowing water outside.
They call in the big gun around the 1:34 mark and put the fire out with a foam truck. Apparently one person died in the fire.
Does anyone know where this fire was exactly?
Here is something you rarely see in my department. Venting the roof on a single family dwelling. It isn’t that we don’t want to do it and it isn’t that we don’t know how to do it. It is more of a culture of firefighting that hasn’t included venting roofs on SFD’s. Manpower certainly has something to do with it…but I think the culture is more so the culprit.
This isn’t a bad thing. If you look around my town you will not see any plumes of smoke from fires still burning because we didn’t vent the roof. Actually, we are a very aggressive fire department and have managed to get by w/o venting roofs all the time. That being said, as most of you all know who are on departments who do vent roofs on sfd’s, it certainly has its benefits and its place in firefighting!!!
One thing that my department would have done that wasn’t done from what we can see in this video is setting ground ladders. My dept. would have thrown at least 2 ground ladders: one to the roof and one to a second floor window.
Did you notice anything you might have done differently? Maybe something your department doesn’t do that you wish they did.
Here is some pretty decent footage from a bystander at a fire in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on the 22nd. Apparently in Fort Lauderdale the Cops take the front of the structure. Notice where the PD stops and parks.
You have to watch the video for the very awkward and short communication between the camera operator and a woman who
At 6:00 : “That’s crazy…Is that fabulous? No that is not fabulous.”
Here are some videos of fires which occurred on Thanksgiving Day 2009. I will probably add more videos throughout the day Friday as they are uploaded to youtube. Feel free to submit a link or send in your photos/info.
Unknown Location
Part 1 of 2 – This fire was apparently recorded by the owners/occupants of the house. According to the data on youtube, the fire started shortly after they parked a classic corvette after taking it for a spin.
Part 2 of 2
Santa Maria, California
Fire in Santa Barbara County, California on Thanksgiving day.The Santa Maria Fire Department responded to this fire in Tanglewood on Teakwood drive. More on the fire here.
Sandwich, Massachusetts
House Explosion in Sandwich, Massachusetts. FireGeezer has the spectacular photo from the explosion here.
SANDWICH Joseph Kuzava was seriously injured when the home he rents at 8 Chaucer Street apparently exploded early this morning. A water heater was installed at the home yesterday, according to family members, and Kuzava complained about a smell of gas following the installation.
Kuzava suffered second-degree burns to his upper torso and was flown by medical helicopter to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, his sister Cathy Kuzava said this morning. He was put on a respirator because of the heavy medication doctors administered but he is expected to survive, she said.
Terre Haute, Indiana
House fire in Terra Haute, Indiana…with rekindle OOPS!
London
Peckham fire in London. FireGeezer has more on it.
Another Peckham fire video
North Reading
Here is a link for a cabin fire in North Reading (PA?). The lack of hydrants added to the difficulty in putting out the fire. They disabled the embed code.
Fairfield, Connecticut
Chemical fire at Southport warehouse
Narola, Azamgad district, UP
If you can understand it or know more info on it let me know!!
Nova Scotia
Last but not least…a fire at Hooters in Dartmouth Nova Scotia
This video is shot by Guy Zampatori and begins a little earlier than some of the other video I have seen on the fire.
FireGeezer did a write up on this fire here. Bill has been following the stories of dollar stores burning for several months now. STATter 911 also did a story on the fire here. Statter goes into depth on the fire which has arson written all over it.
In no way does this look like a fun fire at all. The amount of thick black smoke is not amusing at all. Here are two videos, I will check back later for more because they are just being uploaded to youtube now.
The story is here:
ATLANTIC CITY – November 21, 2009 (WPVI) — Atlantic City fire crews battled a multi-alarm fire on the Atlantic City pier Saturday evening.
“All of a sudden it just erupted, it just exploded, we got all of our stuff down,” arcade operator Chris Ornduff said.
“In one minute, first you saw smoke and then one minute later flames were shooting 30 feet in the air,” arcade manager Chris Burke said. Read the entire story
Bonus Video
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Bonus video from after the fire
Its ok…The Fire Critic is secure in his masculinity and can handle posting male firefighters with washboard abs on the blog!
Check out this video on the making of a firefighter calendar.
However, not to be outdone I did find a “making of” for the Fire Girls calendar. BE WARNED, this might or might not be Safe For Work. Just to error on the side of caution you might just stick to the dudes above.
Ok, lets get back on track with the 2010 Toronto Firefighter Calendar below:
In an effort to get us all to scratch our heads this morning, these idiots decide to power a merry-go-round with a car. The good news is they were uninjured, the bad news is they were uninjured.
This previous video shows that the moped is a more efficient way of powering a merry-go-round. The good news is that I believe the girls in this video made a full recovery, the bad news is that the other idiots were uninjured. This is also known as the roundabout girls video. As far as I have researched, no one was killed in this stunt. Link here
Check out this 3rd alarm fire in Allentown, PA. The fire shows that there is plenty of roof work for everyone before they had to back off to an adjacent roof and move to a defensive attack. It is hard to tell what is going on inside or on the ground because the video doesn’t show it. However, by all accounts these guys should be content with the work of the day. After all, there was plenty of it!
Come on in and sit down. I have some boots to tell you all about. I wrote about what boots I used to wear around the station and on calls which did not require turnout gear here.
The Fire Critic is here to tell you that I have two new friends. I have found these magnum ion mask boots to be extremely pleasant to wear while working. They are definitely Fire Critic approved!
The boots came out of the box and were immediately put on my feet…kinda like a kid on Christmas morning. The following day I went to work. I again put the boots on. Here is the deal…The boots I used to wear have zippers so I can take them off quickly. I tied my magnum boots tight all the way up. I don’t always have to take my boots off quickly because I drive usually (a quint that is). One thing I noticed was that these boots would need a break in period. They were pulling the hair (very hairy) off my legs. This did not last too long and I realized that they boots would work better tied loosely. I can actually slip them on and off like slippers, yet they still allow for decent support. The low v-cut in the back of the boot is especially helpful in getting the boots on and off quickly!
The boots have been worn ever since I got them at work. Their lightweight design is very nice and breathe ability is an added benefit. No more smelly dogs (funky feet). The boots are exceptionally great at repelling water and keeping the water in the creek I walked through on the outside of the boot. I don’t normally walk through creeks, but I did want to give a fair test since there weren’t any puddles around!
Here is a quick rundown of the pros and cons:
PROS:
CONS:
So there you have it. The Fire Critic loves his new Magnum Elite Force 8.0 WPi boots with ion mask. The boots are very well designed and have a great feel to them.
The Fire Critic shall continue wearing the magnum boots around the station and on calls. I can slip easily into my turnout gear on calls requiring steel toed boots! Steel toes are not required around the station but are required on many calls.
For all you readers who want more information on what is keeping the feet dry:
Ion-mask is a patented plasma based technology, originally developed for the military to protect soldiers during chemical warfare. It permanently alters the surface of fabric at a molecular level to repel water and other liquids – which are forced to bead and simply run-off.
As a surface enhancement technology it works by invisibly binding polymers to each individual fiber. The benefits are as transparent as the technology itself, with minimal consumption and negligible waste, ion-mask enhancement represents a big leap forward in footwear technology.
Please follow the link to the magnum ion mask for more information. There is also plenty more information here on the boots.
Medic 999 also did a review here
Anyone else out there wear these boots?
Actually, this is about tagging any videos. Having Youtube in the title is more of a SEO bonus!
Here is a pet peeve of mine…coming across a video accidentally that is named “video S-84394″. No information, no tags, 14 views but it is a great video that you would have loved to have seen when it was uploaded 3 years ago. That might be a little exaggerated but if you upload/search/watch videos online you will see my point.
I like searching for videos. I like finding what I am looking for if it exists.
If you are uploading videos here are some tips to help you get your video watched more:
Use this simple ideas to increase the views on your videos!
Above all else, email people when it is online. Shoot an email to bloggers and web sites when you have uploaded a video you think they should see!
Here is a perfect example below. This is why you should tag your youtube videos.
Title: Fire at IVC Marikina
FC: I don’t know where IVC Marikina is. I might be able to figure it out but why not just give me the info!
Description: house burning near our house, I’ve cutted the video so soon coz the wires from the post were snapping!!!
FC: Spelling? Grammer? Where is “our house”.? If I knew then I would know where the fire is!
Tags: Fire
FC: At least they tagged “fire”. However on youtube, fire is not a decent tag. It should be “house fire” at least!
No, they aren’t dressed in drag. Sorry to burst your bubble. Actually, I think I have seen a successful attempt at what they are trying. However, I have successfully done what they appear to be doing ONCE. Yeah, I think it was Senior prom….it was great!
You might be asking yourself why this fits under the title “Job Security Check”. Well the answer is because if indeed this was a female firefighter being dry humped against her will……..just watch the video. This guy gets it all wrong! Talk about protection!
If you thought the Texting While Driving PSA was overboard, graphic, and disturbing you will LOVE the Texting While Walking PSA. I am not sure which is worse. This is just downright nasty….ha! Actually this is pretty funny and gratifying!
Here is the original texting while driving PSA warning…graphic
This weeks Tuesday Morning Job Security Check ( I really need an acronym for that…TMJSC) is “Drifting”.
Apparently this “drifting” is really big over in Saudi Arabia. I am not sure why looking at some of these videos. I am sure this would be really fun on a closed course without the possibility of killing or maiming anyone but myself. Anyways, they are keeping someone employed somewhere…the tow service, the first responders, the junk yard, nurses, doctors, and car dealers! I am sure there are worse videos out there of people drifting, but these are pretty bad!
Enjoy…warning graphic
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah….I know what you are thinking….well I have to add this little disclaimer: warning language.
But this is hilarious!!!
Can anyone tell me what department this is? I think it is Toronto. I would love to contact them to tell them about this video.
All I can say is that these kids would have gotten soaked. I would have used that time waiting for water to put a solid tip nozzle on the line and opened it up on these idiot kids! Your thoughts?
On a side note: Check out this blog…Toronto Fire Pics. Great blog, great pics!
This weeks Saturday Hotshot is courtesy of a STATter911 who found it on LiveLeak. Supposedly from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Watch how close the guy is walking near it when it explodes.
Ok readers. I am kinda throwing something at you like The Happy Medic’s “You Make the Call“. Although I was not involved in this, I am looking for you to tell me what you think. Do you think this driver is driving dangerously or do you think he had no other choice? I will refrain from commenting for now.
The video states: This is a video of a firetruck which is second-due to a car accident/fire.
I posted a video of a house fire in South Minneapolis the other day here. Today, I was searching through youtube and found another view of the house on fire. Just as I had written about the issues with exposures, this viewpoint correctly identifies my theory. This is a perfect example of the need for exposure protection to keep the damage to the houses around the house on fire to a minimum.
Here are some videos for you to check out today. As I have said, I frequently check out youtube for videos of house fires and firefighters. If you have one you want me to check out just let me know!
First one in Phoenix: House Studio Fire 9-13-09 @ 2:30a.m.
Second one in Foster Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvannia: FOSTER TWP FIRE 9 11 2009
Check out this video of a house fire south Minneapolis. The firefighters didn’t really have a choice but to save the exposures and let the house burn. By all appearances, there wasn’t much to save when the firefighters arrived. The house was fully involved.
Great exposure control.
One thing I noted on this fire that was kind of odd was how the deck gun on the engine was producing a terrible stream and nobody fixed it. The nozzle can be seen at 1:15 into the video and then later you can identify the stream it creates in other shots. It appears to be a solid stream, however the stream it is producing is horrible. This can be due to two major issues. One if the nozzle tip is disfigured it will ruin the stream, or if the pressure it too high it will ruin the stream. I imagine that one of the two is occurring. You can see that this stream is totally ineffective in fighting the fire. The good news is that there is plenty of other water flowing. The bad news is that this one stream is soaking everything in front of it and hardly hitting the fire at all. I am surprised no one corrected the issue.
The video states:
Lansdowne, MD – September 11, 2009 – Baltimore County, MD firefighters responded to an early morning house fire in Lansdowne on Friday, September 11. Fire Box 36-3 was dispatched at 1:38 a.m. reporting a house on fire at 2361 Research Drive. First arriving units from BCoFD Station 5 (Halethorpe) reported a fully involved two-story dwelling and began stretching lines for fire attack. Firefighters confirmed all occupants had escaped the house, and due to heavy fire conditions command ordered a defensive operation. Firefighters used multiple hand lines and the deck gun from Engine 5 to bring the blaze under control. Crews found a pet cat outside the home and a paramedic resuscitated the animal with oxygen before turning it over to a family member who took it to an emergency animal hospital. The BCoFD Fire Investigation Division was requested to determine the cause and origin of the fire.
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