Quick Takes

 PGFD house fire: A basement fire shot by Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department PIO Mark Brady yesterday at 15 Bannington Drive in the Largo area. No injuries. Damage estimated at $60,000.

IAFF backed candidates win top spots in DC and Prince George’s County: Yesterday’s elections will have significant impact on the fire service locally. Incumbent District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty lost to challenger Vincent Gray, the current City Council Chairman. It was a decisive win by Gray who had the backing of IAFF Local 36 and many other labor unions the Fenty administration clashed with. There isn’t anyone who sees the election as good news for the current leadership of the DC Fire & EMS Department.

In Prince George’s County, Maryland IAFF Local 1619 played an early and significant role in the campaign of Rushern Baker. Baker appears to have run away with the Democratic Primary. Observers expect another major shift in the balance of power between career and volunteer forces in PGFD.

Note: In the two heavily Democratic jurisdictions the primary is traditionally the important and decisive election.

Local election coverage from WUSA9.com.

Firefighter apparently caused large Colorado fire: Investigators believe a 71-year-old volunteer firefighter accidentally caused the Fourmile Canyon fire that took the firefighter’s home and many others. Click here to read and watch how it started.

Calling in sick, playing golf and posting your scores on the Internet: That’s what WFMZ-TV reports one Allentown, Pennsylvania firefighter did on three of four consecutive days that he missed work. Read the details.

Here’s another golf story from a wife who knows the score: In Chico, California a woman called the fire department to help retrieve her husband’s driver that ended up on the roof of a neighbor’s house. It slipped out of the man’s hand when he was taking some practice swings at home just before playing a round. Dorothy Cornie knew she had to act fast because when her husband returned from the golf course he would go up on that tile roof. The firefighters handled the problem keeping 91-year-old Lynn Cornie on the ground and ready to swing another day. Here’s the article.

FDNY can hire, but there’s a catch: A federal judge has given the FDNY until Friday to pick from a number of quota-like hiring procedures in order to allow a recruit class to be hired. Here’s the latest.

Now that’s some strong coffee: Sounds like there may have been a coffee BLEVE in the UK yesterday. An exploding coffee machine in a supermarket injured seven people. Click here for a picture and the story.

Do they know the way to San Jose?: Or, can they get there in times of trouble? After the San Bruno explosion another California city is questioning how it could quickly call back off-duty firefighters in case of a major emergency when so many of them live so far away. Here’s the story from San Jose. 

An Emergency! emergency: Firegeezer has been a dealer of late for those old junkies trying to get their fix on the show that started many of them on this damn fire service addiction. It looks like the Geeze’s supply has dried up. But there’s some binge viewing going on just before everyone has to go cold turkey. Check out Firegeezer’a daily Emergency! before it’s too late.

Three firefighters charged with exposing themselves: In Rockland County, New York the accusations against a 29-year-old firefighter and two members of the Piermont Fire Department who are teenagers is they exposed themselves to a 16-year-old member and told him to touch their genitals. Read more.

Former fire chief is mad as hell and isn’t going to take it anymore, so he tells his own story: In Kelowna, British Columbia there has been a lot of news coverage over why and how Chief Rene Blanleil left his job. Along the way, the coverage has asked a lot of questions about money. The chief came out swinging with his own YouTube video bypassing reporters. Watch the video and read the story.

At least they don’t have that idiot who spoke last year: The 8th Professional Development Seminar of the Fairfax County Professional Fire and Rescue Officers Association is in less than a month. Lot’s of good stuff for a reasonable price in Tysons Corner, Virginia. Click here to sign up.

Dave is pitching products: Two of our loyal readers have some new fire related items to sell. One is Will Wyatt in Texas who has a wonderful book about his time in the fire service. Click here.

The other is Steve Roth from Pennsylvania. Steve’s calendar is hot off the presses. And we mean hot. Check it out.  

The daring young man on the flying tower ladder: One gets the idea that Jason Nolan probably likes to work without a net. Maybe that’s why he went from trapeze artist to Decatur, Illinois firefighter. Here’s his story.

Bronx 2nd-alarm: Here’s the description with this fire from yesterday- “Box 3394 address of 2696 Marion Ave. fire on 2nd & 3rd floors of a 3 story PD., 4 lines stretched 3 in operation.”