Quick Takes: July 11, 2011.

Another vacant house in Buffalo: Don Murtha's been busy. Check out his YouTube channel where you will find seven fires in Buffalo posted in the last five days. Here's the latest from early this morning at 83 Warren Avenue.

Oh say can you sing? Apparently not: Like many of you who have read this story I keep waiting for more, trying to figure out what we are missing. A Philadelphia battalion chief with 38 years on the department faced a disciplinary panel on Friday because of a YouTube video taken inside a firehouse. In it BC John Grillone is singing the National Anthem and schmoozing with his fellow firefighters. The firefighter who posted the almost two-year-old video already has been given four weeks off and we are now waiting to see Chief Grillone's fate. We are assuming that this video of firehouse life became an issue because of some foul language in the clip (according to news reports). But we don't know for sure because the commissioner's office had no comment for reporters. Unless someone explains this one quickly, I can see this one ending up in Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert's hands before it is over with. See for yourself.

The diva is whisked away from the fire, but no ones seems to be in a hurry to do the same for the audience: When fire broke out Friday above the stage at American Airlines Center in Dallas, sent flaming debris down below and smoke through the arena, singer Rihanna was rushed off stage to safety. Dave's view of the many, many videos of the event leaves him with the opinion no one thought it was a priority to get the audience out of the building. Do I need to pull the fire doubles in size card when I point out it took more than five minutes for an evacuation announcement and then the sounding of the fire alarm? Here's the story. Plus, Firegeezer has some views on this issue.

Early fireground operations caught by U.S. Park Police chopper: More than 10 minutes of raw video from a July 1 fire consuming the rear of multiple row homes in Northwest Washington. Watch initial operations of the DC Fire & EMS Department at this two-alarm fire. Click here.

Sinking feeling: Glenn Usdin's FireTruckBlog.com has the story of a year old fire boat in North Carolina that sank. Read the details.

Judge tosses out firefighter's suit over mosque: Read why a judge dismissed the suit by Timothy Brown, a former FDNY firefighter, who has been trying to stop the building of an Islamic Center near the WTC site.

FDNY deputy chief exchanges blows during flophouse inspection: An "exclusive" New York Post story about Deputy Chief Joseph Woznica getting hit and hitting back during an inspection as part of the city's crackdown on illegal apartment conversions. Read the story.

House fire in Rochester, New York: Click here for Guy Zampatori video from a fire early Sunday morning. 

Car avoids captain but hits fire engine: San Jose, California police have arrested a man on drunken driving charges after he swerved his vehicle to avoid a fire captain at the scene of a house fire and hit two cars and a fire engine. Here's more.

Dave must apologize … his lawyers insist: After describing the expected antics at Firehouse Expo Booth 743 last week as "Gilligan's Island meets Barnum & Bailey" I heard from some very irate people who demanded a retraction. Surprisingly it was not from the usually very sensitive Fireboy of Roanoke and his keepers. No, I received nasty letters from lawyers for TV producer Sherwood Schwartz and the estate of the late P.T. Barnum saying I am causing harm to the reputation of both the TV show and the circus with my comparison. Of course that was not my intent. So my next plan was to change the description of the Firegeezer/STATter911/Firefighter Nutcast booth to "The National Zoo meets The Gong Show". My lawyers are insisting that to be on the safe side and to limit my exposure I change that to "A generic zoo somewhere meets a talent show for untalented people". I guess that's a pretty accurate description of the mix of characters that will be at Booth 743. If you don't have your free pass for the convention floor yet you can get it by clicking here and putting in promo code EX 79.