Quick Takes: September 6, 2011.
Sign company burns in Commerce, California: Los Angeles County Fire Department on the scene of a fire on Sunday at Pacific Sign Supply at 4620 East Washington Boulevard in the City of Commerce. Click here for a before picture of the building that burned.
Laid off firefighter tries to save neighbors this morning: In Scranton, Pennsylvania at 1:00 AM, a firefighter who had been laid off grabbed a garden hose in an unsuccessful attempt to save three people inside a burning home on Lawall Street. A couple in their fifties and an elderly woman died. Read and watch the story.
Dave went all political on us and stuff … and on the holiday to boot: Yes, check out the video STATter911 Communications, LLC helped produce for the New Haven Fire Fighters, IAFF Local 825. The message about pensions and blaming firefighters for the economic mess seemed right for Labor Day. Click here if you haven't seen it. Share it and comment on it. The discussion has already started.
Firefighters in Ohio have their own Labor Day ad: This is an effort to get the public to vote no on Issue 2 which would restrict collective bargaining rights. Watch the ad. The opposition dissects the ad and makes the case that no one knows better than the fire chief, so let's not take any rights away from the chief. Click here for that argument.
You can still save money by telling people you know me: You still have time to use the STATTER name in the promo code to save money for the Gateway Midwest Firefighter & Leadership Training event in St. Charles, Missouri. I will be there October 21 to 23 with some of my closest friends (even my closest friends aren't too fond of me). But if you show up at my presentation I will provide you with some great tips on how to keep your department from being a "must see video" or "must read story" on STATter911.com. Check out the GoForwardTraining site to sign up.
Lots of discussion about FDNY and NYPD's ESU after posting of second video: If you saw the brief clip posted last week by the New York Post of the attempt by firefighters and police to get a man out from underneath a car in Brooklyn on Thursday, you will want to see a more complete video. We posted this one on Saturday and the camera started rolling three minutes before police and fire arrived and continues until the man was removed. It shows what else was going on when the car collapsed while a police officer was using spreaders to lift up the back end. Here it is. Mick Mayers has his own view on this one at Firehouse Zen.
Virginia fire engine likely totaled: The pumper from the Louisa VFD rolled onto its side during a response. The firefighters are okay. Glenn Usdin's FireTruckBlog.com has the story.
Raw video from Cecil County, Maryland: The videographer arrived as the first line was being stretched on a house fire in Fair Hill. Click here.
You read the amateur hack's version, now get the straight scoop from a pro: If you don't check out Curt Varone's FireLawBlog.com regularly, you need to. Being a lawyer and a firefighter makes Curt's analysis of the recent U.S. Court of Appeals ruling on the press and the public taking pictures of police much more valuable than mine. Make sure you check it out.
Helmet-cam from PGFD apartment fire: Video from a fire in Laurel, Maryland on August 24.
Is Firegeezer stunting?: Radio stations and rug stores pull this all of the time in an effort to get listeners and customers. Firegeezer is telling us his days of running episodes of Emergency! are numbered and because of it he has gone to a daily schedule until September 18. If you recall, Bill told us the same thing about losing Roy and Johnny a while back. Is he serious this time? Better not take the chance and get your fix in now.
How it's made – a fire station: A cool time lapse video showing the 11 months it took to build a fire station in Dorset, England. Check it out.
The Brotherhood Ride: Making it's way to New York on bike for September 11th. They started on August 20 in Naples, Florida and picked up friends along the way. Here's the site.
