Quick takes

Click here and then scroll down for the latest fire and EMS news from STATter911.com

Video of burning fire truck in Virginia: We have now posted the cell phone video from Thursday’s fire on the Prince William Parkway that damaged OWL VFD’s Tower 12. Click here to see the video and read details. We also posted a mystery fire truck burning and details of one that almost burned. Check it out here.

Worker’s comp claims for retired firefighters in Maryland: When the Washington Post looked closely at disability retirements in the Montgomery County Police Department, the fire department was not a big part of the story. Now the Examiner’s Alan Suderman looks at retired firefighters and post retirement heart ailments. Here’s how the story starts – A Maryland state commission is awarding worker’s compensation to retired Montgomery County firefighters who say their recent heart problems were caused by the stresses of their old job — even if they have a family history of heart disease, smoked for decades and have been retired for more than 20 years. Read more.

Look up in the sky. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No it’s Mike Hill: A pretty amazing story from Chicago as the firefighter jumped out of the cab of the ladder truck he was driving and began chasing after a runaway SUV that had just been hit by a truck. Firefighter Hill caught up with the vehicle and saved the day. Here’s the story.

Also in Chicago: Five firefighters and two others were hurt when a truck company and a car collided Saturday. Click here.

And one more from Chicago: On January 26, 1986 the Bears won the Super Bowl. That news largely overshadowed the death of Chicago Fire Department Lt. Edmund Coglianese during a hotel fire. On Sunday, there were some efforts by CFD to make up for that slight 23-years-ago. Read and watch the story.

Los Angeles budget plan is unraveling: It seems on every front Mayor Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is finding opposition or problems in the plan to close a $530 million shortfall. Firefighters and police are being asked to take a 14% cut. The mailer sent out by the firefighters’ union has the mayor irate. While the fire department is going through brownouts, the plan for the police department is to hire 1000 new officers at the same time they are cutting LAPD by $130 million. Even the police union sees problems with this part of the plan, making an Octomom comparison. And an early retirement plan for civilian workers has run into snags. The Los Angeles Times has a detailed look at the issues.

Former cop turned politician says fire & police jobs can be saved by getting rid of binding arbitration: An opinion piece on how Michigan communities can avoid layoffs in tough economic times. Read the column.

Another former cop turned politician leads the charge on reducing fire department staffing: Omaha City Council President Garry Gernandt says the fire department has a history of escaping budget cuts while police have to make do with less. Gernandt wants that to change. He points out one place to cut is the minimum staffing of four on a fire truck. The idea of repealing the ordinance requiring minimum staffing comes up before the council for the second time in a month on Tuesday (that would be only one step because the union contract also covers the issue). Read the interview with the council president. The paper followed up looking at how other cities make do with three to a rig. Click here. And there is more with some questions and answers on the issue.

Strange one in Philadelphia: On Friday a man barricaded himself inside a Quick Stop on Kensington Avenue and set it on fire. He was found dead in the basement. Ron Trout and Steve Skipton have a bunch of pictures of the two-alarm fire at PhillyFireNews.com. Click here.

Arrangement for Vermont assistant chief: Firegeezer has the details of the memorial service for Marlboro Fire Department Assistant Chief Jack Horton who died at the scene of an auto accident on August 6. Click here for the information.

Mayor says city was victim in racy photo shoot: Some details of what happened inside a firehouse in Easton, Pennsylvania that caused a complaint from a woman passing by. Read and watch the story.

All members of Engine 231 are now officially Rangers fans: FDNY Captain Bobby Higgins made the switch after 44-years of loyalty to the Montreal Canadiens. The switch comes because Higgins’ son Chris now plays for the Rangers. Check out the story.

House fire in Douglas, MA: Ken LaBelle with NRIFirePhotos.com has lots of photos from this fire on August 8. You can see them all here. Here’s part of Ken’s account – Firefighters were encountered with a fully involved 2 bay garage and a 15’ tow behind camper. The camper had two 20# propane cylinders on the tongue of the frame. The occupied 1.5sty wood framed Cape Cod style dwelling had fire running up the side 3-4 corner from the basement level to the roof line. A 2.5” hand line was stretched in to start knocking the fire down. A load roar was heard as the 2 propane tanks on the camper started to vent off. The firefighters retreated to a safe distance until all of the fuel had burned itself off. The smoke started to get real thick from the dwelling during this mom
entary retreat to safety.