South St. Louis house fire: Video above is from yesterday at 5227 Idaho Avenue.
Appeals court upholds ruling that DC erred when it fired EMT involved in Rosenbaum case: On November 20, 2008 we reported that the DC Fire & EMS Department was getting ready to bring Selena Walker, a civilian EMT, back on board the department. Walker has been fired when she drove an ambulance carrying former New York Times reporter David Rosenbaum to Howard Hospital instead of a closer facility because Howard was near Walker’s home where the EMT had an errand to run. The treatment Rosenbaum received sparked quite a controversy about the state of EMS in the Nation’s Capital. As preps were made to retrain Walker, the city instead decided to continue the fight against a ruling by the Office of Employee Appeals, and affirmed by the DC Superior Court, that the department missed a 90-day deadline to begin disciplinary procedures. Now, the DC Court of Appeals has also ruled in Walker’s favor. Click here to read the opinion. We requested, but have not received, a comment from the DC Fire & EMS Department.
Richard Singer arrested again: Another man has come forward accusing the president of Singer Associates, Dick Singer, of molesting him. The firm is one of the largest distributors of fire equipment in the Mid-Atlantic region. The man, now 20, told police he was 11 when the attacks began. Previously, two 17-year-olds told police that Singer began assaulting them when they were 10. Here are excerpts from an article by InsideNova.com’s Uriah Kiser:
Singer was jailed on the initial charges, and then released on bond. He was arrested again on the new charges Christmas eve, and was released from jail on $80,000 bond Dec. 29.
The accusers are children of family members related to Singer by marriage, Seeley said.
“These charges are completely devastating, and took all of us completely by surprise,” said Singer Equipment co-owner Sidra Seeley (Singer’s sister). “We are doing everything that we can to combat these false charges, and appreciate the support we have received from our generous customers that we have developed relationships with over the years.”
Fireground audio from mayday in Cincinnati: A firefighter was slightly hurt after taking a tumble down stairs at a house fire disloding his mask. Click here.
You can now vote every 6 hours: Rhett Fleitz is now allowing you to vote every six hours in an effort to determine your favorite fire and EMS blog. Click here to vote.
More hazards to add to the list for all-hazards fire departments: In Beaufort, South Carolina firefighters will now be doing the enforcement of nuisance codes like overgrown grass and shrubs, trash and other safety and health violations. Click here for the article from The Island Packet.
