UPDATED Quick takes
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Warning signs: The pulling of the career staff from PGFD Station 845 (Marlboro-Croom) was not part of the plan for Monday. A spokesman says sick calls forced the department to add another station to the six that were on the schedule for day work. The redeployments save the county overtime money. We are told by sources that the volunteer leadership put this sign up when it was clear they wouldn’t have a crew until the career staff returned after 3:00 PM. Station 845’s area has had 50-percent of the fatal fires in the county this year, including a double fatal fire on Saturday (two stations with career staffed pulled on Saturday responded fully staffed to that fire with volunteers). We have a report on the Saturday fire and a look at the updated schedule. Click here.
Turns out it was firefighters who were first on the scene of the Disney crash: If you watched and listened closely to that early video of the deadly monorail collision at Disney World I posted on Sunday, you heard one of the first people walking up in civilian clothes referring to an “MCI”. That caught my attention. Now we know the rest of the story. It turns out the two of the people in the video were off-duty firefighters from elsewhere in Florida who jumped in to help out in those first chaotic moments. Read more here.
UPDATE – Atlanta’s chief gets the nod from President Obama: It’s tough being a big city fire chief these days (or even a small city chief). Chief Kelvin Cochran certainly experienced that in Atlanta with cuts that closed fire stations. As we reported early yesterday evening Chief Cochran gets to leave Atlanta to take the job as the U.S. Fire Administrator. Click here for the story.
A note on Chief Cochran’s appointment. While we had this posted from The White House press release at 7:50 last night and other fire service web sites followed with more details, I have yet (at 9:15 AM) to find this story on any of the Atlanta news media websites. Shreveport, where Chief Cochran previously served, has the story up, but the best I can tell it isn’t news in Atlanta. (If I am missing the coverage please let me know.)
Eight years later an arrest in the Southwest Supermarket fire that killed Phoenix Firefighter Bret Tarver: A man was arrested in Texas on Saturday and accused of setting the March 14, 2001 fire. The arrest came following the investigation of an anonymous tip received two-years-ago. Click here to read the story and here to watch it.
Fire engine takes off and plows into people and a car: A nurse trying to help an injured person was trapped for 90 minutes after being run over by the fire engine that had come to assist. The crew says the engine just took off after being put in park. Two other people were hurt in the incident during fire works Saturday at Lake Santee in Indiana. Read and watch the story.
Dispatch delay: In Dixfield, Maine reports that 20-minutes were lost when a cell phone call for a house fire went to the wrong dispatch center. Read and watch the story.
Dispatcher saves family: A Blount County, Tennessee 911 worker got into the burning home next to hers and got everyone up and out. Of course Crystal Greene called 911 first. Click here for the story.
UPDATE – Show me the beef: Firegeezer has extensive coverage of the stubborn fire at a Wisconsin meatpacking plant that began Sunday night. And this morning the Geezer tells us it is still burning.
Patch change leads to hard feelings: The survey showed more than 70-percent of Austin’s firefighters were ready for a new logo. They got what they wanted. Now that some have learned the history of the old patch they have changed their minds. It is up to Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr to, um … patch things up? Check out the story.
Embattled Topeka chief to leave: It has been a while since we have updated you on the bad relationship between Chief Howard Giles and some members of his department. Chief Giles has announced he is saying goodbye in September. Read more.
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3-alarm house fire in Pennsylvania: This is from June 25 in South Whitehall Township in Lehigh County. No injuries, but a cat died. More video can be found here. Details are here.
