Quick takes
In office less than a week, new administration already dials 911: A blocked chimney is being blamed for sending smoke through the Old Executive Office Building on Sunday. Someone started a fire in a fire place not knowing about the blockage a few floors up. The Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House was the scene of a two-alarm fire in December of 2007. The photo above is by Richard A. Lipski of The Washington Post.
Two firefighters fall from bucket of new rig and die: A drill using the new aerial tower from Kilgore, Texas ended in tragedy Sunday afternoon. Two firefighters were killed after apparently being thrown from the bucket. Two others were hurt. We have the story and lots of links for you.
Must see video as cell tower burns and falls: Watch video of a Massachusetts cell phone tower that collapsed about 25 minutes after it began to burn. Click here.
Trapped in an elevator, what would you do? One drunk man in NY set it on fire: This is a strange tale that brought police and fire to 7 World Trade Center early Sunday morning. A new employee of a financial trading firm went into his office to retrieve his coat around 3:00 AM. Apparently inebriated, 24-year-old Ryan Brinkerhoff ended up in the wrong elevator on the wrong floor. Brinkerhoff was basically stuck unable to activate the security needed to exit the lift. After 30-minutes he realized a fire alarm would return the elevator to the lobby. He set off the alarm by igniting cleaning fluid. Read more.
State of emergency: Officials in Coatesville, PA have now made that declaration due to a serial arsonist. The latest fire destroyed or damaged 15 homes. Click here for our earlier coverage and read a suggested plan of action presented in the comments section by one of our readers.
Fort Wayne 911 call: There were some problems getting help to the right address when a pregnant woman and her two young sons died in a house fire. The early word from fire department officials indicated the caller was the problem. But listening to the 911 audio released late Friday it appears the problem may not be with the caller. We have comments from some 911 workers who seem to agree. Read more and listen to the audio.
FF describes dramatic close call during PA tire fire: Read the story of Ethan Kabler a firefighter trapped for about 15-minutes after falling through the roof of a burning tire store and landing on a pile of tires. It happened Sunday in Cambria County. Click here for the interview. Click here and here for video of the fire.
Clearing Dave’s in-box: Some stories and pictures sent in by STATer911.com readers over the weekend. Click here.
Dave thought he had seen it all. He was wrong: This really has nothing to do with fire or EMS, but is a window on the human condition. My TV assignment Sunday night was to cover a string of armed robberies at Asian restaurants in DC. One of those was at the Eastern Carryout, just south of Adams Morgan. Interviewing Paul Chen, the son of the owners, I was amazed by the story of one customer who Chen was waiting on in the front of the restaurant when three men, armed with a gun came in the back door on Saturday night.
Chen says the customer watched as the robbers ordered Chen and his parents to the back of the kitchen. Somehow the customer left through the front door. Did he call police? No. But that’s not all. The man came back in after the hold-up men left and before police arrived and wanted Chen to give him his food. You can watch the story here (or here).
House explosion: FireGeezer has been on top of Sunday’s explosion in Gloucester, MA at a local police officer’s home.
Training standards discussed in Delaware: A look at how state-wide firefighter standards could be implemented.
Funeral today for Dale City volunteer: For the second time in less than 3-months, Dale City VFD members in Prince William County, VA, will be attending a funeral of one of their own. FF Joseph Quigley was killed in a car crash in Maryland on January 20th. Click here for details on today’s funeral. There is also a new tribute to FF Quigley from a Dale City member, along with comments from people who knew him.
