Quick Takes: March 26, 2012
Pre-arrival video: This is from a March 15 house fire on Arbor Ridge Lane in the Setauket fire district in New York (Suffolk County). Read more.
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Thanks for your support … the former PG boys win: In about five weeks STATter911.com will be five-years-old (some will also say that is the mental age of its editor & publisher). What a nice early anniversary present to be named the Fire Blog of the Year in the contest hosted by FireCritic.com and FireRescue1.com and sponsored by American Military University. Thanks for taking the time to vote. We were up against some of the best, including one of my personal favorites, Bill Schumm’s cast of characters at Firegeezer.com (celebrating its fifth year this week and the blog I supported in the first year of the contest). Backstep Firefighter was the favorite of the judges. Like me, Backstep Firefighter’s Bill Carey is a Prince George’s County volunteer has-been. On the EMS side, Insomniac Medic was the choice of the masses and the judges picked EMS-12 Lead.
Fireboy giveth and he taketh away: On the same day that Rhett Fleitz announced STATter911.com as the winner, offered his congratulations (through clenched teeth, I’m sure) and I sincerely thanked him for running the contest, Fireboy took a personal swipe at me in the mainstream press. It seems the teenaged blogger from Roanoke was identified by a large Australian news organization as an expert in one particular aspect of the U.S. fire service. Click here to read about Rhett’s speciality and what he had to say about me and our turbulent past (this Australian news story is for real).
Former deputy chief accused of workers comp fraud: An arrest warrant has been issued for a former deputy chief of the Union Fire Company in Bensalem, PA charging that an injury he claimed occurred as part of his fire department duties actually happened elsewhere. You may recall the Union Fire Company was suspended by the Township last June claiming operational issues posed a risk to the safety of firefighters and the public. Here’s the latest story.
Read report into fire that injured 10 firefighters: The fire in Huntingtown, Maryland in a large house occurred one year and one week ago. Here’s the report looking at lessons from the fire.
Mayday at Newark, DE house fire: We have lots of video from the fire on Saturday. Click here.
The hotel sprinkler pranksters hit in Maryland: It had been quiet for a while on the hoax calls to hotel clerks getting them to set off sprinkler systems or inflict other damage. But early Friday morning someone convinced a guest at a Holiday Inn in Aberdeen, Maryland that there was a gas leak in the building and she must break off the sprinkler head with a toilet lid. Damage is estimated at $50,000. Check it out.
Raw video of Englewood, NJ three-alarm fire: Fire late Saturday in a townhouse.
Fireground audio from firehouse fire: Glenn Usdin’s FireTruckBlog.com has the audio from Friday’s fire that heavily damaged the Woodbury Heights FD in NJ. Click here.
Laughter Saves Lives in New Jersey: Adam Ferrara headlines a night for Firefighter Tommie Lukowski of the Old Bridge Volunteer Fire Department, East Brunswick Fire District 1. Just 22-years-old. Firefighter Lukowski is dealing with a life threatening illness. The benefit is April 5. LaughterSavesLives.org has the details and the tickets.
Neighbors welcome home Firefighter Robert Weidmann: Watch as the firefighter from FDNY’s Rescue 2 shows up at his Islip home after three months in a burn unit. Weidmann is the firefighter shown on video as he bailed out in a ball of flames from a fire in Crown Heights. Here’s the coverage.
Job openings in Lexington, Virginia: The Lexington Fire Department needs firefighter/medics. Click here for the details.
Automotive business and other destroyed in Michigan: Two clips of raw video from the fire in Napoleon Township.
Historic Maine buildings burn: Firegeezer has the weekend coverage of a fire in downtown Ft. Kent, Maine.
Who are you working for?: That”s what Willie Wines wants to know at IronFiremen.com. Check out his column.
Decade old suit over firefighter’s death is settled: Curt Varone looks at a very interesting and controversial wrongful death lawsuit filed by a firefighter’s widow. Curt sorts it out here.
Tanker needed: VirginiaFireNews.com has the story of Virginia’s Gore VFD in need of a new tanker after the crash in February that took the life of one of its members. Here’s the story.
Do you want to sell a rig? Click HERE to find out how with SellFireTrucks.com.
Fellow firefighters got his back and the beat: A firehouse concert in San Diego posted to YouTube yesterday.
