Video, pictures of MD 3-alarm fire & “mayday”; Errors in bushfire Down Under; Rescue attempt on Staten Island; Charlottesville ambulance issues
(Updated 12:05 PM)
Old video of the day: This is another one of Joe McDonagh’s films of the University of Maryland’s Fire Service Extension. The film starts in College Park and shifts to Wallops Island, VA. One of those in the film is fire service veteran Wayne Powell, currently a Fire/Life Safety Specialist with Marriott International. Wayne tells me the film from either April ’72 or ’73 is of “the newly built Mobile SCBA Training Trailer and Maze – the first such to be built anywhere in the country. It was a former USMC troop transport vehicle that a group of us built at College Park inside a large room then known as FSE’s Multi-Purpose Training Room on the east side of FSE’s facilities where the CPVFD also had use of parts of the building. In addition to the CPVFD and FSE (later MFRI) the 3rd floor housed the U of MD Fire Protection Engineering 4-year degree curriculum’s offices and classrooms. The trailer and maze concept was widely copied by a number of other state fire service training programs, too. FSE moved the Trailer / Maze all around the state and owing to its successes then also went on to build a 2nd one, too. Both were used extensively and in a way were forerunners of today’s MFRI Regional Training Centers”.
911 backup system failed in Montgomery County, MD
The Washington Post reports that Sunday’s 3-hour 911 outage was caused by “a phone service outage and a malfunction that prevented a backup system from operating properly.” Read the story.
Statewide radio system fails test
More communications issues. A $2 billion radio network intended to connect emergency responders throughout the state of New York flunked its first major test. New York’s second largest city, Buffalo, says no thanks, after radios did not work in half of the city. It was supposed to have been operational in Buffalo last June. Read the story in the New York Times.
Helmet-cam from Sunday’s 2nd-alarm in Montgomery County, MD
The above video claims it is from Carp’s helmet-cam, taken during the apartment fire in the 3900 block of Blackburn Lane in the Burtonsville area.
Pictures, helicopter video and details of 3-alarm fire and “mayday”
We’ve pulled together a number of elements from Monday’s fire in Belstville, MD. They include a series of photos, like the one above, from William Carey. Click here to see our coverage.
Who’s the boss?
DC FEMS Lt. Gerald Burton says he listened to citizens flagging him down about a house fire, rather than a boss telling him to continue on to a training class. The fire department isn’t giving its side of the story about the November 21st incident. Burton is fighting a two-day suspension. Read the story in The Washington Post.
Serious errors found in handling of fires in Australia
Nine people were killed in the “Black Tuesday” bushfires in January, 2005. A coroner’s inquest has issued a report. News.com.au explains Deputy State Coroner Anthony Schapel findings about the Country Fire Service:
Mr Schapel said there were inadequate warnings to the public from the CFS, and resources such as water bombers were not made available on the first day of the fire – the day before it ripped across the peninsula, killing nine people.
“There was an imperfect assessment of risk at the time the Incident Action Plan was devised,” he said.
“It failed to take into account the very grave risks posed by the weather forecast for the Tuesday morning.
Despite rescue efforts, 9-year-old boy dies in Staten Island fire
At first, everyone thought the boy was already out with the rest of the family at 1:30 Monday morning. When they realized Thomas Monahan Jr. was still inside, his father, neighbors and then firefighters made attempts to get to the boy. Read the story in the New York Times.
Charlottesville ready to pay for ambulance service
The Charlottesville Albemarle Rescue Squad says the city is “trying to solve a problem that doesn’t need to be fixed”. That hasn’t stopped the city from getting into the ambulance service. Read the story.
Texas firefighter to undergo surgery for burns
News reports say Beaumont firefighter Cody Shroeder was caught in a flashover at a house fire Monday morning. Surgery is planned for today because of burns over a third of his body. Read the story.
Fire across the street from the fire house
In Marlborough, MA, a fire Monday at 214 Maple Street, across the road from the Central Fire Station. Read the story.
FL inspectors resign
An update from Tampa on the investigation into two fire inspectors. Both have resigned and will get their pensions and sick leave. Read the story.
PA house fire
Reported to be early this morning on Sunnyside Avenue in Fernville, PA.
Union County, NJ
Here is the description with this video: This video was created for the Union County Fire Mutual Aid Coordinators to present to the NJ State Division of Fire Safety and other local and county officials as to some of the fire/rescue functions mutual aid provides in and around Union County, NJ.
Assistant chief/news anchor
This is Spokane, Washington’s in-house video news magazine.
